Chapter 1

The creatures were staring at her.

Cindi didn't have to look up to know that. She could feel their eyes. Cold. hateful. Wanting to hurt her, to mock her, to destroy her life. Stay focused, she told herself. You've lived with this for ages, you can survive this now. Walking down the hallway to her locker, her eyes caught glimpses of the strange beings only she could see. They, at this moment, didn't bother her.

It was the middle schoolers who were the real monsters.

She shouldn't have taken Julie's advice. At least, not yet. It was too much of a change, in a life that had been constant (if horrible) up till then. Change led to being noticed, and being notice to...

"Who the hell is that?!"

The voice came from some boy at the lockers across from hers. Cindi ignored it, spinning the combination into her lock. Always ignore them.

"Why is her hair ... red?"

That was a girl, to her right. Cindi sighed, opening the locker. Yup, this was a bad idea.

Cindi plopped her book bag down on the cafeteria table, sat, and took out her lunch bag. She always sat in the same place, in the corner. There were few enough students eating this period that the table could be left empty by all her betters, for which she was grateful. She could eat her baloney and cheese sandwich in peace.

Baloney ... baloney and cheese, on rye bread. One of her comfort foods, and probably the most important because she could make it herself. Mom had always fixed it for her, cut diagonally, whenever she was sad. Which was always, it seemed. When nobody believed her about the monsters, and nothing would make them go away ... Mom was there with a sandwich and glass of milk to make it all better.

When had Mom stopped trying?

"Hi Cindi."

Julie sat down across from her, back to the rest of the room. Over her head, for the cheerful elf of a girl was barely four feet tall, Cindi could see the 8th graders the popular girl usually sat with looking over at them with amazement. Why, she could almost read in their minds, was Julie talking to the freak? Was it some new form of torture they should go over and watch? She looked back down at her new friend.

"You shouldn't be over here." It came out almost as a whisper. Despite the past week, she still was not used to talking. Especially in public. Julie shrugged.

"Yes I should." She pulled out her own lunch bag, and removed a salad and hunk of chocolate cake, along with diet Pepsi. Hands opening the containers with practiced automation, she gave Cindi a considering look. "The hair looks good. Is that close to your real color?"

"Um ... yeah." Cindi blushed a bit. Once she had told the others that her raven black hair was indeed dyed, also confirming to Bill that the white streak was a nod to Polgara from the Belgariad books, the girls had been insistent that she go back to her natural color. She was not, really, goth by nature, and had only picked that niche so people would leave her alone. Julie, and particularly Ai, wanted her to become the "real" Cindi. Whoever that was.

"I like it," Julie said, nodding. "It stands out, especially if you keep wearing black."

"That's why I colored it," Cindi muttered, looking around again. Her eyes suddenly shot over to the closest table. A shimmering orange furry creature, about the size of a cat, was crouching to pounce on a boy lifting a cup of soup up to his mouth. "Henry is going to get burned."

She said it with no emotion, but Julie whipped her head around just in time to see his elbow get jostled by another kid, the soup pouring over his front. Henry jumped to his feet, giving a yell of pain, while his friends laughed. Julie turned back to Cindi, eyes wide.

"Orange thing?"

"Orange thing."

Ai danced into the bedroom.

She was happy. As happy as she had ever been in her life, which now she considered to be about nine days long. The idea of days, let alone time, was new. Everything was new! That made her happy. Having friends made her happy. Having family made her happy. Happy made her happy!

Spinning across the floor, she stopped in front of the full sized mirror against the wall of Betty's bedroom. Betty, as her sister, obviously wouldn't mind that Ai was there. They were family! Family was also new, and different from Friends. Bill had made sure Ai knew, and understood, the difference. Family were those around you who you liked, but didn't feed you. Only Ai's friends, Bill and Julie, fed her. She wasn't to ask for food from anyone else. That was disappointing, but she understood. Feeding Ai was rather special, and intimate. Only special and close people SHOULD feed Ai. Maybe Cindi would be her friend soon...

Looking in the mirror, Ai once again admired her birthday gifts. Birthday's were also new! Bill had declared that Saturday was her one week birthday, and everyone was there for the party. Parties were new, and wonderful! There had been music, food (although not Ai food, and she had been told by Bill not to ask), games, and presents! Presents were fun! They were things you were given, that you didn't have to give back! Until then, she had been wearing outfits of Betty's that her sister would want back at some point. Now, however, she had wonderful clothing that was hers!

