It was first when Terrell dropped her hand that Sahara began to notice her surroundings in more detail. She was indeed standing in what looked like an alley. The walls of the houses to either side of her looked almost as though they were made of some sort of metal, which Sahara guessed had to be copper.

"Hey, you coming?" Realizing that Terrell had moved to the end of the alley and was waiting, Sahara bounded after him. While he was a complete stranger to her she needed to find a way to contact the Kane's.

Maybe he can help me find a phone, she thought as she stepped out of the alley after Terrell.

There was a loud slurping sound and Terrell suddenly paused. He took out the straw of the strawberry milk carton and attempted to peer inside before he held it upside down. Seeming satisfied that it was empty he casually tossed both the carton and straw to the side of the road. It landed in a large pile of trash, which already littered the area. In fact, it looked like the street to either side was covered in dirt and different assortments of trash. The smell itself gave away that things had been this dirty for a while.

Sahara wrinkled her nose.

"You're lucky I decided to take out this board today," Terrell spoke as he patted the board he held under his arm. "It's built specially for speed. Had it been a weight, height, or maneuverability board I would have never caught you in time."

As none of what he said made sense anyway, Sahara wasn't really listening.

"Where are all the people?" she whispered. It was a good question, for the entire street was abandoned and other than a soft droning sound, there was silence.

Terrell shot her a confused look. "Did I mention this is Regona City?"

"But...there's no people here," Sahara whispered as she avoided his eyes. Is he angry?

"Of course not," Terrell shrugged. "We're in the outskirts of the city. They've been abandoned since the Wis Virus hit. Those that survived moved to the inner city. It makes everything easier. Mind you, there still are a few that live out on the outskirts...just not this far out."

"Wis virus?"

"Yes, as in W.I.S. but we just call it Wis," Terrell sounded somewhat impatient. Stopping he turned to face her. "You really must have hit your head hard to not know about that...or..." his eyes narrowed again and yet he did not say what he was thinking.

Sahara didn't bother to ask the questions that were forming in her mind. It was probably better not to antagonize Terrell, for she was scared that if she somehow offended him he would leave her out here alone, and then what?

"Come on," Terrell told her as he waved his free hand. "Let's go to the inner city. We'll find someone you know and sort this whole thing out."

Sahara opened her mouth to tell him she didn't know anyone here, in fact, all she needed was a phone. However, she closed her mouth before the words could come out. Maybe it was better to tell him once they reached the inner city.

"Alright." Startled Sahara looked up to see that Terrell pressed something on his bracelet and dropped the board from under his arm. It started to fall and yet suddenly jolted to a stop, hovering a few feet above the ground. To her surprise Terrell got on it and it continued to hover, its height only decreasing ever so slightly under his weight. Turning he looked over at Sahara expectantly. She stared back at him blankly.

"Come on," he motioned for her to come join him.

"Y-you mean get on?" Sahara asked.

"What?" Terrell snorted, "You thought we were going to walk? That would take ages!"

Sahara blinked.

"Hey," Terrell told her. "My board may not be built for weight but it should be able to hold both of us if we don't fly fast or high."

Sahara stayed rooted to the spot.

"Come," Terrell told her.

It was as though Sahara's feet moved without her command and she made her way over. Once she was standing beside Terrell and the board she stopped and stared in fascination. The board was simply hovering there in the air while emitted a soft humming sound. All the while it was swaying slightly from side to side. Terrell himself seemed to be following the movement. How it was floating in the air Sahara could not understand.

Terrell was looking at her in interest. "What? Have you never been on one or something?" He asked. It almost sounded like he was joking and yet when Sahara nodded he looked surprised. "Seriously?" he scratched his head. "I know some people don't have their own boards, but to have never been on one?" he murmured to himself. Shaking his head he looked at Sahara as though contemplating something. Suddenly he stuck out a hand.

Sahara blinked in surprise.

"Come on, it should be fine if you hold onto me."

Slowly Sahara reached out her hand. In response, Terrell took a firm hold of hers, and helped her as she proceeded to get up behind him. The board swayed and even before she was on Sahara felt herself losing her balance. Terrell, however, gave her hand a hard tug and pulled her fully up.

