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"Oh. My. Gawd. I can't believe that Josh asked Casi out!" screamed Jess. The other girls in our little group screamed along with her, followed by a rapid release of questions, such as "When's the date?" and "How's his ex taking it?"

I sighed. I was the only one in our group that didn't have a boyfriend. As they jabbered away, I walked home alone. Like normal. The sky slowly dimmed as I walked the half-mile walk, since I had left late from school. How was I going to explain to my parents? Detention, again, for something I did not do. It was probably one of my so-called friends.

They always said I was 'lucky' for being allowed to hang out with them. That was crap. They treated me like I was nothing, a nobody with nothing on their mind. They were more mindless zombies than I. All they talked about was boys, dates, and clothes. Okay, I admit, that's more than a one-track mind, but....

I had to stop thinking about this stuff, for I had arrived home. At home I was required to be not seen and not heard. I knocked on the door as was mandatory for when I was late, and Kera opened the door. "You're late," she said bluntly. "Mother's angry." I got inside as quick as I could and tried to escape to my safe haven of a room.

"Arasil Jupiter Smith! Get here right now!" shouted my mother in her not-so-subtle southern accent. I dropped my bag-pack by my door resignedly, and went out to the living room where my two siblings and my parents were sitting, watching some nonsense show. My mother glared at me while my father read a book on car mechanics. It was upside down, as usual. He didn't care to notice, though.

My parents weren't my real parents, but my adopted ones. They had a pair of twins; a boy , Chris, and Kera, the girl. "Arasil, you were late. Again. What was it this time? Was your bike ran over by rabid wiena-dogs? Did your teachers lock ya in a storage closet?" My mother smiled wickedly, for she actually knew what had happened. "Or did ya get detention for throwin' a rock at Joshua Hoben?"

"I didn't throw a rock at him!" I immediately protested.

Mother held a finger up, signaling for me to be quiet. "In addition to havin' to eat supper cold, you'll have to clean Chis 'n Kera's room." My father nodded in agreement.

"But I didn't even do anything--" my mother raised an eyebrow. It wouldn't be good to challenge her now. Well, when was a good time to challenge her? I sat down silently at the supper table, eating the mushroom stew cold, while the chaos of children's television surrounded me.

- - -

At first, I thought maybe the screams were of my siblings fighting, and my parents yelling at them to shut up. But once I had exited my room to find some ear plugs, and saw that nobody was in the house, I knew something was wrong. The screams' origin was from outside the house, not inside. I quickly dressed and rushed outside.

The first thing I noticed were strange-shaped shadows, like if they were from some malformed creature. Then the shadows started to rise out of the ground, and gained glowing yellow eyes. I immediately went back into the house, hoping that would be safe. But the shadow-creatures were skulking around our back-yard and were starting to gain an interest in the glass doors between me and them.

Where could I go? The outside wasn't safe, and inside wasn't for very longer. Nothing could kill shadows. I decided to see where my siblings were, and found them shivering in their beds. "Come here, Chris, Kera." I urged. They ran towards me, and stopped shivering in my arms. The best place that I could think of to hide in was in the basement tornado shelter. So I rushed downstairs and set them in there with a spare blanket I found and some chips, just in case the attack lasted a while.

As I ran upstairs, thoughts were streaming in my head, in ways I could get rid of the creatures, and what I could do to keep the little ones and myself safe. My parents were no where to be found, and honestly I was grateful for that. They weren't fools - well, mostly. They probably found a safe haven as I did to hide from the creatures.

As I rummaged through some cupboards, trying to find imperishable food and bottled water, my hand bumped against something cool and metallic. My father's gun! This should be able to harm those creatures, even kill. Half my mind urged me to go out in the street and start taking down as many as I could, but my sensible half kept hold. I only had a few bullets. In a matter of seconds I'd be creature-food.

In one hand I held the gun, in the other a grocery bag filled with food and some bottled water. I rushed downstairs, and closed the door, hoping that would hold back the creatures a bit. But when I reached the tornado shelter, shock made me drop both the gun - my only hope of defense, and the food I had brought for the little ones. They would no longer need it, though. Two shadow-creatures stood in the shelter, sparkling shapes in their hand.

Their hearts...

Although I hadn't really liked my family that much, I hadn't wished this upon them. Especially the little ones. Chris and Kera's bodies were already fading away. My safe haven was a false hope after all. My parents were probably already gone too. Although I hadn't wished it, a tear trickled down my cheek, and I sat down on the cold, concrete floor. The hearts that the creatures held disappeared in bursts of darkness, and two more shadows appeared. I could only stare ahead as a creature stalked forward, deciding me for it's prey.

It's claw-like hand pulled back, and then thrust forward into my chest. I had hoped for a painless death - or whatever one called it - but it was full of agony. I could really feel the claw scraping around inside me, searching for this one thing that all the creatures wanted. I could remember now, the names of those who preyed upon the hearts of men.

The Heartless.

The Heartless Shadow was sill trying to find my heart, causing me all sorts of pain.

No....

There was nothing I could do.... my energy had all but left me.

No.... heart?

The Shadow pulled it's hand out of my chest, and I sighed deeply. The pain was still there. But... why had the Heartless not taken my heart? It seemed like they were congregating amongst themselves. I still couldn't stand, or move, or anything. Just - all of a sudden - the Heartless faced me, and disappeared into the same orbs of darkness that had claimed the hearts of my little brother and sister.

My energy suddenly returned, just like the Heartless disappearing. I stood up and looked around, and listened for more screams. They were all gone. Either the Heartless had left or they had destroyed everybody. I turned around quickly to rush upstairs to scope the damage, and find any survivors. But a man in a black coat stood in my way. I couldn't see his face well, it was shaded in darkness by his hood.

"My dear, we have been searching for you," he said.

"For me? What, I'm not special."

"But you are," said the man. "We both are the same, nothing." I grimaced at this old bullying remark. The man removed his hood, allowing me to see his face. His eyes were a creepy shade of gold, very close to the Heartless', and his hair was striking silver. I couldn't help it - all I could do was stare.

"My name is Xemnas," he said. "If you want answers about all of this, come."

A few tendrils of darkness streamed up from the floor, and a bubble grew from them, until it was large enough for a person to walk through. I had no choice; nothing was left for me here. I walked into the darkness.