On shooting two guns

Somewhat random but interesting. Mythbusters was testing various ways people in movies shoot guns and how effective they are. One of them was shooting two hand guns at once. Adam said "it felt like a rocking horse of death!" and that is frankly pretty awesome sounding. Nichole and her rocking horse of death ^.^

Wedding Picture

So I drew a picture from the wedding with us wearing traditional clothes. And in the background, though my head is so big you can't see it, is the waterfall in the hotel. It's not my exact vision, but I can't paint. I have the background posted on my DeviantArt.

Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 7 (The Proposal Part 4)

So we went down the lower levels, it seems all the cool things are at the underground levels. Into a room, he led me. Gosh, the room was covered in this weird design, like hi-tech and stuff.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“We’re in the virtual reality room,” he said with a smirk. I guess he was real proud of it.

“A what??? How did you get…? And is that even…? How does it even…? What? A virtual reality room?” He just continued to stare at me, smiling.

“Here, let me show you,” he said, wrapping his arm around me. Suddenly, the ground turned into the deep blue water; the sun came blazing out; the sky was blue, and we were stranded in the middle of the ocean.

I couldn’t stop screaming and flailing around. How did we get stuck in the middle of the ocean? Am I going to die? Alex, throughout all of this, was calm, laughed a little even. He still had his arm around me and brought me closer to him, so I would calm down.

“Uyenie! Uyenie! Stay calm,” he hushed me while hugging tighter. I stopped moving. Somehow we were floating. He looked at me, wiped some hair out of my face, and smiled.

“Remember, this is a virtual reality room. We’re not really in the middle of the ocean,” he explained, “Come swim to the bottom with me.” He took my hand and dragged me do the sea floor. I was wiggling around, knowing I can’t breathe! “Uyenie! Uyenie! Breathe! This is a virtual reality room! You can do anything!” he calmed me down. I took a breath, no water! It was like flying!

As we swam by, a school a fish passed us. The water was shimmering on the ground. It was magical! And to top it off, Alex was right in front of me, holding my hand. He looked back at me, a little worried. I gave him a smile to signal I was okay. I guess he’s always worrying about me, which is kind of ironic I guess. Back a long time ago, I used to take care of him, and now he takes care of me. Do I feel any shame in that? No! Dude, man, I have one of the wealthiest, no, THE wealthiest person in this city taking care of me and making me happy. Back then though, I felt like a burden to him.

He turned and asked me, “So where do you want to do now?” He smiled and raised his eyebrows just like he does.

“I don’t know…. You take me somewhere,” I told him.

“I want to do whatever you want to do,” he said staring at me, wanting. I told him that I have no idea what this place can do. So he got us to wash up on the beach.

He set up a fire and we watched the sunset, sitting side by side. When it got dark, he said that he was going to go get more firewood, since the fire was dying. Then suddenly, it began to snow. More wind started blowing in my face. The sea froze into hill of snow, and I was in the middle of a blizzard. Freaked out, I started shouting for Alex. How am I supposed to survive in this weather without him? Where did he go? Is he even alright?

Then I see this lurking figure in the distance. Is that him? The figure started walking closer to me, crunching the snow. I was shivering cold. It was like a bizarre dream! The figure walked into some light. Thank God, it was Alex! He was wearing snow gear and looked down at me sadly.

“Are you cold?” he said quite upset. I stared up at him, sitting on the ground, shivering. He took of his jacket and handed it to me. Oh gosh it was warm. It was like being cuddled with love. He directed me to a little log cabin.

It was so homey in there. There was a fire in the living room, a tiny kitchen, and a bedroom. I didn’t even need the jacket anymore. He showed me to the extra cushiony couch right in front of the fire. I sat there, nesting myself in the couch. He came out, holding two mugs.

“Do you want some hot chocolate? In this room, we can trick our senses,” he started some small talk.

“Trick our senses? What do you mean?” I took the mug.

“Like, we’re not actually drinking hot chocolate, but you can smell it,” he says, holding up his mug. Then it disappears. “You’re not drinking anything at all.” He paused and recreated his mug, staring at it. “I never had hot chocolate. This is the best I can come up with in its place.”

“You’ve NEVER had hot chocolate??? My gosh! We got to get some sometime!” I was shocked! And it became quiet, a little awkward actually.

We stared into the fire, sitting a pretty normal distance from each other. No one said anything. Fire was moving, cracking, dancing. It burned and grew, flailing its flames around like a tempered child with a yoyo. It was red! It was passionate! The heat! The heat! I couldn’t take it anymore! Turned and looked at him. He was just staring at the fire. His face so nicely formed. You can see his jaw bone. His eyelashes were so long and pretty. He just stared at the fire. Then he noticed I was looking at him. He turned with his questioning face. Oh, he was so cute. I couldn’t help it! I quickly leaned over and kissed him.

What was I doing? He’s only seventeen! Now I’m leading him on! I immediately pushed away.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what just happened. That was a mistake,” I stared at the ground.

He looked up at me and said, “Hey, I wanted it.” He touched my face and came for another kiss. No! This can’t be happening!

“No! This can’t be happening! I’m sorry! I’m just going to leave.” I started walking out to the door. “Um, how do I get out of this virtual reality room?” He looked sad and then the scenery changed back into the room we first started in, with all the dots. He pointed at the door.

As I walked out, Alex had set up a little grassy cliff overlooking the ocean. He sat there and stared into the deep sea. I was nearing the door, but I couldn’t leave him like that. I walked over to him.

I sat down beside him. I didn’t say anything.

He began talking, “It’s just, when I first saw you about a month ago, I couldn’t believe it, but in some way, I knew. Ever since you left and told me we’d meet each other, I never gave hope. I already lost you once, and I didn’t want to lose you again. You were the only person who was there.” I sat there and listened to him rant about us then I realized something. I love him. Why am I pushing him away? He’s like, no he IS the best thing I’ve ever found.

“Yes,” I said.

He continued, “My parents were never there. You raised me and loved me.”

“Yes,” I said again.

“My life is just so perfect and bland. It’s the same routine, no passion. But you came, and gave me something to live for.”

“Yes!” I said, becoming impatient. Was he deaf?

“You’re always so different, giving flavor and cheers to everything. I don’t want to imagine life without you. I—”

“Yes! I’ll marry you!” I shouted at him with such joy and hugged him. He sat there, shocked, happy. Then he looked at me. I looked back at him, looking the cutest I can. He smiled and reached into his pocket, pulled out the ring, and placed it onto my finger.

Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 6 (The Proposal Part 3)

The next morning, I woke up. I couldn’t sleep because of last night. Oh! He looked so sad! I had to reject him, you know? He was only seventeen! He was still a minor! Plus his life was so perfect. I was afraid I was going to ruin everything. I wished that I could have just left his life already, but there was no hope for me in the world without him.

So, I felt really bad about what happened. It was for his own good, you know? I got ready and left the room to go down to the lobby. He wasn’t there.

I asked the person at the front desk where he was. They directed me to his office. Why didn’t I look there? I knocked on the door. I hear some papers rustling. “Oh, um, come in!” I heard his voice coming from within. I guess he thought I was a guest complaining. Did he not expect to see me today?

I walked in. He tried to look like he was doing paperwork. Once I walked in he looked up and his eyebrows rose so cutely, just as they do.

“What’s up?” he said, acting as if yesterday never happened. I sat down.

“Um, I’m sorry about last night. I had a great time yesterday though! You were really charming, and any girl’s lucky to have you,” I didn’t want to leave it at last night. I continued to explain why I didn’t want to marry him, or definitely not yet. He nodded, but never looked at me. “But maybe someday, you can convince me. It’s just, right now isn’t a good time. Here, lighten up. Do you want some breakfast?” I offered him a second chance.

“Um, sure. Where are we going?” He was confused that I was in charge this time. I took him back to his own room. Why not have a cheap home-made breakfast? So I led him to the kitchen.

“You have eggs and soy sauce and baguettes and pepper, right? We’re gonna make something my parents used to feed me long ago, back when we were actually happy” I informed him of my plan. Back when I was babysitting him, we used to do this all the time.

About fifteen minutes later, the toaster oven is on fire, there is raw yoke everywhere, and we’re sitting on the floor with one perfect plate of eggs sunny-side up and soy sauce with a side of bread.

“You, sir, cannot open eggs. How can you not crack open eggs? Didn’t you learn from like the best cooking schools in France?”

“So….” He puckered his lips in that cute way he does. “You’re the one who had to make food for yourself every day, how did you set the toaster oven on fire?”

“Hey! I don’t know how to use your fancy, overheating tools!” He was staring at me, wanting. I panicked and immediately took a fork full of egg and stuff it in his mouth.

“At least it tastes good,” he said with his boyish smile. We quickly ate the plate of eggs which meant we were just sitting on the floor, shoulders touching.

“Uyenie, you have something on your face.” Before I could try to get it off myself, he held my face in his hand and wiped it off. With his hand still on my face he stared at me, still wanting. He leaned in, shut his eyes, and kissed me.

Oh gosh! My heart was beating so much! No! I can’t do this! I pushed him away.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” He looked away. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want him to be sad.

“It’s okay,” I muttered out, “What do you want to do today?” He looked up at me with hope. I guess after that act, he thought that I would think he was some monster who couldn’t control his urges. It was just a kiss though. Only God knows how many kisses I’ve given to people!

“I have something in mind. Come,” he said in a suspicious way. I was getting a little scared. He held out his hand and waited, looking longingly at me. It’s one of those, do you trust me thing, ripped off from Aladdin. I took his hand.

Monica, Anna, and Nichole

I wish I could draw poses like this without reference pictures.  I also wish I could draw faces and eyes properly ;_;

Building Doodles

Did a couple doodles, they're not necessarily the final design.  

Hyacinth Towers

The Library (that I already forgot the name of)

Short Update

Nobody freak out.  I decided to go back through all the posts and add tags so that stuff will be easier to find.  That is all :P

The Hyacinth Towers Incident Part 1

The beginning of the beginning of the actual F-Team :D

I'll have more done sometime this week.  I'm planning on writing up till the point that the phone rings.  

I'm kinda tired, so don't expect this to make complete sense. XD  

The Hyacinth Towers Incident

                Natalie was extremely bored.  Laura and Jennifer had been living with her for nearly two months now.  She had gotten used to the excitement their random expeditions brought her.  She would do research for them, hacking into computer systems that actually provided her with a challenge.  Sometimes they would even have her mess with a building’s camera system so they could go anywhere without being seen, but with an eye in the sky, so to speak. 

                They had nothing planned at the moment, so the three of them were lounging around the house, staring lazily at the TV.  Natalie pulled out her laptop and set it on her folded legs.  She began drifting through the internet, not really paying attention to what she was doing.  She continued her wanderings for about a half an hour before she stumbled upon something interesting.  It seemed to be some sort of encrypted message. 

                She ran it through one of the decrypting programs she designed.  Eventually, she had her message.  It read: “H.T., 3 p.m. 12, 20 kg, brg csh” Natalie narrowed her eyes.  What could this mean?  H.T.  Was that a person?  A place?  3 p.m. was obviously some sort of meeting time, and 12 was the date.  In that case, H.T. probably WAS a place.  20 kg.  Kg was probably kilograms.  Kilograms of what, exactly?  And the last part of the message.  Brg csh.  That had to be bring cash.  It seemed to Natalie that some sort of important exchange would be taking place at the mysterious H.T. 

                Natalie absentmindedly typed the initials “H.T.” into her favorite search engine.  Tons of people popped up.  She narrowed her search to destinations and locations.  A list of museums, zoos, and other tourist attractions appeared.  Natalie sat back with a sigh.  There were millions of places this could be taking place at.  It may not even be in this country.  She looked back over the message, trying to trace its source.  It seemed to come from a public computer, located in one of the local city libraries.  She grinned; satisfied that it would be a local place. 

                 Out loud, she asked to the room at large, “What would you guys consider a good, common place for an exchange involving money?” 

                Jennifer answered, without moving her eyes from the TV screen, “depends on what it being exchanged.  A hostage, drugs, whores.  It really depends…” 

                “Alright,” Natalie replied, thinking, “let’s say it’s drugs.  Where would be a good place?”

                Laura took this one, “probably any place that’s abandoned.  An old warehouse.  A parking lot.  Maybe even a hotel.” 

                “A hotel?  Hmm…” Natalie returned her focus to her computer screen. 

                Laura and Jennifer exchanged a look, shrugged, and turned back to the TV. 

                She modified her search again, this time with “hotels” and the city name.  Only a few results popped up this time.  “Hyacinth Towers,” she murmured.  She clicked on a link to the hotel’s website.  It was a high quality hotel, with state-of-the art services and gorgeous rooms.  She looked back at the message.  It said when the exchange was to take place, as well as the basic location, but it didn’t say where exactly in the hotel it would be.  She figured it would be in one of the rooms, but which room?  Perhaps it was a combination of the time and the date?  She felt it was a long shot, but worth a try.  She attempted to book an online room, and entered a special request for the 12^th of that month and room 312.  She was told that the room would be occupied during that day, but would be available the next day.  Next she tried hacking into the hotel’s security system.  Perhaps she could find out which guest would be staying in the room and could use it as a lead. 