Letting out a yelp Sahara would have fallen had she not grabbed the first thing near her, Terrell. She clung to his waist and yet at the same time the board wobbled as she swayed back and forth. While Terrell had made it look easy, keeping her balance was a lot harder than she had thought.

"You've got to keep still," Terrell told her as he fought to maintain both their balances.

Sahara nodded and managed to do so for exactly one second, and then her feet began to slip on the surface.

"Ah," she began as she once again tipped to the side and began to pull Terrell with her.

Terrell simply let out a calm sigh and reached a hand for his bracelet. He pressed something and Sahara suddenly felt that although she was moving sideward, Terrell was not budging in the least. It helped her pull herself back up behind him.

"Lean against me," Terrell told her.

Sahara responded by leaning forward so that her chest was pressed up against his back and her head rested on the back of his neck. She felt her cheeks turn red as she realized how close they were and yet Terrell seemed not bothered in the least. The change in her stance suddenly made it easier to balance as she leaned against Terrell, letting him take over control of both their weights.

"Good old gravity pull. Never thought I'd have to put it on this strong again," Terrell was saying.

"G-Gravity pull?" Sahara got out.

"Yeah. The boots I'm wearing are synced with the board. There is always a slight gravity pull otherwise it would be impossible to stay on. Beginners put it full blast most of the time until they learn to ride for real. Even experts use a harder pull from time to time if they go higher. It's also the only thing that keeps you on if you go upside down..."

Upside down? Sahara thought in horror.

"Personally I haven't used this strong a pull in ages," Terrell told her. He leaned slightly forward and the board suddenly jerked. Sahara felt her heart drop as she realized they were moving. "It makes you less flexible and thus is a disadvantage in racing."

Not really hearing what he was saying Sahara peaked out to the side to see buildings pass by. This slight action made the entire board wobble.

"Hey!" Terrell protested.

"Sorry," Sahara yelped as she resumed to her former position.

"Just remember to keep still," Terrell told her.

Sahara nodded obediently. In the following moments she tried to stand as still as possible. She still got a cramp in her neck and yet she managed to ignore it to an extent by concentrating on her breathing. The problem was whenever Terrell would turn a corner. The first time he did he turned so sharply Sahara almost fell off. He seemed sheepish and told her 'sorry'. After that he seemed to take corners a lot slower and not quite as sharp as before.

She didn't know how long they had been going for, and yet when the cramp in her neck felt beyond bearable, the board suddenly stopped. Wondering what was wrong Sahara attempted to moved her head to peak out the side once more. This time, other than the board wobbling slightly, she managed to not fall off balance.

However, Sahara did not even notice her accomplishment as her mouth fell open. The reason was the scene before her. Buildings towered before her. They looked foreign in that they were a silver color; it was as though they too were made of some sort of metal. On top of that, while some seemed rounded others looked more pyramid like, pointing up into the sky, a sky, which Sahara noted for the first time, did not have a single cloud in it.

"Looks like we're here," Terrell spoke. The board suddenly jerked and they were moving forward once more. As they entered the inner city people were suddenly present. Voices filled the area and the smell of food lingered in the air. The tall buildings rose all around, enclosing them in their shadows. Every now and then they would pass by a building, which looked like it was somewhat run down, its windows broken or trash littering the area before it.

The streets were made of concrete, which added to the grey look. Here and there fountains rose up. They would have been beautiful had they not been filled with trash and the water not been murky. A few trees and shrubs added a hint of green with small fields peaking out here and there. Yet the grass was brown and dying and the trees did not look in good shape either. The benches near them were missing backrests or had paint peeling off them.

Sahara blinked in disbelief. Something told her this place would look like a small paradise if it was cleaned up. However, right now it looked completely run down.

The people who walked around did not seem to care about the dirt and grime around them. Sahara wrinkled her forehead as she watched them. The area was not even half as crowded as she would expect it to be for a city. There was space to walk everywhere and yet the size of the buildings and the wide streets suggested this city had been built for a larger population. It was as though over half of them were missing.

