Okay then... as you may or may not know, my RPG is based upon a number of short stories that I previously wrote (and some that I are actually still writing.)  They aren't exactly like the RPG, but the characters are very similar and it's mostly the setting that differs.  I love comments on this type of stuff, so if you have any suggestions/praise, I would love to hear it.  I'm only going to put up one part a day just so I don't overload anyone.

So, um, here's part 1.  Please, comments?

     The agent approached the house.  He checked his map with a small flashlight.  It was one in the morning on a cool autumn night.  Soon, the leaves would fall from the trees and rot away.
     He had found the right house.  This was it.  It was a pleasant looking little two-story cottage- very clean.  A little girl lived here.  She was the target.
     The agent was clad in a black suit that covered him all over, save his face.  There in the face-hole was a gas mask, which was to be used with the knockout gas in his backpack.  The backpack also contained a knife, a lock-pick, and a sack.  On his shoulder was the only marking on him- an Omega.
     Using the lock-pick, Agent Omega crept into the house.  It was pitch dark, so he had to turn on the flashlight.  He climbed the stairs near the front of the house.  On his right was a door.
     Through the door was a baby?s room.  The young boy was not the target.  He had been sleeping and did not notice the black-clad man sneak in and draw his knife.
     Agent Omega left the child?s room.  He scuttled silently into the parents? room and did them in with the knife silently.  No one had heard a thing.
     For most people, death is a thing that brings about feelings of regret and sorrow.  The agent, however, does not let feelings get in the way of his job.  The project must be completed.
     The last person in the house was a little girl.  She was still asleep in her room.  However, when the agent walked in, she noticed immediately.  She screamed and threw a pillow at the intruder.
     The agent shoved the pillow away, and with a menacing laugh, took out his knockout gas.
     The small girl, who was only three years old, shrieked and hid herself underneath her bed.  She was scared, and she had every right to be.  She was in the dark with a stranger.
     Agent Omega sprayed the gas and heard the shrieking stop.  He reached underneath the bed with one hand and pulled out the unconscious little girl from under the bed.  She was the right one.  Pale face, long blond hair- a perfect little angel.
     The man stuffed the girl into a bag and went downstairs.  He destroyed all of the smoke alarms and lit a match.  It erupted into flames on the floor as agent omega stole into the night.


ELEVEN YEARS LATER?


     Joe was lying in bed face up.  He never slept face up.  It was midnight on a cold morning.  He had a cold.  For some reason, when he had a cold it would keep him up at night.  All there was to do was to think.  This resulted in a lot of thinking.
     Joe said to himself, ?Ah, crap, it?s gonna be a long night.?
     He had no idea of how right he was.


     She ran as fast as she could.
     She ran from something, someone, to nowhere, no one.  She barely knew anything about herself.  She knew her name, Esther, or at least she thought that was it.  She knew her age, which was fifteen years.  She knew that it was snowing, that she was in a plot of woods.  She knew that she was only wearing an overcoat.  She knew she was running.  She knew she had to run.
     Esther wasn?t ignorant or anything.  She had an education.  She was a sophomore.  She didn?t know where the education had came from, but she had it.  She knew that she spoke English fluently.  She knew how to keep a house- how to sew, cook, and make things look nice.  She wasn?t ignorant- she was lost and confused.
It seemed like hours before she saw something else.  The snow was chilling her feet and making her stumble, and after a harsh fall, Esther looked up.  It was a house- the lights weren?t on, but she could make out the outline of it.  
     She had emerged in someone?s backyard.  It was a one-story house with an open basement.  (There was a hill to the side of it.)  She went around the above ground pool to the right and went up a hill.  The hill was a driveway, and it was hard and cold.  She saw a door to her left, which led outside.  She rang the doorbell and shivered in the cold.


     Joe rolled and moaned in his bed at the sound of the doorbell.  He felt like yelling.  He had to watch his mother emerge from her bedroom across the hall.  Fear was not part of Joe right now.  Frustration was.
     His father and brother were asleep.  Joe was sure of that.
     Out of pure curiosity, Joe quietly raised himself off of his bed and proceeded to creep down the hall with immense stealth.  He just had to see who it was.
     The hallway was short and led to five different areas of the house- the kitchen, the three bedrooms, and the bathroom.  If all else failed, the bathroom would work as an excuse.  The kitchen led to a dining room, a living room, and a main room.  The door was in the main room.  Joe hid behind a glass screen door
     Joe watched as his mother opened the door and closed it for a stranger in a coat.  The person had long strands of hair, which seemed to be green in the light.  Not a dyed green, but a pure, bright green
     While Joe could only make out a bit of hair, his mother could make out the person?s whole face.  She seemed a bit nervous.  She barely made out her words as she talked.  ?Can I help you at all, young lady?? she said.  Joe was glad that it was a girl.  He needed some female companionship.
     The girl in the hood then spoke.  She talked quietly, yet melodiously, with no accent.  ?Hello, my name is Esther.  Could I please have a place to stay for a while?  I have nowhere to go and I need a home for now.?
     She took off her hood.
     Joe was stunned.  The girl was beautiful, yet strange.  She had a face that could beat Helen of Troy?s by at least a thousand-fold.  It was clean and pure and pale, surrounded by long, cascading green hair.  It was exactly as Joe had seen it before through the hood.  He next noticed her ears, which were pointed.  Like the ears of an elf, he thought.  They were very strange, but they were quite remarkable as well, since they seemed quite natural.  Her eyes, which Joe only saw for a moment, were a pale yellow.  They were also fitting for her.  She was just stunning, but in an indescribable way.
     ?Well, don?t you have a family?? Joe?s mother asked.
     Her response was, ?No, I do not.?
     ?Well now, why not??
     ?I don?t know.?  Esther looked sad as she said that.  To the best of her knowledge, she was telling the truth.
     ?How old are you??
     ?I?m 15 years old, I think.?  Again, Joe was stunned.  That was his age.
     Joe?s mother was stunned too.  She said something about Joe without saying his actual name.
     After she had finished talking about him, Joe immediately slipped and fell.  He wasn?t what you would graceful.
     He looked up at the two astonished women.  Both were surprised at first, and then Esther couldn?t help giggling at the pathetic lump on the ground.  Joe smiled playfully, leaped up into the air and brushed himself off.  For a split second, he saw into Esther?s eyes and at her soul.  The only adjective he could come up with to describe it was ?lonely.?
     ?Uh, hi, I?m Joe.  I?ll meet you later, Esther.  Uh, um, bye!?  And before his mother could say a word, he dashed off to the bathroom.
     Joe?s mother sounded like she didn?t care, but she really was angry with him.  ?There he is.  You might like him.?
     Esther was still giggling.
     Joe could hear very little from the bathroom, and he was in there for at least half an hour.  All he could make out was an ecstatic squeal from the girl and his mother babbling something about getting her some clothes.  That meant that she would stay for at least a little while.  Joe didn?t have all of the answers he wanted yet, so he waited until he heard his mother go into her room and shut the door several times.  Then he creaked the bathroom door open and went to the living room.
     There on the couch laid Esther.  She was awake, in some of Joe?s mother?s pajamas.  She had a blanket that covered her up to her stomach.  That was the first time that Joe saw the size of the girl?s breasts.  Joe was very much pleased by this, but didn?t say it out loud.
     He sat down on the nearby chair.  Both of them had questions and answers.
     Joe had a weak smile on his face.  It wasn?t the same smile as before.  This one was more pleasant than nonsensical.
     ?Uh, hi again.  I, uh, came to check on you.?  He was quiet and careful, so no one would hear him who was trying to sleep.
     ?Oh, I?m fine.  Thank you.?  As Esther spoke, she took off her blanket and sat up.
     ?So you really don?t know your own family??
     ?I don?t really know anything about my past.?
     ?Oh.?
     Their conversation was awkward at first.  Joe wasn?t known for his lengthy talks.
     Joe attempted to start a conversation.  ?You?re the same age as me- then you must be a sophomore, right??
     ?I would think so.?
     ?Maybe I can get you into my classes at school.  Yeah, I will!  Algebra II, English, French, does that sound good to you?  Wait, can you play a musical instrument??
     Esther laughed at how quickly Joe overcame his timidness.  She had never seen a real musical instrument before.  ?Sure, that will be fine.?
     She could see the excitement on Joe?s face.  He had been looking at her for some time now.  He looked entranced.  Joe broke the trance by saying something completely out of the blue.  ?Why are your ears pointy?  I really like ?em.?
     ?Well, I really don?t know.?  She started rubbing one of them.  ?They are very nice.  Thank you.?  She giggled again.  ?It?s getting late.  We should get some sleep for tomorrow.?
     Joe smiled at her, hoisted himself off of his chair and left the room, saying, ?Don?t worry, tomorrow?s Sunday!?