                The room was saved for a man named Smith.  It was an obvious cover name, but she knew she needed more information than that.  She looked to see how the reservation had been made.  It seemed to originate from a public computer, similar to the way the encrypted message had been sent.  This public computer seemed to be located at a small cyber bar near the park.  Natalie figured it might be worth something, so she explained everything she had discovered so far to Jennifer and Laura. 

                They seemed intrigued.  “Perhaps we can do a little research,” Jennifer suggested.  “It’s not like we’re making good use of our time, and this sounds like we may be able to get something out of it.” 

                Laura decided to head to library, and Jennifer agreed that she would go to the cyber café.  Natalie said she would stay at her apartment and try to gather more information through the hotel’s website. 

~~~~~~~

                Laura approached the brick face of the run-down little library.  Its faded sign read “Jason Kindling Library” and underneath it said, “To Educate Those That Will It.”  She climbed the steps and pushed the door open.  It distinctly smelled of old books and dust.  The floor was of a dark wood and there were lamps with green shades upon a few rickety tables.  A frail old woman sat behind the front desk. 

                Laura approached her slowly, and asked quietly, “where would I go to use a computer in this library?” 

                The lady looked up from the book she had been reading, and pointed with a wispy hand towards a desk behind her.  Laura nodded her thanks and continued to the desk.  She brought up the internet, and went to recent history.  Natalie had told her that the email would have been sent three days ago.  She began sifting through URLs.  Eventually she came upon an email provider site.  She flipped open her cell phone and texted to Natalie, “I think I may have found it.”  She then copied the URL into the text and sent it.  Her task complete, she stood up and turned off the computer.  After thanking the librarian, she continued out through the door, down the steps, and back towards Natalie’s apartment.    

