And We Bring You A Christmas Interruption

Theo woke up inside of a room that looked rather like her room, except that outside, it was snowing. She had to rub her eyes and clean her glasses to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. The last thing she remembered was that she was in a helicopter…in the middle of summer. She flopped down on her bed, and sighed. “Hey author, or authors…you dragged me out of the story again, didn’t you?” she asked out loud to whoever was in control. No otherworldly voice spoke, but a knock did sound at her door.

She got up and opened the door, where she saw a familiar face. “Hi there…Theo, was it?” asked a boy with shockingly grey eyes. It was those eyes that helped Theo identify the mystery person.

“And you’re Dennis,” affirmed Theo. “You look slightly different.”

“Really?” he cocked his head to the side in thought. “I guess I do. My author never really defined my appearance the first few times he or she wrote the story. Now they started anew, so I guess I have a slightly different look.” He combed his black hair with his fingers absentmindedly and fixed the large magnifying glasses on his face. “It appears we’ve been whisked off to an alternate universe again. I wonder what for this time.”

“Do you know the date?” asked Theo. “I was in the middle of summer, and I don’t think it snows in the middle of 20-plus degrees weather.”

Dennis shook his head. “No idea.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to go find out for ourselves,” she replied, after a brief search around the room for a calendar. She and Dennis walked down the stairs where they found themselves in a large living room that didn’t belong to either of them.

“Hey, it’s you again!” said a voice, and they turned around to see a familiar girl with glasses and a boy accompanying her. “Do you remember me?”

Alt+Control+Delete Chapter 4

I sit back down at my desk, and fiddle with my hair. Mr. Kane is droning on and on, about plate tectonics and earthquakes and all sorts of things I read about already. I try listening to him, but I am rapidly bored out of my mind. I open up my tablet and start dragging my stylus on the screen. I doodle some random hearts and stars, but my mind is suddenly pulled back to the conversation I overheard in the office.

I opened a new window and as force of habit, started writing notes. I wrote down what I could remember. I first put down Javert and circled his name. I did the same for Mr. Valero. I put an equal sign between the two with “experiment?” above it. From Javert, I drew several lines and wrote down “two mystery men in black,” “owns company?” and “threatening.” From Mr. Valero, I drew a line and wrote “Manchurian Candidate—movie.” I set my stylus down and thought. What is the connection between all of these? If only I could find out…

Alt+Control+Delete Chapter 3

“Here, Kaya, take this to the office please?” asks my geography teacher, handing me the attendance. “I’m sure you’ve already read all this stuff in the textbook you borrowed the other day.

I look over at the board, and saw that indeed, I had already read about it. “Sure,” I say, taking the attendance folder from his hands. My classmates look at me quizzically, as if asking me why on Earth I would ever read a textbook on my spare time. The answer to that is obvious if you know me; I love information and knowing all sorts of facts, no matter how irrelevant and pointless it is. I guess it was that thirst for the facts of the virus that led me into the mess. Besides, it also took my mind off of other, more unpleasant thoughts, which I don’t think I need to expand upon.

Happy Birthday N!

Happy birthday, my dear co-writer! Continue writing and reading and just being bunnyliciously awesome :)

I may be just 5 days older than you, but I'm still older :3

Let us celebrate with a purple cake with ninja bunnies dancing on it :D

Happy Birthday K!

Today is the birthday of one of the authors!
I wonder who...
Well anyway, happy birthday K!
I know this is the *emphasize* 4th time I've said it!
As I hinted on my personal blog!
Here's my totally messed up birthday song:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY K
HAPPY BIRTHDAY K
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY BIRTHDAY K!
READ HER NOVEL OR ELSE I'LL KILL YOU!
But not really.
I would actually.


-K (Why would she write a post about herself? It's N :P)

Alt+Control+Delete Chapter 2

That's the new name of the sequel to Alt+Control!
I'm sad N's novel has ended, I liked it a lot!
Sorry I haven't posted anything lately, I've been busy with life, plus planning out a new novel I'm co-authoring (yes, another one). My co-author and I haven't come up with a title, or even posted a single chapter, but you can find us at zoneonenovel.blogspot.com
In this chapter, you'll find a reference to an intermission chapter written on North by North. It's referred to by G in his own novel Dennis Raveley. Check it out!
After this long introduction, please enjoy the next chapter!

It's the End!

The end of my boring story. I can't believe we started in December, it's almost August now...
I really appreciate that you took the time to actually read my novel thing. And as I said, there were many loose endings. But if I did tie them, the novel would just drag on and become death by reading.
It was completely random, but its main plot was the Barry thing.
Ending the novel actually felt like watching one of your children moving off to their own house, if you get what I mean.
What's funny is that I still don't have a title...
You must have realized that I am a horrible writer since the first chapter.
Everything was mostly dialogue, and rarely ever the character's thoughts. It made the character's seem, not very believable...
But it gave a sense as to how the character acts, and what their mind is like....kinda.
Enough with my blabbering.
OF COURSE I'm going to read K's sequel though!
THANKS SO MUCH! I'll truly miss it... :)

Final Chapter: Chapter 25 (N)

It was finally the weekend. I had a lot of homework, since I haven’t done any in the past few days. I decided to get a head start to finish it early. I started doing my history of spells homework first. What was the point of learning the history of spells? They found spells, hooray for them.
I finished most of it, and went downstairs to grab a snack, then came back up.
Someone was on my bed. They were under the covers. I thought it was a robber, so I zapped it.

Chapter 24 (N)

Kai

I was in my room, lying in my bed while playing with a ball. It came in.
“Mistress, don’t you think you were being a little ridiculous?”
“No.”
“Mistress, I think you should forgive them.”
“Did I give you permission to think?”
“I apologize, but I am here to guide you, mistress.”
“You are here to obey me. Do not tell me what to do!”
“It is my duty! I must make sure you are okay no matter what, mistress.”
I sat up and shouted, “Then when were you when Barry was about to kill Dan?!”

Chapter 23 (N)

It was the first day since all the Barry drama. I wished this was all a dream and Dan was still alive. But it wasn’t. It was reality. Harsh reality.
Kai wasn’t acting like herself any more. We all tried cheering her up but it was impossible.
Otherwise everyone was normal… At least their kind of normal.
I wondered where Kim was, and why she had abandoned me. She was probably scared that I would kill her or something.

Sequel Chapter 1

hello!
it's been awhile, hasn't it?
well guess what I'm doing starting this summer?
that's right, I'm writing a sequel!
I don't know what to name it quite yet, so I'm just going to call it "Sequel" for now.
so here's my first chapter, fresh off the press. click "Read More" and enjoy!

-K

Chapter 22 (N)

I was still being controlled by something. I couldn’t control myself. Why couldn’t I stop?
I finally landed somehow in front of Kai’s house. I tried running inside, but I couldn’t.
I screamed, “KAI!!” but I don’t even think my mouth moved.
I just stood there for about twenty minutes. I decided to just close my eyes and relax, because I felt overwhelmed.
I started dreaming. There was this little girl playing with her friends hide and go seek. She was running around trying to find her friends, but she tripped and fell. She scratched her arm a little bit, and it started bleeding. Her friends came running out to surround her, and showered her will their love. She put her hands over her face. Empathy filled her friends’ faces. But she stood up, and took her hands off her face and starting laughing. Everyone was confused as to why she was laughing. She wasn’t insane or anything, but she was laughing.

Boo! I'm not dead yet!
I have a few questions for you guys....

What would you think of me doing a sequel to Alt+Control?

Comment your opinion, please and thank you!

-K

thanks to all of you!

so Alt+Control has ended after 6 months.

I want to say thanks to firstly, N, for challenging me to do this novel, and supporting me by writing your own novel at the meantime (it's awesome)!

to G, for those late night tossing of ideas, and for always being so happy when I tell you that the next chapter came out. I don't think I would've gotten this far without you.

to V, for also being another dedicated reader.

to my parents, who let me stay up really late until I run out of creative juices.

and lastly, to all of my readers, whether you've visited here once or many times. without knowing you guys are there, I don't think I would've been as motivated as I have!

I won't be disappearing from this blog quite yet, I'll be around commenting and maybe adding some bonus chapters... perhaps I'll start another novel over the summer holiday!

thanks to you all again!

xoxo

-K

Chapter 21 (N)

“When’s your birthday?” He asked curiously. He has been annoying me for more than half an hour and I knew I was going to lose it soon.
“Shut up.” I replied coldly. He still wouldn’t shut up though.
“Where do you live?”
“Shut up.”
“Do you like me?”
“WOULD YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?”

Alt+Control Chapter 49 (Final Chapter!)

