A tall young woman with long, curly black hair and flashing violet eyes quickly walked into the entrance of Queen's Hall, Midway Prep's girl dormitory hall. She walked up a flight of stairs and walked down the gray-tiled floor, looking from side-to-site periodically to find her destination. She finally found it: Room 88, Gemini & Ariel's room. She quickly knocked.

"Who is it?" Gemini called from inside.

"Aquarius," the young woman replied. She heard a scrambling to get to the door.

Gemini yanked the door open, her face full of astonishment. "Aquarius? Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?"

Aquarius smiled. "I'm here to see my little sister, of course. I'm just making sure that you're doing good here."

"Of course I am! I wrote you and Mama and Papa not two weeks ago. Come now, why are you really here? And don't give me that 'I just wanted to see my little sister' answer because I know it's not true. You wouldn't fly all the way from France just to visit me. Spill it!" Gemini said, putting her hands on her hips.

Aquarius quickly turned around to hide her smile. Gemini always had a way of seeing straight through people. In most cases, anyways. "Well, if you must know the truth, I've transfered to Kensington University."

"Why? I thought you were doing great at the American University in Paris," Gemini asked, confused. Her sister was known throughout the university for being near the top of her class.

"I was, but I decided I wanted to come to America and see everything that you've been talking about in your letters. Don't look at me like that! Let's talk about something else. How are you and Rusty doing?"

"OK. We're doing fine, I guess," Gemini said, plopping down on her bed and looking out of the window behind it.

Aquarius quickly walked over to Gemini and grabbed her shoulders. "What do you mean, 'I guess'? What's going on, Gemini?"

"I really don't know. I mean, sometimes I wonder where this relationship is going," Gemini confessed, biting her lip and looking down.

Aquarius was not pleased. "Look here, Gemini. Don't ever say that. I know that you love Rusty, so don't you get any foolish ideas that would let him slip through your grip right when you have him!"

"What?" Gemini said incredulously, looking up from the floor at Aquarius with confused eyes.

"You mustn't do anything that will ruin your chances with Rusty, because the minute you let your guard down, some desperate little girl will come and get her claws into him."

Kim & Eve quickly walked into the hospital entrance. Kim spied the receptionist's desk, so the two shuffled over there.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what room a Miss Jessica King is staying in?" Eve asked breathlessly.

The receptionist looked up from her work. "That depends. Are you a guardian?"

"No."

"A relative?"

"No."

"Then I'm sorry, but I can't give that information out. Miss King is in critical condition right now, so I would suggest you come back a little later when she's doing better...if she gets better," the receptionist said, turning back to her work.

Kim clenched her teeth. "What do you mean by that? Jessica will get better!"

Eve put a hand on Kim's shoulder. "Kim, calm down. Jessica will be fine, don't listen to this woman. She doesn't know what she's talking about." Then to the receptionist. "Look, I realize we're not a close relative, but we're a really close friend of hers. Please, ma'am, let us see her."

"Like I said before, no," the receptionist repeated, not looking up from the papers she was working on.

A thirtysomething Hispanic female doctor, who had been listening to the entire conversation, quickly walked over to the receptionist desk. "Excuse me, Ally, but these two girls can go see their friend. Don't you look at me like that! I know it's been quite a while since you were their age, but it's obvious that these two girls care very much for their friend."

"Yes, ma'am. We do," Eve put in quietly.

"Come on, girls. I'll take you to her. My name is Dr. Elise Gonzales. I'm Jessica's doctor." Dr. Gonzales stopped at the end of the ICU corridor and looked into one of the rooms. Lying down, with life seemed drained out of her, was Jessica.

Eve gasped and her hand quickly flew to her mouth. Tears came to her eyes. This couldn't her sweet, kind friend Jessica.

Kim quickly cleared her throat, but she still spoke shakily. "Dr. Gonzales, what's wrong with Jessica?"

"I'm sorry, girls, but Jessica has slipped into a coma."

Amber quickly jogged went down to Lakeshore Park, where she knew Carrie would be. Carrie was there, talking with Melanie & Chantal, not a care in the world, despite being the cause of a certain young girl being in a coma in the hospital.

As soon as she arrived, Amber began talking fast. "Excuse me, girls, but I need to talk to Carrie...now."

"I'm terribly sorry, but we were just in the middle of a conversation. You can talk to Carrie once we're through," Chantal said, annoyed that she had been interrupted.

"What you have to say can't be half as important as what I have to. Carrie, I need to talk to you now," Amber repeated.

"Who do you think you are, barging up in here like that and demanding things? I have a mind to..." Chantal began.

"Chantal, it's OK. I'll just handle this thing with Amber real quick, and then we'll get back to talking," Carrie said, walking off to the side with Amber.

"Carrie, I need your help," Amber said flatly.

Carrie waited for more, but didn't get anything else. "I need a little more information than that if I'm supposed to help you with something."

"I'm sure you know by now that I didn't win the Miss Midway Contest this year, Francesca did. I'm not about to let her keep her title. I need your help to keep her from keeping her position."

Carrie laughed. "Oh, come on, Amber. Everyone loses every once and a while. It's time for you to get used to it. Francesca won fair and square, that's all there is to it."

Amber's eyes flashed anger and annoyance, but she quickly suppressed that. "Look, Carrie. I've been Miss Midway for the past 3 years. Do you know what it's like to have something that you've cherished for so long snatched away from you in just a second? I just need you to help me keep Miss Smug-Francesca from getting any bigger of an ego. Please?"