     Joe got back into his bed.  He was tired, and it was now 1:00 in the morning.  At least it was the weekend.
     As he started to close his eyes, Joe caught a glimpse of a light emitting from the doorway.  He looked up.
     Esther was stand there, blanket in hand.
     She had to whisper as to not wake anyone. ?Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight? I?m lonely.?
     Joe?s eyes popped wide open.
     ?That is not what I mean.?  She caught her error and blushed.
     ?Yeah, I didn?t think so.?  He sat up.  ?Are you taking the floor??
     ?Yes.?  She laid her blanket in the middle of the room.  She laid down on it and folded it over.
     ?Do you need a, um, pillow??
     ?Yes, thank you.  You?re so sweet.?  This time it was Joe?s turn to blush.  He tossed her a small pillow that said ?CATS? on it.  It also showed small cats all over it.
     ?I?m glad I met you, Esther.?
     ?I?m glad I met you too, Joe.?
     They both fell asleep instantly.


This is the end of part 1.

This keeps getting funnier, so I hope you enjoy the next part.  It's morally charged, too!

That night, both Joe and Esther slept well.  However, both of them had strange nightmares.
     Joe?s nightmare was short and lucrative.  He was exploring the surface of the planet Mars when a slime creature clamped itself onto his back.  He collapsed and woke up instantly.  He would think of it as a joke later, but for now, it was scary.
     As for Esther?s nightmare?


     She was in a tube, naked, just floating in a light-green liquid.  Needles and all sorts of devises were hooked up into her arms.  She had oxygen pumped into her bloodstream.  She did nothing but float.
     A sharp pain rushed into her body.  Esther flinched.  She saw scientists in white lab coats with clipboards taking notes.    She pounded on the thick glass prison.  The scientists noted this and wrote on their clipboards.  They didn?t notice the cracks in the glass.
     She pounded again.
     The glass shattered.
     Esther woke up.


     ?AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!?
     Esther looked up in horror as Joe rose from his bed, clutching his stomach and wailing.  He looked around puzzled, rubbed his gut, and started laughing.  The girl on the floor was extremely confused.
     ?I had? a funny? hehehe??
     ?A dream??
     ?Yeah? hehehe?? He could barely contain his giggling.  ?I?ll tell you later.?
     Esther looked around the room.  It wasn?t as dark now, and small beams of light shone through the shades.  It was early in the morning.
     ?What time is it??
     ?Hang on a sec? about 6:30!?  He was looking at a small glowing clock.  ?We?d better go somewhere else.?
     The two sneaked out of the room and into the hall.  They looked into one room and saw Joe?s little brother, still asleep.
     They continued to walk into the living room.  Joe went and opened the vertical blinds; it brightened the room enough to make both of them squint.  For the first time, Esther got a good look at her new friend.
     Joe was, to say the least, out of the ordinary.  He looked like he was half asleep, yet totally awake at the same time.  His light brown hair seemed like a mop compared to Esther?s, which somehow stayed nice throughout the night.  Joe was awfully scrawny, only weighing about 110 pounds.  He was of decent height- about 5?7?.  His white t-shirt and pants did little to increase his size.  All in all, he looked really pathetic.
     Despite his appearance, Joe looked quite happy with his life.  His smile showed it.  Joe was the ?self-proclaimed-most-optimistic person in town?.  High school does weird things to people.
     The two engaged in a conversation about daily life.  Joe didn?t understand why Esther wanted to know so much.  She kept bugging him to tell more, until he finally ran out of things to say.
     ?So that?s it??
     ?Pretty much.?
     Esther looked sad.  She was somewhat disappointed that Joe took such little interest in his own life.  Joe figured he had a boring life.
     ?Well, there are some other things??
     ?Yes??  A small spark of interest appeared in the girl?s eyes.
     ?Things like vacations and school events.?
     ?School events??
     ?Yeah, like dances.?
     ?You dance??
     ?I?ll, uh, show you later, once there?s music??
     ?You don?t have to be embarrassed.?
     ?Too late??
     They both burst out laughing.


     Joe had been waiting in his room.  He was getting bored.  His mother took Esther to get clothes.  His little brother was playing games on the Internet.  Joe did not want to know what his father was doing.
     He looked around his room.  There was nothing to do.  He tried to imagine what Esther was picking out.  Unfortunately, Joe?s brain is not grounded in reality.  He was way off.
Joe had already developed a liking for the girl.  She was sweet, fun, found him exciting, and incredibly hot.  In other words, he had no chance with her.
     He lay down on the floor of his room and tried to take a nap, but ended up drooling a bit.  A normal person would have mistaken him for a man with epileptic seizures.
     Joe spent over an hour doing this.  He only broke out of his comatose state at the sound of a car pulling into his driveway.  Joe wasn?t entirely sure who it was, but he knew it had to be something interesting.
     The boy ran to his brightly lit family room.  Two large windows allowed a person to gaze at a long driveway with a gray garage.  Sure enough, the two were back in his mother?s green Ford Focus.  They came out with their arms full of bags.
     Joe had to open the door to let them into the house.  Esther thanked him for opening it. His mother, however?
     ?There?s one bag left.  Go get it.?
     ?What?  Oh, fine, I?ll get it.?
     It was only 20 degrees outside, and Joe didn?t wear a coat.  He didn?t like the cold at all, and always wished he lived in a warmer place.
     Joe walked over to his mother?s car.  The trunk was still open, and one bag was left.  Just out of curiosity, he peered in.
     He blushed.  Inside the bag was Esther?s new underwear.