It’s a normal day today, which is weird. I haven’t had a normal day since what seems like forever. This past couple of weeks or so, I’ve been freaking out about this whole Chronos and Lukas thing. But today, nothing is weighing on my mind. Gerad is at peace, Drew is alive, Marc is always by my side, and the world is in no apparent danger. I don’t have to lie to my parents anymore, sneak around, or break into top-secret facilities.

I slip into my normal clothes, and drag down my backpack downstairs.

I wave a quick good morning to my parents as they head out the door. I go into the kitchen and fix my normal breakfast. I settle into my old routine quickly. Within 20 minutes I’m out the door and on the way to school.

Somehow, miraculously, I’m 10 minutes early for class. I sit down at my seat, and take out my copy of “le Petit Prince,” that we’re studying in class. People come in, filling the classroom with familiar and comforting murmurs. I look up from my book, and I see Marc standing at Madame’s desk. I try catching his eye, but he seems to be in deep conversation with Madame. Eventually, he hands her a note and leaves the classroom.

I glance over at his desk. It’s been untouched, with none of his stuff there. The national anthem blares on, and we stand up. I look over at the door to see if Marc would come back, but he doesn’t. I sit back down when the announcements are done, and I put up my hand.

“Madame, where did Marc go?”

“Oh Marc? He’s moving away today. Such a pity though, he was such a brilliant student.”

Marc’s leaving? Moving?! What?! He can’t just leave now without telling me! I’d have no way to contact him! I hear Gerad’s voice in my head saying, “He’ll be there to help you. He told me himself.” Marc, you idiot!

How do I get out of here? I look at Madame. She’s busy setting stuff up for the class activity. I whip out my tablet, and forge a note saying I had a dental appointment.

Lae looks over, and her eyebrow rises. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to go stop something.” I reply. I stand up, and bring my tablet over to Madame. She looks over at it, and then nods.

“Go on ahead. Come here at the end of the day to find out what you missed.”

“Thank you!” I speed walk to my desk, grab my stuff, and run out the door. I nearly soar down the two flights of stairs. I run past the office, ignoring the disapproving glances from the secretaries and burst out the doors.

I look back and forth, and then I see Marc standing at the side of the school, near the back of the school where only a week ago, he, Gerad and I sat. I sprint towards him.

“Marc!” I yell, and he turns around.

“Kaya?”

I stop in front of me, and I pause to take a breath. I put down my stuff. “You idiot! Why are you leaving without telling me?!”

“I was going to tell you, but I forgot,” he says sheepishly.

“That’s no excuse! Where are you moving to?”

“Stromville.”

“That’s a few hours from here! How could you just leave me like this? I thought you were always going to be here, helping me, no matter what!” All my emotions are just spilling out, even though I never meant it to.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I wanted to stay, but my dad’s job uproots us all over the place. If I had the choice, I would stay.”

“But you don’t.”

“No, I don’t.” He shakes his head sadly.

“How will you stay in contact with me? I have none of your contact information, nor do you have mine!”

“Oh, that reminds me,” he says, and he rummages through his pocket. “Close your eyes.”

I look at him skeptically. I close my eyes. I feel something slip over my neck and weigh a little bit. I open my eyes again, and I find a silver heart shaped necklace hanging on a black suede cord.

“Open it,” says Marc, and I pick it up. I find the little opening, and I open it slowly. Inside, I find it’s a USB key.

“For your every need,” he says. “Plus it has all my contact info. Chat with me when you get home.”

I’m speechless. I’ve never seen anything more thoughtful or sweet. “Thanks,” I manage to say.

“No problem,” he says. “If you ever need me, just contact me. I’ll come as soon as I can.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

A honk sounds, and Marc turns towards the road. “Oh, that’s my parents.” He picks up his stuff. “I’ll see you on chat tonight?”

“Sure thing.” He starts to walk towards the car. “Oh wait!” I shout after him. He turns back around. “Gerad says hi!”

He just smiles and shakes his head. He gets into the car, and the car starts moving. I run towards the street, and wave. Marc turns back in his seat and waves back. I keep on waving until he and the car is out of sight.

I look at my tablet. It’s only been 10 minutes since I’ve raced out of Madame’s classroom. I don’t think I’d be back from a dental appointment so soon.

I sit on the bench, wondering what to do. I can’t just wait around for the next adventure to come. I look at my tablet.

I unlocked it, and opened a new word document, the first one in a while. I close my eyes and think. After a few moments, I open my eyes, and my fingers move on their own and start flying across the keyboard.

“My name is Kaya Song,” I type, “but many of you know me as Chimera. Let me tell you a little secret…”

Alt+Control Chapter 48

Here I am, sitting in a black dress, trying my best to listen to the guy drone on and on about Gerad. Instead, my eyes keep on flickering towards the coffin only a few meters away from me.

I can’t listen to the flowery euphemisms that the man spouts out, just like all the people before him. They just capture a small part of Gerad’s personality. They don’t talk about his obsession with movies, his absolute stubbornness, and his crooked smile…they paint this picture of this absolutely flawless guy who isn’t the Gerad I knew.

When it was time to pray, I just bow my head, and I hope that wherever the heck he is, he’s doing fine. The people around me mutter a quiet, “Amen,” and the funeral is finally over.

I stand off to the side, watching his family crying and hugging each other. I look away when it becomes too much. I feel responsible, like I could’ve prevented Gerad’s death. Like I could’ve stopped this mourning.

I walk to the back of the small church, and go outside. It’s another beautiful day, abnormally warm for late September. I sit down, at the base of a maple tree, not caring if my dress gets stained. A few maple leaves flutter down, the first of many.

Alt+Control Chapter 47

“I’m sure he’s confused. He knows that there are things he’s supposed to remember, but he doesn’t. He’s been frustrated lately.”

“Well, I can’t force him to remember me. I…I might just have to start from scratch.” Just the thought of it sends another lightning bolt into my chest. “Maybe we’ll be friends again.” I doubt it though. I can never replicate the relationship we had.

“Maybe you should go talk to him. He must be a little worried that he did something wrong.”

“He didn’t. I don’t blame him.” It’s Chronos’s fault. But Chronos is gone, so I can’t really exact my revenge again. “I’ll go talk to him. Thanks for talking to me.”

“Don’t worry about it. If you ever need to talk to someone, I’m here.”

I go into the washroom, and try to hide my red eyes the best I could. I then go back to the room, where I hear Tam and Drew arguing. I open the door without knocking. They immediately fall silent once I enter.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone,” says Tam, and exits. I stand awkwardly by the door.

“Come, sit,” he motions towards a chair. I sit down.

“From what I can understand, you’ve been my friend for 5 years, and that recently, we’ve started dating.” He coughs, and blushes slightly.

“Yes. But we haven’t gone out on a date yet.” I try talking to him as normally as possible.

“I see.” He pauses, and I don’t know what to do. He shakes his head, and buries his face in his hands. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember anything at all, and I don’t know how to deal with this.” I start to reach out to touch him, and then stop myself.

“It’s ok. You can…you can forget all about it. Let’s start out at scratch, like when we first met.” I smile so I can hide the sadness I can feel. I offer him my hand. “My name is Kaya. What’s yours?”

He smiles at me, and takes my hand. “Drew. How are you?” I feel awful, actually, but I just speak as cordially as possible.

We talk like this for a while, but no matter what we say, it’s still awkward between the two of us. Eventually, we run out of things to say. I stand up.

“I have to go home. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah,” he says, and he opens his book again. I close the door behind me. I walk towards the front door, and give my thanks and apologies to Tam and Drew’s mom.

“Come again soon, Kaya,” she says.

“Thanks,” I reply. I put on my shoes and go out the door. I call the elevator, and descend to the ground floor. I walk back to the park to finish writing the exposé. I won’t have any time to do it tomorrow. To make my mood worse, it’s Gerad’s funeral tomorrow. I still need to get my clothing out and find a way to get there.

I look back down at the tablet, and finish writing the exposé, trying to keep my emotions out of it.


Alt+Control is coming to an end! I can't believe it. I know there are those of you who don't wish for it to end, but all novels must come to a close. I will be finished within a few chapters, and I want to thank everyone for sticking with me. Your support means the world to me!

Alt+Control Chapter 46

It’s been a few days since I’ve been released from the hospital. Much to Lae’s disappointment, I’ve decided to stay behind the scenes and not reveal myself publicly. Instead, if you’re on the Net, you may see me by the code name “Chimera.” Many people dispute my existence and my deeds, but that doesn’t matter. As long as they don’t have an actual name to trace, I’m safe.

I’m sitting in the park where I first met Marc, enjoying the crisp breeze. I have my tablet on, and I’m writing an exposé about the government, their role in the virus, and who in particular was responsible. I’ve decided to leave Lukas’s name out of it, but I’ve placed him under the code name of “Chronos.” The exposé will probably be all over the news tomorrow if I send it in tonight. I already have a deal with one of the national heralds.

“Hey,” says someone behind me, and I turn around.

