"Miss Garcio?" she asked shakily. "Did you throw that pencil?"

The teacher shook her head slowly, looking at the pencil in shock. Jessi looked at it as well, and concentrated. Nothing happened, and she shrugged disappointedly, grabbing the pencil from the floor. She walked over to the pencil sharpener and stuck the pencil in, then when it was sharpened she went to her seat. The entire class was still staring at Jessi, so she gave a little smile and a mocking wave, then turned her attention to the teacher, who was still sputtering.

"We-we-well, everyone," she said, standing up and straightening, "today we were supposed to start on sentence structure, so please get out your books and turn to page 119, everyone?"

The class, with much less talking than normal, did so, and the class proceeded. Everyone seemed to forget what had happened with the pencil, though Jessi replayed the scene in her head, over and over. The girl had always wanted to be telekinetic, but the thought that she might actually be like that was too much to think of. Anyway, when she concentrated on stuff now it didn't work, so even if she had moved it somehow, it was a fluke and wasn't going to happen again.

After that class was over, Jessi went to the front of the class to give the pencil back. Normally she would just have taken it with her, if the teacher had been the one to lend it, but after the happenings at the beginning of the class, the student doubted that the teacher would forget about the pencil very quickly.

To Jessi's surprise, the teacher recoiled as soon as her student came up with the pencil. Jessica, blinking confusedly, asked quietly, "Um, would you like your pencil back?"

"No, that's all right," said Miss Garcio, still recoiled, "you may keep it."

The girl nodded, still a bit confused, and she slipped the pencil into her binder. Checking her watch, she saw that there was only one period to go before the end of the school day. She shrugged and threw her books and her binder into the locker. Her last period was SSR, so all Jessi needed for that class was a good book. Checking through her locker, the girl saw that once again, she forgot to bring one.

Dammit, she thought, hopefully there'll be some book at the room. She walked to the next class, which was all the way across the school. In order to get there in time, she had to sort of run-walk. It aggravated Jessi that if you were late you got a detention, and if you ran you got a detention, and when the classes were on opposite ends of the school, you had to choose one or the other. Bad management. As always.

Getting there in time, and only slightly out of breath, Jessi automatically went over to the side of the room where the books were kept. To her dismay, there was nothing interesting there to read. She slowly walked over to her desk, slipping into a seat in her customary position with one leg curled under her. After a few minutes of boredom, she stood up and went to the teacher's desk to get some paper and a pencil. The teacher cheerfully gave them to the girl, and Jessi smiled in thanks. Going to sit back down, she started drawing. She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to draw, she just let the pencil guide her.

A face started to form on the paper, much better drawn than Jessi could normally do. She shrugged, and just let the picture form before her.

*********

Veheli woke up with a start. She felt a brief disorientation, panicking because she did not recognize her surroundings in the least. Relaxing, she realized that she was on the train still. I hope I didn't miss my stop, she thought, biting her lip. Then she remembered that the end of the track was still near enough to Philly for it to not be a major problem if she missed the stop at Philadelphia. It'll just slow me down even more. Even in her own mind, Veheli sounded exasperated, as she always was when she was worried.

She recognized the next stop called as her own, so she thankfully got up, glad that she hadn't missed the stop. She gathered all of the stuff that had been in the other seat, and walked to the end of the section, walking down the stairs and into the train station. There weren't as many people here, and she went to get out of this station. There seemed to be some sort of huge shopping center attached to it, but Veheli went straight out to the city.

Looking around, Veheli again tried desperately to sense Cuiaree's presence. If she wasn't here, Veheli had no idea what she'd do. There would be nothing left to do, no more leads to go on.

To Veheli's partial relief and partial fear and apprehension, she could indeed sense a bit of Cuiaree. She was fairly far away from right there, but she was somewhere near to this city. Also…Veheli almost thought that she felt another Eneni, someone else with the power…Impossible, she said to herself, shaking her head. I must be more tired than I thought.

