*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they belong to their respective owners. I also did not come up with the television show Sliders. I'm not really sure who did, but everything from the show belongs to them, too. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Devon, Rachel, Ashley and Carli. Plagiarism is against the law. Please don't do it. Thank you.
**I was walking to the store with Mystery Guest (my roommate in my new apartment. That's right, the two of us moved from our old apartment aka the slums and into a new apartment together. Lord help the manager and all the other tenants.) and we got to talking about my writing. Well, she offered me a dare. You see, we both like the television show Sliders, except we like the old one with the Professor, Wade, Quinn and Rembrant. The new ones can go stink off, but anyway, I'm getting away from the point. She dared me to write a crossover between an 'N Sync story and a Sliders episode. I took it with a laugh saying 'you got it, babe'. So, this is what happened late that night while I was typing. *LOL* I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.
The Vortex
The tour bus was silent with the late hour. The group 'N Sync had just finished a concert and had loaded onto the bus with exhausted expressions. All five members had crawled into their bunks and had fallen asleep after having a post concert conversation about all the things they needed to work on during the next rehersal. They would have to get up soon, something they all dreaded. Most nights they were lucky to average about three hours of sleep, but they wouldn't trade their lives for anything. JC woke with a start, his face drenched in sweat and the trailmarks of a nightmare lingering in his mind. It was the same nightmare every time. He groaned softly to himself, rubbing his face tiredly. He knew from experience that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep any time soon, so he climbed out of his bunk and wandered into the kitchen to get himself something to drink before turning on the tv for a while. When he finally made it to the back lounge, he noticed Justin sitting in the dark, playing a video game.
"You know, that's going to rot your brain." JC mumbled with a rueful smile.
"Nah, that's tv. This is entertainment." Justin shook his head, tossing the control pad aside.
"Ah, yes. It's Justin Timberlake, the 'kill your tv' spokes person." JC teased as he flopped down on the couch.
"What can I say? Everyone wants me." Justin laughed, brushing his fingernails against his shirt. JC shook his head with a groan.
"I think you're becoming way to dependant on your cute status."
"Hey, I was destined for professional cuteness. The guy who does VH1's 'Before They Were Rock Stars' says so." Jusitn countered with a shrug as he sat down on a chair.
"Yeah, he also said that Lance was dreamy." JC snorted, setting his glass down on the table beside him. Justin groaned with a laugh, getting comfortable on the oversized cushions.
"Can I ask you something?" Justin inquired out of the blue.
"Sure, man." JC nodded, resting his head back with his eyes closed.
"What do you think of Katie?" Jusitn raised an eyebrow at his oldeer friend. These days Katie had become a touchy subject with the group and the group's management. The group thought it was great that Jusitn had been able to find someone who cared for him, whether or not he had the music gig he had. Management thought otherwise, being that Justin was the most marketable to young girls out of everyone in the group.
"You want my honest opinion?" JC glanced over at Justin, who nodded silently. "Okay, I think that Katie is probably the best thing to happen to you since the group. I also think the two of you are doing a lot of good for each other. And if you're happy being in a relationship with her, don't let the big guys bully you out of it. They're just nervous because you're dating one person instead of five or six. If you're happy, stick it out. It'll be worth it in the long run."
"Yeah?" Justin smiled to himself.
"Yeah." JC nodded with a sigh.
"You had that nightmare again, didn't you?" Justin turned to face his friend, sympathizing with him.
"Why else would I be up at this hour?" JC rolled his eyes.
"Starbucks before bed, maybe?" Justin smiled with a shrug.
"Not with my luck." JC shook his head.
"Want to talk about it?" Justin inquired softly.
"What is there to talk about? She's gone. The end. There's no coming back from where she is." JC shrugged, not really up for discussing his problems.
"I know that, dimwit." Justin groaned, rolling his eyes. "But maybe talking about it will help the nightmares disappear."
"Its the same thing over again. The same piece of video that was all over the news for weeks. She died gallantly, but for no real reason. The guy is in prison now and won't be likely to get out for the next twenty years. Its over and done with." JC sighed, rubbing his eyes again.
"She did die gallantly. Saving that little kid is what she'll be remembered by." Justin nodded in agreement.