As someone sped past Sahara realized that every now and then someone else would appear riding a board somewhere. The boards were not the only odd thing she noticed. To one side, a teenage girl dressed in clothes, which were tattered, was pulling a small cart filled with blankets. However, the cart had no wheels and like the boards, was floating. To another side a young man, standing by a stall, was cutting up vegetables and throwing them in a pot which was placed on a table. There was no fire and yet Sahara could clearly see the water within it boiling. This was not the only weird thing; the other was the knife he was using. Its handle looked normal enough and yet its blade looked red. When he was done cutting it disappeared leaving only the handle behind.

A laser? Sahara thought.

"Alright," Terrell spoke as the board came to a stop. "You can get off now."

Sahara obediently took her hands from around Terrell's waist. They were stiff from clinging on. As she proceeded to get off she would have fallen flat on her face had Terrell not reached out and steadied her.

"Thank you," Sahara breathed as she found herself standing on a firm surface once more. Her feet felt somewhat shaky. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was relieved to be off that board.

"Well then..." Terrell stayed standing where he was. "I take it you can make it from here?"

Sahara felt taken aback. "W-what?"

"You're back in the inner city. You'll be fine finding your way back home, right?"

He's leaving me? Panic filled Sahara.

"Ok, well, be careful..."

"Wait!"

Terrell, who had started forward, jerked his board to a stop. "Huh?" he asked.

"I..." Sahara shot a panicked look around. "Can you tell me where to find a phone?"

Terrell wrinkled his forehead. "A phone?

"Yes, so I can call my foster parents and they can come get..." Sahara trailed off as she realized Terrell seemed completely lost.

Suddenly his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! You want to I.H.M. them!"

"I.H.M?" Sahara asked blankly.

"Yeah, you know," Terrell help up his hand with the silver bracelet and tapped it, "Instant Hologram Message."

"I-I guess so," Sahara murmured.

"Well...since you lost your bracelet I guess I could IHM them for you." He pressed a button on the bracelet and Sahara watched in wonder as what looked like a hologram of a keypad with numbers on it hovered above it. "What's their I.N?"

Sahara didn't respond.

"Identity Number?" Terrell asked.

Does he mean phone number? Sahara wondered. "Eight, one, five, seven, six, three, five, four, zero, two," Sahara recited Mrs. Kane's cell phone number. She looked up to see Terrell staring at her.

"That's the I.N.?" He asked.

Sahara paused before nodding.

"There is no such I.N." Terrell told her. "It needs a letter to start it off and besides that...that number is way too long." He shifted uncomfortably. "Look...maybe you should drop by a doctor or something. I mean, you might want to get looked over. The impact may have been harder than I...."

"No!" Sahara cut him off. "Look, there is nothing wrong with me!" Panic was filling every pore of her body. And since when did people have identity numbers anyway? She wrapped her arms around herself as she suddenly felt her teeth chatter. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"Regona City," Terrell replied.

"But where is Regona City?" Sahara looked up at him pleadingly. "Please tell me. What country are we in? Which continent?"

For a moment Terrell simply stared at her before a look of realization crossed his eyes.

"Oh dang," he suddenly had a look of fear, suspicion, and awe all mixed into his handsome face. "You really aren't from Regona City," he whispered the last part. He also looked like he was ready to leave her right there and then.

Tears filled Sahara's eyes. This was all getting too much. If it was a dream then she just wanted to wake up already. At the Kane's, even in the home, she didn't care, just as long as it was somewhere she was familiar with.

Terrell paused. "Did you..." his eyes widened even further. He shot a look around as if to make sure no one was listening in. Suddenly he jumped off his board and, leaving it hovering where it was, he walked right up to Sahara.

She froze as he leaned down so that he was staring right into her eyes. "Did you just arrive here today?"

Sahara nodded as she tried to keep the tears from falling.

"Dang!" Terrell exclaimed again as he turned away. "No way, it's not possible." He shook his head seeming to suddenly doubt himself. "There haven't been any shuttles since the WIS virus hit."

"W-what's the WIS virus?" Sahara sniffed.