Alt+Control Chapter 45

Chimera tries valiantly to fight off Chronos’s attacks, but too many of them are hitting her. More projectiles embed themselves into her arms, and a few manage to hit her chest. When she yanks those ones out, I can see wires getting pulled out as well. Some of the wires spark, and they cause her to stumble. If the chest is where the central wires are…

More and more things hit her as she starts to slow down and become clumsy. Each of them hit her chest with deadly accuracy, and she falls to her knees. She struggles to get up, but Chronos kicks her down and holds her there, his foot on her chest.

“Kaya,” she whispers, her voice starting to crackle. “The central system is here,” she places a hand over where her heart would be. Her eyes flicker, and then closes.

Chronos leans over, as if to check whether Chimera really was dead. Then he places a hand over her central system, and starts to draw out white energy. They travel up his hand and arm, but once they reach his elbow, they darken and start turning grey. Once they reach his shoulders, the energy is pure black. “Calibration 30% complete,” she says, to what seems like no one in particular.

I take small steps quietly, so I don’t attract Chronos’s attention. I then bend down, and pick up one of the projectiles. This one was half black and half white, as if the energy when they smashed into each other made them merge into one.

Alt+Control Chapter 44

“Get out of my head!” roars a voice. Ah, it’s Lukas. “What are you doing?!” Those scenes from before flash by again, but I can feel their emotions this time. The colours in the scenes are more vivid.

I feel another roar of pain. So it seems he’s trying to kick me out. Not letting that happen. “I’m trying to show you why this is a mistake! Why you have to stop doing this!” I shout back at him.

“What, let go of this power? Let this hard work all go to waste? How is this a mistake? I’m finally powerful and almost ready to show myself to the world!” The scenes flash by again, and I nearly drop from the emotions that come with it. Agony, betrayal, sorrow and anger all flow through me, and nearly shake me out of my fragile concentration.  

“Hold on!” says Chimera. “Don’t get distracted!”

What’s making all these images go by? Do you have any idea? It seems when his emotions flare up, all these images and their connotations come up stronger and stronger.

Another flash of images goes by. It’s getting harder and harder to focus on staying here. “It seems that every time he uses Chronos, the emotions flare up,” says Chimera.  

So you mean…another wave of images flow by, and knocks me down, leaving me breathless. Damn it, I can barely concentrate on staying put!

Alt+Control Chapter 43

I pick up Chimera and wander around the room for a bit. There’s nothing really fascinating in this dismal room. The room is totally unfurnished, except for the chair I was locked into and the table where Chronos would be placed. I try the door, but it’s locked.

I walk back to my chair and sit down. So, Chimera, what do you think of my plan?

“I think it’s possible it’ll work. Whatever Lukas brings your way though, never lose control. Once you do that, you’re done. We’re done.”

Yeah, yeah, ok. I know that much. It’s kind of obvious. If we initiate the attack, he’s not going to show us any mercy.

“Yes. He may even kill me.”

Thanks for letting us go through this…I know we’ve only been acquainted for a few hours, but you’re willing to sacrifice yourself.

“Because I want to stop this killing. I do not have the power to constantly play catch-up with Chronos.”

Right.

Alt+Control Chapter 42

I shake myself awake, and still find myself connected to Chimera. The influence of the drug has worn off, and I feel more alert than ever. I can still sense the heartbeats, but fainter this time. I look around the room, but neither Lukas nor Marc is in here.

I look down at Chimera. It’s still wide open, and the names are still on there. This time though, my fingers don’t start moving of their own accord. I have to move it myself. Perhaps when I was in that drugged state, Chimera was able to connect with me more. That would make sense, as I wouldn’t be fighting it at all.

This time, I don’t click any names. I press the command and “N” key, and open a new window. It’s a blank HTML window this time.

I stretch my arms, and stare intently at the screen. Ok, let’s see what I can do with this.

I will Chimera to show me how to move something. At first, I get no response, and then a cold, childish female voice says, “What would you like to move?”

Alt+Control Chapter 41

“Lukas,” he says, turning around. “This isn’t another of your sick games, is it?”

“No, I’m afraid. This is entirely of her own will.”

For a second, I’m afraid that Marc will snap, like he did with Mr. Sharpo. Instead, he just turns to me with sad eyes. “If this is your choice, I’ll respect it.”

“I’m sorry.” I know it’s not enough, but it’s all I can say right now. It’s all I can think of saying.

“There’s no need for you to be.” Marc’s eyes turn colder, flatter and devoid of emotion.

Lukas comes up to me with Chimera on his lap. “Are you ready?” he asks me.

“Yes.” I drain all emotion from my mind, and slip into a meditative state. I close my eyes.

“I’m warning you, it’s going to hurt.”

Before panic can flood back in, I feel a hand grasp mine. I smile. “Thanks, Marc,” I say graciously without opening my eyes.

Alt+Control Chapter 40

Me, become his queen? So that’s the role he designates for me in his game. “How does it work, Lukas? And why can’t you do it yourself?”

“Chimera works in the same manner as Chronos. Creates waves, and then sends them through cyberspace to the next person’s computer. Instead of shutting someone’s mind down though, Chimera will coax him or her back awake. And I can’t control both Chronos and Chimera. One human body is not enough power, and besides, they hate each other.” He pauses. “What will make you trust me? I’ve already spilled all my motives to you.”

What would make him trustworthy to me? What could prove that he’s not joking? There’s only one thing on my mind…

“Bring back Drew.”

Lukas smiles angelically. “I knew you would say that.” He rolls up his sleeve, and I see that the wires enter his bloodstream in the crook of his arm. He carefully plucks out the wires, and picks up the wires connected to Chimera. He takes them, and puts it into the small holes that the wires from Chronos left. He shudders when the wires enter; whether it was out of ecstasy or pain I don’t know. The shudders stop abruptly, and he opens Chimera. Quickly he starts typing something in, his fingers flying over the keyboard. After a few moments, he stops.

“There. Would you like some proof?”

Alt+Control Chapter 39

“So that’s what you meant when you said that you had already become one with Chronos.” I feel nauseous. A computer that has to live off of a human, like some parasite… The barrier between human and computer broken, and made into some unholy creature. I bow my head, and retch, but nothing comes out. Bile burns the back of my throat. When I stop feeling woozy, I look back up and see Lukas watching me with quiet amusement sparkling in his eyes.

“Come now, I’m not that frightening, am I?”

“How could you degrade yourself like this? Let this computer leach off of you?”

“Degrade me?” he asks, his voice dangerously low. “Chronos has not degraded me. In fact, it has made me so much more powerful. No one can ignore me now! I could take away someone’s life if I wished it to, and I could save someone from the brink of death. I am practically a god! All of this, its all a game to me, where I oversee everything. A game where everything follows my set of rules.”

Alt+Control Chapter 38

I straighten up, and nod my head to tell him to proceed. This may help me buy some time to stop Chronos, and get out of here.

“Marc and I go quite a way back. I first met him in grade 2, when I moved to the elementary school he was attending at the time. I was the first person to befriend him, and we became fast friends by the end of that year.”

“So what split you guys up? What made you…”

“Hate him? Well, even though we were as close as brothers, there was something that always created a rift between us. You see, his fellow students, the teachers, and the other student’s parents loved him… He was the perfect child. Meanwhile, I was always in the shadows even before he came. But when he arrived, I was probably pitched into an abyss where no one would ever see me. I was able to ignore it for some time, but by grade 4, I could see it wasn’t going to just stop.” His voice fades, and he lapses into another bout of staring off into space.

Alt+Control Chapter 37

“What do you want with Kaya?” asks Marc, and pulls me in closer. “Whatever you want with her, I’m not letting you have her.” He lets takes his hand off my mouth, so I’m able to talk.

“Marc, what’s going on?” The confusion and fear must’ve been evident in my voice, as he looks down at me with concerned eyes.

“I see you’ve kept this part of your life secret,” chortles Lukas. “Ah, savour that feeling Kaya. The feeling of being betrayed by someone you trusted.”

“Marc, tell me what’s going on right now. Seriously.” What’s happening? How could Marc and Lukas designed Chronos? And what the hell is wrong with Lukas?

Marc glances at me, then at Lukas, then at me again. “It’s…a long story.”

“That’s right. And I suppose we don’t have much time,” says Lukas. He snaps his fingers, and several androids step out all around us. I count 10 of them, and those are only the ones I can actually see. Shit.

