After school--uneventful, dull, and lonely--Hebe found herself getting her shoes on. They weren't pretty, or clean, or new, but they were hers--simple white Vans, also from her vacation to Canada a few years back. It amazed Hebe that she could still fit into them, but she accepted it and moved on. After all, it wasn't like her shock was going to make her feet grow three sizes bigger spontaneously.

Gritting her teeth, she figured it would be alright if she just left a note for her mom, and if she got back first, then she would just throw it out, or something. She got on her Abercrombie hoodie (brown), and put the hood up. If people couldn't see her, and she couldn't see them, it would be easier. And she ran.

A half hour later, Hebe stopped and looked at her watch, out of breath. 7 10. She closed her eyes and looked around, her eyes flitting nervously. She didn't know this place, obviously, and she wasn't quite sure how she got here. Unlike her cousin Genie, she didn't have a photographic memory for street signs and directions. She bit her lip, swallowing hard and not knowing what to do.

"Okay, well, avoid anyone coming my way, first of all." Hebe spun around to face the opposite direction, as she began to jog back. Within seconds, she was breathing too heavily to be able to go any faster than a slow walking pace. Eventually, too, she couldn't even walk a few more steps. She stopped and leaned her hand against the wall, the other tapping at .

"," she gasped, her chest heaving, "Not again."

She wished she had a cell phone on her. Something that would let her mom know that she needed to be home that instant. A dim shadow came by, and footsteps came along with it. Without even bothering to think, she jumped out.

"Excuse me!" She choked. The person was female, with long curly hair and a pretty, high-maintenance-looking face. It irked Hebe, but she needed help right that instant. "I need--I need help, please. Can you..." And then she fell limp.

"Hey! What?! Argh. Knew I should never have moved here. Everyday's so WEIRD." Selina heaved her back to her house, not sure where else she'd be able to take the girl.

"Aaron better know what to do, or I'm going to kick him to the curb." Selina shook out a free hand and rang the doorbell delicately. It was opened by none other than Aaron, half- and out of the shower. Had Selina been any other girl, she probably would have had a bloody nose and squealed. But this was Selina, and she rolled her eyes and kicked off her high heels, one stabbing Aaron in the ankle as it flung onto the floor.

"Okay, ow." Aaron's voice showed no sign of pain, and Selina groaned as she set Hebe down on the couch. Aaron stared at her blankly.

"What, you know her or something?" Selina flipped her curled hair over her shoulder impatiently. Aaron ignored her question and bent down to inspect Hebe. As he raised his head again, smoothly in that way that Selina was jealous of because he was a boy and she was a girl, and it was a given that she should be more graceful but she wasn't, and he shrugged and sauntered into the kitchen at the back.

Selina scowled and pushed back her hair again. It was pretty and silky, but it was a to tame in the morning. Aaron wasn't coming back out, either. She sat down, massaging her sore feet, and stared at Hebe. The girl really wasn't bad-looking. She had long hair, layered, and a nice complexion. It would be fun to work with her. As Selina lifted her hand to swat away a fly, her fingers brushed Hebe's forehead.

"Hey, Aaron, she's burning up?!" Selina was really bad with health in general. She didn't catch illnesses easily, so she'd never really figured out how to take care of herself. Thus, for the rare times she did fall ill, she had Aaron and his mom to take care of her.

Aaron, of course, came strolling back out with a damp cloth and a blanket. He looked at Selina out of the corner of his eye. The look told Selina to get out of there, because this wasn't any of her business anyhow. Fuming, she retired to her bedroom.

Hours later, police sirens could be heard every so often. Selina woke up and came down from her bedroom, pushing the mask from her eyes and peeking from behind the wall to see if Aaron was still with Hebe. He was, eating an apple and sitting beside her with his long legs spread casually out on the carpet. Selina sighed, shutting the noise of the sirens out, and went back to her bedroom. She slipped the mask on and tossed for a long time, until the sirens faded away.

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[[initially written & added on april 15 09.