Unexpectedly Terrell's hand flew out and he grabbed Sahara's wrist tightly. "Come," he told her as he began to drag her towards a smaller building nearby. He made a motion with his free hand and as a result his board followed, floating behind them.

"Wh...what are you...?" Sahara began as he pulled her out of the way of people in the street.

Terrell suddenly shoved her against the wall and banged both hands against the wall, one on either side of her head. Sahara flinched, fear filling her as he peered at her. He looked angry and confused as he leaned in closely to her, angling his body so that to anyone passing by they looked like a couple having a 'moment'.

"Who are you?" Terrell growled as his eyes flashed. Danger seemed to radiate from him and Sahara felt fear fill her. She was shocked by the sudden change in his attitude towards her.

"I-I..." Sahara stuttered. She was unable to get out the words and she felt the tears threaten to fall.

Seeing her reaction Terrell's face suddenly softened and he backed off somewhat. "Look, I need you to tell me who you are right now. It's important."

"S-Sahara," Sahara whispered meekly.

"I know that much. Where are you from?"

Sahara looked up at him. "I live near Fortway. It's a village outside of Grenton city."

Terrell looked blank.

"In A-America," Sahara continued.

"America?" Terrell looked confused. "I've never heard of such a city."

Sahara didn't bother to correct him.

Shaking his head Terrell lowered one hand and ran it through his hair as through trying to get it out of his eyes. It flopped right back in, the action doing little to help. He shot a look to the side and watched someone walk past before suddenly his head snapped back to stare at her.

Sahara bit her lip. She felt as though she was being analyzed.

"Right. Let's try this once more," he told her in a low voice, which held warning in it. It was a warning to be completely honest. "Are you, or are you not from Regona City?"

Sahara shook her head.

"Is that a 'no'?" Terrell asked sharply.

Sahara nodded.

"Have you been to Regona City before?"

Sahara shook her head.

"Did..." Terrell paused, "Did you just come here today?"

Meeting his eyes Sahara nodded miserably. "I just want to go home," she whispered.

Terrell dropped his other hand and took a step back. He shook his head in disbelief. "What did you get yourself into this time, Terrell?" Sahara heard him mutter to himself. She froze as his eyes returned to her. "You're either a very good liar," he began, "Or you're telling the truth." He narrowed his eyes.

Sahara began to protest, "I'm telling the truth, I'm not from Reg-"

"Shhh!" Terrell's hand shot out and covered Sahara's mouth. He shot a worried look around. "Don't," he told Sahara softly. Her eyes were wide. "Don't say it out loud." Slowly Terrell removed his hand from her mouth.

"But I'm really not," Sahara whispered.

For a moment Terrell studied her. Suddenly he let out a frustrated growl. "I may be crazy, but I think you're telling the truth." He suddenly seemed to return to his friendly self and all the danger radiating from him before seemed to disappeared completely.

"If you're really not from here, and if you really came here today," Terrell told her softly, "Then there are a lot of things you need to know. First and foremost," Leaning forward so that his mouth was right beside Sahara's ear he whispered her next part, "Don't tell anyone you're not from here. Especially that you came here today."

Sahara's eyes widened. "Why?" she asked.

Terrell paused for a moment. "Because, if anyone finds out you haven't lived here since at least three years ago, all hell will break loose...for you anyway."

Fear clutched Sahara's heart. As Terrell pulled away she saw in his eyes that he was telling the truth.

What? Sahara couldn't make sense of any of this.

"I'm saying..." Terrell told her calmly, "If you want to live then from today on you are Sahara from Regona City. You've never been anywhere else. This has always been your home."

"But...but why?" Sahara asked in shock. Is this some kind of joke? I need to get home. Back to the Kane's!

In response Terrell suddenly grabbed her arm once more, except this time with less force. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered as he pushed her before him and began to guide her towards a smaller building. Above it stood the words "Drake's Café".

"W-where..."

Not stopping Terrell leaned forward once more. "If you value your life, Sahara of America City," he murmured, "Then you'll want to listen to what I have to tell you about Regona and how things work here. Because trust me, since three years ago this place does not welcome anyone that is not from here."

Sahara felt her mouth go dry.

Just where on earth have I ended up? She couldn't help but wonder.