"Not to me. To me, she'll be remembered by her smile, her laughter, certain looks she used to give me. She'll also be remembered by me as the one who could complete me like no one else could." JC mumbled, picking at the couch nervously.
"I finally know what you mean when you used to say that her smile brightens up your entire life. That's what happens when Katie smiles at me." Justin grinned, running a hand through his hair.
"Love is grand, that's why I told you what I did. It was unfortunate that I lost Mike so soon, but at least I got what time I did get with her. How was she to know that the bank was going to be held up? She just wanted to protect that kid." JC shrugged with a laugh, feeling a little better than he did when he woke up.
"I'm ready for bed, how about you?" Justin inquired, climbing to his feet.
"I think I'm gonna stay up for a bit. Get some thinking done." JC shook his head.
"Alright. 'Night." Justin smiled before leaving for the comfort of his own bunk. He climbed into the cramped area and sighed contentedly. He was most definitely very happy with Katie. She completed his personality. Where he was loud and outgoing, she was shy and reserved. Sometimes it was the exact opposite, it just depended on the situation and who was around. To him, Katie was amazing. Someone he had met on a whim and had taken an instant liking to. They had known each other for nearly a year and a half before he asked her out. He hadn't wanted to ruin their friendship because she was the only girl who tried to understand him and never judged him for anything he did. She took him for who he was, nothing more and nothing less. He knew in his heart that if 'N Sync lost their fame and popularity tomorrow, she would still be standing beside him, cheering him on through his next adventure. In short, she was perfect for him. He shook his head, eyes closing. He knew life would never be the same with or without her, not now that he had grown to love her in his own way. He sighed, covering a yawn at the same time as his mind drifted off to sleep.
James had been driving the group's tour bus for the past couple of years and he had come to the conclusion that they men he worked for were a great group of guys. He had watched them grow up, mature and also act like children when they wanted to make an unscheduled stop. He shook his head with a soft laugh, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, eyes scanning the road ahead. Suddenly, he cursed loudly, slamming on the break as a huge, blinding blue light flared up in the middle of the road. He pulled the steering wheel all around to the left, trying to swerve so he would miss whatever it was, to no avail. He passed right through it. The bus started shaking, twisting from side to side as what looked to be lightning bolts passed through the interior. He screamed. Then everything went black.
Justin awoke suddenly with the tossing and turning of the bus, and he winced when he nearly toppled out of his bunk. He heard James' scream, then deafening silence filled the cramped area. A bright blue light resonated throughout the bus, causing him to hold a hand up to cover his eyes. When the flash of light disappeared, he closed his eyes tightly, his heart racing and his mind scrambling for a rational explanation of what had just happened. He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to climb out of his bunk to see what was going on. He swung his legs over the side and slid down to the floor. The whole bus was destroyed. Whatever that hit them had hit them hard, though, nothing he could think of would cause that bright of a blue light. Unless it was a road flare. JC emmerged from his bunk, rubbing an angry looking swell on his forehead, wincing in pain as he moved his shoulder. Chris peered around the bus, looking for James, who was nowhere to be found. Lance held his wrist, mumbling something about it being sprained, and Joe stood off to the side in shock.
"I'll take 'what's going on' for a thousand, Alex." Chris muttered as he made his way down the hallway. "James isn't here." he continued.
"Did everyone else see that blue light?" Joe inquired suddenly, glancing about the bunk area nervously.
"Yeah." they all nodded tiredly.
"You think that means we're dead?" Joe mused aloud, shaking his head slowly to clear the cobwebs of sleep from his mind.
"No, Joe. That's a white light. This is something different." Justin shook his head, brow furrowed as he wandered to the front of the bus. Plastic dishes and various food items were strewn about the kitchen area, clothes tossed around, couch cushions in disaray. He shook his head, wondering what had hit them.
"You think it was an earthquake then?" Joe raised an eyebrow, trying to come up with a logical explaination for what had just happened.
"I don't think so." Lance shook his head, grimacing as his wrist throbbed unmercifully. Joe sighed, flopping down on a chair.
"Um, guys. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Justin's eyes glued to the window as he muttered the phrase.
"Well, duh, we left Kansas last week." JC made a face, rolling his eyes.