     Joe brought the bags in and put them on the kitchen counter along with the others.  Esther was sitting on one of the chairs there.  She got up and out of her chair.  She had a sweet smile on her face.
     ?Come look at these clothes with me!? she said.  The more Joe saw her, the more she looked like an everyday person.  The pointed ears and green hair really didn?t seem to matter anymore.  To Joe, Esther was just a very beautiful girl.
     ?Well? Come with me!?  Esther grabbed Joe?s hand and some of the bags and dashed into his bedroom.
     Inside, she placed the bags gently onto the ground and sat on his bed.  She slowly went through each and every garment with him.
     This was not Joe?s idea of fun, but he cooperated.  He was weak-willed around pretty girls.  However, his comments were somewhat limited to nodding his head up and down.
     ?Yep, that?s really nice.  So, uh, why did my mom go and buy you all of these things??
     ?She was just doing something nice.?
     ?I bet she just wanted to shop.?
     ?So, which one is your favorite??
     ?Uh? uh? all of them??
     Esther giggled.  ?You don?t know a thing about clothes, do you??
     ?Right.?
     ?Oh no!  I promised your mother that I would make lunch!  Excuse me!?  She stood up and started for the door.?
     ?She?s making you do this??
     ?No, I volunteered.?  She promptly dashed out the door, leaving it open.  The cat walked right in.  Joe allowed it to sit up on his lap.  He called the cat Chip, since he was hungry when he named it.
     ?You like the new girl, don?tcha, Chippy?  Huh?  Huh??  he baby-talked the cat.  The truth was, he was acting loopy ever since Esther arrived.  He was nicer, friendlier, and wanted to be pet all the time.  Just having the girl around was enough to lift anyone?s spirits.
     ?Lunch is ready!?
     Joe put down the cat and ran to eat.


     The rest of the day went by slowly.  Esther quickly adapted to Joe?s life, and to the amazement of everyone, she found it pleasant.  It turned out she was a spectacular cook, and she loved to do chores and help out, something Joe hated most of the time.
     But Joe helped out anyway.  She kept asking him to help, so he felt obliged to do so.  He couldn?t say no to her face, and at least she kept things interesting.  She was nice to have around.  It could have been her happy smile or clam demeanor, or even her interest.  Joe thought it was her breasts.  Maybe it was all four.


     Joe was tired.  It was late for him, only 9:00, but he was very sleepy.  He was saying his prayers by his bedside- a longtime custom for his family.  Tomorrow, he would show Esther his school.  That would be exhausting.
     As he finished up his prayer, he happened to glance at his doorway.  Esther was standing there.
     ?Uh? do you wanna sleep here again??
     ?If you don?t mind.?  Her voice no longer sounded sweet and innocent.  It was now drop-dead sexy.
     ?Uh? well, okay.?  He stood up and sat down on his bed.  Something was awry.
     ?You don?t have a blanket.  Want me to get you one??
     ?No, I won?t need one tonight.?  She was wearing her underwear instead of pajamas, and Joe was sure she had bought pajamas.  She walked over and sat down on the bed next to him.
     ?Its gonna be really cold??
     ?You can keep me warm.?
     ?How can I do that when I?m up here??
     ?Joe? you have been the nicest person I have ever met.?
     ?Uh, thanks??
     ?No, I mean it.  You have stood by me all day, and you keep making me smile.?
     Joe simply nodded.
     ?I?ve taken a very special interest in you.?
     ?Uh huh.?
     Once again, Joe has proven to be dense around hot girls.
     ?That means I have a crush on you.?
     ?Uh huh.?
     ?Are you okay??  She leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek.
     ?Oh?  Ohhhhhh??
     ?Now that you understand??
     ?That was my first?? Joe looked serious for a moment instead of brain-dead.
     ?Really?  I think that was mine too?  I? think??
     Esther then leaned on Joe so hard that they both crashed onto the bed.  ?Then things are going to be much more interesting then.?
     ?Uh? things??  Joe turned white all over.  He started shaking.
     ?Do you even have any idea of what I?m talking about??
     ?Uh??
     ?Sex.?
     ?Oh? well?? She was grinning, but it was more of a polite smile.
He smiled faintly and looked into her eyes.
     Once again, he saw her soul.  It had that lonely look again, but this time, it looked as if it was crying.  He thought for a moment, and felt a bit insulted.
     Then he understood completely.
     ?Actually, we better not??
     ?Why not, Joe??
     ?You?re too? good for this??
     Esther?s grin started to fade.  She looked at him with a melancholy smile.  Tears begun to cascade down her smooth cheeks.
     ?You mean, you?ll love me even if we don?t...?
     He nodded, and gulped.  Her beautiful yellow eyes were wet with tears.
     ?I?d rather have you happy.  C?mere, you were right.  You won?t be cold at all.?
     Joe gently tucked the girl and himself into his bed.  They slept soundly in each other?s arms.


This is the end of Part 2.

Ooo, right... well, um, it's different enough, and it only is somewhat similar to one of the RPG's many, many endings, and even then, it .  And frankly, it's not really close enough to matter.

Maybe I'll put up a warning when possible spoilers may occur...  

You know, I thought about the spoilers thing... you're more likely to spoil the story by playing the game first.  The given information in the RPG is what this story builds up to, and the RPG's more hidden information is totally different from this story.  All this will do is possibly hint at some character interaction.  Nevertheless, you don't have to read this at all if you just want to wait (a very long time) for the game.

Anyways, Part 3!  Harlan, Katie, and Laurie are all my friends from HS.  ('Course, now we've graduated.)  Katie actually asked to be in this, which was kinda sorta really weird.

The next day...



"Esther... Esther... ESTHER!"
"Agh! What was THAT for?"
"It's time to get up!"  He showed her his clock.  "See, its 6:30!"
"Oh.  Okay then."
They hoisted themselves out of the bed and went to have breakfast.  Joe chose chocolate cereal, while Esther found something healthy.
Then Joe went to get dressed.  He opened his closet door, only to find his clothes replaced by Esther's.
"Gaaaaaah!  What's with this?  I?m not wearing your clothes!"
Esther poked her head in the doorway.  "I had your mother do that.  Your clothes are in your drawers."
"Oh.  Okay."  Joe shook his head and ran to his drawers.


Later, at school...


"Alright, I got you a schedule.  It's the same as mine.  We have... English first."
"Um..."
"Yeah.  And you share a locker with me.  Here it is."
As the two walked through the halls, they got their share of stares.  Esther was the only person in the school with pointed ears, yellow eyes, and green hair (although it was nothing new to some people.)  Because of this, she was prone to being stared at and teased.  She was paired with Joe so that she would feel safer.
Only a portion of the students actually did stare at the girl.  Most of them stared at Joe in disbelief.  He had a girlfriend, which was pretty weird thing for a kid like him to have.
"How can you fit this backpack in your locker?  It's full!"
"I'll just cram it in."
Esther had one of Joe's old backpacks.  It was bright teal and had the letters JDC on it.
"See?  There we go."
"Will it close?"
"Argh!!!"  SLAM!!!  "Yup."
Joe turned to his left and spotted a grotesque creature next to an open locker.  He looked like a withered human.  The thing was stroking a golden object that shined in its hand.
"My precious..." it hissed.
"Hey Harlan!  Whatcha got there?"
The thing stood up.  It was really just a normal human kid named Harlan.  He was a bit like Joe, but he was just... creepier.  He slipped the object into his pocket and cleared his throat.  "Oh... hi Joe...? One of his eyes seemed not to focus on the same thing as his other eye.
"You sound suspicious."
"No I don't..." he replied suspiciously.
"Fine, whatever.  Hey, meet my new friend.  Esther?"
"Hi...? She seemed nervous, and even a little frightened.
"Nice to meet you."  He didn't seem surprised at all at her unusual appearance.
"Is she an elf?"
"No!  I'm pretty sure that she's human."
"She looks like an elf.  Where did you meet her?"
"Came up to house Saturday night.  I don't understand it, but neither does she."
The warning bell suddenly rang.
"Oh!  Uh, talk to you later, dude."
"Okay."
Joe and Esther walked into the nearby classroom for English class.