Deciding to use one of the few Direction spells that she understood, Veheli got her bearings and found her way fairly quickly to a hotel that could be used. It was pretty fancy, but Veheli kept feeling less and less guilty about using her magick. After all, she was here to save these peoples' lives, and if she had to trick them out of money to do that, well then money was less important than their lives.

She checked out the room that she was given. The bed felt very soft, and the bathroom that was part of the room had a nice bath. The view from the window wasn't great, but all in all the room was really nice. She also chose a hotel around here because Cuiaree's presence was still very far away, so there was very little chance of them running into each other until Veheli knew what to do.

If I'll ever know what to do, thought Veheli nervously. She walked back out of the bathroom into the bedroom, and yawned again. She'd really done too much the past few days…I deserve some rest, the girl made excuses to herself as she fell onto the bed in exhaustion. If I'm sleep-deprived, I won't be able to do things that I might have to…

Veheli fell asleep. Even in sleep, though, she got no escape from her worries. Nightmares plagued the girl, but they didn't wake her up. Nightmares of being trapped, of being helpless…Veheli hated being helpless.

The worst one, though, the one that kept coming back, was when Calie died. She kept seeing that dead, blank look in her friend's eyes every time Veheli closed her own eyes. The dream repeated, with the man bringing out the gun, Calie screaming for them to take cover…Calie falling…

Falling…

The dream changed, and suddenly Veheli was looking off the edge of a building. She was inside of a room, looking out the open window, leaning out. A voice told her to jump, jump, and the voice sounded so certain, so sure, that Veheli did so, she climbed out and jumped, falling into the middle of the busy street, head first--

--Veheli woke up, sitting up suddenly with sweat all over her face. She got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom. Turning on the sink, she splashed some cold water onto her face and looked up at the mirror. The girl grabbed one of the towels and dried her face, trying to forget the nightmares. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was morning already. Veheli sighed again and went out to get her bag that had clothes in it. She had a shirt that hadn't been worn yet, but her pants had been. Checking, she saw that they weren't very dirty and changed her shirt. She also got the hairbrush out of her bag and started brushing her hair.

Another worry that Veheli hadn't considered yet was how she'd get back to Atlantis if she succeeded. The Eneni girl admitted that chances were, she'd die. However, if she didn't…Veheli realized that she hadn't put any thought into how she'd get back home.

Shrugging, Veheli decided that she really didn't have to worry about that until later. She looked into the mirror, and saw that she'd brushed her hair enough.

Stopping, the girl cocked her head to the side suddenly. Something felt wrong right now, different, but she'd just woken up and couldn't quite put her finger on it that early in the morning.

Walking out of the room, Veheli yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of this dizzy, sleepy feeling. She was suddenly hit with an even stronger feeling, and she could identify it now. She pulled the hand from her eyes, already knowing what she'd see once she did.

Finally looking up, Veheli saw a face, a face much more shocked than she knew her own was.

Cuiaree's face.

Cuiaree had come back from the schools late, after it was already dark outside. She, as well, had sensed a presence that she was too tired to place what it was. Walking out of her room the next morning, she turned towards where the elevator was, and froze, shocked.

The girl in front of her, who Cuiaree hadn't thought that she'd ever see in this Normal's world, hadn't seen her yet. She was rubbing her eyes in exhaustion, something that Cuiaree had a lot of as well. However, Veheli obviously sensed other girl, because she froze and looked up, into the eyes of her old friend.

The other Eneni girl noted that Veheli didn't quite look shocked at seeing her. She looked worried, perhaps a bit panicked, and apprehensive, but shocked, no. She'd obviously expected to see Cuiaree in this city, though not right then, and not in the hotel. The two girls stared at each other for a long time, neither saying anything. Both were afraid to utter a word, and both were afraid to move.

Cuiaree had always been the braver one of the two, and after a few minutes she found her voice. "H--hello, Veheli," she said shakily, not sure what else to say.