"No, man. Look out the window." Justin pointed vaguely to the numerous windows on the side of the bus. They all turned, and mouths gaped open at what they saw. The world surrounding them was barren. No trees, no animals, no humans. Nothing but huge smoke clouds filled the expansive sky. In the distance, huge fiery explosions could be seen, as if a war was going on all around them. The road they had been driving down had been destroyed, vacant cars blocking all routes of escape. A small movement caught their eyes.
"This is unreal. Where the hell are we?" JC shook his head, voice filled with nervous amazement. Suddenly, a huge white blaze of light flashed in front of them, the bus rocking with the explosion that was too close for comfort.
"This is nuts. Were we, or were we not just driving down the highway on our way to San Fransisco?" Lance demanded, wondering silently if it were a possibility that he was still asleep. He shook his head, turning his eyes away from the window, going abuot the task of finding something to wrap his wrist with. Justin gazed on with dawning horror. Wherever they were, it obviously wasn't very safe.
"This is not good. This is so not good." he mumbled, shaking his head slowly. His eyes narrowed as another bright flash of light filled the sky. The world around them looked ravished, a baren land that no one had lived on for years. Impossible.
"Are you all just stupid, or just have a death wish?" a rough voice inquired, startling the five men. Justin glanced over to the doorway of the bus and found a middle aged black man standing hunched over the railing. They all stared stupidly at the new comer, not knowing whether or not this was all a dream or some sort of group illusion.
"Great. A bunch of idiots." the person muttered savagely, glancing back out the door as another explosion rocked the bus. The person turned back to the group of men, eyeing them carefully. "Well, do you want to live, or die? Forget it. Just follow me."
They glanced at each other for a moment, as if to say 'what do we do now'. JC sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. Lance finished wrapping up his wrist, stuffing some of the pain medication that he had found into the pocket of his jeans. Chris shook his head slowly, glancing around at the other shell-shocked expressions his friends wore.
"Well, we can't stay here." JC pointed out reasonably. Justin nodded in agreement.
"What do we have to lose?" he mumbled, before he followed the person out of the bus. One by one, the others followed, thuroughly confused at what was going on around them. When they made it to the other side of the bus, the figure rested back against the metal for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"Alright, don't move unless I tell you to. Stick behind me if you want to survive this. And whatever you do, no matter what happens, never look back. Got that?" the person inquired savagely, ducking as another explosion lit the sky and rocked the bus behind them. The five men nodded numbly, eyes darting around, taking everything around them in.
"This is impossible." Lance shook his head as he and the others followed their 'savior' into a large valley. They crawled along the ground for what seemed like an eternity before the person climbed to his feet, walking towards a small abandoned building. Justin cleared his throat, intending to ask a question when the person tossed him a silencing look. He stepped into the building silently, motioning for the men to follow him into the darkness. Once the door was shut, the man turned to them with a raised eyebrow.
"What were you doing out there? Don't you know there's a war going on?" he demanded incredulously, pacing the room with his arms folded across his chest. He flinched as a loud boom filled the air, the building shuddering slightly.
"There's a war going on?" Justin repeated, unsure he had heard correctly. The man nodded with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"As far as I know, yeah. How'd you get onto the crossroads in that bus?" he continued to question, glancing from one man to the next, waiting patiently for an answer to make it's way to the surface.
"We honestly don't know. We were heading to San Fransisco. Next thing we know, we're here. But, I'm not even sure where here is." Justin explained, almost mumbling to himself, his mind trying to piece together the information in a puzzle that made at least some sense.
"Okay, so, lets get everything out into the open. First, we see a bright blue light. The bus starts rocking as if there was an earthquake going on. We open our eyes and we're here. In the middle of a war." Joe listed off out loud, ticking each off on his fingers.
"Wait, you saw a bright blue light?" Rembrant finally spoke up turning to the other men in the room. They nodded silently, gazing at him warily.
"Well I'll be damned." he muttered as he began to pace throughout the room, deep in thought. "Quinn always said there could be a chance that this could happen. Other sliders meeting up with us. But, I never really thought it could happen."
"What's with this sliding business?" Joe inquired, finally taking a seat on the floor.
"You mean you don't know?" Rembrant raised an eyebrow. The five men shook their heads. Rembrant sighed heavily, closing his eyes tightly.
