Dedication: I would like to dedicate this fic to Rachel Dawson of Rachel's Imagination. If it wasn't for her, I would not have continued the series. So anyway, this one's for you, Rachel!
Thanx: As always I would like to thank Don Berry and AkikoKF for critiquing all my fics.
Trini Kwan sat across the table from me at Erine's Juice Bar in Angel Grove California. I tried to study the expression on her oval shaped face as she stared past me toward the end of the room. Her dark eyes were narrowed and her lips were a thin line. " What's wrong?"
She looked at me, startled. " I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Now I knew something was wrong. Trini's a straight A student and rarely spaces out like that.
" I wanted to know what was bothering you."
She tilted her head as if pointing in a direction. I glanced where she had been staring. Billy Cranston was there with a brunette I had seen in my Science class that afternoon. Her name was Margerrite Fenton and she had gotten switched into our class because of a schedule change. When she introduced herself, she'd called herself Marge. She seemed pretty nice.
She and Billy were laughing. It seemed like they were having a good time. Then I saw Trini's look. Ok, I thought, them having a good time is not a good thing.
Bad. This was bad. Then I remembered a project she and Billy had been working on. " Trini, how's the tracking device coming?" " We never finished it." " What!?" I exclaimed, totally surprised," why not? You started it two weeks ago!" " Billy had to help Marge with homework. She's really good at science and computers." Uh-oh. A rival for Trini. Someone who was good at technology and Billy speech. I said carefully, so as not to encur her wrath, " Do you think you're jealous?" She stared into space for a second," Yes." I was shocked. Trini's not the type of person to get jealous, but then again, everyone's human.
Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. I'm not human. Well not completely. My mother was alien and my father is Mr. Kwan, Trini's father; we're half-sisters.
Until a month ago, I had been living in a shack with my aunt Dulcea. Then one afternoon, my friends and I had gone to my house to find her dead. She'd been murdered by Dopplegangers, footsoilders of Ahriman.
Ahriman. The one who wants to destroy Earth. The most evil being I have ever seen.
There are eight of us with the Ninjetti power. Its our only weapon against Ahriman. Dulcea's magical fire gave it to us. She'd commanded it to before she died.
"Hey," said Rocky, walking up to us," who are you guys going to the dance with?"
I inwardly groaned,"I'm going stag." I do want to ask someone, but Adam doesn't know I like him. Besides he has a girlfriend, Sara Dias.
"Me too," Trini said.
"What? You exotic beauties don't have dates?"
"Correct," I said," What does he win, Trini?"
"A trip to Hawaii," she said playing along.
"Yeaaaaa!" Rocky cheered," I won a trip to Hawaii!"
The next night, Trini and I walked over to the Youth Center for the dance. We were late. We didn't really care. What if we didn't want to go there and see the guys we like dance with other women? We walked in the hallway; I saw a poster on the wall. It read:
Come jam the night away at the Teen Club! Come party!
It had an address and telephone number to call. Then I saw a poster advertising the dance. I looked for the sponsers. Teen Club was one on the list.
"Hey, Trini, look." I showed her the poster.
"Cool, maybe we can go there afterward."
"Maybe."
"Well hello lovely ladies," said Mr. Kaplan, the school principle,"You both look smashing tonight." Well I must admit, I thought we looked great. Trini was wearing a yellow sundress and I was wearing a silver sequin sleeveless dress.
"Thank you," we said politely. But I knew there was more to it than just compliments.
"Could uh, you ladies do me a favor?"
"Sure Mr. Kaplan," Trini said.
" Here are flyers for the Teen Club. I need them passed around to every student that's on this list." He handed us the flyers and the list.
" Why the people on the list?" I asked.
"Because they don't belong to the Teen Club. The Teen Club executives thought it would be rude to pester their members."
"Oh, ok, Mr. Kaplan. You can count on us," Trini said confidently.
"I know." The principle walked off.
"Now we won't have to sit there and drink punch and mope," Trini whispered to me.
"Yep." I smiled. This was a good distraction.
I passed out almost thirty flyers, before I spotted Adam and Sara at the punch table. They were laughing. Now I know how Trini felt yesterday. Jealousy is a terrible emotion to feel. It can bring out the worst in people. I felt bile in my throat. I swallowed. Hate burned like a wild fire inside me. I saw petite Sara with her dark complextion, spagetti strap black dress, thick black hair and dark round eyes. That only made the flames get more oxygen. I'm the opposite of little miss Sara. I'm five seven and I have long black hair that flows to my rear. I'm Asian and I don't wear spagetti strap dresses. I hate spagetti strap dresses. I abhor spagetti strap dresses.
Okay, I really don't abhor them, but I was pretty mad.
"Hey," I said casually," Here are some flyers about the Teen Club." I handed a flyer to both of them. "See ya around."
Adam smiled," Thanks."
I tried my best to sound sweet, but I don't know if I succeeded.
I saw Trini and walked over to her. "I'm done, are you?"
"Yep," she said," I gave Billy one. He was on the list."
"What about Marge?"
"She's already a member. She said she and Billy are going there in little while."
"I gave both Adam and Sara a flyer."
"Can we leave now?"
"Yea." I said remembering my feelings when I saw Adam and Sara.
I put the list and some extra flyers on my bed. I lied down and looked blankly at my fan for who knows how long. I picked up the list and stared at one the executive names; it was a weird name: Namirha. Then I tried to make up words from this guy's name. Mira. Ana. Nam. Ham. Then I looked at it backwords. I gasped. I wrote it on a piece of paper just to make sure. "TRINI!"
"What?"
"Come quick!"
She ran into my room," What's wrong?"
"Look at this sponser's name." I pointed to Namirha.
"So?"
"So spell it backwords. What does it say?"
"Ohmygosh! It spells Ahriman!"
"Namirha is the top executive at the Teen Club. And he sponsors the dance to get other kids to join."
"So the dance that they dance there is their last." Trini began to run out of the room.
"Trini wait!" I yelled.
"What?" she stopped running.
"You said Marge wasn't on the list. Billy and her are going to the Teen Club." I swallowed. "Trini, Marge is a Doppleganger."