Ai stood still, regarding her image in the mirror. Her skin was a nice medium blue with a tinge of grey today, Bill having fed her last night. Shortish black hair framed her thin face, large black eyes looking back with a smile that matched that of her dark blue lips. The thin body was partially covered by what Betty had called a "sun dress", light green in color and held up by two small tied shoulder straps. She loved it, and it was hers! Ai spun again, the bottom of the dress flying up, revealing that indeed it was the only thing she was wearing. Clothing ... bothered her, but dresses like this were almost like wearing nothing.

There was a flash of sun on metal, and smiling Ai stopped her spinning and fingered the small gold locket and chain around her neck. Bill ... Bill, her Bill, had given it to her. Inside the golden heart, there was a small picture of him. No longer need she go anywhere without her Bill. He was always with her!

That thought made her want to look at him again. Spinning around, Ai quickly ran to Betty's bed and threw herself onto it, rolling over onto her back. Her thin fingers worked the catch on the locket, and with a happy sigh Ai looked at Bill.

Bill was love.

He also was your normal, somewhat geeky and maybe a bit overweight brown haired fourteen year old boy, but Ai saw more than that. She saw his soul. And, she thought, he saw hers. Maybe, in fact, he GAVE Ai her soul! He gave her life, after all. Life, and happiness. Love. Friendship. Kisses.

Julie was also love...

The sound of a car door slamming broke into her contemplation of love. There ... should not be a car door slamming. Bus came first, with Bill and Betty and Julie and Jenny, THEN car doors, first with Mom then later Dad. There should be no car door! Jumping up, Ai ran to the bedroom window and looked out over the front lawn.

There was a red car in the driveway.

The family had no red car.

Stranger!

There was a stranger!

What were the rules? Bill had given her rules. Things to do in time of danger.

1. Look and see where the stranger was.

Ai looked and saw the head of a woman walking past the front of the house, towards the front door. No!

2. Decide which hiding place was the easiest to go to without being seen, and go there.

She couldn't get to any! Ai couldn't go across the street to Julie's house, as the stranger was there! She couldn't go to the basement, or even flee the house to the shelter as the front door was right at the bottom of the stairs and there was a big window there! She was trapped!

The doorbell rang...

The school bus came to an air braked stop, the doors swung open, and two teens and two almost teens exited. Doors closed, the bus drove off. Another school day was done.

Bill looked down at his feet. About two inches of snow had fallen since that morning, it looked like. Wonderful. While this was Julie's driveway, most likely he'd end up helping shovel it as well as his own. He couldn't even ask for money, as they were friends. Not that he minded, naturally, and it wasn't much snow, but still...

"Bill!"

His sister's voice brought his head up, gaze following her finger towards their house across the street. There was a car in the driveway, and a stranger walking around holding something.

That was bad.

"Do you know her?" Julie asked, both hands holding onto Bill's right arm. Bill glanced at Betty, who shook her head.

"Don't know her. What should we do, Bill?"

"We go over and drive her away!" Jenny stated. "Man, you three are wimps!" The twelve year old shook her head at them, shifted her book bag on her back, and started across the street. Chuckling, Bill, then the others, followed.

The evil stranger in question was a rather pretty young woman, maybe college aged, maybe older. Asian features could be seen behind her large glasses, and she was dressed in typical Buffalo winter gear chosen for comfort and not fashion: knit hat, bulky winter coat, and heavy boots. The tracks from those boots were all around the front and side of the house, although she had stayed on the un-shoveled sidewalk and driveway. In her hands, lacking gloves now shoved into coat pockets, was some small electrical device that looked like a cross between a cell phone and a voltage meter. She was moving it around and staring intently at the display. Jenny led the group around the car and up behind her.

"Who are you!"

The woman jumped.

She did not, though, run, or act as if she was doing anything wrong. That was a good sign, Bill supposed. If anything good could be said about strangers in this time and place. Seeing the kids, the woman looked relieved, and, putting her strange instrument in her pocket, spoke.

"Oh! Hi! Who are you? Do you know who lives here, and when they'll be home?"

Jenny took charge. The last to be let in on the secret of Ai, Julie's younger sister had thrown herself into the idea of protecting their new friend with the same dedication she put into dancing. A lifetime of having to compete with her talented sibling had caused Jenny to always strive to be her equal. Surprisingly, she usually achieved that, wiping out the two years head start. Practice. Perfection. That was her mantra. Now to that she added a third 'P': Protection.

"Mommy said not to talk to strangers!"

Bill raised an eyebrow at the girl. The voice coming out was childish, nothing like her normal speech. Jenny's posture also now resembled an elementary school kid, more reflecting her diminutive size, even shorter than Julie's four feet, than reality. Her eyes looked scared, as if this woman before them was a child molester.