"Well, time for Algebra II.  Prepare to be bored."  Joe didn't usually mind math, but his class went so slow.  He and Esther had just gone through contemporary affairs (which is just reading newspapers) and gym class.  It turned out that Esther was very athletic and competitive.  She knocked Joe over twice during one game.  Ping-pong can be rough.
Joe walked down a few hallways with his girlfriend and opened the door for her.  Neither of them noticed a loud smack.  They just walked into the room and sat down in desks.
He had happened to hit the #1 student in his class.  She lost enough brain cells to lose her sense of right and wrong, and was never the same again.
The bell rang, and students filled the room.  The teacher walked in shortly thereafter.  He went up to a whiteboard (the blackboards had been eliminated) and scribbled out a math problem on the board.  He instructed the students to solve it.
Two seconds later, Esther raised her hand.  She had the answer.  The teacher walked over and looked at the piece of paper.  He proclaimed the answer to be correct.  Everyone in the class began talking amongst each other.  Joe himself didn?t seem to notice, probably because he was staring at his girlfriend.  She looked down at a piece of paper on his desk.
?You had the right answer!  Why didn?t you say anything??
?If you must know, I was thinking about you.?
?Aw, that?s so sweet.?
?Naked.?
?Oh.?  She laughed.  She knew he was just joking.  At least, she hoped he was.
It was around ten o?clock, so most of the people in the school had already seen or met the unusual new girl.  Most people still had questions, and others were content just knowing that at least she acted normal.  Some especially nosy people were determined to find out more.
One of those people approached now.
The student was a girl named Laurie.  She wasn?t exactly Joe?s favorite person to be around, and Joe wasn?t exactly hers.  At least, that?s what he thought.  
Laurie was a pretty good student in school and got straight A?s most of the time.  She was a pretty girl, but not beautiful.  She had long, straight brown hair and a very short stature- she was actually shorter than Joe.
Anyway, Laurie moved up closer to Joe and his girlfriend and into a seat.  She was in their gym class, and had already met Esther.  She had a few questions and wanted even more answers.
?Joe!  Joe!?
?What??
?Are you two official??
?I think that?s pretty obvious??
?So is it a yes or a no??
Joe sighed.  ?YES! YES!?
Joe hated this.  Laurie would ask him stupid questions over and over.  It made him very angry.  And he didn?t want Esther to see him angry.  So he was trying his hardest to be good.  He just hoped the questions wouldn?t be too invasive.
?Did you two have sex??
That was pretty invasive.
?Uh?? He looked over at Esther.  ?What do I say??
?You can tell her the truth.?
?Okay, good idea.?
Joe turned back to Laurie.
?Well, of course!?  He figured that he?d have a bit of fun.  Esther shook her head in disappointment.  He looked back at his girlfriend for a moment.
Whispering, he asked her, ?Could you please play along?  It?ll be hilarious!?
?Oh? alright.?
Laurie was getting impatient.  ?Did you really??
?Yes, we did.  It was? spectacular.  Joe is? really? good.?
Joe was smiling with glee.  It was hard to know when he was lying or telling the truth.  He always had a huge grin on his face.
?Wow, I thought for sure that you were going to stay a virgin for life.?
?WHAT???  You? you? that was bad.?
The teacher finally noticed and yelled at Laurie to get back in her seat.  She sat back down without a word.
?Thank you so much!   Maybe now, people will stop treating me like a little kid.?
Esther did not like lying, but she quietly accepted.


After a decent lunch in the cafeteria, it was time for French class.  Joe was very good at French, but he still found the class to be a bit on the dull side.  Esther had never mentioned anything about her speaking another language, but she had to stay with Joe.  So she would have to catch up quickly.
Joe and Esther were the first two people in the class- they had even beat the teacher.  They sat down in adjacent desks.
?So, uh? you speak French or what??
?I don?t know?  I really can?t tell what other languages sound like.?
?That makes sense? sort of.?  Joe was running out of things to say.  ?Uh??
Then he had a terrible thought.
?You? didn?t see any guys you like more than me, right??
?What do you mean??
?Did you? find anyone more attractive that me??
?No!  Don?t worry Joe.  I?m with you!?
?Really?  Wow??
The third student walked into the room and really freaked Joe out.  It was a girl named Katie.  
Katie was a really good person.  She got good grades, was never mean, and always seemed calm and relaxed.  She was also beautiful.  She had long, dark brown hair and a pretty face.  She was a nice person to be around.  Strangely, Laurie and her were friends.  Joe had no idea why Katie would want to hang around with her.
Joe didn?t have a problem with her.  He had an inner conflict: before he had met Esther, he had this HUGE crush on Katie.  This was going to be awkward for Joe and amusing for others.
?Hi Joe.  Are you Esther??  She had a beautiful voice, too.
?Yes.  I am.?
?Esther, this is Katie.  She?s? a? good person.?
?Nice to meet you.?
?Hey, Laurie tells me you guys??
?Had sex??  Joe interrupted her.  ?Nah.  We?re just tricking her.?  He tried to appear somewhat virtuous.  He was trying to impress her in his own little way.
Esther smiled.  Now he was telling the truth.
?That?s a good idea.  But I won?t tell her.?
?Yeah, lets see how far we can go with this.  It?ll be funny.?
That?s when Joe noticed something odd.  He didn?t say it out loud, however.  That was too risky.
Esther bore a striking resemblance to Katie.  Joe was sure it was just a coincidence, but it was sure worth noting.  He hoped no one else noticed or would make anything out of it.
The bell rang, and all of the students packed into the room.


After school, at night?


