Eskarine heard the phone ring once again and decided not to answer it. She 
yawned as she finished dressing for the day and ran a hand through her short 
brown hair. Her white cashmere sweater was a bit much for summer weather, but 
she didn't plan on leaving the house today and found it suitable. She walked 
over to her dresser and picked up the simple gold band resting on a silver 
tray-an import from Peru. She turned it over and over, enjoying its cool, 
smooth surface under her fingertips. Last night she had the nightmare again, 
only this time it was Twilmer who was watching as Helium was hit. This role 
reversal scared her. The phone was ringing again and she continued to ignore 
it. Eskarine slipped the simple band onto her finger and admired it as the 
morning sun glinted off of its surface.

The answering machine turned on and Eskarine listened to the ranting of her 
manager only half interested, "Eskarine, that design you turned in is off the 
charts! I've never seen anything sell as fast as this one has. I'm sure if 
you look out of your window, you will see it everywhere. It's hotter than 
those Prada bags! Anyways, I'll have your cut of the money sent to you today 
and I'll let you have a small break before you're next design is due. A small 
break. Anyways, I better go now. Call me!" Eskarine rolled her eyes and 
strolled out of her bedroom. She passed the tapestry in the small hallway 
that connected her living room and bedroom. Egyptian, hand-woven, and one of 
a kind. The kind of decoration that Eskarine valued above all others.

She entered the kitchen and fixed herself an omelet. As it was frying, she 
started her computer up. After a few minutes, both the omelet and the 
computer were ready and Eskarine checked her email as she ate her meal with 
small, measured bites, savoring the spices and flavors she had added. Most of 
them were alerting her to new PWO mails she had received. She deleted those 
as well as a few spam messages and forward messages she hated. Out of the 
messages left, one caught her eye. It was from Drix though it wasn't a PWO 
mail and was addressed from late the night before. Mildly interested, she 
clicked on the message.

ooo

"Coffee, double sugar, dark," Twila commanded Geoffrey as he entered her room 
to bring her breakfast. She stared at the bacon and threw it out. Too 
fattening. She picked up the plum and nibbled at it. She rubbed her bloodshot 
eyes and yawned. She had been up until the wee hours of the morning talking 
to Demetrius and her body was regretting that decision. She could smell the 
coffee brewing downstairs, which slightly perked her up. She looked at the 
phone and half hoped that it would ring. She then froze. What was she 
thinking? Hadn't she learned her lesson last time? Why was she having these 
feelings again?

She set down her plum and closed her eyes. She had lost her appetite. She 
couldn't be...

ooo

Ralph was an early riser and was up by seven AM despite the fact that he 
hadn't gone to bed until nearly three AM. He didn't really need much sleep as 
he wasn't able to exert himself physically enough to tire him out. He 
carefully settled himself in his chair and retrieved his laptop, silently 
sipping the coffee his parents had brought over for him. Despite the fact 
that he was in his mid 20s, he was forced to live with his parents while he 
looked for an apartment that could comidate his special needs. He sighed as 
he accessed AOL. As he did so, he heard the familiar "You've Got Mail" as a 
new message appeared on his screen. It was from Eskarine. He smiled as he 
opened it.

ooo

Emily returned from the bathroom, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. 
She grimaced at the horrid taste in her mouth and went to the kitchen to pour 
herself a glass of lemonade. she sipped it; however the acidic drink made her 
gag. She sighed and poured it down the drain as her mother came into the 
kitchen. "Emily, I can't believe you! That's the third time I've caught you 
pouring a perfectly decent drink down the drain. We're not made of money!" 
Her mother glared at her and Emily glared right back. "You're father is 
working overtime at the office tonight," she said absently to herself.

"That man's not my father," Emily whispered. Her mother didn't hear her, 
which Emily was thankful for.

"Anyways, I'm out to spend the day with some friends. I should be back around 
dinner time. Don't spend all day on the computer." Her mom left in an outfit 
that suggested that she wasn't meeting with the sewing circle. Emily merely 
shook her head and suppressed this memory as she grabbed a glass of water and 
went upstairs to turn the computer on.

ooo

Demetrius awoke on cloud nine. Everything just felt much brighter. He even 
forgot the arguments he and his friends had shared. Ben stretched in the bed 
opposite his and grinned as he saw Demetrius' star struck gaze. "I see 
someone has finally been hit with cupid's arrow." Ben grinned up at his 
friend.

Demetrius nodded and fought the urge to call Twila once more. She probably 
wasn't even awake yet. He looked up at the clock and noticed that the library 
should be open. "I'm going to go retrieve my laptop," he announced with a 
slight glare at Ben.

"Wait, Demetrius," Ben called. Demetrius looked back at him with his head 
cocked to the side. "I just wanted to say good luck."