Chapter 20 (N)

I've been stuck here for two hours! Where is KIM?! I couldn’t find the exit, and I’ve already been to seven dead ends. They’re probably getting impatient and think I chickened out.
Oh my God! My phone! I should call them!
I took out my phone. Low battery, what?! I charged it all night! Whatever, maybe it’s enough for me to make a call.
I dialed Kai’s number. Come on Kai!!
“WHERE ARE YOU?!” she shouted. I jumped.
“I can’t talk for long! I’m stuck in a factory. Kim left me here!! I don’t know the way out, and my battery is about to die!! HELP!”
“What factory is it?! What does it sell?”
“I only see boxes, I think they’re—“ The battery died. NO!! Now I’m stuck here. What are they going to do? What am I going to do?
What if Kim’s just pulling a prank on me because I refused to forgive Yang?
The glow came back. I never noticed when it was gone! Argh.
I’ll stop thinking about Yang. I have bigger problems! Like how the heck am I going to get out of here!
I felt faint after a while. I’ve never used any of my power for this long. I think I was losing energy.
I got a huge headache. I have to stop using this, or else I’ll black out. But I can’t see in the dark! Only Levana can do that! And maybe Kim…
I made the little ball vanish. I didn’t feel a lot better, but my headache went away.
Wait, this may have to do with what Kim was talking about. If I get rid of my fears, I can possibly see in the dark? It’s worth a try.
I imagined Barry killing Dan. I immediately screamed. I couldn’t stand seeing something like that!
This is going to be harder than I thought.
I’ll think of something I hate, and then destroy that! Maybe that will help!
What do I hate? When people are dishonest with me, and… what Yang did to me… Yang. Idiotic Yang. I hate Yang. No, I don’t. Yes, I do. No, I don’t. YES, I DO! NO, I DON’T!
I hate these inner conflicts! Do I hate him?
Forget about Yang! Don’t care about people who don’t care about you!
I’m missing the point. I need to get rid of my fears, not think about negative things.
Okay, I’ll try this again. I closed my eyes, and imagined Barry and Dan again.
I didn’t scream, but I started crying. That’s a bit of progress, and it lasted for longer.
The next time I felt heartache but didn’t cry. Then, I imagined it again, but I didn’t feel anything. Not even a bit of sadness. I felt kinda cruel. But I had to!
All this energy turned black and entered me. It hurt so badly, but I didn’t fight back. I needed dark energy. And all my energy is practically drained. And I need to get out of here!
“Hello there,” a voice echoed along the walls. I looked around. Of course I couldn’t see anything but whatever.
“Hello, who are you? Where are you? Do you have a light? Could you help me find the way out of here? I need to get out of here! Please help me!”
“I’m here, don’t you see me?”
“No, not really. It’s really dark in here!”
“If you figure out where I am, I promise I will lead you out of here,” the voice was sincere. But how much can I trust this voice of someone I don’t know? It sounded like a young man’s voice, like a teen. But it was sweet, and charming.
“Okay, keep on talking and I’ll try my best.”
“What do you want to talk about? I want to learn all about you.”Um… what? I’m not going to randomly tell a person the details of my life. But if I don’t tell him, he might get upset and leave…
“I wish I could tell you, but then I would be talking while I need to listen to you talk. So tell me about yourself, like a story or whatever,” I tried not to sound nervous, even though I was. Maybe this will fool him.
“I live with my mother and two brothers…” he started telling me all about him, but since his voice echoed along the walls it was hard. Maybe I should use some of that dark power… No, that will never work.
One try won’t do anything… I learned this spell from Levana. She would put all her energy into a ball and then blast it, but she usually faints after using it.
But it’s different; I have some of my light energy. Whatever, it’s worth a try.
I took a deep breath. I started putting all my dark energy into the ball. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it was growing. I finally felt that I put enough energy into it, so I blasted it. I heard a large bam!
The light! The light! I saw the light! I ran to the exit.
What happened to that guy anyway?
“I found the way out!! Thank you!” I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped.
“Wow, you’re even more beautiful in person,” he said. I turned around. There was the guy with the voice!
“Um, okay? Thank you. Well I have to go,” I said awkwardly.
“No, no please stay. I want to talk to you, Light,” He said in a sweet voice. HOW DOES EVERYONE KNOW MY NAME?!
“How did you know my name?”
“It does not matter how I learned of your name. What matters is that you’re safe, my darling.” This is getting really creepy…
“Uh, thanks? I really have to go! Thank you..uh what’s your name?”
“Sky, my name is Sky. Do you want me to take you where you’re going?” To be honest, I did want him to take me to my house, because I had no idea where I was.
“No thanks, could you just tell me where we are?”
“Where we are, where we are,” he smirked. “We’re in Cabana town.”
“Okay, thanks that’s not far from where I need to go.”
“I’ll take you if you want.”
“I’m fine!”
But he insisted for so long, and I didn’t want him to come…
Who is this guy anyway and what does he know about me?

--THE END—

Alt+Control Chapter 36

“It’s me.” He steps into the light, and it illuminates his face and his radiant smile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wider grin on Gerad’s face.

“Did you come all the way here to find me?”

“Yes. What happened to your face? It’s—it’s from the accident, isn’t it?” Gerad winces. I grab his hand and squeeze it tight. I can feel his hand trembling.

“Gerad, it isn’t your fault. I wasn’t paying attention, and it just happened. Don’t blame yourself.” Lukas’s gentle words make Gerad’s hand relax. “Who’s that hiding in the shadows?”

I wipe my face of any make-up I could so my face was recognizably young and normal. I step out. “My name is Kaya. I used to go to your school. I’m Gerad’s friend.”

“Your girlfriend, Gerad?” asks Lukas, and the left side of his face quirks up to match his permanent smirk. “She’s cute.”

Alt+Control Chapter 35

I manage to squirm myself out of Marc’s arms. I admit it was rather comfy, but I couldn’t stay like that all day. We have much more pressing matters at hand.

“Do you think it’s safe to go?” I ask Marc. “I believe that’s the right place.”

“What in the world was that?’ asks Gerad. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”

“It’s a technology,” explains Marc, “that the government has developed to keep out intruders. It uses a form of wave that plays with your mind. Most people experience the thing they fear the most. Many people were driven mad when the scientists tested out this device on them. We were lucky to only experience it for a short period of time.” He looks at me. “I could feel it from all the way out here.”

“But I didn’t feel anything!” exclaims Gerad. “Does that mean some people are more sensitive to it?”

“I suppose.”

Alt+Control Chapter 34

Which of course comes a lot sooner than we expect. We go through some more hallways, just impulsively deciding which way to go when we come across a crossroad. It appears we’re going in the right direction, as we come across a section accessible through only a card chip.

“So what now?” I ask Marc and Gerad. We can’t break down the door, as it looks like solid metal. I kick it, and my suspicions are confirmed as I feel no give, and my ears are met with a dull thud.

“Calm down, Kaya. Here, let’s try this,” Marc says, searching his suit’s inner pockets. He hands me a card.

“Where did you get this? And how do you know it’ll work?”

“I picked it out of one of the guard’s pockets. Thought we might’ve needed it.”

I smirk at him. “Sounds like you’ve broken in to places like these before. Do you have a criminal life you’ve been keeping secret from us?”

He winks. “Maybe…” He leans against the wall in obvious exhaustion.

Alt+Control Chapter 33

The two of them step inside, and the door slides shut. With a heart-stopping jolt, the elevators began to drop at an alarming speed. My stomach jumps and my eardrums pop as the elevator accelerates.

I’m about to press the emergency halt button because I think that the elevator’s broken when the elevator comes to a sudden stop. The door slides open again with a quiet ding to steel plated and barren hallway.

I stick out my cane again and step out of the hallway. There’s no one else in the hallway, and our footsteps echo along the metal. We turn the corner, and see a worker in a white uniform walking down the hall before us.

“Hey, you!” somebody barks, and I nearly jump out of my skin before I realize that it’s Marc. The worker turns around, and at the immediate sight of us, the worker stiffens.

some advertising

I'm doing an extremely blatant advertising of the blog of probably our biggest supporter G!
please check it out at http://woodysmoody.blogspot.ca/
his stories are really quite amazing (he's even awesome enough to make me the character Karla Simone) so go visit him!
I'm thinking of doing a joint novel with him someday... would you guys be interested?

and...that's all. have a good day!

-K

Alt+Control Chapter 32

At 17:30, I’m standing in front of what is 16 Grange Street. I was expecting a very discreet looking building, as it houses such a secret facility, but boy was I wrong. I don’t think there could’ve been a more conspicuous building.

The famous architect Darius Comber, according to the plaque, supposedly designed it out front, who is famous for showy buildings. 16 Grange Street was no exception.

The wall facing out onto Grange Street was entirely glass, and the inside was composed of several spiraling staircases, different floors and levels at strange angles, and brightly patterned walls and ceilings. The colours ranging from chartreuse to mahogany to indigo, and patterns from plaid to checkers to stripes all clashed against one another.

The outside of the building was composed of several irregular geometric solids, all built haphazardly on top of each other, jutting out to all sides. Each shape was made of a different material, such as what looks like plated steel to antique bricks.