~~~~~~~~

                Meanwhile, Jennifer was just reaching the cyber café.  It was completely devoid of people.  Thanks to Natalie, she knew exactly which computer to sit down at.  She continued to do exactly what Laura had.  She searched through the URLs until she found an email provider that had been accessed three days prior.  After sending the address to Natalie, she too continued back to the apartment. 

~~~~~~~~

Anna/Nichole/Monica Doodle

Their initial dealings at the Hyacinth Towers. Ignore the suckiness.

Bar Fight

From Monica's/Anna's/Nichole's story thingy XD

How Monica and Nichole Met Part 1

So this part I imagine happening a few months after Nichole's incident

The F-Team

Mission: How Nichole and Monica Met

            The party was stupid and boring and nobody was within ten years of her age. It was all old, rich, snobby people and their incredibly young and annoying grandchildren, not that she would have been much more enthusiastic about the situation if there were people her age around. Monica strode out to the front yard by herself; away from the fancy party her parents had forced her to attend with them. Yes, she knew it was the dead of night and incredibly cold outside but it was her only alternative to being around people.

           The wind whipped at the hem of the black cocktail dress her mother had forced her to wear and her hair blew into her eyes, getting caught in her glasses, as she stepped out the front door. She was a little dismayed by what surrounded her. There was a beautiful garden, filled with breathtaking fountains and exotic flowers of every kind and color that only increased in beauty in the moonlight, but that was not what caught her off guard. There were streetlights and other houses and civilization in general. Growing up in a rural part of the area had made her sensitive to these things, as they were such a rarity near her home.

          Monica walked down to the curb and glanced up and down the street amazed by the proximity of the other houses. While she was adjusting to the seemingly bizarre situation, she noticed a small figure suddenly appear under a streetlamp down the block. Initially, she thought the person just appeared small because of distance but as the figure approached it became clear that this was a rather small person. A young girls face peeked out from underneath the hood on the approaching figure. Though the girl was young she wasn’t much younger than Monica, who was only fifteen at the time.

          The girl looked up as she approached and glared at Monica who stood directly in her path. She slowed to a stop as she approached and neither girl said a word for several very long, tense moments as each girl stared into the others eyes hoping to catch a glimpse of motive or reasoning. As it became clear to Monica that the girl would not speak without provocation, she tried to think of something to say in the way of a greeting.

           “Why are you standing out here in the cold by yourself just staring at nothing?” the girl said in a polite but edgy and somewhat demanding voice. The question frightened her, mostly because she did not expect the girl to speak.

           “I-I umm, well, I don’t know really.” Monica’s voice could barely be heard above the wind but the girl understood her no problem. “What about you?’ Monica spat back in a failed attempt at wit and originality, but at least with more conviction than before.

           “It doesn’t matter,” the girl growled softy as she shifted her jacket o reveal the handle of a gun sticking from the waistband of her jeans. Instead of being frightened by the gesture as the girl had intended, a twisted sort of grin began to erupt from Monica’s face. She took a step back and a full-blown smile appeared.

          “Wanna see something really cool?” Monica inquired already knowing she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. “Can I see a single bullet?” she added, again not prepared to accept a negative answer.  The girl pulled the gun from her waistband reluctantly but with some subtle signs of excitement bubbling around her eyes.

             Monica took the bullet as the girl proffered it and knelt down on the ground, dumping a collection of seemingly useless crap from the small handbag she was carrying onto the cement sidewalk. The girl knelt down as well trying to get a better look at what was being done but Monica was bend over her hands working intently for a few moments before sitting back up and returning most of the assortment of junk of the ground to her purse, except for a few paper gum wrappers, a box of matches, the now empty bullet casing and a strange dark paste the had appeared on the ground suddenly.

            “Stand back and watch this.” Monica grinned maniacally as she struck a match and lit the gum wrappers stuck in the black goo. The display of pyrotechnics was amazing for only a few short moments of work. Red and orange sparks shot four feet into the air, sizzling and popping for several minutes before finally petering out in a multicolored final fizzle. “That was louder than I expected” Monica said with a sense of anti-climax.

            “Can you show me how to do that?” The girl asked with a bit of a nervous edge to her voice. Before Monica could respond though, she noticed the girl jerk stiffly and suddenly. Monica glanced over her shoulder and saw a cop car rolling slowly down the street. Without a word, Monica began to walk back toward the mansion-esque house from whence she had come. The girl took the hint and began to continue on her path as well but before either girl made it more than a few feet Monica jumped back around ad asked hesitantly, “Do you have a name?”

            The girl smiled softly and responded, with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes, “Nichole.”

Monica, Anna and Nichole Backstory...

Here we go: here's how anna, Monica and I met! Eventually Either myself or someone else will write how Johnny, laura, jennifer and Natalie meet us three :)

The bar was filled with young, desperate men. Anna, though tough (and indifferent) wasn't used to this crowd. She had lived a life of discipline; Both her parents had been involded in the armed forces, though her mother's airforce background had influenced Anna the most. She looked around the filthy bar, trying to comprehend what she imagined the rest of her life to look like. She hadn't meant to punch the lieutenant for his remark, but at the same time, her pride wouldn't have let her walk away from the discrimmination, the sexism, without making a stand. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked hard. Anna twirled around, more surprised than anything. A young man, maybe in his mid 20's, stared drunkenly at her. It was impossible to mistake the intent in his eyes... He could barely keep his eyes on her smooth face. Anna felt the usual anger build up, but she surpressed it. It was a miracle she hadn't been jailed for the incident at the naval ship, and she didn't want her life to sink to a brand new low just hours after her dishonorable discharge. Just as she turned back towards the bar, Anna saw a fist launch into the man's face, and heard a drunken yelp. Standing above the man was a woman, wearing boots and a striped shirt, glaring angrily at the now unconscious face. Anna was shocked: Who was this girl, and what possessed her to punch this, annoying but potentially harmeless man?

The mysterious girl saved Anna the awkwardness of asking those questions. "Can you believe that jerk? Sorry, but he was making a move for you... And it didn't look like you wanted to get involved. Oh, I'm Nichole. Who are you?"

"oh, umm, I'm Anna."

"Anna? Oh, ok. Hey, let me introduce you to my friend Monica. Hey, Monica!"
With that, a tall, bookish lady walked over from accross the room. She seemed timid to Anna, yet she possesed a calm, sure quality about herself. No one could mess with her. She sat on the other side of Nichole, and barely mumbled a 'hello' at Anna.
"So, how are you? That guy'll be fine... He'll wake up in an hour maybe, but he'll have a huge headache."

Anna carefully considered her answer. She had no idea who these people were, and the one called Nichole seemed kinda violent. "Well, I just lost my... Uh, job."

"Oh, that's not good."

"Yea, I know."

Anna searched her brain for something to say. Turning to Monica, she asked, "So, do you fight too?" As soon as she said it, Anna knew it was a stupid thing to say. The shock on both of their faces temporarily impeded their abilities to speak. Finally, Monica mumbled, "No... No, I work with explosives..."

Anna wasn't sure if she was joking, but the surprise and anger that crossed Nichole's face implied that Monica spoke the truth. "What?!!? Why on earth did you tell her that? Oh God..."

"What? Explosives? Why is that bad? I like explosives... I think."

Monica took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Well, umm.. Well, I kinda, I kinda..."

Nichole, with a much more controlled tone, slowly muttered "Ok, Anna, don't panic. Walk with us, we're going outside."


***

An hour later, Anna stared at her companions through the screen that separeted the front seats from the back seats in their ford van. Everything they had told her was, well, surprising and illegal, to say the least. Nichole and Monica were rogue soldiers of fortune. They traveled from motel to hotel, searching out any scum that the cops had missed. "It certaintly explained why Nichole punched that drunk guy." Anna thought. They had asked her to join their outfit, to become a warrior in the fight against social injustice. Anna might have said no.. She knew she would have walked away, except that she had no job, no means of supporting herself. Nichole and Monica, on the other hand, were filthy rich. Once Anna had told them her real story, including the airforce incident, they begged her to be their pilot. "What the hell? Its a paying job, right?" she thought.


***


As the car slowly rolled to a stop, Anna saw a filthy hotel light flicker. Nichole opened her door, and frowned slightly. "I know this isn't a 5 star resort, but places like these are full of jerks that the cops are too stupid to catch. This is where we find most of our targets."

"I see..."

Monica spoke up for the first time in over an hour. "You better get some sleep. We're going to hit up a nice resort tomorrow-this guy two rooms over said he's going to unload a bunch of drugs in room 217 of some resort... I think its owned by the millionare they call 'Alex'."

Anna nodded. She knew she had made a dramatic choice earlier. Never again would she fly in the air force.. Now, she was working with two dangerous women who, in fact, detested the military, or at least the American military system. She supposed she could get used to it, this new life she picked up in a bar. She would have to, she couldn't back out now. She sighed, took one last look at the ford van, and walked into her hotel room. "A drug bust at Alex's hotel? What did I get myself into?" She thought. "Well, it doesn't matter... Get a good night's sleep, don't think about it..." Little did she know, one little drug bust would change the course of her entire life.


I severely apologize for all the errors... Its like 11:46 or something & I'm super tired :p

Picture!

It's me! Uyenie!

Laura/Jennifer/Johnny/Natalie Part who even knows anymore XD

                “I have to make an appointment!?”  Natalie growled at the Bloomsburg secretary, “I used to work here!” 

                “I’m sorry ma’am, I can’t allow just anyone to see Mr. Riddle,” the secretary replied matter-of-factly. 

                “But I’m not just anyone!  Have you already forgotten who I am?” 

                “Please make an appointment and Mr. Riddle will get in touch with you as soon as he can.  Now, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” the secretary motioned towards the door.   

                “Well,” Laura muttered as she and Natalie exited the building, “that went well.  Not to sound redundant or anything.” 

                “Sorry, I didn’t expect them to completely ignore the fact that I worked for them for so long.  Although it probably doesn’t help that I stormed out of here after I got fired.” 

                “It’s fine; I got what I needed anyway.  We’ll just have to do this a slightly different way than I had planned.”  She held up a small business card with a list of employees on it. 

                “Johnny’s name isn’t even on it,” Natalie observed, pulling the card close to her face so she could read it better.    

                “It doesn’t matter, I’m assuming that you can figure out which of these is him,” Laura smiled at her. 

                Natalie sighed, “I’m sure I can…”

~~~~

                Jennifer and Laura stood behind Natalie as she scrolled through her computer.  Her fingers were a blur on the keyboard, and then she pulled up a picture of Johnny.  It was a current one too.  “He’s under the name Daniel Riddle.  As Mr. Riddle’s adoptive son…interesting.”

                “What’s interesting?”  Laura leaned closer to the screen, trying to read the information that flashed across the screen. 

                “It never said this before…but now his files are saying that he was adopted from an orphanage when he was ten years old.  It’s saying he’s been living with Mr. Riddle for eight years!” Natalie looked outraged, “somebody has tampered with these files.  They’re trying to cover something up.  But here’s what we’re looking for.”

