School the next day was normal, the same classes, same homework that seemed so much less inviting than writing a story. But hat night at dinner, James, a good friend, was telling her about how skiing sucked. Well, he was actually saying how being left behind sucked. And he was right, Meredith herself hated being ignored, and she was pretty good now about making sure it didn't happen. But it infuriated her that people would treat her friend this way, especially James. He was one of the best guys she knew! Her temper began to flare within her, something it had not done for quite a while. But her arm was glowing funny. She jumped back, almost knocking her chair over.

"Do you see that?" she was frantic, pointing to the space around her arm. Things looked vaguely pink tinted, particularly around her arm.

"See what? What's up? What are you doing?" Each of her friends reacted all at once. Meredith realized they couldn't see it, and it was fading now, as her concentration and anger faded.

"Nothing. Nevermind." Her friends were laughing, but it was normal for her to burst out like that, so they didn't think anything of it. That was wierd, she thought to herself. She couldn't get the pink stuff out fo her mind all that evening as she did homework. Then it hit her, and she exploded away from the desk.

"Holy freak! That's what it is!" Luckily, Kristi was out for the evening, because this one would be a little hard to explain. "I've got an aura! Just like the girls I've seen in my dreams!" And then it clicked. "So it IS real. I knew there was something wierd about all those dreams." She sat on the floor now, thinking it all over. She sat and began to play with her fingers as if she were using her hand excersizer. But instead of getting up ang getting it, it suddenly appeared in her hand as she reached to scratch her head.

"Whoa!" She dropped the ball as she realized it was in her hand. Then it clicked. "You mean I've got a hammerspace too??? Cool!!!" she reached in to see what else she could find... it was easy because it was just like it had been in her dreams. Not much else there, a tennis raquet, some skis, a stash of cash, a few books, and some plane tickets.

At the tickets she instantly smiled. "Long beach... six days!" She hadn't seen Katy in forever.

And then she realized that Susanne looked vaguely like Katy. She had always halfway recognized this girl in her dreams, and now she realized why. "I wonder what Katy's going to think of this all. And that explains why my dreams seem to focus on Susanne. Wierd."

But Meredith shook these thought out of her mind. Otaku or not, she still had school Monday, and a paper to write, and she needed to be ahead so she could have fun in Long Beach. She sighed as she flipped on the computer.

tbc ;-Þ