It truly looks like someone just decided to build the biggest eyesore on the block.

updates on K's Novel

you may have noticed that I've been M.I.A for awhile (at least when it comes to my normal rate) so I apologize. I've been writing here and there, but nothing's been coming out that well.
so I'll give you, my precious readers, some plot updates to try to make up for my absence.

firstly, the main characters are finally going to break into the facility. I know, you're probably saying, "About time!" and I apologize. my style of writing is like Victorian serials, where I just write one section at a time without thinking about the next part.
so most likely, they'll use the "go in disguise and sneak in" technique, while probably still having to knock out some people to use them.... sounds typical of me, eh?
and I'll have an interesting and complex plot twist happening within the next few chapters, so stay tuned for that ;)
so that's it for now! please check in and read N's chapters while you wait.

-K

Chapter 19 (N)

“Your phone is ringing,” pointed out Kim. I took it out of my pocket. My eyes hurt from the brightness. Who would be calling me? Probably Kai.
“Yang is calling,” said the phone screen.
Yang? Why the heck is he calling?! Should I ignore it? But what if it’s something important? Darn it, there I go again. I sighed.
“What do you want?” I said a little harsher than intended.
“Oh hello, I’m fine too.”
“What do you want?” I repeated in the same tone.
“Why are you mad at me?” A lot of things raced through my mind.
“What do you want?”

Alt+Control Chapter 31

Did I hear that right? I shake my head in confusion. “Pretend I’m blind? What is that going to do?”

“It allows you to observe without suspicion. No one is going to be worried about a blind person since they can’t see their surroundings or anything possibly suspicious.”

“What the heck would a blind person be doing there?”

“You can be some sort of wealthy…sponsor. Wanting to talk to some of the workers, and find out where your money is going.”

“Then what about you two? How are you going to get through?” I ask. I can understand my costume, but I’m not going to get in alone.

“We’ll be government officials, sent in by Mr. Bronson,” says Marc nonchalantly.

Alt+Control Chapter 30

“Kaya? Kaya!” shouts a voice, and I snap into attention. I see Mr. Cassano’s face in front of mine. Oh right. I’m at school, in math class. Wonderful.

“Are you alright?” asks Mr. Cassano. “You’ve been out of it the entire class!”

“I’m ok. Just…tired.” It’s true. I couldn’t sleep well last night. I kept on having nightmares about what could go wrong during our break-in.

“Very well then. Levi, what is the next step?”

I try to focus on the lesson, but my mind keeps wandering. I mean, when will we ever use linear and quadratic equations? Everything right now just seems so… so pointless compared to what I’m facing right now.

After learning the truth, I realize what it means to carry that burden around. I can’t allow anyone else to know, in case they get involved and hurt. I can’t unburden my worries to Marc or Gerad, in case they think I’m incapable. And the worse thing is that I can’t ignore it, because I’m the only the one who knows, and the only one who can stop it.

Chapter 18 (N)

Today’s the day we try to kill Barry. I shuddered at the thought. I can’t kill anyone! I’m not strong enough! What if he kills anyone else? We shouldn’t! I don’t want anything to happen to them! I’ll tell Kai. But I can’t chicken out! It’s for Dan!
I’m so conflicted. What if Barry kills all of us? What if my plan doesn’t work?
Calm down! I have to think positive. But what if anything wrong happens? We shouldn’t do this… But we have to! Or else Barry might kill somebody else…
If he kills me, will he let everyone else live? He didn’t seem like he wanted to kill anyone after Dan… But then I made him fall, and he wanted to kill me.
So, he wouldn’t kill anyone else! If I let him kill me, then my friends will carry on with the plan anyway!

Alt+Control 29

Gerad smoothes down his hair sheepishly. “Awhile, now…”

“You are to tell no one of this. I’m serious.” I tell him. He looks at me, hurt. I shake my head.

“But, you said they had Lukas there! And…if he really is there…and he isn’t dead…”

“Don’t say another word. I can’t allow you to. You’ll get hurt.” The words feel so blunt, but I can’t allow him to come. I just can’t.

“I’m not incapable,” snaps Gerad, taking me aback, and I bump into Marc. “Don’t treat me like I am.”

“I’m not! Don’t take this the wrong way—“

“Take me with you. You need help, right? It doesn’t sound like just the two of you will be able to handle this alone.”

“He’s got a point there,” says Marc.

Alt+Control 28

“Special. What would that crazy old man know?” scoffs Marc as we descend in the elevator.

I want to disagree, but what can I say? Mr. Sharpo certainly seemed a little out of it, but I have a feeling that he said has something in it, something more subtle. But then again, I could just be over-thinking it. He just might be a man gone senile. So I keep my mouth shut.

Marc looks at me, and then suddenly rubs my head.

I jump, and then scowl at him. I smooth down my unruly hair and pull it back into a ponytail. “What was that for?” I ask. He’s been touchy-feely all of today, and it’s honestly just irritating me.

“Nothing much. You were thinking too hard, I could tell.”

I raise a questioning eyebrow. Since when has he been studying me close enough to see that I’m thinking hard?

“Your eyebrows scrunch up and you give a little grimace.” He demonstrates my facial expression and I laugh.

“There. That’s more like you. Don’t let that senile man get to you. He’s just spouting nonsense,” says Marc.

Chapter 17 (N)

Kai:
Why is she so late? I’m starting to get worried. We still need to work on the project, with Yin!
The door knocked. I ran downstairs to open it. No one was there.
“Kai, it’s me. Hurry, close the door before he knows I’m here!”
I didn’t know who it was, but I obeyed anyway.
“Who are you?”
“Who do you think I am?” Oh, it’s Light.
“Why are you invisible?”
“I was running away from Barry.” I gasped. She became visible. She was panting.
“Why? Did he figure out that you were warning Dan?”
“Dan…” she said quietly. Huh? What about him?
“What?” She grabbed me by the shoulders.
“He killed Dan!” I swear my heart skipped a beat. Dan…
“He w-what?” I stammered. Maybe it’s a joke…
“Dan is dead…” She let go of me, and looked away.
Dan… He killed Dan… I didn’t know how I felt about this…
“Are you sure?! Maybe we can bring him back!” I knew she wasn’t lying, but I still couldn’t believe it’s true.
“I’m really sure…” Her voice was weak. Dan…
“And why were you running away from Barry?”
“He wants to kill me too now…”
Oh no, he isn’t. I’m not going to let him!
“What did you do?”
“Made him fall from the roof…” she muttered. Dan…
“I can’t believe you did that! Are you crazy?!”
“What did you expect me to do?! To just leave Dan there, and let Barry torture him?!”
I didn’t know how to answer. Dan…
“But now you’re his next target! You know how long it took him to kill Dan! He’s probably not going to give up!”
“Thanks for the reassurance.”
“Well I’m not going to let him do anything to you!”
“Don’t get involved! He might make you a target too!”
“I don’t care! I’m not going to let him!”
“Kai, don’t be stupid! I can handle him by myself!” She suddenly turned angry.
“No, you can’t! I’m going to help you!”
“That’s so horrible!” said a voice behind me. It was Kim.
“Kim!” we said in unison.
“I can’t believe Barry killed him!”
“How long have you been here?”
“I don’t know… But we need to get rid of Barry!”
“And how are we going to do that?!”
“Think!” We all sat thinking.
“I think I got it!” exclaimed Light. She then told us her plan. Dan…
“That’s brilliant!” shouted Kim. It was a good idea…
“Hmm, do you think it will actually work?”
“It’s worth a try.”
“We’ll try it then. But I’m still not sure…”
“Come on Kai! It’s a good plan!”
“Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“Tell everyone! We need all the help we can get!”
We spent two hours telling everyone about the plan. Everyone agreed to help us. Dan…
Late at night I woke up. I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t know why. But one word has been in my head. “Dan…” I felt so bad because I don’t think the argument was worth losing our friendship over. It’s too late now… I can’t undo what’s already done. Dan…
I will avenge for him… I will put all my strength into it…
Please forgive me Dan…
I miss you…

--THE END—

I actually have no comment...

Alt+Control 27

I stood up and started backing towards the door. “How do you know who I am, Mr. Sharpo? And how do I know that you’re not one of them?” I start hyperventilating. Could this be another trap?

Before I can blink, Marc has him by the collar, and hauls him out of his chair.

“Who are you, and what do you know about us?” he hisses, centimeters away from Mr. Sharpo’s face. I’ve never seen Marc this way before…it’s scaring me a bit.

“Marc!” Screw the fake names. We’re already uncovered. “Put him down, and we can talk! He can’t call security or anything to alert them.”

Marc slowly puts him down. Mr. Sharpo breathes a visible sigh of relief.

I walk over to Marc and whisper in his ear angrily. “What were you thinking? We need him alive, even if he’s a threat! Now calm down, and let me do the talking.”