"This is a first. Okay, listen up boys because what I'm going to tell you is going to be a shock to your brains, but I promise you, it is no lie." Rembrant sat in one of the two chairs in the room and took a deep breath. "That bright blue light that you saw, was a worm hole. A break in the time continuum. In regular english, what you've done is a whole lot of traveling."
"Care to elaborate?" Chris lifted an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall, arms folded across his chest.
"I'll do my best." he nodded, his lips turning up in a sad smile. "First off, my name's Rembrant. I'm a slider, and from the looks of it, so are you. Like I said, that bright blue light you saw was a worm hole. You slid into it, most likely on accident. Either way, it doesn't matter. Now, what happened is, you slid into a parallel Earth. It's the same year, but history has changed. Certain things didn't happen, causing other things to prevail. It's all rather hard to explain. Nothing in your world could be in this world. For instance, instead of it being the United State of America it's the British States of England. Or, California was made into one giant prison state surrounded by electrical fences. There are billions of variables, and you'll never know what kind of world you've entered until you've entered it."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that we're still on Earth, but, we're in another dimension?" Chris made a face, holding his hand up.
"That's exactly what I mean. I know it's a hard story to swallow, but it's the truth. I was in your shoes once, too." Rembrant nodded with a tired sigh.
"Say this whole story is true and you're not some crack pot, how do we get back to our own 'dimension'?" Joe slowly paced the room, trying to ignore the sounds of war that were going on around them outside the building. Rembrant shook his head, resting his elbows in his knees.
"No one has been able to figure that out yet." he sighed.
"So," Chris exclaimed, "Not only are we in another dimension of Earth, we're also stuck here?"
"That's not what I said. I have the timer, and when it reaches zero, we slide into another dimension until we finally reach our own." Rembrant answered.
"Timer?" Joe lifted an eyebrow, glancing over at Justin, who was now sitting on the ground, resting his back against the wall.
"Yeah. This little contraption that tells me when I have to slide. If you don't slide when the worm hole opens, you're stuck in that dimension for twenty-seven years. That's the catch to this whole thing. That and whatever people you know, almost always exist in the other dimensions you travel to." Rembrant shrugged, falling silent to give the new comers some time to digest all this new information. Chris contined to pace the room slowly; Joe sat down beside a silent Justin while Lance and JC gazed out a hlaf boarded window, trying to see what they could in the night.
"How long have you been sliding?" Joe finally broke the silence with another question.
"Four years." Rembrant mumbled softly, a note of regret in his voice.
"Holy..." Joe muttered, eyes widening slightly.
"Alone?" Justin spoke up for the first time in almost an hour.
"No. I had three friends." Rembrant climbed to his feet and walked over to the window to peer outside.
"Had?" Lance prodded gently, watching Rembrant warily.
"Yeah. Had. They all died in other dimensions." Rembrant stated abruptly, turning towards the door. "You guys wait here, I'll be back."
The room remained silent for a few moments, each man trying to digest the wildly unusual information they had just recieved, trying desperately to remain calm. Reality had just taken a sharp left and disappeared from the stage completely, leaving them to deal with what they could only assume as an alternate reality. One where a war was going on, and they knew neither the reason for the war or which 'side' would come out victorious. An alternate reality where anything could happen because history had happened differently in each alternate reality. JC shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. This was impossible. More than impossible. Technology hadn't reached this far in their own deminsion. Had only begun to build theories and test them on time travel. But, this wasn't time travel. This was traveling to other dimensions of Earth, where it's the same year. It was highly baffling and confusing.
"Do you think he's telling the truth? Or is he as crazy as the proverbial loon?" Lance broke the silence, sighing the question as he closed his eyes, head resting back against the wall.
"It would explain what's going on around us." Chris shrugged.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Lance groaned softly.
Raven pressed herself back against the wall of the abandoned building, closing her eyes, begging for a burst of strength. They had lost so many today. So many. Mostly her friends, some new recruits. She wondered how she could go on, live like this for however long it took for the war to end. She gritted her teeth savagely, reminding herself that she was the one who had to hold everything together. She was the 'mother' of the Resistance. She had hundreds of people she had to protect. Hundreds of people she needed to fight for. Hundreds of people she needed to take care of.