"Oh, um ... of course! That's smart of your mommy!" Now there was worry in the stranger's voice. Things were way off script. Her eyes turned to Bill, "obviously" the older of the four, and her hand fumbled in her coat pocket. "OK, just a second ... here!" She pulled out and handed a business card to Bill, who showed it to the others.

"Paranormal Research of Buffalo"

Fuck. Bill's mind raced. His father's mistake of the previous week, letting slip something innocent about Ai during a poker game, was indeed coming back to bite them. He loved his dad, and respected him, but secretive he was not. Mom wouldn't even tell Dad what the kids were getting for Christmas. Bill looked back at the woman, face full of all the disbelief and scorn he could fake.

"'PROB'? You're kidding me."

"No! We're a serious group! Oh, my name is Tammy, by the way! We heard something about a ghost or something at this house, and as I was driving this way today thought I'd try and talk to the people! Is it your house?" She looked them over. Obviously, at least some of them were siblings. Jenny shrank back behind Bill, clutching his coat.

"Mommy said not to tell anyone things like that! Strangers want to hurt us! Julie, call Mommy!"

Now the woman was frightened. This was a misunderstanding she did NOT want to get involved in!

"Um, no, don't, I'm sorry I'm frightening you! I'll be going! Give your parents the card, and have them call me!" She almost ran to her car, taking such a large detour around the kids that she actually went down the passenger side of her vehicle and around the back to get to the driver's door. The car roared to life, jerked forward four feet, causing the kids to jump, before screeching to a halt as the frazzled woman forgot to put it in reverse. This wasn't her day! A few seconds later she was out on the road ... then gone.

Bill put his hand on Jenny's hat covered head, rubbing it back and forth while grinning at the girl.

"Good work!"

"I always wanted to try that," she replied, expression smug. Julie gave her sister a quick hug, then looked at Bill.

"We have to check on Ai!"

Ai wasn't in the Den.

"Betty, check the basement. Jenny, the back yard. I'll go upstairs!" Bill quickly moved into the living room, not waiting for replies. Julie took her jacket off and said she'd search down here, but Bill was already at the stairway. Ai was somewhere, hiding, probably scared. He reached the top almost before he had started.

"Ai! It's Bill! It's safe!"

There was a rustle from his bedroom to the left. Rushing in, Bill's eyes immediately saw the closed closet door. Very slowly, he walked up to it.

"Ai, it me. It's OK. She's gone. You can come out now."

The sound of moving clothes hangers came from within, followed by a pitiful moan.

"Bill?"

He opened the door, and saw a shaking, terrified Ai standing among his shirts. Stretching out his arms, Bill only had to wait a moment before she threw her cold body against him.

"Bill!"

"Did you find her?!"

"Yes!" Footsteps pounded on the wooden stairs, and in a moment the three girls surrounded the pair in the bedroom. Ai's head was buried in Bill's coat covered chest, his hands gently caressing her smooth, icy skin. Both Betty and Jenny blushed at the intimacy of the moment.

"Is she OK?" Betty asked. Her blush intensified as Julie moved behind Ai to press against her, making a hugging Ai sandwich. Not even considering how this looked to the youngsters, Bill nodded.

"She's fine. Frightened, but fine. Just needs some attention now."

"Um ... right." Betty knew where this was going. She turned to Jenny. "Let's go shovel the driveways."

"Wait, what?" Her oldest friend didn't hear what she just heard. Betty grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the room.

"I said, let's shovel!"

Jenny let herself be half pulled down the stairs before she realized what was going to happen. She stopped.

"Wait, you mean ... those three..." Betty nodded, pulling her arm again to get them away from the not closed bedroom before they could overhear anything. "Whoa..."

"Yeah..."

Julie did remember to close the bedroom door, although her mind was only half aware of doing so. Being with Ai made you ... focus on her, and perhaps even more so on what she was focused on. Which was always Bill...

Bill was nude already, his clothing in a pile at his feet. Ai pressed against him as Julie walked up behind, shedding her own clothing. Nothing was said ... nothing needed to be said. Bill lightly kissed the whimpering blue grey creature, hands running over her smooth skin. She was still wearing the sundress, and Julie found herself aching to remove it and see Ai's perfect body. She had to be nude first, though. There was no reason, but that's how it had to be. Sweater now on the floor, revealing small well form breasts unencumbered by a bra, Julie's jeans and panties soon followed. She never thought she'd be the type of girl to go to school braless, but Ai was changing her. Making Julie more ... sensual.