Alt+Control 26

“Now that business is done, why don’t we head to the big one, hmm?” Marc asks.

I take a deep breath in and exhale loudly. “Let’s do it.”

The hallway only goes one way, and it leads to a large door. Marc pushes it open with a creak, and we find ourselves in an extremely large room, with a glass wall at the opposite end, and a long table that extends from where we stood to the glass wall. There were three chairs at the opposite end, and in one of the chairs sat a man in a grey suit.

The man gets up and walks towards us, and I carefully analyze the man we will be speaking with in a short few moments.

He looks like he’s in his late-40s, with a few crease lines and thinning hair. His face is not unkind, but it’s hardened. He looks quite a bit older than Bronson, and seems much more refined. When he reaches us, I realize he’s only a bit taller than I am.

“You must be my next meeting. My pleasure to meet you…” he looks at us slightly quizzically.

“Mr. and Mrs. Andrews,” inputs Marc. “And the pleasure is all mine, assuredly.”

Alt+Control 25

I smile at him. So he’s a ladies’ man, huh. I don’t like men like him. Too slick, and all charm and hands.

“My name is Kai Andrews. But please call me Kai, Mr. Bronson.” The name just slides off my tongue. Well, I very well can’t tell him that I’m the one his bosses just tried to kidnap. I flutter my eyelashes at him the best I can. This is awkward, getting hit on by a man probably double my age.

“Kai,” Mr. Bronson sounded, letting it roll off his tongue. “What a beautiful name.”

I feel my heart thump, and colour rise to my cheeks. He’s all charm, but very effective charm.

Alt+Control 24

“Where the hell have you been?” he asks, quite annoyed.

“Believe it or not, fighting for my life.” I really don’t feel like arguing right now.

“Well thankfully, the meeting before ours is running late, so we’re still technically on time.” He looks me up and down. “Go fix up your make-up and hair. You certainly look like you’ve been fighting. But hurry, the meeting’s starting soon.”

I rush to the bathroom, and see that all the hard work I put into my appearance this morning is pretty much ruined right now. I smooth down my hair using water from the sink, and I rub off and reapply my make-up. I turn around to inspect myself, and I see a long gash up the back of my stockings. I sigh. There’s nothing I can really do about that. I take off my shoe, seeing that there are little shards from the android’s eye still embedded.

Alt+Control 23

Shit, shit, shit! I force my hand through the gap and push more. The door refuses to budge anymore.

I can hear the robot coming closer to me. It sounds like footsteps, but it’s too even and methodical to be human. It sounds like a ticking clock, every second closer to me than it was before. The footsteps are now a car away from me.

I renew my efforts, but I can’t do anything. Nothing’s moving anymore. I take off both of my high heels, just in case I need to run.

I finally see what the robot looks like. It’s an android, probably an Alphaport 3.0 version. I’ve seen images of these on the internet, but they’re still very rare. No one can afford androids unless you’re a millionaire…or the government. Almost no one has ever seen a real life android, so I could count myself lucky. This android is probably the last thing I’ll ever see. It stops a few paces in front of me

The android is human-like in shape, but that’s where the similarities seem to end. The eyes are red bulbs, with no pupils or whites. The “skin” is a pure white, with no changes in colour anywhere, flaws or scratches. But the mouth is the scariest part: it’s stuck in a little half-smile, as if it’s going to take pleasure in tearing my limbs apart.

Chapter 16 (N)

“What are you going to do?” asked Kai. I was dangling upside-down from her bed.
“I don’t know! What should I do?” I was getting really worried. I never thought Barry would turn out so… evil.
“Well, definitely don’t tell Barry you know.”
“Duh, we’ll just have to keep Dan away from him….” Kai gave me a weird look.
“Ahem.” I didn’t get what she was talking about… Wait! I get it!
“Sorry, but how are we going to keep you know who away from Barry?”
“He probably already told him where he lives….”
“Why did he have to burn him?” I took a ball and threw it in her closet.
“What are you talking about?” Didn’t Kim tell her?
“The reason why Barry wants to kill you know who…?” I was starting to wonder why she didn’t know.

Alt+Control 22

So it’s finally Saturday, after 2 days of anxiously waiting. No one’s at home, so I can leave the house without anyone questioning my outfit.

I’m wearing a knee-length black skirt overtop sheer black stockings with a grey blouse I got from my mom. I stole some of my mom’s makeup and I used some of her darker lipstick, eyeliner and eye shadow to make myself look older than my 14 years. Finally I take out the one pair of high-heels I own and slip them on. I grab my a small purse, my tablet, and my brand new phone and head out the door.

My phone beeps at me, notifying me of a new text. I check it, and see it’s from Marc.

“Meet me at the south end of Queen Station,” it says. If I catch the Skytrain 5 minutes away from here, I’ll be able to get to Queen Station by 15:45, which gives us enough time to get to the building and be prepared.

I speed walk the best to my ability in the heels to the station. I catch the Skytrain just as it was about to leave, but I manage to step in right before the doors shut behind me.

I sit down, relieving my now aching feet. The train is oddly quiet. No one else is in here as far as I can see. No murmuring, children babbling…just silence.

This peculiar hush was even more pronounced by the train silently gliding over the tracks. The magnets that make the train quiet is a blessing when it’s already loud inside of the train, but when there’s nothing creating noise, it’s creepy.

And K's New Title Is....

sorry I haven't been posting lately! schoolwork kinda ate up my time. but anyways, the results of the poll is in, and I'm pleased to announce the brand new title for my novel!
drum roll please.....

Chapter 21-and-a-Half

It’s Friday, and tomorrow isn’t just the day when I have that meeting with Mr. Sharpo. It’s also Gerad’s birthday. And here I am, sitting, trying to figure out what to give him as a gift. I really should be picking out my outfit for tomorrow, and getting everything ready so everything goes smoothly. But I can’t concentrate on that until I figure out a proper present!

I pace back and forth, getting more and more agitated. I’ve already asked a bunch of people on LikeIt I’ve already thought of giving him a gift certificate for some movies, but too many other people said they’d be doing that.

Hmmm… books? Nope, we don’t really read the same stuff. He likes more comedic books; I’m a hardcore fantasy and sci-fi fan. I don’t think he’ll appreciate any computer stuff coming from me since the software episode. And I don’t think any of the stuff I can make would appeal to a guy. I collapse onto my chair and sigh. My brother peeks into my room.

“What’s wrong? That was some loud sigh!”

“I can’t think of a present for Gerad! And his birthday is tomorrow!”

My brother stands in my doorway and thinks. “Well he’s been helping you with your novel right? Why don’t you write something for him?”

“Awesome! Thanks so much!” I run over to my brother and give him a kiss on the top of his head. I run back to my tablet and open the word-processing program.

I had totally forgotten about my novel for the last week since I’ve been so busy with the mystery, but Gerad always loved reading it. He always helped when I was stuck with my plot, or needed some names.

I opened a brand new document and started writing a chapter.

Happy Birthday G! Here's a bonus chapter just for you :)

Chapter 15 (Part 2) (N)

“Meet me in the library after school,” I read the text in my head. It’s from unknown.
“Who are you?” I replied.
“You don’t need to know yet, but stay away from him,” I read. What? Who?
“Who should I stay away from?”
“Do as I say for your own good.” Is this a prank?
“At least tell me who!”
“Light, don’t be stubborn.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know a lot of things. Goodbye.”
“Wait! Who are you? Who should I stay away from? How do you know my name?”

Chapter 15 (N)

Kai:
“Kim, you already ate your food. Now tell me!”
“I’m from the future, but from the past. It’s too complicated for even you. But Dan’s in big trouble. And Kai, we’ve chose you to help us.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“That is confidential information.”
“You’re a kid.”
“Your point is…?”
“How old are you?”
“That is confidential information.”
“Fine, just tell me about Dan then.”
“A revenge seeker is trying to find Dan. According to a recent update, the enemy has made contact with Dan. There’s little time left, Kai.”

Chapter 21 (K)

Bureau of Investigation? Epidemic Division? Uh oh…

“Um, yes. What can I do for you?”

“We just need to ask some questions,” says Hoover and he takes out mini-note taker.

“So, what is your relationship to Drew Vivek?”

That question takes me a bit off guard. I was expecting a question regarding my involvement in the epidemic. “Friend since grade 5…we were also, umm… starting to be a little more than that just recently…” I fade out, not really wanting to expand on that. It’s a bit awkward speaking to strangers quite a bit older than me about my personal life.

O’Flynn’s expression softens. “I’m sorry to hear that. It must be tough,” he says, patting me awkwardly on the shoulder. I give him a small, sad smile. Tough doesn’t even start to cover it.

Hoover gave a meaningful cough and O’Flynn steps away from me. He mutters a small, “Sorry,” to Hoover. Hoover nods his head at O’Flynn and turns to me.