"Raven, the truck is on it's way." a whispered voice reached her ears. She nodded once, taking a deep breath. More would likely die for this rescue mission, others would be hurt. Suddenly, everything exploded to life around her. Soldiers from the Resistance stormed the truck, firing their rifles at the driver's and the guards. Screams of pain filled the air. She closed her eyes, silently sending up a prayer before she, too, ran out into the fray. Without thinking, she yelled commands at her men as she rushed to the rear of the truck. She pulled out her pistol, aiming at the lock before she squeezed the trigger once, shattering the lock that held the door in place. With a muttered oath, she finally opened the door. A dozen frightened children gazed up at her with luminous eyes. She gave them all a reassuring smile, motioning them to climb out of the truck. One by one, the children climbed out.
"Okay, listen to me very carefully. Do you see that man over there on the side of the rode?" Raven inquired softly, kneeling so she was at eye level with most of the children. They all nodded shyly. "Alright, now, what I want you to do is, one at a time, run across the road, right to that man. You think you can do that?" They nodded again. She glanced over her shoulder when a gentle tug was given to her jacket and smiled down at a little girl.
"My mama always told me never to cross the road. 'Less I was holding a grown up's hand." she whispered, eyes wide with fear.
"Alright sweetie. Then you and I will just have to cross the road together." she tapped the little girl's nose gently with the tip of her finger. A small, reluctant smile crossed over the little girl's features. Raven watched as one by one, the children ran to the safety of Jay, one of her Resistance soldiers.
"What's your name, sweetie?" she inquired suddenly, taking the little girl's hand.
"Marigold." the little girl whispered.
"Really? Marigolds are my most favorite flowers. Are you ready to go, gold?" she squeezed her hand tenderly. Marigold nodded sagely. Raven swooped down and picked the little girl up into her arms, racing across the street. The fire fight hadn't ceased, which gave Raven a momentary fear before she shook it off, concentrating on getting the children to the safety of the Resistance camp. She grunted softly when sharps pain exploded in her shoulder, but she didn't falter in the least. She just kept running, herding the children in front of her.
"Raven, you alright?" Jay called out softly as they rushed into the darkness.
"Good as gold." she called back, smiling at the girl in her arms as small arms wrapped loosely about her neck.
Rembrant wandered around the exterior of the abandoned building, making sure that there was no immediate threat for him or the others. One could never be too careful when in a parallel universe where the rules could change with one passing of a second. He shook his head, feeling for the five men he had just met. He had been in the same boat four years ago. All he had been doing was minding his own business, trying to make it to the game where he was scheduled to sing the national anthem, and boom. He was in a world where a new ice age had formed. Only Quinn, the professor, Wade and himself were alive and breathing in that world, something that had frightened him to no end. But, they had survived. And slid into the next Earth. He shook his head with a sigh, then nearly jumped out of h is skin with a hissed breath when he felt a gun barrel press into the middle of his back, in between his shoulder blades. Slowly, he raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender.
"What are you doing here?" a rough voice demanded the inquiry.
"Just trying to keep me and my friends from being killed in this war." Rembrant answered truthfully, knowing that lying would only cause more trouble.
"Where are your friends?" the voice continued, in no mood for being social.
"Inside. First floor." Rembrant gestured to the abandoned building beside them. He noticed out of the corner of his eye, another man heading toward the building, armed with a rifle, ready to defend himself shuold an attack insue. Rembrant sighed with a shake of his head. So much for staying on the down low.
Joe, Lance, Chris, JC and Justin all glanced up when they heard someone enter the building, slow footsteps alerting them that it wasn't their new friend Rembrant. Justin gazed warily at his friends, wondering what in the world could happen now. Their lives were already in danger, they couldn't return home, and they were in a parallel universe. What else could possibly go wrong? A young man, no older than fifteen or sixteen stepped into the room, holding a rifle.
"What are you guys doing in here?" he inquired, voice shaking slightly betraying his nervousness. Justin shrugged, opting to remain silent. He didn't want to stir up any trouble, nor did he want to inform the young man of their situation.
"Are you looking for the Safe House?" the young man prodded, voice turning somewhat wary.
"Safe House? Yeah. I guess you could say we need one of those." Joe snorted, clamping down on the hysterical laughter that threatened to break through.