"Thanks man," Demetrius smiled. He left the dorm and headed for the library, 
which was really close by. It was a beautiful day and he wouldn't have minded 
spending it outside reading the latest Misty Dew Romance novel, however 
Twilmer and the party were more important to him than a day of relaxation. He 
had spent yesterday reading the book Twilmer had suggested to him and the two 
had discussed it on the phone last night. Twila still held a rather large 
dislike for romance novels, but she had said that this one hadn't been as 
painful a read as she had predicted. The thin boy smiled, closing his eyes as 
a slight breeze ruffled his hair. He watched as butterflies drifted between 
buttercups and grinned.

A wayward bee suddenly flew past and he jumped, falling over. He grimaced as 
he landed on his knees. He tried to stand, however his knees burned. He 
looked down to see blood beginning to seep through the wounds on his legs. He 
muttered under his breath as he walked to the library. Hopefully his laptop 
had been turned into the 'lost and found' area behind the reception counter 
so that he wouldn't have to look for it. The librarian was also fond of him, 
which would probably make the trip even quicker if he was lucky. He walked 
past the library to the school store and picked up a box of band aids. He 
took two out and covered the cuts on his legs. This would make do for now 
until he could get his laptop.

He entered the library and walked right up to the counter. "Excuse me, Mrs. 
Endall, has anyone turned in a ThinkPad brand laptop?" he asked.

"Yours is the one with the floral skin, right?" Mrs. Endall asked, slightly 
amused.

"Yeah, that's the one!" Demetrius exclaimed, relieved that he wouldn't have 
to search the library.

"That laptop must be rather popular. That kid on the soccer team retrieved 
it. What's his name again? Anyways, I thought he had given it back to you." 
Mrs. Endall looked up at Demetrius over her horn rimmed glasses.

"Jason?" Demetrius looked puzzled.

"Yeah, that's the one. He said that some guy named said that a friend-I'm 
assuming that's you-had lost it, so he came to get it. He left a little while 
ago."

"Thanks for the info," Demetrius waved and started to run out, however his 
hurt knees stopped him from going far and he started to limp away.

"Hey, a new Misty Dew novel just came in, are you interested?" Mrs. Endall 
called after him.

"Not today, but thank you," he called back.

"He's not interested in the new novel? Perhaps he finally found himself a 
girlfriend," Mrs. Endall snorted at her joke and turned back to her work.

Demetrius limped outside and looked around. At the large fountain right 
outside the library, he noticed Jason sitting and smirking at him. "I was 
wondering when you'd notice me here." He stood up; Demetrius' laptop tucked 
firmly under one arm.

"Oh, umm, thanks for retrieving my laptop for me. Can I have it back?" 
Demetrius asked in his normal, calm voice despite the fact that he was really 
annoyed at the situation.

"That depends," Jason took Demetrius' laptop and casually held it over the 
water, "on whether or not you'll be using it anymore."

"Jason, what are you doing?" Demetrius calm voice broke and the anger began 
to show through.

"What does it look like I'm doing? Every day you get on this thing and the 
soccer team suffers. As much as I hate to admit it, we need you. Our first 
game is in a few days and if you're not there, we'll lose and if we lose, 
then the girls won't be there to give us our victory rewards, understand?"

"This isn't like you at all. You've never been this cruel before," Demetrius 
looked crossly up at his so called friend.

"I also like messing with your fruity little head, small as it is." Jason's 
smirk pierced through Demetrius' kind exterior. He ran forward and lashed out 
at Jason. Jason, in his surprise, dropped the laptop. Demetrius managed to 
grab the corner of it before it hit the water as he was right there and 
surprised himself at his reflexes. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Jason 
looked up at him.

"I'm sick of taking your crap. You've always teased me and badgered me, but 
you've never resorted to destroying my personal property before. How could 
you sink so low?" The quick movements Demetrius had made finally took their 
toll on his hurt knees as he stumbled.

Jason just looked down at where Demetrius was kneeling and sneered. "I will 
see you at the game." With that, Jason left Demetrius on the ground 
humiliated and furious.

ooo

Pokémon World Online

Part 18: PWO Corp's Secret

Disclaimer: I own Twilmer, Helium, Em, and the idea, but most of the other 
characters are owned by themselves or their creators. I definitely don't own 
Pokémon or this game would be a reality. Now it's time for plot, plot, plot. 
I hoped you enjoyed that loooong break from anything plot worthy I had going 
for the longest time. Interesting note, in the RPG this fic is loosely based 
on, Trellaine is my love interest in a way, though I use that term loosely 
and in this fic, he isn't. Why is he here? He initiates more than he probably 
realizes. Anyways, Trellaine belongs to Chas. And you will get your 
Helium/Twilmer, so don't worry, he won't intrude on that. Drix also isn't 
getting much IRL time now because it's a plot point. Yep. I dun wanna reveal 
too much, so I'm being secretive. And I don't own AOL or ThinkPad (tis my 
laptop brand).