                Laura looked at her eagerly, “what is it?” 

                “His home address.” 

~~~~

                Jennifer slipped past house after house, looking up at addresses.  Her dark clothes allowed her to blend in perfectly with the murky night.  Few street lamps lined this block of the neighborhood, but instead of making her nervous, this fact had a calming effect on her.  She squinted her eyes in an attempt to see further down the street.  Gasping quietly, she ducked between two of the houses, and just in time. 

                A tall man strode past the place she had just been standing, casting his eyes around in all directions, searching for her.  A large bulge in his jacket pocket screamed that this was no pedestrian on a nighttime stroll.  She crouched in the shadows between the two houses, trying to calm herself.  It had been a very close call and she was not accustomed to being surprised like that. 

                As soon as she was sure that the guard had moved on, she slipped her phone out of her pocket and flipped it open, shielding the light with her hand from prying eyes.  She sent a quick message to Laura: “Single guard confirmed.  Possibly more.  Be careful.” 

                  Jennifer watched from her hiding spot as a dark shape slipped from behind a car at the end of the block.  It snuck down the street, ducking behind trees and parked cars as it made its way towards Jennifer’s position.  As soon as it was about two feet away from her, she slipped out of the gap between the houses, and pulled the dark figure back into the deeper shadows. 

                “Okay, so how are we doing this?”  Laura whispered, barely making a sound.  “Our original plan wasn’t counting on guards.” 

                “Continue with the plan, I’ll take care of the guards,” Jennifer slipped a silencer out of her pocket and attached it to her handgun. 

                Laura nodded and continued back out into the open, keeping close to the car-lined street.  Jennifer held her position until she could hear the guard’s footsteps returning.  She quickly lunged out, squeezed the trigger, and then crept back into her original position.  She watched as Laura emerged from behind a battered truck and caught the body before it hit the ground.  She dragged it out into the street and pushed it under a rusted old van. 

                Jennifer sent her another message: “Okay, go now.  I’ll keep an eye out for anything suspicious.”  

I need help!!

Ok.. I want to write the story about how I meet Jennifer, Laura & Natalie. Should I have already met Anna? or Monica? I can weave them into the story :D Let me know how you guys want this done! :)

Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 5 (The Proposal Part 2)

Edited version 9/17/01, 6:30 PM

Afterwards, we went down to the lobby. He said where we were going was a surprise. He set me on a couch as he talked to some of his employees to make sure everything was straightened out.

“Oh you guys remember this, right?” Uyenie says to the F-team. They all look at each other, thinking the same thing, “Does she know what we do? Does she know what happened that day?” She continues her story, “A bunch of dudes in black came running in….

You guys were sitting and chilling with me in the lobby, as they took us to a black van. Man, I was freaking out! You guys remember me screaming? They put duct tape over my mouth to stop my yelling. Oh gosh, that was a great show.

So they took us to their “secret hide out”, tied us up, and threatened us with guns and knives. Honestly, during that time, I was panicking like crazy. I was supposed to be on a date with Alex! I thought I was going to die!

Then Alex breaks down a door! Oh gosh it was epic! He started karate chopping all those black clothed dudes! Then he freed you guys, picked me up in his arms, and started battling more dudes with you guys. Hm, he didn’t untie me…. Well, I was just staring up at him the whole time, thinking, wow, he’s my hero! He would always check down and smile at me in his boyish way to make sure I was calm and okay. Oh gosh, I wouldn’t be anywhere else besides in his arms! Although, that time my heart was pounding insanely due to the fighting and due to his arms around me.

He then took us into his limo and drove us away. I was freaking out in the car, flailing around and screaming, “What’s going on?” except my mouth was muffled by the tape. Alex then embraced me and shushed me.

Uyenie continues to narrate, “‘That was great you guys! Thanks for helping out!’” he said to you guys, winking. You guys looked a bit confused at first, but then totally understood what he said. “‘Look at her! She’s so scared! Uyenie! It was all pretend! Don’t worry! It’s not like these girls are part of some team that fight crime their own way and that my father is top secret character who does this stuff.’ You guys put on a great show!” The members of the team are relieved to know that Uyenie still has not figured out who they are and that she was in true danger that day. So Uyenie continues her story:

We went back to the hotel and it was already dinner time. Again I was changed by his employees. This time it was a curvy deep red. I opened the door, expecting him to show up to take me to the next place, but instead there was a trail of rose petals. I followed them to a secret elevator that led me to the roof.

When the doors opened, he was standing there wearing a regular tuxedo, half in darkness, smiling with his boyish charm. He led me to a table for two, illuminated by a pink covered candle. I sat down.

All he did was stare at me. “Why are you looking at me? Do I have something on my face? What is it??? What’s on my face! I bet it’s a mutant fly!” He laughed a bit, one of those “she’s so cute” laughs.

“You just look so perfect in the moonlight. I’m afraid you might get a moonburn.”

“A moonburn? Who gets burned by the moon?”

“Oh you never know. I just don’t want your lovely skin to get damaged.”

We continue to chat, eat, and look up at the stars. When we finished, he walked me back to my room.

“Well, here’s your room,” he said, quite unsure what would happen next. I was facing him, slowly trying to get in the room. He tried to stall me, “Did you enjoy your night?”

“I don’t know, I could have gotten moonburned,” I joked at him.

“You can’t get moonburned. You’re silly.” He leaned in and kissed me. Then he started writing on my arm.

“Alex!” I turned back into his babysitter, “What did I tell you about writing on people’s arms?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, smiling. He then kneeled down on one knee.

What was going on? Is he? No way! I looked at what he wrote on my arm. It said, “Will you marry me?” When I looked back at him, he had the ring box in his hand. He opened it and the most gorgeous, expensive-looking ring was sitting there! Oh gosh! I nearly had a heart-attack!

He stood there, waiting for my answer. I began to look serious, “Alex, I’m sorry, but not now. We’ve only met our new selves for like a month. We’re not ready. Not yet. I’m sorry.”

He got up, closed the case, and stared at the ground. “I, I understand. I’m sorry.” He left.

Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 4 (The Proposal Part 1)

So about a month after I’m called to hotel, Alex finally asks me out on a date. Well, back then, I didn’t really want to date him, but it was the least I could do since he let me live in his hotel. I thought I was just going to live there until I can find a place of my own, but obviously, Alex had other plans.

The next day, or the day of the date, his employees woke me up at around seven or eight or so. Back then, I used to wake up around twelve or even one. What they did is they busted into the room, with the ultimate hotel key that gets you in any room, dragged me out of bed, put me in a light blue sun dress and a more casual heel to match. They also did my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth. Once they finished they ran out and left a note which said, “Meet me in the lobby and I’ll take you to breakfast. Love, Alex.”