"Alright then. Follow me." the young man nodded. "By the way, I'm Colt." he called over his shoulder softly as the group of men made their way carefully to the exit and out into the night. Rembrant gave them a mockingly cheerful wave from his position in front of a gun.
"It's alright, Travis. They're just looking for the Safe House." Colt called out softly, gesturing to the other man. The man called Travis sighed heavily, shoulders sagging slightly with relief.
"Should we take them to Raven? I mean, she generally wants to know when new people arrive anyway." Travis inquired. letting his rifle drop harmlessly to his side, clicking the safety on.
"Yeah." Clint nodded, gazing warily at the others.
The war between the Syndicate and the Resistance had been a long one. One that had lasted nearly five years now, and no end was in sight. The Resistance's funds were running low because none of the members were in the working class, so they lived a baren existance without the simple pleasures that a lot of the technological world were blessed with. The Syndicate had more technological advances than the Resistance did, something that had caused the war to start. But, if you really wanted to take in technicalities, a man named Deveroix started the war by announcing that all persons who were expendable should be disposed of. Meaning, all the people with terminal diseases, the working class, and various other minorities were to be wiped out to create a hybred of the perfect human. He shook his head, eyes scanning the numerous children that lined the floors of the hallway. These innocent children they had rescued only days before from the Infirmary, where they would have been put to death before they had ever begun their lives. He shook his head, uttering a muttered curse under his breath as he took the stairs to the top floor of the abandoned building two at a time. He came to a stop at the door to Raven's office, and knocked loudly only once.
"Enter." her husky voice called out to him. He opened the door and stepped inside.
"Raven, we have some visitors. Unarmed, carrying no form of intelligence from the Syndicate." he stated roughly as a small woman appeared from the adjoining room, red hair pulled into a savage bun, lines of fatigue crossing her face.
"Visitors? How many?" she lifted an eyebrow.
"Six." he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Other than that, the watch went alright?" she inquired as she slipped on a dark green flack jacket, dropping a baseball hat on her head.
"Yes, ma'am." he nodded.
"Thank you, Clint. Go get something to eat downstairs and rest up. I'll take care of our guests." she smiled up at him, ushering him out the door in front of her. Clint couldn't remember when it was that he had met Raven, the mother of the Resistance, but it had been the happiest day of his life. She had offered him sanctuary, a place to heal from his wounds from the Infirmary, where he had been severely tortured. He was lucky he made it out of the place alive. Raven had spent her entire life fighting for the rights of the human race. Taking a stand against the wrong doings of the world around her. In fact, that was how she met her husband Josh. The person who had founded the Resistance, the man who had been wanted by the government for numerous years, before he had finally been murdered. Everyone knew that Raven hadn't gotten over his death, and still mourned to this day over her loss, but she never let it get in the way of the cause. Of the fight. She was a strong woman. She had survived so much already, that everything else seemed like a drop in the bucket. He watched as she walked to the small room they had set aside for guests to relax and get something to eat, Ned following close behind. He relaxed slowly. Ned was a good man, and would protect her to his dying breath.
Raven sighed, resting for a moment outside the door which would lead her to their guests. Her resolve and strength were fading, something she knew everyone saw, but refused to comment on. It was getting to the point where some of her men were mothering her, something she thought was amusing after she had taken care of them for so long. She shook her head, smiling wistfully. If her husband were still alive, she would have been taken care of. By the only person who could take care of her without losing his head for the trouble. She glanced up, startled, when Ned rested a hand on the small of her back, bringing her thoughts to the present.
"Raven, you're tired. You've been shot. Go rest. I can take care of this." Ned pleaded softly. She smiled tenderly up at him.
"I can't. You know that better than most, Ned." she shook her head as she finally opened the door and stepped inside. Six men sat spread throughout the room, glancing around in nervousness. Her mouth gaped open, her heart shuddering to a stop when she met familiar gray-blue eyes. She shook her head slowly, backing quickly to the door making it slam shut. Her thoughts stumbled to a stop, her breath catching in her throat.
"What the hell is going on here?" she finally found her voice to demand as five pairs of wide eyes gazed at her in shock.
© 1997 hells_fiction@hotmail.com