Veheli swallowed visibly. "Don't kill them," she whispered. "Please, they don't deserve to die."

"I have to." Cuiaree's voice was a bit louder than Veheli's, but the voice sounded no stronger.

"Why?" The girl had tears in her eyes. "I don't want to fight you, Cuiaree…I don't want to…I don't…" Her eyes looked blank as she whispered it. The other Eneni wasn't sure whom Veheli was talking to, to herself or to Cuiaree, and she also had the feeling that her friend didn't know either. Then, Veheli straightened and looked the other girl in the eye with a new strength that could be seen by the glint in her eye. "But I will, if I have to. I will fight you, and if it is necessary to save these people I'll kill you." There was a tear glistening in her eye, but both girls knew that she was serious about what she said.

Cuiaree nodded. "I won't kill you, but I won't let you get in the way of what I'm doing, either. I'm going to kill these people. They deserve it."

"You can't judge the entire race by what one person does!" cried out Veheli, desperate to find some sort of escape. "Think about if…" the girl desperately searched for an example and blurted out the first one that she could think of. "Think about if you judged all of the us by Tines!"

Cuiaree thought a moment. What Veheli was saying seemed to make sense, but…"I've seen other Normals here. They're weak, and besides, they seem practically suicidal themselves. They do all these things to kill themselves, with their drugs and all. If I lived here, I'd want to die. I think I'm doing them a favor." Veheli started to argue, but the other girl put up a hand. "No. You're not changing my mind. If I have to knock you unconscious and put a spell on you the entire time, then I will. But--"

"Please." Tears were forming in Veheli's eyes as she looked at her old friend. "Calie…Calie wouldn't want you to kill because of her. She'd be so mad at you right now if she was alive." Immediately, she knew that it was the wrong thing to say from the look that took over Cuiaree's face.

"But she isn't alive, is she?" the girl hissed. "And why isn't she alive? Because of a normal. Because one of these normals decided to shoot her for no good reason!" With that, she turned around swiftly and headed for the stairs, not wanting to talk to Veheli anymore and not wanting to have to go past her. She quickly brought an arm up to her face, using her sleeve to wipe the tears away from her eyes. The course fabric felt harsh against the sensitive skin of her face, but for once Cuiaree didn't mind the pain. She needed it right now, as she was running down the stairs, emotions threatening to take over.

Veheli would kill her. That…that finally hit the girl. It was an advantage, Cuiaree knew, that she'd be more ruthless. But she wouldn't, couldn't, be the one to kill Veheli. Killing the Normals…that was different, but…

Cuiaree was starting to regret ever coming here. She couldn't go back and apologize, though, she couldn't decide not to kill the normals. One of the girl's worst faults was her pride, and now maybe her pride would cause millions of deaths. She didn't care, though. They deserve it, she told herself firmly, walking through the lobby, hoping that Veheli wouldn't be there. All that she should focus on today was the school. She had to start the plan today, even though the other girl might follow her. She also had to switch hotels, too.

I'm going to have to move much faster now, thought Cuiaree, but I can't be tricked into acting too quickly. The girl doubted that Veheli had thought this over enough to have planned the reactions that Cuiaree would have, moving too fast, but it was still a danger that must be avoided.

Getting onto the bus, Cuiaree could tell that the other girl wasn't near there and that she hadn't followed. Out-of-body maneuvers was still a possibility, but it was doubtful that Veheli was strong enough or advanced enough to use such complicated telekinesis ability.

The bus ride was long, since it brought her from the city to one of the suburban schools. Waking up early had never bothered Cuiaree, however, unlike many people that she knew, Veheli included. Why had she been up so early? The girl wondered. Remembering the encounter in the hall, it occurred to Cuiaree that her old friend had looked really haggard, as if she hadn't gotten a very good sleep.