Demetrius gets more IRL time because he's special. This part is dedicated to 
Moya, owner of Ira, for spoiling me :3

ooo

Twilmer was surprised to find Aura and Drix in deep conversation when she 
arrived at the spot they had agreed to meet the night before. Twilmer was 
surprised to see Salamance there as well. She was resting next to Drix. 
Sparia was behind the two doing stretching exercises. Emily23 was also there, 
grooming Max with a soft bristled brush. Her Bunneary was helping with her 
own small brush. Max seemed quite content, yawning. "You guys are up early. 
usually I have to wait around for you guys for hours." She then looked around 
and noticed that the group was minus one pink robe-clad young man. "Where's 
Helium?"

Drix looked up at the yellow, furry admin and shrugged. "It seems his lover 
should know where he is."

"I am NOT his lover," Twilmer glared at Drix and dared him to say more. 
Victoria, meanwhile, walked over to Sparia, examining the techniques she was 
using and attempted to emulate her without her knowing. Sparia simply ignored 
the Weavile.

"Whatever," Drix reached over and patted his Salamance on the head. "Anyways, 
I'm afraid I won't be able to join everyone today. I have some business to 
take care of somewhere else. I'll probably be able to catch up with everyone 
when you get done taking care of business."

"What? Our party's going to be down one. I really wanted to show Satoshi what 
a capable, and I use that term lightly, party I had gathered," Twilmer said 
slightly disappointed.

"Our party's not going to be down one. I managed to find an old friend who 
was willing to come with us to fill in for Drix." Aura explained. As soon as 
the words were out of her mouth, a portal opened next to her and a mage 
bearing an orange and his Haunter stepped out.

"Orange anyone?" he offered.

"Trellaine? I haven't seen you in ages!" Twilmer grinned and ran over to the 
heavily robed mage.

"Twilmer, I'd say you have grown, but that seems rather inappropriate at the 
time." He pulled out another orange and tossed it to Haunter, who began 
juggling them. Emily23 laughed from where she was grooming Max.

"Humorous as always, I see," Twilmer said mildly irritated, "but you're not 
into hacking anymore, right?"

"Why Twilmer, I am shocked at your accusations. I never hacked, I merely 
changed some coding for the better," he laughed good-naturedly.

Twilmer shook her head. "Trellaine used to be one of our lead programmers, so 
he'd probably be more valuable than Drix at any rate."

Drix turned, loosening the sword in his sheath, and glared at Twilmer who 
smirked at him. "What's that supposed to mean? And what do you mean 'was'?"

"I finished the main frame and there wasn't much left to do. I made some 
modifications-"

"Hacked," Twilmer interrupted.

"-modifications as I went, which led me to come into a rough spot with 
Twilmer. She grew to love me, though, as does everyone," Trellaine continued, 
unphased by Twilmer's interruption.

"Whatever, I'm out." With that, Drix climbed on Salamance's back and flew off 
into the early morning mist.

"If he wasn't a top ten member, I would so kick him out of the party," 
Twilmer mumbled under her breath. This statement made Aura very angry, but 
she kept silent.

Emily23 finished grooming Max and put the grooming brushes back into her 
inventory. "Hi, I'm Emily23!" she introduced, calmer than Twilmer would have 
expected.

"Hello there, orange?" Trellaine offered. Emily23 took it excitedly and began 
working on taking the peel off. Trellaine smiled and watched as his Haunter 
floated around his head. Trellaine was a pretty laid back mage and loved to 
laugh heartily when the situation arose. He didn't force jokes, which Twilmer 
greatly appreciated, though she wasn't overly fond of the mage. She did 
respect him, though, which was perhaps an even greater honor.

"Where's Helium?" Twilmer asked, almost using his real name. "He should have 
been here by now. He said he was getting his laptop back early this morning 
on the phone last night. Well, whatever is keeping him, he better hurry up or 
else we'll have to leave him behind. I plan on finishing this mission as 
quickly as possible."

Aura looked over at Twilmer. "You talked to him all last night?"

"Not all of it, just until around three AM," Twilmer answered matter-of-
factly.

"Ah, have you gotten over your old fear of commitment? I always knew you were 
destined to get a new boyfriend," Trellaine said jovially. Twilmer shot him a 
death glare, or as much of one that a Pichu was capable of giving.

"He is not my boyfriend. I promised myself I wouldn't let that happen again," 
Twilmer spat out, which didn't faze Trellaine in the least. He was used to 
dealing with the admin's temper from the few times they had met before.

"But you love him, don't you Miss Pichu?" Emily23 asked, bouncing up and down 
like a rabid fan girl.

"What?" Twilmer turned to face her, cheeks sparking. "What gives you that 
idea?" However, Twilmer never got to find out the answer to this as Helium 
appeared before them, Vileplume at his side. "Hey, Helium!" Twilmer greeted, 
a little too enthusiastically as the others noted.