I was a bit confused. I just woke up and I thought this was like a small date with the dinner and that’s it. Wait, where are we going for breakfast? Why am I wearing such a nice outfit?

Eh, I went anyways; after all, I was dressed quite cutely. So, I walked out to go to the lobby, but I see the entire hotel in the same shade of blue! It was like everyone was celebrating our date. When I walked into the lobby, I saw Alex with this light blue blazer, his usual buttoned-up white shirt, and black trousers. For a second, I was checking him out, since he was talking to the front desk. Then he looked over and I froze up. Oh gosh, what if he saw me staring at him? He smiled and walked over to me.

“Would you like to go to breakfast?” he said with a boyish charm and handed me a blue flower. I nervously took it. My heart was beating and I didn’t know what to stare at. Do I look at him? Bwah! He’s looking at me! Um, maybe the furniture, but we’re moving way too fast! Hey, there’s an old man.

“Hey, there’s an old man,” I blurted out. Oh shoot! Why did I say that? He must think I’m a weirdo! I was way too scared to look at him so I stared at the ground. I walked like that for a while, then I felt him hold my hand. My heart stopped. Is he really holding my hand? I looked up at him, and he was just staring at me, smiling.

We walked to the hotel’s café, but instead of sitting with everyone else, he showed me to a back door. When I opened it, oh my gosh, we were overlooking the hotel’s waterfall! But only for today, the water was a dark blue and the rocks were covered in, instead vines of green, the same blue flower he gave me! We had a private table set up just to see it.

He showed me to my chair and pulled it out, just like a gentleman. I sat a little nervous. Come on, Uyenie! Say something! This is still that little punk years ago. What am I nervous about?

“Um, what flower is this?” I asked him. Uh, what a lame question! Is there really nothing else I can say to him?

“It’s a forget-me-not. It’s just I never gave up on the belief that I’d see you again. I never forgot about you, and I hope you’ll never forget me.” He looked at me and smiled, glad to have me back in his life.

Oh gosh! This is like a dream! Am I actually asleep? What am I supposed to say? Where’s our food?

He stared at me, feeling the awkward. “Uyenie, how did you like the wake up service?”

“Oh, it was weird.” What am I doing? Why am I saying such ordinary, plain things? Think of something better! “I can’t believe you planned that! Did you choose this outfit?”

“Not the outfit exactly, but the basic idea, yes. We have to match!”

“Oh you…. That’s so sweet. How come your people didn’t put make up on me?”

“Well, honestly, I think you look beautiful, wondrous, and divine without make up. How can you make perfection better?” he said, half joking. Then the waiter came out with our breakfast. We sat there and talked of old times, bonding. I started to calm down and have a normal conversation with him.

After we finished breakfast, he took me to the pool that turns into an ice skating rink. He gave me the choice of swimming or skating. Honestly, I have never skated before and I told him. He thought it would be a great time to learn. Yeah, I fell a lot, but I guess it was great for him, because I fell in his arms. Sigh, because of that, I got so many bruises.

Afterwards, he walked me back to my room. As I opened the door, the same set of girls put me in another dress, white this time. As I walked out of my room, Alex was waiting for me in a full-on white tuxedo. He held out his hand and smiled with his boyish charm. A smell of man swept across my face and I couldn’t help but swoon. Mmm, Old Spice. He also noticed that I smelled like mangoes. Gotta love Victoria Secret.

He took us to another fancy restaurant in the hotel. We had lunch. It was great, but I would have liked to have a hardy meal. That was a nice, normal lunch. Well, normal for us anyways. We were spewing spit balls at pompous costumers. Okay, fine, I was….

Monica's Backstory Part 1

Because Laura is a poopy butt who annoyed me until I posted it :DD

The F-Team

Mission: Explain Why Monica is a Headcase

On the morning of her fourth birthday, Monica awoke with the sun. She knew it would be one of the best days of her life. She was yet to learn why, but Alfred, her family butler, had been telling her she would receive a very special present today.

Though she was young, she was adept at dressing herself and tying her shoes. This allowed her to get ready and sneak down the servants’ staircase in the back of the mansion. There was already a small amount of traffic on the staircase but it didn’t matter; the servants who worked in the home were far more loyal to Monica than her parents. She was intelligent and charming and, despite her age, was far less demanding than her parents. All of the residents of the servants’ quarters were used to her company and enjoyed it very much. This allowed her to pass down the staircase without the worry of being scolded.

Once downstairs, she politely asked a cook to allow her our back. From there, she ran as fast as her legs would take her towards the pigpen. She knew that once her parents awoke she would not be allowed near the filth of the animal cages without supervision and there was no way she would be allowed to actually come in contact with the animals. Sneaking clumsily under the bars of the cage, she hurried to hug her favorite piglet (whom she had mentally named Duchess) before she was overtaken by cries for attention by all the inhabitants of the cage.

An hour in the cages of the various animals raised on her family farm was all the time Monica was allowed at that moment. She knew she should go back inside to bathe and change in order to continue keeping her time with the animals a secret. As she climbed haphazardly over a wooden fence, a very young calf caught her shoelaces and would not let them go. As she fell back into the cage, she prepared to be angry but, upon seeing the small black cow and looking into it’s large brown eyes, she simply removed her shoelace and let the cow continue chewing it as she tried once more to climb out of the cage.

After returning the house and hiding all traces of her morning adventure, Monica waited patiently in the breakfast nook for her parents to come greet her with her birthday presents. While she waited, servants came and went some leaving treats for her, others brought breakfast; others still left her with hugs and birthday wishes. 

More art....

I made these for the secondary pages (aka the character pages) to go along with the stories.  I'll keep adding more as I think of ideas and such.  I did them kinda quick, so they're really messy XD

As you can probably tell I'm trying to experiment with lighting techniques.......some aren't really working out XD

Natalie's Boss

Johnny looks so emo D:

Oh, and I got the cityscape picture off the internet (obviously)

Nichole's Past

This was a bit of an experiment style wise....it looks really messy, but achieves the creepy effect I was going for. This is my interpretation of Nichole's backstory (the part when she steals her parents files)

FCCP Suzy

Finally got around to doing this.....sorry it looks kinda weird.  Fire, eyes, backgrounds, and me do not mix well. :C

How the fuck do you delete a post?? D:<

Natalie's Backstory Part 3

Back to Natalie's POV

(Of course I'm not uploading this during class >.>)

                Natalie glanced up from her book.  Although Johnny’s sister was no longer sitting on the bench, Natalie knew she hadn’t left the park yet.  She must have sat down behind that huge tree, Natalie thought to herself. 