It was a pretty short day, and Joe and Esther were having a great time.  She loved learning new things (like the entire French language in about a minute due to some repressed knowledge) and meeting people.  He was happy to have a person around 24/7 who loved him so much.
The time was 8:00.  The two were lounging in Joe?s room, doing absolutely nothing.  They enjoyed each other?s company enough to just relax together.  
?Y?know what, Esther??
?What??
?I love you.?
?I love you too, Joe.?
It was a truly touching moment.  It was ingloriously and immediately interrupted by a power outage.  All of the lights flashed out and a loud WEEEE-OOOP sound emanated from some appliance.
Then, Joe heard a window break.  It came from the family room.  The two rushed there to see what had happened.
A tall man was standing in the middle of the room, dressed entirely in black, save for an omega on his shoulder, which was yellow.  Joe was shocked- Esther was totally frightened.
?Who are you?  And what are you doing in my house??
?I can?t tell you who I am.  But I came for the girl.  Our work is not done.?
He bared a sharp knife.
?Oh yeah?  You ain?t getting? her!?
?Hehehe? what can a puny boy like you do to me??
Joe ran up to him and kicked him.  He fell to the ground moaning and clutching himself.
?Joe!  That was heroic!  But mean??
?I did it for you.  I don?t know how.  I usually don?t do anything like THAT?  hehe, look at him squirm!  I got him hard!"
?FREEZE!  FBI!?
A new voice came from outside.  It was a female voice, a familiar one.
Joe saw the flash of a handgun.  He feared for his life.
But he had no idea how bad things would get.


This is the end of Part 3.

This is not the final part... there's still 3 more to go!  But it feels kinda finalish.

Much earlier in his life, Joe predicted that in some time of his life, an FBI agent would aim and possibly fire a gun at him.  His prediction came true right now.
     Joe and Esther did not know why a federal agent came to their house, or why the intruder in black wanted the girl.  They really needed some answers.
     The FBI agent flipped into the room with her gun and badge showing.  She aimed both at Joe, who promptly freaked out.  She had a facemask on, and her hair was tied in a ponytail in the back.  
     ?Joe, you have property which is going to be confiscated.  Esther, come with me.?
     ?Hey?  you sound awfully familiar??
     ?No, I don?t.  You don?t know me.?
     ?I know you!  This isn?t funny, Laurie!?
     She no longer had to wear the facemask, so she removed it.  In the dim light, Joe could just barely make out her features.  It was Laurie, all right.
     ?Ha!  I told you!  You can?t trick me with your fancy tricks!?
     She pointed the gun at Joe again.  ?You?re really getting on my nerves.  I know how to kill you slowly and painfully, so you?d better be good.?
     Esther made a weird face.  ?You couldn?t hurt him.  Your safety is on, and you are out of ammunition.?
     Joe burst out laughing.
     The humiliated agent checked her gun.  ?It is??
     ?The government is not taking away my girl.  Get that into your head.?
     ?Fine??
     ?Wait? you can help us.  Esther, you came from my backyard, right??
     ?Um? yes??
     ?Let?s all go see where she came from!?
     ?Why do I have to be dragged into this?  My superiors will kill me!?
     ?Because.  Can you take care of that guy??  He pointed at the stunned intruder.  He was lying on the ground and foaming at the mouth.
     Laurie gasped.  ?He was the person I was following.  He looked suspicious, so I followed him to your house, where I was headed anyway to get some information about Esther.  The part about taking her was just a joke.?
     ?Yeah.  But why would he be foaming at the mouth??
     ?Suicide pills.  He didn?t want to risk being captured.?
     ?Ew? well, we should get going.  You want to know where you came from, right Esther??
     ?You don?t have to do this for me.  You?ve already taken me in your home.?
     ?So?  I wanna go.  And you must want to see a bit of your past, right?  Besides, its not like I?m gonna die or anything.?
     ?Yes, you are right.  Lets go.?
     ?Here, I?ve got extra flashlights.?  She handed them to the couple.
     ?I thought boy scouts were always prepared.  You?re in the FBI.?
     ?Oh, shut up.?


     The three had been walking in the woods for a while.  The snow was still on the ground, and Esther?s footprints were still completely visible.  It was very convenient for them.
     The footprints led to a tall rock wall.  Joe was very puzzled by this.  Esther did not seem to recognize it.  Laurie recognized a discolored portion as a doorway.  Then, Joe jumped up with a thought.
     ?We should have hid that guy?s body!!!?
     ?Oh.  Whoops.?
     ?Joe, don?t worry about it.?
     Joe jumped up with another, more relevant thought.
     ?If it?s a doorway, I can ram it down!?
     ?Joe, don?t be stupid.  You?re just going to hurt yourself.?
     ?Yeah right.?  He hit the door at full speed with a loud thud.
     ?Oooohhhh??
     ?What did I tell you??
     ?I think I found a switch.?  Esther saw a small outcropping that was also oddly colored.  She pressed it, and the rock slid open.
     ?Let?s go inside.  Ladies first.? Joe moaned.
     The three found a staircase leading down to a door that turned out to be unlocked.  They entered a long hallway with many doors.
     ?Okay you two.  Let?s split up.  I?ll guard the hallway, Esther can take the left doors, and Joe can take the right ones.?
     ?Cool.?
     ?Sounds good.?
     The first door on the right happened to be a utility closet.  The door opposite that was a weapons closet.  Laurie found enough ammo to fill her gun.  Esther refused to take a weapon.  Joe, however?
     ?I call grenade launcher!!!?
     ?I?m not sure if you can handle that??
     ?Too bad!  I called it!  Nyah, nyah!?


     Esther walked into the second room.  It was a large room that seemed to exit through each door on her side.
     It was definitely a laboratory.  Test tubes were everywhere.  Strange men floated in larger tubes.  Scientists were working here as well.  They didn?t seem to notice the girl that walked in.
      ?Excuse me?  Mr. Scientist??
     He yelled at her without looking up.  ?Go away, little girl.?
      ?Can you help me??
      ?What did I just say?  How did you get in here, anyways?? He looked up.  He then stood up, towering over her.  ?It?s the girl!  Get her!?
     Esther kicked him in the stomach.  Something in her had no respect for this man.  None of them looked friendly at all.  Some brandished guns as they stood up to confront her.
      ?Who am I??  She sounded ferocious.
     Nobody listened. She repeated her question.  ?Who am I?  Tell me!?
     A sudden rumbling made everyone look up.  The ceiling collapsed on all of the scientists but the one who had been kicked.  None of them survived the crash.
     Esther took the remaining one and pinned him to the ground.  In a sarcastically sweet voice, she repeated her question again.  ?Who am I??
     The man squirmed, but it was no use.  ?You are? Esther.  You have? powers and you were made? here.  We are? making you for our boss? for an unknown purpose.?
      ?Is that all you know??
      ?Yes.?
      ?How about my parents??
      ?I would have to believe that they are very sad or dead.  Probably dead.?
      ?You jerk.?  Esther stood up and kicked him in the side.  She left the room and locked it.  She was crying from the information she had.  She hurried into a room were Joe entered to find out what the shaking was.