"Hi." Helium replied shortly, making Twilmer stop short. She took a step back 
and scowled. "Are we ready for this mission?" Aura looked from Twilmer to 
Helium and shook her head.

"Yes, we were just waiting on your late arse. Anyways, come on, we're burning 
daylight." Twilmer turned and lead the group. An uncomfortable silence hung 
in the air only broken by the sound of their footsteps. They reached PWO 
corp. and entered the doors. Aura was a little wary of coming back to the 
headquarters as the top ten normally made visits daily to the building and 
many of the top ten she would rather not see at the moment. She kept close 
ties to them, but she couldn't shake off the odd feeling that made her uneasy 
about the whole mission. She looked down at Twilmer, who seemed to be 
cheering up, being in her old place of employment, and shook her head. Stupid 
feelings. It was just because it was nearing the anniversary of...

Aura snapped out of her thoughts as they reached the reception counter. "I'm 
here to see the council that placed me in charge of this glitch mission. I 
would like some more information on what is truly going on," Twilmer reported 
to the tiny man behind the desk. He had a dagger strapped to his side and 
wore a simple suit.

"Alright, Twilmer. Are you doing okay?" he asked, not having seen Twilmer 
since she set out on her mission several weeks ago.

"More or less, Akagi. As you can see, I managed to put a pretty decent party 
together. I have Aura and a top ten member in my party, which I would say 
isn't bad." Twilmer smiled in a way that mirrored the prestigious position 
she held within PWO.

"A top ten member and Aura, eh? Not bad. Anyways, your meeting is on floor 
14. There should already be some suits there waiting for you." Akagi typed at 
the computer in front of him and nodded. "Yep, some of Mr. Tajiri's top 
suits. They appear to have the info you're looking for. Good luck!" Akagi 
waved to Twilmer as she and her party boarded the elevator next to the 
reception desk.

"Floors fourteen through twenty are only used for serious meetings. There 
must be a huge break through," Twilmer said more to herself than any of her 
party members. Helium stared straight ahead, lost in his thoughts, as Aura 
shifted uncomfortably, unable to shake off the feeling that something bad was 
about to happen. They reached floor fourteen and stepped out of the elevator. 
Trellaine held his guide-a long pole topped with an orb to help with the 
concentration of magic attacks- tightly as if he too sensed danger. Emily23 
stuck close to the group, looking around nervously; Bunneary and Max right 
behind her. Helium walked forward with no emotion on his face. Aura had 
unlocked her katanas with a swift motion that went undetected. Twilmer walked 
forward with dignity and a sense of great awe.

Upon entering the room, Twilmer was quite surprised to find only two suits 
chatting casually with their backs turned to the door. There was no grand 
meeting and no files or any items as far as she could see. What was going on? 
Twilmer cleared her throat and the suits turned. "We're here for the 
information meeting I requested."

"Ah yes, Twilmer. We have much information to share with you. It seems your 
unusual log in schedule has made the news lately," one of the suits 
commented.

"Yeah, and?" Twilmer tapped her small foot impatiently. The suits stood, 
walking over to her. Aura moved in front of Twilmer faster than a high level 
grace master and pulled out her katanas as the suits fired concealed weapons 
at her. Aura easily deflected them with her twin katanas. "What the hell?" 
Twilmer cursed, shocked at her words. Aura must have been rubbing off on her. 
then again, why wasn't her cuss word censored. More importantly, why had the 
suits just fired on her?

"You're giving PWO bad publicity," the other suit replied matter-of-factly.

"You two should be fired. I'm going to Satoshi about this!" Twilmer turned, 
however two more suits appeared behind her. Helium pulled out a powder and 
threw it forward, causing the suits to fall. Footsteps could be heard in the 
hallway as more were approaching.

"Run!" Trellaine ordered as a look of intense concentration crossed his face. 
He created a barrier around them and they ran out of the door where many 
suits were waiting, all armed.

"I need to get to Satoshi. Something is wrong here," Twilmer looked around 
dumbfounded.

"We'll take care of the suits. Just run to the elevator!" Aura commanded. 
Twilmer nodded, obeying without hesitation, and ran onto the elevator, using 
agility to keep her one step ahead of the bullets. Despite this, one still 
grazed her shoulder causing a burning pain. Behind her Victoria was running 
along, slashing at bullets in the air. Twilmer slumped in the elevator. 
Victoria, noticing her partner's pain, pushed the button for the top floor. 
Twilmer quickly got out a potion and chugged it, curing her of the pain in 
her shoulder. She watched the numbers count off as she went up. She didn't 
know what to expect and felt too betrayed to even comprehend what could be 
awaiting her.

ooo

End Part 18

I'm evil, aren't I? :3