"Emily, don't move." Tyler's voice said. Emily, knowing that there was sense in what he said, obeyed.

She felt breath puff against the back off her neck and she tried not to flinch away. 

"Get back, fera pessima." Tyler warned. Emily felt the beast shake against her as it laughed.

"You don't scare me Flame." The monster whispered, moving away from Emily and approaching Tyler...or what had it called him-Flame-instead.

What did that mean?

Angrily, Emily spun around in her seat, ready to yell at Tyler for trying to pull a prank on her. She wasn't really sure what she had been expecting, but it hadn't been what she got.

Ms. Harrison was standing over Tyler, three times her normal size with a purple back showing through her shirt, which was now ripped up and torn.

Emily could only see the back of her head, and she was rather afraid to see her face.

Then she turned her eyes to Tyler, and she let out a squeak.

His hair had turned almost white, and it had bright blue streaks in it. It also stood straight up. His eyes, which had once been "turquoise" as Jackie put it, were now bright green with slit pupils and no whites, like a cat's.

"What the hell!?" She screamed, falling backwards off her chair and landing with a loud thud on the floor.

The monster turned back toward her, and Emily screamed again, louder this time.

Ms. Harrison was no longer Ms. Harrison, but a monster with a large purple face and three rows of sharp teeth. Orange blisters showed all over its skin, and its eyes were large and yellow, with no whites and very small pupils.

"Hello, child." The monster said, raising one large hand with long purple claws and seven fingers. "I've been waiting for a chance to show you what I really am, and more importantly, what you really are." It cackled.

"Hey, ugly!" Tyler yelled, poking the monster with a curved sword that seemed to represent a claw, it wasn't flat but rather rounded. The monster turned again, with much agitation this time. "Silence!" It hissed.

Emily got shakily to her feet and furiously banged her head on the desk, trying to wake herself up from this horrible dream. After the tenth time she did it, she was surprised that Jackie hadn't yelled at her to stop.

She turned to look at the girl, but to her horror, found no one there.

No one was sitting in any of the seats.

Suddenly, Emily felt the urge to rip out her hair and run around in circles screaming until she was taken to an insane asylum. She figured that she'd be better off there anyway.

She heard a screech behind her, but didn't move, scared to discover who it had come from. Of course, she wouldn't really care if the beast killed Tyler, that is, if he hadn't been her saving grace at the moment.

"It's okay, Maple." Tyler's voice said. Emily felt a hand lay on her shoulder and she nervously turned around.

Tyler was even scarier up close. His skin was now very pale, and his nose was long and sharp. His ears were also very long, so they looked like a basset hound's. His lips were such a light pink they looked almost white.

"What happened to you?" She whispered.

Tyler smiled a little. "Nothing, at least, I look the same to myself as I always have." He said. "And you look the same to me as you always have, though, of course, to yourself you'll be looking rather different, Maple."

"Stop talking like you're from the twentieth century." Emily growled. "And don't call me 'Maple'!"

Tyler looked her right in the eyes. "Can you see your reflection?" He whispered.

Emily screamed as she saw herself. An electric jolt seemed to go through her and she fell to the ground, her hands over her head as it began to feel as if it were splitting open. She shut her eyes tight, scared out of her mind. She had not seen what she saw, she couldn't have! She was just plain old Emily and nothing, nothing would ever change that!

~

Emily opened her eyes and found herself on the classroom floor, just as she had been moments before. The pain in her head was fading but she was shaking like crazy.

"Emily what happened?" Ms. Harrison asked, for the first time in her life, actually sounding concerned. Emily looked at her eyes and saw them flash yellow, or at least, she thought she did. There was a wicked gleam in them that unnerved her, and she turned away.

Her eyes next found Tyler. He was looking down at her, concerned as well, but his eyes were understanding, almost sympathetic, as if he knew what she was going through.

"I don't have an answer for you." Emily said as briskly as she could, trying to get to her feet. Her legs wouldn't support her though, and she fell back down again.

"You need to go to the nurse." Ms. Harrison declared. "I'll take yo-"

"Oh no you won't!" Tyler snapped, his cheeks not even turning red when everyone looked at him in surprise. "I'll take her myself."

Ms. Harrison shot him a venomous look as he put his arm under Emily's and heaved her to her feet.

You won't win this battle. The monster's voice hissed inside of Emily's head. She jumped as another voice answered, one that was certainly not her own.

Try me.

Tyler and Ms. Harrison were looking at each other hatefully, and Emily was surprised that no one else noticed. She looked at Tyler again, and realized that his original appearance had returned.

They walked into the hallway, and Tyler turned his face to Emily's. "We need to get out of here." He whispered, speeding up so Emily stumbled after him. "What do you mean? We're in school for God's sake!"

Tyler shook his head. "We're both in trouble, and I'm here to save you." He said.

Emily wretched herself away from him. "Here to save me? Me? I don't need saving! I'm going back to class."

She turned around pointedly and began marching back to the classroom, but then she felt something like a cold gust of wind, though they were no where near a door nor a window.

"You don't want to do that." Tyler whispered, and when Emily spun around to snap "Oh yes I do!" At him, she found that he had his blue streaked hair and cat-like eyes again.

"Maple, you have to come with me." He warned, tilting his head toward the wall.

A hole opened up revealing a snowy landscape and a dark night sky. Emily got dizzy for a moment and had to clutch her head in her hands.

This literally could not be happening.

There was just no way a-portal?-had opened up in their school.

"Maple, you have to come with me!" Tyler begged. "This is where you belong!"

"No!" Emily screamed. "I BELONG HERE! I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE! AND DON'T-CALL-ME-MAPLE! JUST LEAVE ME HERE!"
"Then it's your intention to be killed?"

Emily's voice died in her throat. Tyler had spoken so calmly, so casually, it was almost as if he was asking what they had for homework.

Tyler, seeing a moment of weakness, lunged at Emily and grabbed her arm. She tried to pull away but he was too strong, despite all the strength she possessed.

"We're leaving, whether you like it-"

He looked her right in the eye and once again, Emily saw her reflection, but this time it didn't startle her as much.

Something like calmness had settled in her heart. And she allowed Tyler to drag her toward the portal."

"-or not."

And then they were gone.

~

A/N: Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes! I haven't had time to write lately! CURSE YOU SCHOOL PROJECTS!

Okay this chapter was a little less confusing...hopefully?

It'll get better.

I swear.