     Joe entered the next door to a large room that seemed to encompass all of the other doors in the hall.  It was a large room with a tall open balcony, barely lit by old warehouse lights that flickered on and off.  The room itself seemed like an oversized storage facility that clearly needed to be redone.  A gray dust had settled on the ground everywhere, but it didn?t matter, because the walls, floors, and ceiling were all gray.  The balcony was gray as well.  Brown cardboard boxes and metal containers lay in neat stacks against the walls, leaving the middle of the room completely empty.
     Joe cradled the grenade launcher in his arms and sighed.  He really didn?t feel like doing any sort of fighting or exploding, so he relaxed slightly.  He blinked, then spotted a pair of white, beady eyes staring at him from the balcony.  Joe normally wasn?t normally that great of a jumper, but there was a chance he broke a world record.
     ?Wha? who? who?s that??
     The eyes faded into the darkness of the room and reappeared slightly closer, although still upon the balcony.  An eerie laugh filled the room.  Joe armed and aimed the grenade launcher to the best of his ability.
     ?Why must a little boy intrude upon my plans??
     ?Ummm? because I have explosives??
     The eyes closed again, and the dim warehouse lights shone on the body of the mysterious voice.
     ?Harlan?!?  What the??  This doesn?t make any sense at all.?
     ?Actually, he?s my inferior clone.  You can call me??
     ?I?m calling you Harlan because you look like him, okay?  Deal with it.  I have the grenades, so I?m in control of this conversation.?
     Harlan, or rather, the man who looked like him, laughed.  ?You really have no idea what you?re up against, do you??  He lifted his head to look straight up, and the lights turned on at full power.  He revealed a metal device upon his wrist.
     ?This is an energy beam weapon.  If it manages to hit you, you?d be on the ground in tremendous pain.?
     ?And, as I?ve said before, I have GRENADES.  They make you explode.?  He fired one in the vague direction of Harlan, and watched it bounce far to the left of the intended target.  Joe himself flew a foot or two backward and nearly collapsed on the ground.  Harlan laughed as the grenade exploded against a wall and shook the floor.
     ?Do you want to kill everyone in this building or something?  These are load-bearing walls!?  Joe scratched his head and picked the grenade launcher.
     ?Wait!  Joe!?  He looked backwards.  Esther and Laurie ran into the room.  Laurie pulled out her gun and aimed it at Harlan.
     ?Uh, Joe, why is Harlan here??
     ?I dunno.  Who?d you expect to be here?  The easter bunny??
     ?Joe? I found some information? I was? taken or something??
     Joe stared at his girlfriend with an intense look of pity.
     ?Kidnapped??  She nodded.  Joe slowly turned his head towards Harlan.
     ?You? you?ll? you?ll pay for this! Why would you do this to an innocent girl like Esther?  I ought to explode you up real good right now??
     ?Did you just say ?explode you up???
     ?Yes, Laurie.  Do you have a problem with that??
     ?Just let me deal with this, okay??  She carefully aimed her gun at Harlan.
     ?Were you responsible for the kidnapping??
     ?And torture?  genetic alterations and mistreatment?? Esther added.
     ??and torture of this girl??
     ?I deny nothing.  It doesn?t matter anyways, your world is doomed.?  Everyone stared at him.
     ?Um, he?s crazy.  Shoot him.?
     ?You think I?m crazy, little boy?  Well, let me tell you something about technology you ought to know.  In this building, we have created the only machine possible that can harness the energy of the human soul.  We have labored day and night in order to produce a specimen with the perfect soul, and we simply want to reclaim the rest of it.?
     ?Yeah, he?s crazy.?
     ?Shut up!  I?m not finished!  In order to create this soul, we had to expand the human race.  It must do things that it has never done before.  It must evolve.  So we altered some bodies and experimented around until we did it right.  And we did.  Esther should know.?
     ?Harlan, what made you do this?  How did you do this?? Laurie screamed.  She was losing her patience due to an itchy trigger finger.
     ?How many times do I have to tell you?!?  I?m not Harlan, he?s my clone!?  He pointed his wrist-device at her and pressed a button on it.  It began to glow with blue energy that resembled sparks.
     Laurie lost her patience.  She fired three shots at the wrist device.
     ?Gaaaaah!  No!  Just fire one!  Do you want something to bounce back and hit one of us?? Joe shouted at her.  He ducked into a defensive position.
     ?That won?t happen, idiot.  Don?t get your hopes up.?
     The first two bullets hit just what they were supposed to.  They lodged themselves into the device and smashed it into smaller pieces.  The third shot missed Harlan completely and hit a metal box up against the wall.  It ricocheted off and bounced to the ceiling.  Up on the ceiling, the bullet hit more pipes and eventually bounced off of one to send it down at an angle.  In a bit of bitter irony, it flew right through Joe?s back, piercing his heart.  
     ?Nnnnngggggg? oooh?? He fell straight to the floor and began to bleed profusely.  His moaning was almost as dreadful as the site of his body.
     ?Joe!  Joe!?  Esther ran to him, hysterical and rather distraught.  Laurie was rather surprised, but couldn?t exactly find the right words to say.  Harlan, on the other hand, was laughing so hard that he forgot about his broken wrist device.
     Joe was struggling to breathe, and managed to waste most of his breath with moaning in pain.  His time for this world was now severely cut short as his energy rapidly flowed from the wound in his back.  Esther was in tears over him, attempting to comfort him but only seemingly making the bleeding worse.  Suddenly, the moaning stopped, and Joe stared straight into Esther?s eyes with a perfect tranquility.
     ?Don?t worry about me.  We?ll both be fine??
     At these words, Esther could feel her own heart skip a beat as his gave its final thump.
     ?My dear,? Harlan cruelly responded.  ?He wasn?t worth your time.  Ignore him and reach your full potential.  Let us finish the experiment and I promise you, you will never be sad again.?
     Esther stood up.  Her body was shaking profusely.  She picked up the grenade launcher lying on the ground and heaved it up onto her shoulders.  She cleared her throat and aimed it at Harlan.
     ?You killed him.?
     ?Well, actually, I fired the gun, so technically??
     ?Laurie, stay out of this.  Harlan, or whoever you say you are, you started all of this.  I don?t know why you need my soul or need me at all.  But you can?t have it.  You took away everything I need, and so I?m going to take away everything you need in a moment.?
     ?Esther!  Are you crazy?  Are you willing to destroy this entire building?  We?ll be trapped inside!?  Laurie was understandably panicking.
     ?If we can stop this madman, it?ll be worth it.  I?m willing to give myself up.  I?ve already lost my life and my soul, what good would living do??
     ?Well, I?d like to live, thank you very much.?
     ?I suggest you leave, then.?  
     Harlan was still laughing.  He knew that she would never do anything of the sort.  Or would she?  It didn?t matter anyways. He knew that he could come back even if he died.  This body was only the beginning.
     ?Shoot me if you want.  Destroy this whole building if you want.?  He grinned as he said this.
     Esther sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye.
     ?Don?t make me do this??