                Today, she had decided, was the day she would attempt to follow Laura to gather more information.  Originally she had only wanted to get some form of dirt on Johnny, but now she was completely intrigued that somebody would wait every week at the same place on the off chance that somebody they were searching for would appear. 

                She looked back down at her book.  She stared at it for a few seconds until some movement caught her eye.  She used her peripheral vision to watch as Laura stepped out from behind the tree and began following the path out of the park.  As Laura passed her, Natalie sat completely still, pretending to be engrossed in her book.  After a few seconds Natalie packed up her blanket and book and headed off in the same direction she had seen Laura go. 

                She followed Laura back into the heart of the city, leaving the park behind her.  She stayed nearly a block behind Laura to keep from being discovered.  As Natalie passed the entrance to a small café, she saw Laura duck into an alleyway.  When Natalie reached it, she peered around the corner cautiously. She squinted her eyes and could just barely make out Laura’s silhouette in the darkness of the alley. 

                She continued to follow Laura down the alley, when suddenly, Laura turned around to face her.  Natalie froze in her tracks, and began to back up.  She had only taken two steps backwards when she felt something pressed into her back.  A gun!? Natalie thought, terrified.  Laura walked casually towards Natalie until she was right in front of her.  Natalie realized with a jolt of fear that Laura had a knife in her hand.  She was now trapped in a dark, deserted alley with two armed people with an unknown purpose. 

                “Now I’m going to keep this simple,” Laura said in a low, calm voice, “You can either tell me why you’re following me, or you can suffer the consequences.” 

                Natalie heard the crack of the safety on the gun behind her.  She began shaking uncontrollably.  “I was…I was only trying to dig up some dirt on somebody.” 

                Laura raised an eyebrow.  “Who is this somebody?” 

                “Your brother…Johnny,” Natalie stammered.  She noted the surprise in Laura’s eyes.  So she really hasn’t seen him in all this time.  Natalie thought in wonder. 

                “You know where Johnny is?  You’ve seen him?” Laura asked eagerly. 

                “…Yes.  My boss gave him MY job at Bloomsburg Security,” Natalie muttered. 

                “So how’d you find that document anyway?” Laura prodded.  “I thought I hid it well enough that only he would be able to find it.” 

                Natalie smiled a bit at that.  “He may be a bit better than me, but I’m still good enough to find something like that.”    

                At this point, the person behind Natalie spoke in a voice absolutely dripping with sardonic anger, “you left a document trace that anybody can access on the internet!?  Seriously, have you just given up on being intelligent or what!?”

                “Oh I wouldn’t be too worried about it,” Natalie interjected, “Johnny and I are two of the very few people on this earth that would be able to find a file like that.”  She turned her face to look at Laura, “you actually did a pretty good job of hiding it.  Skill with computers must run in your family.” 

                “Johnny taught me how to do that…” Laura responded slowly, “When he was six…” 

                “Well, anyway,” Natalie muttered nervously, “I’ve told you what you asked for.  Can I go now?  I promise I’ll stay out of your business.” 

                “No,” said the person behind her again, “I’ve got a couple more questions for you.  In order to find that document, you must have been digging pretty deeply into Laura’s paper trail.  What else do you know?” 

                “Um, nothing much…really,” Natalie stammered. 

                “Really now…I’m having a hard time believing you.”  The gun dug a little further into her back. 

                “Alright, alright…I dug up some old police reports.  I know about your mother’s death and that your father is in prison.” 

                “My father is ALIVE?” Laura looked horrified. 

                “Very much so.  He’s been in prison for quite a while now.”

                “Anything else?” the person holding the gun pressed. 

                “Nothing.  The trail goes cold after she leaves the orphanage.  Nothing from the past two years.” 

                “Alright.  You’re going to take Laura to her brother and you’re going to keep your mouth shut.  If you can comply with these demands, you will be free to go.” 

                “Fine,” Natalie agreed, “It’s not like I have anything better to do anyway.  I am unemployed after all.”    

Natalie's Backstory Part 2

From Laura's point of view O_O

                It was eleven thirty, and Laura was wandering the park.  It reminded her of her childhood.  She, her brother, and her mom used to go out to lunch and then walk through the park.  Sometimes she and Johnny even went down to the little river that ran through the park to look for frogs and small fish to catch.  Their mother would watch them from a bench placed a few feet away, at the foot of a huge, gnarled tree. 

                At eleven forty-five Laura took a seat at the bench overlooking the river.  She gazed at the sparkling patterns made on the water by the afternoon sun.  Every Friday she sat there, remembering her past, and her mostly lost childhood.  She tried to treasure those few happy memories of her little family together.  She closed her eyes and let herself remember. 

                Laura suddenly jerked awake.  She looked down at her cell phone.  It was nearly twelve forty now.  The warmth of the sun and her overall exhaustion must have lulled her to sleep.  Johnny was nowhere to be found.  Oh well, she thought, next week.  As she stood up to leave, she felt her cell phone vibrating.  She was getting a text. 

                She stood up and flipped open her cell phone.  She began walking and scrolling through her cell phone’s message inbox.  The text was from Jennifer.  As she selected the unread message she felt somebody grab the back of her shirt and pull her violently sideways behind the tree.  Dropping her cell phone, Laura removed the knife she had sheathed at her left hip and swung it towards her attacker.  A hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, the knife two inches from the owner’s face. 

                Laura relaxed, letting her knife hand drop.  “Fancy seeing you here Jennifer.” 

                “You almost stabbed me,” Jennifer stated. 

                “You shouldn’t surprise me like that.” 

                “You know what?  You have no right to talk!”  Jennifer said angrily.  “Do you even think before you act?” 

                “I can’t believe you followed me here!  This is none of your business!”  Laura shot back. 

                “It is my business whenever you put both of our lives in danger!”  Jennifer snarled. 

                “What are you-“

                “Did you really not notice?  For the past three weeks, every time you come to this spot, that same lady is sitting there.  Sitting right behind you.” 

                “You’ve been following me for three weeks!?”  Laura asked, outraged. 

                “And that’s what you’re worried about!?  Not the fact that you’re being watched by some stranger!?” 

                “You know what, let’s stop fighting and just take care of this,” Laura sighed and poked her head out from behind the tree.  Sure enough, there was a young woman there, sitting on a simple blanket, apparently reading a book.  Laura didn’t buy it.  “Alright Jennifer, what’s the plan?” 