Chapter 20 (K)

“This is getting serious,” says Marc. “That’s a full-out declaration of war against us.”

“But how’d they connect me to him? And why are they so desperate now so that they’d kill someone as a warning?”

“I don’t know. But that means we’re close to finding out why.”

My tablet beeps, notifying me that I have an email. It’s from Nella.

“Check the news right now,” reads Marc out loud. “Something must’ve happened.”

“She helps me with this case. She tells me information when she finds any.”

I go onto the CTV website and see the latest headline:

“Epidemic is Now Spreading Worldwide! Victims Found in Parts of Asia, Africa and Europe!”

Chapter 19 (K)

“Back up everybody, give her some breathing room,” says a fuzzy voice. My eyes flutter open, everything out of focus and much too bright. I blink a couple of times and I’m met with the sight of several people crowded around me. They all have mixed expressions of worry and curiosity.

I sit up suddenly, alarmed. My head suddenly feels like it’s on fire, and I clutch it.

“Take it easy, would you?” says the voice. It takes me a moment to realize that it belongs to Marc. “You hit your head pretty hard there.”

My head feels a bit better so I let go of it. The brightness dims a bit as my eyes adjusts. “What happened?”

“You were talking to someone on the phone…and then you fainted. The person who you were calling started freaking out.”

Everything rushes back to me. I slump in overwhelming sadness. “Where’s my phone?” I ask Marc. He hands it over to me and I see that Tam is still on.

Chapter 14 (N)

Finally, it was lunch time. Now I can ask Barry!
“Hey, do you want to come sit with us?”
“Uh, are you all girls?”
“No, don’t worry. My friend Dan usually sits with us.” He turned around, and said something in a very quiet voice.
“What?”
“Nothing, I’m just happy I’ll get to make a new boy friend, as in a boy who’s my friend.” Why was he suddenly acting nervous? He seemed so calm, until… Whatever, he’s just probably nervous about sitting with us.
“Sure, but before we go, come with me.” He followed me to the back of the school. No one came here, because they heard weird rumours.
“Who are you? And what do you know about me?”

Chapter 18 (K)

I lean against the pillar outside afterschool, peering into the halls through the scratched glass walls. I search for Marc within the bustling and jostling crowds of students. There! Found him. He’s weaving in an erratic pattern down the halls, which is strange. He seems to be taking an awfully inefficient way to get out. Then I see Natalie hot on his trail, only a few paces away from him. I can’t help but chuckle at this. You have to admit, it’s pretty funny.

But I feel sorry for him, and I can’t have Natalie around while I talk to him, so I go to save him.

“Hey Marc!” I yell down as he practically runs out the door. “Over here!”

He seems relieved to see me. “Thanks for the save,” he says when he reaches me. “She’s been pestering me all day!”

“I know what she’s like sometimes. She’s my friend.” Marc chuckles at this.  “Don’t count yourself saved yet,” I warn him. “Here she comes.”

Marc immediately stiffens and turns around.

Chapter 13 (N)

Kai:
A simple phrase is driving me crazy. “My life or Dan’s”, I can’t get it out of my head. I don’t like Dan, but I’m not THAT mean. I would never do that to anyone.
What if there’s another way? Maybe there is. I’m so stressed about it. I need someone to talk to about it! But everyone’s in school (which I thankfully got out of going to). I could ask my big sister. She’s always there for me… sort of.
“Mother,” I called in a weak voice. I have to keep this up, or else she’ll send me to school. She came running.
“Kai, are you okay?” she asked in a concerned voice.
“Um, I’m feeling very weak. Could you uh please call Amanda to come? I really miss her,” I said in an angelic voice.
“Aw, you miss your big sister. She called earlier, and she was so sorry she couldn’t come to the hospital,”
“It is fine, can you please call her? I feel like I would die of sadness if I don’t see her soon?” Yeah, right.
“I’ll go call her Kai. Please don’t be sad! If you’re sad, I’ll cry!” Ok, maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned death.

Chapter 17 (K)

“The government? Which level?” I ask.

“Provincial. Or maybe even federal.”

I’m taken aback. That high up? That’s insane! “But why would the provincial or federal government be so invested into two minors?” I run to catch up to Marc.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” he replied. “They must have something they’re trying to hide, and we’re too close for comfort.”

“Wouldn’t they just dismiss us as nosy kids? Trying to kill us is a bit extreme, don’t you think?”

“Well that’s the whole mystery, right? There’s something wrong with the death of Lukas Morgenstern, and the government’s trying to hide it. But why?”

“Well, I have a question, first of all. How’d you get involved into this whole mess?” I ask. I’m curious to know.

titles for K's Novel!

So the results are in, and it seems like the top two titles are "Malfunction" and "To Think Outside The Box."
I was talking to my dad about different titles, and I decided to add some of the ones he helped me come up with in a new poll, to the right!
thanks for taking the time to do this...

Chapter 16 (K)

“What was up with you and that new guy Marc?” asks Lae during lunch. My other friends look over at us with questioning expressions.

“Yeah, there seemed to be something going on between you too,” adds Nella. “You looked like you were going to throttle him at any moment.”

I didn’t think we were that obvious, were we? I could hardly tell, as my mind was preoccupied at that particular moment. “I don’t know. He just annoys the hell out of me,” I say. It’s the truth, and I want to steer this conversation away from Marc.

“He seems like a nice guy,” says Lae. “He even helped me with that French question when you wouldn’t bother to look up!” she scowls at me.

“And you know,” giggles Vera, “the emotion closest to hate is love.”

I glare at her. “Gross. Who would go out with that jerk? And Lae, just because he helps you once doesn’t mean he’s not an as—“

Nella punching me in the arm cuts my sentence short. Ouch! She can sure pack a punch! “What the heck was that for?” I ask, blinking away tears. “That hurt!”

“Don’t swear!” she chides me. “How many times have I told you that?”

“You don’t have to punch me for it!” I look at my arm. It’s pretty possible that I’m going to be getting a bruise there.

“Yes I do, otherwise you won’t stop!” Nella exclaims.

“But back to Marc,” says Natalie looking up from her phone, “I think he’s actually pretty cute.” She flips her hair back and looks at her reflection on her phone. Natalie always seems to have two different personalities; one where’s she’s really nice and supportive, and the other is superficial and shallow. By the looks of it, today’s a superficial day. I sigh inwardly. It’s these types of days that I wonder why I put up with her at all, but it’s always her nice days that make me want to have another go at it. Of course, it’s gets tiring after awhile.

“That guy? Cute? You’ve got to be kidding,” I say. “And how did you see him? You don’t have French with us!”

“He’s in my math class. He sat beside me!” she squeals. “All the other girls were just staring daggers at me.”

“And you take delight in that?” asks Lae in disgust. I agree with her. This is getting really annoying.

“I’m going to go get a snack from the corner store, anybody with me?” I ask, getting up. Even after eating my lunch I’m still hungry.

Chapter 12 (N)

Kai wasn’t able to come back to school today. I hope she’s okay. I’ll call her later or something.
“Student’s settle down,” said Mr. Bell. He was the strictest teacher ever. Everyone shut up. Navina raised her hand.
“What?” Mr. Bell asked, obviously annoyed.
“May I go to the bathroom?”
“No.”
“Ok.”
“Today we have a new student, his name is Barry. Please welcome him, and make him catch up,”
I looked up. Barry was tall, he had dark hair. He had pale skin. He seemed very fit.
“Hello Barry,” the class said in unison. He was smiling a little, but not a happy smile. More like a smirk.
“’Sup?” It seemed he had a laid back personality.
“Sit down,” said Mr. Bell, annoyed by his personality.
“Where should I?”
“Anywhere you want,” Everyone seems to irritate Mr. Bell. I have no idea why he teaches if he hates us that much.
Barry started walking along the aisle. He then turned to sit next to me, in Kai’s seat.

Chapter 15 (K)

The class smiles politely. I can’t even manage to paste on a fake smile. There’s a rush of both happiness and fear that flows through me. I cross my fingers, hoping he won’t recognize me.

“Marc, why don’t you go sit in that empty seat besides Kaya? She’ll help you catch up,” I hear Madame say. That seat’s been empty since the beginning of the year, so I’ve gotten used to just putting my stuff on it. I move to take my backpack off the chair.