     Joe opened his eyes.  He figured he was looking at the sun, since he had to shut them again right away.  He blinked until he was used to the brightness so he could find out where he was.  Unfortunately for him, there wasn?t anything to see but a golden light in every direction.  The ground wasn?t even there.  It was just the same golden light.  Joe was floating in some sort of golden space.
     It was somewhat relaxing, and much easier to breathe in the golden space.  Joe felt where the bullet had penetrated his back.  His hand touched perfectly normal skin.  Odd, he thought.  Where am I?  Did I die?
     Yes, you died.
     ?Who said that??  Joe spoke aloud.  Those words seemed to come from everywhere at once, yet they weren?t even audible.  It was as if a voice was speaking straight into his mind.  The voice was soft and feminine, yet somewhat unaccented and rather plain.
     You weren?t supposed to die, Joe.
     It wasn?t your time to leave the earth.
     ?Um? can someone tell me where I am?  Anyone?  Anything??
     This isn?t your home yet, Joe.  You must go back down there.
     ?Okay, that?s it, who are you??
     A young woman wearing a pure-white robe materialized in front of him.  She had long golden hair and a smile on her face.
     ?Little brother, you can?t go back without this.?  When she spoke, her voice still managed to come from everywhere even though her mouth was moving to the words.  It was genuinely freaky.
     The girl seemed to grab through her robe a piece of glowing, silver material.  She pressed it hard into Joe?s chest, into his heart.  It felt warm to the touch, and while it settled inside of him, his entire body seemed to relax and feel warm.  He wanted to close his eyes and fall asleep.
     ?Your love still awaits your return below.  She needs you.?
     ?She does??
     ?Yes.  She does.  You are all she has right now.  Right now, you aren?t there for her, and she?s confused.?  Joe was finding it terribly hard to stay awake.  He wasn?t bored, but his body felt heavy.
     ?You?re a special person, Joe.  Your genetics show it.  But they need to be unlocked.  Esther had hers unlocked by the laboratory.  When you awaken on Earth, you will be likewise unlocked.?
     ?We?re not on Earth?!??  Joe was terribly surprised.
     The girl laughed a little bit.  ?Of course not.  Where did you think we were?  Go back to Earth, little brother, and don?t forget that you are someone important to someone else.?  She smiled and played with her hair, revealing two pointed ears.  But Joe barely noticed, because he was becoming drowsier by the second.  He finally nodded off to sleep, and his ethereal existence in Heaven faded away.


     ?Hey, Esther, you might want to look at something.?
     ?What?? she sobbed.
     ?It?s Joe.  He?s? he?s moving??
     Esther turned around.  Joe?s body was twitching rather unnaturally.  Harlan looked on, rather intrigued by this odd turn of events.
     ?What? what is happening?  Is he alive??
     ?I dunno, I just pointed it out to you.?
     ?Joe!?  She ran to the body and touched it, but her hand recoiled from a quick shock.  She had also dropped the grenade launcher on the ground.  A single explosive device rolled from the cannon and proceeded to make its way underneath the balcony on which Harlan stood.
     ?He?s filled with some sort of energy??
     Suddenly, Joe?s body was engulfed in a golden radiance.  The onlookers saw his silhouette slowly expand.  Muscles grew to a much healthier size.  His hair grew several inches around his face, and his ears extended into points. Blood on the ground dissipated into the air as his body automatically returned itself to homeostasis.  The glow faded from his body, and revealed the new, improved, and breathing Joe.  His hair had lightened a few shades, and his body was much more fit than before.  Esther tried to touch him again, and felt the warm flesh on his shoulder.  He was alive!
     ?Um? can you help me up please??
     ?Joe!  What happened to you?  You look?? Joe opened his eyes.  The former dark blue shade of his iris was now replaced with a ghostlike sky color.  
     ??beautiful.?  Through sobbing eyes, she kissed him.
     ?Uh, I don?t really think that?s what I was hoping for.?
     ?Handsome??
     ?Yeah, sure.?
     Laurie was speechless.  She had just witnessed some sort of ridiculous miracle and really didn?t know what to make of any of it.  However, she came to the conclusion that Joe now looked as weird as he acted.
     Harlan, meanwhile, was still quite astounded by the transformation.  He thanked his luck that there were security cameras that recorded the events.  He could later figure out the importance of these events.
     Unfortunately for him, there wouldn?t be a ?later.?
     The single grenade exploded.  Oddly, there were even more explosives under the balcony, and a chain reaction occurred.  The entire laboratory shook, and the balcony and the ceiling above it collapsed on the odd little man.
     ?Alright, that?s it, let?s get out of here!?  Joe jumped to his feet and picked up Esther?s entire body with his arms.  He paused for a moment to figure out how he did it, but decided it would be best to keep moving.  Laurie followed without question.
     Fortunately, the lab wasn?t too large, so it was pretty easy to escape.  The three dashed out of the hall and into the staircase.  It was shaking as well from the massive tremors.  They escaped, and waited.  Within a minute, the entire lab was crushed under a wall of stone.
     Joe set Esther down on the ground.  She was all over him, and still crying.  Laurie looked at her and sighed.
     ?Well, Esther, I?m going to check the missing person files to see if I can find your name or picture somewhere.  I?m also going home, since there doesn?t seem to be anything else we can do.?
     ?Alright, thanks for all your help!?
     ?I don?t think she helped us that much.?
     ?Joe!?
     ?Oh, fine, thanks.?
     ?It was my pleasure, really.  She ran off into the night.?
     Joe sighed and looked at Esther.  ?You think we?re done with all this mess??
     ?I don?t know? it seems as though something is still missing??
     ?Meh.  Save it for tomorrow, okay?  I?m getting sleepy, and we gotta hide that guy?s body or something quick.?
     ?Alright, I guess so?  thanks.?
     ?You?re welcome.  Now, time to go home and sleep.?

This is the end of part 4.

Huh... if no one is gonna read these, think I should stop?

Nah.

(I think comments are awesome, btw...)