                Jennifer grinned, “oh don’t worry, I’ve got a perfect one.”  

Timeline

EDIT: This is the timeline work in progress I have.  Give me big events and the ages at which they occurred and I'll add them.  Sorry if this format doesn't make much sense, I'll reorganize later. (oh, and the chart blends in, so click the blank space below to enlarge it XD)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Well, as I was continuing with the next part of Natalie/Laura/Jennifer/Johnny's backstories, I realized that I may have screwed up some sort of timeline.  The way I was writing it was almost like Jennifer and Laura meet up with Natalie before joining with Nichole.  I think it may be a good idea to straighten out the timeline so that we're all on the same page.  I want to ask opinions now before I get too much further with my writing.
     Keep in mind that this is the timeline according to what I know/have written so far.  It is subject to change with ideas and input from everybody else.  I've probably forgotten a bunch of stuff, but once we have it all down we can make it into an actual timeline so we can see where each character's story lines up.

1. Laura, Johnny, and their mother run from their father/Jennifer's parents and sister are killed by police
2. Laura and Johnny's mother is killed/Jennifer is discovered by poker group
3. Laura sent to orphanage/Jennifer makes money at poker
4. Jennifer is caught by police and placed in orphanage
5. Laura starts "working" for Jennifer
6. Laura is kicked out of the orphanage (18)/Jennifer has "poker incident" (17)
7. Laura and Jennifer begin their "work" (two years)
8. Natalie is fired from her job (23)/Laura searching for Johnny

     Now I know how I want this next part to go, but I don't know if you guys would prefer that Nichole's character be introduced somewhere in there, or if that should happen after Laura and Jennifer meet Natalie.  Also, I'm not really sure about ages during numbers 1-5, but I'm sure I can get it figured out eventually.  Once I have the ages of all the characters connected to all the incidents, the timeline should be easy :P

     On another somewhat related note, here are the age comparisons according to our character Bios.
When Alex was (approx.) 1 year old:

• Johnny was 2
• Suzy was 2
• Nichole was 2
• Jennifer was 3
• Laura was 4
• Monica was 5
• Natalie was 7
• Uyenie was 10
• Anna was ???
• Alina was ???
• Sarina was ???

Natalie's Backstory Part 1

I'm having a very interesting time linking all the characters together, in case you can't tell :P Let me know if there are any mistakes.  

                Natalie woke up promptly at six fifteen a.m.; she got up, got dressed, and drank her obligatory cup of coffee.  Natalie smiled to herself as she looked out her kitchen window.  She thought about how lucky she was.  She had gotten a great job straight out of college with Bloomsburg Security.  She was the youngest employee to ever hold such a high position.  She was even younger than most of the interns! 

                She was valued highly for her amazing skill with computers.  At the moment, the company had her setting up firewall programs and security systems for high-profile clients.  Nobody could crack her systems.  Or at least that’s what she thought. 

                She arrived at work at seven o’clock sharp.  She felt her chest swell with pride as she entered through the grand doors into the marble-floored lobby of Bloomsburg Security.  She took the golden elevator to the very top of the glorious building.  The secretary in charge of the top floor had a note for Natalie.  It read: “Meet me in my office as soon as you get in.”  It was from her boss. 

                She sauntered towards the back of the room.  She could see her boss in his office, standing behind his desk.  As she walked through the door, she noticed a young man slouching in one of the chairs across from the desk.  He looked about eighteen years old.  He had thick, square glasses, and messy, brown hair.  He watched her with bored eyes at her as she entered. 

                “Oh, Natalie, you’re here,” her boss turned around and gave a small smile.

                “Yes I am, now what did you want?”

                Her boss seemed uncertain, but he took a step towards the boy sitting in the chair.  “You see Natalie, there is plenty of young talent when it comes to computers,” he nodded to himself.  “When we discovered your talent, we knew right away how useful an addition you would make to our company.  However,” he cleared his throat and placed his hand on the chair back, “occasionally old equipment needs updating.  Or even replacement.” 

                Natalie’s stomach lurched, “What are you trying to say?” 

                “Well, this morning we got news that somebody had broken through one of our systems.  A system that you designed,” he looked at her with hard eyes. 

                Her body went rigid with shock, and she thought to herself, how is that possible?  Nobody could break through my systems! 

                “And that somebody,” he paused, looking down at the boy, “is this young man.” 

                “Him?!”  Natalie exclaimed in disbelief.  “Impossible, there’s no way a kid like him could possibly be able to…”  She broke off, remembering all the times people had doubted her ability with computers. 

                “Anyway,” her boss continued, “your position is going to be taken by him.  He has proved himself to be a very capable programmer in addition to his skill with hacking.  I’m afraid we’re going to have to let you go.  I can, however, offer you great recommendations to any company you wish to work for in the future-“

                Natalie left the room before he could finish his sentence.  She whirled past the secretary and into the elevator.  As soon as it reached the bottom floor she angrily pushed past disgruntled employees and out onto the street.  She stood in front of the building and glared at its bulk and splendor.  Her boss would rue the day he had replaced her without so much as a warning.  Had all of her hard work and passion been for nothing?  Was her time of no importance to them? 

                She rushed home, barely paying attention to the way she was driving.  Angry city-goers honked as she cut them off, and swerved around them.  As soon as she was home, she began doing what she did best.  Digging. 

                She began researching this boy, whose name she discovered was Johnny.  He had obviously attempted to hide most of his information, but there were always certain traces that were impossible to erase.  She learned of his mother’s gruesome death, and of the fact that his father was still in jail.  She also learned about his older sister.  Or at least what could be found on her.  By now the girl must be nearly twenty, but her trail was cut off around age eighteen, the age she was forced to leave the orphanage that had taken her in.  Natalie was intrigued.  What had this girl been doing for the past two years.  Had she contacted her brother? 

                Natalie continued to search through old records and files when she stumbled upon an interesting document.  Its title was “To Johnny”.  Natalie eagerly opened the document.  It contained a letter that read as follows:

                “Johnny.  I know you have the ability to find this document.  I just want you to know that I’ve been searching for you ever since that day, but I’ve been unable to find a trace.  If you ever receive this, please know that I will be waiting at the park by the Café on the bench overlooking the river.  You know the one I’m talking about.  Every Friday, at twelve o’clock in the afternoon, I will be sitting there.  Waiting for the day you return.”

                Natalie leaned back in her chair and adjusted her glasses.  This was very interesting.  She could use this.