“So your name’s Kaya,” I hear somebody whisper. I turn to see an uncomfortably-too-close-to-me Marc. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Chapter 11 (N)

Kai:
This note has been bugging me a lot. What does it say? If it’s ruined by nature, maybe it can be fixed by nature! I went online to the websites about spells Light told me about. It was bookmarked. I went to the nature section. I searched for a spell that could help me. It took me fifteen minutes to find the perfect spell. I tried it. The note disappeared.
I felt like crying. Now I’ll never know what was written. A few seconds later, the note reappeared, and the writing was visible. I took a deep breath and read the note.
It said, “K + D = FRIENDS FOREVER ♥.”
Aw, Kell must like a girl. But the writing looks like mine when I was little. But who is D?
Damian? Drew? Who is D? Let’s be logic. Who was my friend when I was about 8 years old and name’s starts with D? GOD NO!
It can’t be. But it is. I hate him! Always have, always will! Except when I wrote this note… I felt like ripping this note. I felt this note is way too much for me to handle right now. I feel like my heart, and insides are being ripped apart by this note. I scream very loudly. Kell comes racing upstairs.
“Kell… Take… This… Note… Away,” This is all I could say. He immediately takes the note and runs away. I start feeling better. I don’t know how a single note could do this to me. I fell to the ground trying to breathe. Kell came back and tried to help me. I started to lose sight. I felt dizzy. Finally, I gave up and black out.

Chapter 14 (K)

“Did you run home?” asked my mom as I shut the door behind me. I’m totally out of breath, and I take long gasps to steady my breath. “You know that you didn’t have to be home until another hour.”

“Yeah, I know. Just felt like some exercise today,” I smile weakly. No point in telling her that I thought I was being followed. I would end up in a mental hospital in a blink!

I drag my feet up the stairs, and enter my room. That’s when I realize I still have my boots on. I have a little chuckle at my own expense and kick them off, sending them flying to the other side of the room where they land with a loud clunk.

I collapse in my favourite chair, and relax as the chair moulds to my body. Ever since I’ve entered my house, I haven’t felt the eyes following me. Relief made me wobbly. That must’ve been a result of my mind working overtime, and I know the only cure for that: sleep.

I find my charger underneath my bed and plug in the tablet. I send a message down to my parents saying that I was tired from being sick and that I was going to bed early. I crawl into bed, and my eyes shut.

Chapter 10 (N)

Kai:
“Furthermore, do not leave your house for the next few days, if you live in the city of New Town,” the news person finished. I closed the TV, and leaned back on the couch. Shouldn’t they be talking about where we live?
“I want to watch!” yelled my little brother.
“Shouldn’t you be doing your homework?”
“Shouldn’t you be doing chores?”
“I’m not in the mood for this!”
“Open the TV,”
“No!”
“Mom, tell Kai to open the TV!”
“Go do your homework,”
“You’re not the boss of me,”
“Yes, I am,”
“What if I watch TV while doing homework?”
“It doesn’t work that way. Do your homework then you can watch TV,”
“You’re the worst!” he said as he stormed off. I’ve had a headache since watching the video and now Kell just increased it by all his yelling.

Chapter 9 (N)

Kai:
I just can’t comprehend all this information at once. This might be a trick, but Valentine? Valentine would never lie, or do something so… so deceiving.
What should I do? I need help from someone. But who could help me? Light probably could’ve helped me, but I’d… rather not. Levana could help me, but she’d probably forget and tell them. Sumi is a good choice, but I can never find her! Ugh, this is so hard! Wait, what about Charm? Charm’s basically Valentine’s best friend! But Charm’s too much of goody-two shoes. It’s worth a try anyway.
“Kai, get up. You need to go tutor your brother,”
I really didn’t feel like tutoring today. I feel like just lying down, and emptying my mind, or even better, plotting. Until I can find someone to rely on, I should start planning.

--THE END—

I know it’s a very short chapter! But I’m kinda left hanging, so… yeah. Until the problem is fixed, I’ll try my best.

Chapter 8 (N)

Kai:
Where is it? I sent it hours ago! I looked out the window.
“Kai, honey, you’re going to be late!” shouted mother. I turned towards the door.
“I already told her I’ll be late,” I said. I heard her sigh.
“I am here master Kai,”
“Why are you late?” I said coldly.
“I am sorry master Kai,”
“Apologizing doesn’t help anything,”
“I understand master Kai,”
“Very well, present me with the data you collected,”
“Here you are master Kai,”
I took the CD.
“Thank you, now you have two hours to have fun. But after that you must resume your work,”
“Understood master Kai,”
“Now you may leave my presence,”
“Thank you master Kai,”

Chapter 7 (N)

I called Levana earlier. She said she'd come after her doctor's appointment.
The party's in 10 minutes, and the glow hasn't gone yet! I tried wearing stuff on top of it but it didn't work. Then I got an idea. Why didn't I think of this before?! The internet! DUH. I ran to the home computer. Loading. I told my brother not to open so many programs! It said it would take half an hour to load. So I ran to my room. I opened my laptop, it took two minutes to start up. I went to the website about spells. I searched up "glow". I clicked the first result. It talked about how it gets there, and said "If you want to get rid of your glow, you must let go of all negative feelings.". SERIOUSLY? It's that easy?
I relaxed and breathed. I closed my eyes. I opened my eyes after a while, the glow didn't go away!
The door knocked. The first guest was here.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Taima," I opened the door.
"Hi," I said.
"OH MY...," started Taima.
"Please no, it's just a costume," I said. I'm so glad I took acting lessons, but I felt bad for lying to Taima.
"It's a costume party?
"No, I just wanted to surprise you," I smiled. "Go downstairs, and have a drink."
"Sure," She went downstairs.
"Knock knock, open up!" said Jay.
"Hi Jay, the party's downstairs, Taima's here too," I said. She went downstairs. It's weird she didn't question my glow.
"Hello," said Charm. She was standing with Echo, Sumi, and Sapphire.
"Hi, the party's downstairs," I said.
"Is Valentine here yet?" asked Charm, while Echo, Sumi, and Sapphire went downstairs.
"Not yet, but she said she's coming," I replied. Charm and Valentine share the love of love.
"Can I use your bathroom?" asked Charm.
"No," I said jokingly. She went to the bathroom. My phone rang.
"Hello," I said.
"Hi, I'm going to be late... sorry," said Kai.
"Why?"
"Because, I-uh have to finish reading my-um book,"
"You can just tell me if you're plotting something,"
"I'm not! I'm just going to be late,"
"Yeah, see you,"
"Bye,"
I went downstairs to check on the guests.
"You guys okay?"
"Great,"
I wonder where Valentine is, she's usually the first one here. Maybe she's coming with someone? Maybe I should call her? Nah, if something's wrong she'd call me.
But she didn't.
I sat down and looked at the clock. The power went off. Sapphire screamed.
"Shut up!" someone yelled. Sapphire stopped screaming.
"Everyone stay calm, I'll go see what's up. Please do not kill each other while I'm gone!" I said.
I went upstairs, and the power was on for other houses, Why not ours? And where's Valentine? And what's Kai planning?

--THE END--

I know, it's been ages. Well sorry. Now you have a complete chapter!
I know it's short, but I have surprise in my next chapter. It's MUCH more interesting than this chapter (and MAYBE sickening... to me).
Enough blabbering, FEEDBACK! :)

Chapter 13 (K)

As soon as I get outside, I don’t start heading home. I walk across the street and head towards the park. The air smells heavy and wet, and thick, fat clouds are piling up ahead of me… a storm is on its way. Somehow, it’s fitting to today’s events.

I plop down onto a green bench, carefully placing my tablet besides me. I take it out, and turn it on. There’s about 0.2% left on it, enough power to last me a couple of minutes.

I quickly go on LikeIt and find all my “friends” who seem to have some sort of information on Lukas, whether it was through the grapevine or were actually friends with him. I compose a quick group message: hey guys, I’m working on a project and I need some info on Lukas, even if it seems really unimportant. thanks so much!

I click send and wait until the sent confirmation comes up. Collecting all the info will take awhile, but I might as well find out stuff now. Lukas plays an important role in the epidemic, and I’m going to take any opportunity I’ve got to get more clues.

Chapter 12 (K)

It takes me a minute to soak that in. Gerad killing someone? That’s impossible, right?

“Wasn’t he in an accident? How could an accident be your fault?” I ask. Please let him be wrong, let this all be a mistake, a delusion…

“It was an accident. But if I hadn’t made him stop that day…if I hadn’t tried to get his attention…if I never saw him that day…” his voice fades, and he buries his face in his free hand.

I feel awful. Here’s Gerad right in front of me, suffering, and I was the one who triggered it. “Gerad,” I start, and he looks up at me. His sadness washes over me, and I take a deep breath, gripping his hand tighter. Don’t break down now, I have to stay strong. Strong. I feel immensely better.

“You can’t live life full of regrets. What happened in the past stays there, and there’s no use keeping on thinking of what could’ve happened. You can’t change the fact that Lukas died,” he flinches, but I continue, “What you can do though is to honour his life with something more than regret. I’m pretty sure he’d want you to do that. He sounds like a very good friend. This message is just a joke, a nasty and idiotic prank someone pulled. If I ever find out whoever made this, I’ll beat the crap out of him or her.” I know these are merely excuses, and threadbare ones at that, but at least they’ll provide some comfort.