?Rrrrgh? rrrrgh? Rrraaaah!?  Joe was losing in a dangerous battle.  He grunted, and charged forward, gripping his adversary and pulling with all of his might.
     The locker flew out of the wall and hit the other side of the hallway with a loud clang.  Esther was somewhat shocked.
     ?Did you have to do that?  It was violent??
     ?Sometimes you need to have some aggression, Ess.  Even I know that.  And heck, look at my size!  Do you think I can be aggressive??
     ?You?re big now, remember??
     ?Oh, right.  Forgot.?  Joe wasn?t used to being strong.  No one was.  He felt totally out of place, and it was certainly something that he would have to get used to.  It did have its perks, however.  Joe picked up Esther and cradled her in his arms.  He wished he was a bit taller, but muscles were nice.
     ?We have to get home.? Joe said gently to her as she played with his newly elongated ears.  
     ?Alright then.  We don?t need another tragic day like yesterday.?
     ?Why was yesterday tragic??
     ?You died!  Don?t you remember anything??
     ?Uh, not really.?
     Joe kissed her.  He couldn?t stop looking at her.  Did she cast a spell or something on him?  Was he possessed?  Was his brain actually functioning?  It was weird.  He never actually felt so alive, or so energized.  No doubt about it- love had oozed down his throat and took over his internal organs, completely focusing his entire existence on this one girl and the thought of making her happy.  He began to forget that he had to go home and just wanted to hold her forever.
     Ironically, he nearly dropped her when he heard Laurie?s voice calling them.
     ?Esther!  Esther!  I found it!  I found it!?
     ?What?  What did you find?? She jumped right out of his arms and ran straight to Laurie, who was holding a large brown envelope.
     ?THIS is your identity.  Esther Saria Pucelle.?
     ?Saria?  Isn?t that the name of? ah, never mind.?  Joe laughed to himself at the weird little coincidence.  The girls had no idea about what he was talking about, so he stifled his giggling and looked downward in shame.
     ?This is wonderful!  Thank you so much!  Where did you find it??  She nearly ripped Laurie?s arm off grabbing the envelope from her.  ?Let me see this??
     ?Woah.  Just keep it, okay?  I don?t need it anymore, we?ve found you.?
     Esther tore open the envelope and dug through it, pulling out birth certificates and old addresses.  She finally found a single picture of herself as a young girl.  Tears began to flow from her eyes as she showed Joe.
     ?Look? I was like you? a normal person? and then they did this to me??
     Joe looked at the photograph.  He saw some resemblance, but she apparently used to have blond hair and green eyes.  He began to think of the irony, but realized it might be better to comfort Esther instead.
     ?Hey, hey, don?t cry.  You?re much more normal than I am? er? ever was.  Appearances don?t matter, you know.?
     ?I know, but I?m sick of looking like? like? I don?t belong??  She burst into a fit of crying, sobbing and clinging to Joe.
     ?Esther? I??
     ?Can you make me look beautiful, Joe?  Can you?  Promise me I?ll be beautiful.  Please??  She was incredibly distraught.  Joe hugged her and brought her close to him.
     Laurie leaned up and whispered in his ear.  ?It?ll be best to tell her later that the lab assassinated her family??
     ?What?!??
     ?What is it, Joe??
     ?Nothing, I?ll? tell you later.  Thanks, Laurie.?
     ?Thank? you??
     ?Um? no problem.?  Laurie sensed the awkwardness of the situation and ran off.    
     ?Esther? I thought you didn?t mind the ears and stuff.  What?s wrong??
     ?It?s just that? now I know where it came from and I know it?s not natural? and I don?t like it.  It?s like a scar.  Please understand??
     ?I do.  Don?t worry about it.  And no scar can stop me from thinking about how beautiful you are.?
     ?Awww?? She smiled, but still had tears in her eyes.
     ?C?mon.  Let?s go home and get something to eat, okay?  That?ll make you feel better, right??
     ?I? I guess so??
     Joe lead her down the halls of the school.  He was surprised that they were so empty? it was almost even scary.
     It wasn?t long before they reached the final hallway before the exit home.  The lockers were normally green, but for some reason, they were stained a blood red color now.
     ?Esther?  Am I color-blind?  Can you see what I see??
     ?Huh??
     ?These lockers aren?t red? they?re supposed to be green??
     ?Maybe someone painted them today.?
     ?Maybe.?
     Joe quickly looked behind him and felt something burn inside of his head.  He dropped to the floor instantly, and Esther screamed.  He looked around frantically, noticing the hallway?s new tendency to stretch out infinitely.  They seemed to be trapped in some sort of strange, infinite corridor.  Even the doors to the classrooms had disappeared to make way for the blood-red lockers.
     ?Esther? what happened?  Did you feel that??
     ?You mean a fuzzy, dreamlike haze??
     ?No, it was like a headache, but it was sharp and quick.  I think it?s over now??
     ?Where? are we??
     ?I wish I knew??
     Esther began to call for help.  Her cries echoed down the empty hallways with no response.  Joe twitched nervously and began to look around frantically.  For some reason, he decided to try to open up one of the lockers.  He pulled with all of his might, but it didn?t move an inch.
     Both of Esther?s ears twitched, picking up the sound of footsteps from behind them.  She turned to face the source, and Joe watched her eyes open wide.  His mighty brain decided that he should probably look, too.
     It was Harlan.  Again.
     ?Heh, wanted another taste of a grenade launcher, eh Harlan??
     ?Joe!  Look at his eyes!?
     Esther had a point.  As Harlan walked towards them, his eyes shined red.
     ?This is really creepy, Joe? what is he doing??
     ?There?s only one way to find out??  Joe ran right up to the creepier-than-usual Harlan and stared into his face.
     ?Are you Harlan?  What are you doing?? he demanded, completely fearless.
     ?No, I am not Harlan? he is my clone??
     ?Not you again!  We killed you!?
     ?I am a different creature entirely, one with powers beyond belief.?  He lifted his right hand and shoved Joe in the chest.  Although he did not push hard, Joe was still flung to the ground.
     ?Joe, are you alright??  She was breathing rapidly.  It seemed as if there was a subconscious fear of this man deep within her mind.
     ?Yeah, of course?? Joe jumped back up onto his feet and brushed himself off.  ?Don?t get so worried, Ess, I?ll get rid of him no problem.?
Joe ran towards Harlan recklessly and swung a fist (or what he could make of a fist?Joe?s thumbs had always been a little broken and he found it physically impossible to make a comfortable fist) at his face.  His target disappeared moments before impact, and materialized behind him.  With one swift motion, Harlan lifted Joe into the air and tossed him towards Esther.  
     ?Owwwwwwwww??
     ?Joe!  Get up!?
     ?It is futile to try.  Give up now and I will let you live.?
     ?Uh, what happens if I give up??
     Harlan (or the creature that looked like him) pondered whether he had explained what he was actually going to do.  He crossed his arms in a vain display and began explaining his plan like a lecture.
     ?Esther was the only working experiment out of all the girls created, for only she had a pure soul that could never be stained.?
     ?Ooooh, go on.?
     ?Silence, fool!?
     ?Gee, he?s not very nice, is he??
     ?Joe!  This is important!  It?s about me!?
     ?Oh, right.?
     ?We were in the process of harvesting the soul from you when something odd happened? it might have been an anomaly in the soul retrieval system or one of your memories mysteriously returned? but in either case, you escaped with a fraction of your soul remaining.  And, well, I?d like to have it back.?
     ?What are you going to do with my soul??
     ?It?s quite simple, my dear.?
     ?Don?t call me ?my dear!?  I?m not yours!?
     ?Esther? you don?t seem to understand.  With a pure soul like yours, we would be able to fully power a perpetual motion machine and have an infinite power supply, enabling me to bring upon a new world order!?
     ?You?re nuttier than a squirrel raiding a Mr. Peanut factory!?
     ?No, I?m not.  And to prove it to you, I?ll show you what a simple fraction of that power can do!?
     Harlan lifted his hands upward, in front of his face, and materialized a glowing white orb.  
     ?This, Esther, is your soul.  And here is it?s power within the right hands!?  He chanted some inaudible phrases, and the orb began to shake and change colors.  After about two seconds, a white beam arced into the air and splashed onto Joe.  He felt a rush of numbness rush through his body, and he found it extremely hard to breath.  Esther knelt down in front of him.
     ?Please get up, Joe? I know you can do it??
     Joe tried to respond, but he couldn?t find the strength.  Harlan was still in his odd pose, chanting and grinning.
     ?Joe, I don?t want to lose my soul? for me?  Could you get up for me??  She began to try to lift him off of the ground, but his body was far too limp.  Harlan?s orb was now a deep blue color.  His chant seemed to grow louder and float through the entire hallway.  The only thing more vociferous in the room was Esther, who was trying in vain to get Joe to recover.
     ?The boy will never awaken again,? Harlan spoke, ?and it appears as if your soul shall be in my possession shortly.?  The orb shot out another beam, this time a light blue color, It poured into Joe like water.  Joe could feel his consciousness slipping away.  The room flashed and faded into darkness, and everything was silent.

This is the end of part 5.

Don't worry, I'm still reading.

that sucks that you lost them, stuff like this is never fun , I'm glad you are working on it again and that it will be used for the RPG