Carrie knew it was rare for Amber to ask anyone for anything, and even rarer for her to be polite about it. She thought for a minute before responding. "OK, I'll help you. Just tell me what I need to do."

Gemini got up off the bed. "Don't you think you're over-reacting, Aquarius? Goodness, I just said I didn't know where we were going, not that we were going to break up."

"Please, you know as well as I that it starts off with the 'I don't know where we're going' line and ends with the 'it's been nice but I think we should see other people now' clincher. Are you falling out of love?" Aquarius pressured.

"Love is a strong word, Aquarius. Most people my age aren't in love. We just like each other. That's the way it is with Rusty and me. Things are complicated enough, so I don't need you making things worse."

"I'm not making things worse I'm just trying to keep you from losing something I know you want and have always wanted," Aquarius snapped.

"You think you know everything that's good for me, don't you? Well let me be the first to tell you that you don't!" Gemini spat out at Aquarius. "For the longest time you have thought that you could tell me what I want and how I feel, but in all truthfulness, you don't know the first thing about me or my feelings!"

"You don't have to get an attitude, Gemini," Aquarius responded, a disgusted look on her face.

"With you, yes I do! I am sick and tired of you trying to run my life! Rusty and I are doing just fine. No girl is going to come and try to take him because I have him!"

"Naive, gullible Gemini. You don't realize that there are women out their who will go after a man even if he's married. Don't you watch soap operas?"

"My life is not a soap opera! I'm not as suspicious and un-trusting as you. I my trust and faith in my relationship with Rusty is strong enough to know that nothing can threaten it!" Gemini shouted at her sister, storming up and down the room.

"Believe what you want, but just don't come crying to me when you've lost your man to another woman. They're out there, just waiting for the slighest chance to get with Rusty. Wait and see, Gemini, you just wait and see. If you had the sense God gave a gnat you'd see that you were in the wrong and I in the right...as usual" Aquarius added, a very smug look on her face.

"If you have nothing else to say, Aquarius, then could you please get up off of my bed and get out before I throw you out!" Gemini said, opening the door back up and pointing out of the door. "Goodbye, Aquarius. You're visit, as always, was interesting."

Aquarius got up and made her way to the door. At the door, she stopped and turned around. "You don't have to believe me, Gemini, but time will tell." Aquarius exited.

Gemini slammed the door behind Aquarius. "God that girl aggrivates me! There is no one out there who would even think of taking Rusty. No one.

Amber smiled. "I need you to help me dig up dirt on Francesca."

"How are we going to do that? You know Francesca is sweet as apple pie."

"Or so everyone thinks. I know that underneath all that sugar there's a little spice. She's had to have done something. It's just a matter of time before I find out what it is. That's why I need you to help me, because two people working on it will get things done faster. I'm so glad you said you'll help me."

"Yeah, well, we'll see what happens. I still don't think there's anything that Francesca has to hide. Maybe you're right, though. Maybe she is a walking landmine of secrets and deceptions."

Amber laughed and her eyes flashed. "You've got that right. Her secret may not be right here in Midway, but in one of those places she's always going to every summer. No one knows her there, so it's the prime place for her to reveal her true colors. Maybe one person holds a key that could bring down Francesca George for good!"

Amber just didn't realize how close she was to the truth.

A wave of tears escaped from Eve's eyes. She sobbed silently. This could not be happening.

Kim tried to clear her throat again, but it didn't work. She fought and fought against the tears, but one escaped her eyes, then two...three...four. Soon, she was crying as much as Kim.

Dr. Gonzales rubbed the two girls backs gently sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, girls, I really am."

"How did this happen?" Eve choked out, wiping the river of tears on her cheeks.

"We're not sure, yet, but it's obvious that she suffered some type of head trauma. Maybe a rock or a brick," Dr. Gonzales replied. Noticing the heartbroken looks on the girls' faces, Dr. Gonzales said, "Girls, just because Jessica's in a coma doesn't mean that she won't live."

"Maybe not, but it means that she has a good chance of dying," Kim said, stopping crying long enough to get the sentence out before beginning again.

"Maybe so, but is crying going to help Jessica's condition any? Hmmm?" Dr. Gonzales inquired gently, still rubing Kim & Eve's backs.

"No, it won't," Kim said, wiping her runny nose. "You're right, we're acting like a bunch of babies. Wipe your tears away, Eve. We've got to be strong for Jessica. May we go in and see her, Dr. Gonzales?"

"Yes, as long as you don't disturb her," Dr. Gonzales said, opening the door.

Kim & Eve walked quietly over to Jessica's bedside. For a long while, there was only silence. A hurting, helpless type of silence that is louder than any shout or scream. Finally, Kim spoke.

"I know you can't hear me, Jessica, but you hang in there. You hang in there for who you are and all of the things you stand for. Don't let this beat you!" Kim exclaimed passionately, forgetting to be quiet. A quick glance from Dr. Gonzales silenced her.

Eve picked up where Kim left off. "Jessica, you're a strong person. You can overcome this obstacle. The Head Cheerleading position is waiting for you. Carrie won't get it, you're better than her and you and everyone else, including Carrie herself, knows it. First chair in Symphonic Band is waiting for you too. Everyone knows that you're the best flute player in Symphonic Band. You have so much to live for. I know that right now you're drifting in-between here and the Otherworld, but you've got to come back to us...for everyone, your friends, your family, everyone who loves you...for yourself."

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