Nightmares, realized Cuiaree. Veheli had always had nightmares when something was wrong, and they tended to be connected to other people. Since the only Eneni around was Cuiaree, Veheli had probably connected minds during sleep and brought out all of the bad things, or the bad things happening to people connected to that mind. Feeling the pain of others had always been an enchantress trait.

All the more reason not to become an enchantress, thought Cuiaree, but it was obvious to everyone who knew Veheli--except Tines-- that the girl was meant to be an enchantress. She had many characteristics of one already, and this was obviously one of them.

Cuiaree had to wonder what Veheli had seen in her dreams. She herself couldn't get into other peoples' heads very well except for control, so Cuiaree had no way of knowing or seeing those dreams.

Shaking her head, the girl looked out of the window, trying to clear her mind. The way that she acted today, with the other kids, was crucial. She had to make an impression so that people would follow her. Cuiaree also had to save up her power no so that she'd have enough to influence all of those people. It would be a big job, but the girl certainly didn't think that she could get them to follow her just by the way she'd act. Veheli was the one who everybody liked; Cuiaree was the one who was the outcast.

Looking out, Cuiaree saw that it was her stop, the one that was just about half a block from the Perrin school. She checked her watch and saw that she'd be just about on time. Drawing in her strength, she got off the bus and walked over towards the dull red building, created to unimaginatively. It was still cold out, but not as cold, and right now Cuiaree had on a coat.

She walked up to the front of the school, and opened one of the doors. Stepping into the from hall of the school, she remembered how to get to the office that she'd gone to yesterday about coming to the school. Glad that she wouldn't have to exhaust any of her power, she walked to the office, putting a smile onto her face but not wasting any of the magickal charm on a teacher.

"Hello?" she asked. The secretary didn't look up. "Hello?" she asked again, louder. Finally the woman looked up.

"Yes?" she asked, a bit rudely. The woman glared at Cuiaree as if she shouldn't have been there, sniffing. "Well?"

A bit put out by the woman's behavior, and with her idea that Normals were bad strengthened, Cuiaree held her chin haughtily and said, "I'm here for my schedule, I'm starting at this school today."

"What's your name?" asked the woman, still glaring.

"Carrie Andrews," she said. The name was close enough to her own, and much more common. One less thing to go wrong, Cuiaree had mused when she'd decided on that name. She didn't want that kind of attention, attention for being unusual, attention for something that she didn't have control over.

"Here you go," said the woman, thrusting the folder into Cuiaree's hands and getting back to work. After a short sneer in the secretary's direction, Cuiaree opened it. She'd have asked where Room 134 was, but she didn't want to talk to that awful woman again, so she just walked out of the office. Going over to one of the rooms, she saw that it was Room 112. The one next to that was Room 114, so she walked in that direction, looking at the rooms on the right side of the hall. In the middle of the hall there was a cluster of four rooms, then at the end of the hallway there were 4 more, 2 on each side of the corner.

Cuiaree turned and walked down the hall, looking around. There were lots of tiny green doors on each side, and she guessed that they were probably there to keep your stuff in during the day. Walking to the middle of the hall, she saw Room 134 and walked in cautiously, putting up a charm to make people like her, want to be like her.

Everyone looked up, and Cuiaree tried to smile a bit, using her charm enough to affect them but not enough to tire her out too much. "Hello," she said, "I'm new here? I transferred today."

The teacher, who was fairly young and pretty with dirty-blond hair and a casual look, looked up from the paperwork she was doing and smiled. "Of course, Carrie, right? Class, this is Carrie Andrews, and she'll be in this homeroom from now on." Mrs. Heile said all of this without standing up from her desk, but she seemed friendly.

"Hi, everyone," said Cuiaree, going to sit down in one of the seats. She looked around at everyone, trying to soak in their auras, learn what the people were like. A few of the kids smiled at Cuiaree, and she smiled back, strengthening her air of friendliness a little. She thought of the problem earlier, in the hall, and looked down.

No regrets, it's too late to turn back now, she told herself. No regrets.