Hmmmm. This is nice. Enough to make the story different and interesting - I like the conversations and the way you included the actors, not the characters, of the matrix. Good work.

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The next morning I was woken up to the sound of pounding on the bedroom door. I quickly got up, almost falling over from the dizziness, and opened the door.
"What... what is it?"
"A young girl. She knows the truth. I'm not sure why, but I and others have a feeling you'll know what to do."
I gave Carrie a puzzled look but quickly threw on some decent clothes and ran downstairs with her. RJ was already waiting.
"Why is she here?" he asked whoever was listening.
"We think she's got what it takes to bring the girl out," Morpheus explained.
"But she's never even been in the matrix except to go to the Oracle's"
"Trust me, she knows more than you think," Morpheus responded. Again RJ just looked confused, and even though he didn't think it was a good idea, let me go. Link carefully ran the needle up through my arm as the others jacked in. The chill took over my body once again. As I was quickly dragged into the prison, I realized just how much I appreciated my life.
“She’s a young girl. 13.” Morpheus explained. It was only he, Trinity and I.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Here, we received this, early this morning.” He handed me his phone with a message on it.
“Please help me. I feel trapped. No… I know I’m trapped but I can’t figure out why. Nothing feels right. Everything feels wrong. I need out of this nightmare.” It said. I felt that familiar feeling. Even though I had never been trapped in the matrix, I still knew where she was coming from. Even reality for me felt like a nightmare. I always wondered ‘what if’. I sent her a message back.
“I can help you. All you’ve got to do is believe. Know you’re not alone. There is another life but it’s up to you to choose which you wish to live. Take the road less traveled.” She knew exactly what I meant by it too. We waited in a small alley behind her house. She had always written in her diary how she was afraid of that road. She would avoid it as often as possible when she could. The street was almost pitch black dark and very foggy. Only a small light shown from the outside of an abandoned building. She finally reached our car.
“Get in,” I said quickly. She scrambled into the car. She was a small girl. About 5’4, curly blond hair with green eyes; 100 pounds.
“Dream of going to the doctors lately?” I asked her taking out the large awkward machine.
“Yes” she said hesitantly. I placed the small glass cylinder against her skin.
“Relax” I flipped the switch and with a few moments, the small automaton wriggled inside the tube. Morpheus gave her the option of the blue or red pill and as they all did, with some hesitation, she chose the red one. We told her she may never see her family again but she just wanted out of her nightmare. We all jacked out of the matrix.
“That was amazing,” RJ exclaimed, greeting me from my sleep.
“Thank you.”
“How did you know what to do?” he asked eagerly.
“We told you just to trust her,” Keanu said looking at me with pride. The girls name was Julia but we called her Pawn. Nitro, captain of the Genesis, took her in as his own daughter. No questions were really asked that night but I know deep inside RJ was just dieing to know my little secret. I knew soon enough I’d let him in on it.



((In case you haven't noticed, the main characters are only called by their hacker names when they are in the matrix. (IE: Keanu, Carrie, Jada, me, RJ...) Morpheus is the only exception only because I feel like he deserves to be more than just another human. He is very mysterious and really doesn't have a life besides the matrix. Link will always be link and other characters such as Nitro will be called by their hacker names because more than likely you will never hear about them again.

I think I"m going to post a sneak-preview of what will come in the future.))

PREVIEW::::

I began to cry on his shoulder. I felt terrible because I knew just how bullet felt about me and how he must be feeling now. Here I was telling him how much I missed Axel when I knew he wanted me. He wanted me for himself and no one else.
“I’m so sorry” I said standing up and staggering away. My whole body still pulsated with pain. It felt as if the glass was still lodged inside. I grabbed my arms where it hurt the most and sat down on the bed. The shadows danced around me as I made my way over. I sat alone in silence for a minute. I though of where my life was at that moment. I had lost it all. I had no one I loved. They were all gone and every time I started to love again and I opened up, it all fell apart. After a few moments I felt Bullet place his hands on my shoulders.
“I know.” He whispered. And it was true. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. I still remember the day clearly. There was nothing I could do to save him but inside I always felt like there was.

I sat downstairs in the lounge just sipping on some coffee. The place was pretty quiet which was exactly what I needed at the time. After about a half hour of solitude, RJ came in.
“Hey I’ve been looking you.” He said sitting down next to me. “What you did last night was just amazing. Usually when we get people her age, they don’t want to leave what they’ve known their whole life. There is only a small window of opportunity to release people from the matrix.” He explained. Once the people become too old it is too late to get them out. I knew what I had done was difficult but I also knew the girl had to know the truth. I sort of hoped at the moment he would not ask me how I had known to do that but of course, like anyone could have predicted, he did.
“It seems as though you know so much about the matrix.” He looked at me as if trying to figure who I was just by looking. Maybe he thought by staring into my eyes past the falsehood and my charades that he could figure out my secret. I quickly turned my face.
I smiled then and got up. He didn’t follow me or try to get me to stay but as I left I heard Keanu begin to try to explain me.
“I told you that there is a lot you don’t know about her.”
“Well then, can you fill me in?” Keanu paused for a moment. Like we had discussed before, there was no good reason not to tell him about me and my previous encounters with this place.
“Maybe deep inside she feels like she belongs her. Like her soul has been her all along without the rest of her.” He got up leaving RJ to think about the statement. A very annoyed look fell upon his face. “Has she been here before?” he thought. He made his way back to his bedroom, changed, and laid down. The rooms were cold that night. Perhaps a heating malfunction of some sort. I snuggled up under the stiff blankets and tried to fall asleep but it was extremely difficult. I knew that day by day I was slowly being drawn back into Zion though I didn’t want to believe. I guess Keanu was right in that when I left all went with me except for my soul which longed… no belonged here.

Monday morning, I lay in bed. I didn’t want to get up. RJ and I were already missing school so there was really no point in going now. A multitude of thoughts ran through my head. In a way, I wanted to leave at that very second in fact I was furious with RJ for ever bringing me here but another part of me felt as if this was my home. This is where I belonged. Sure it wasn’t much but I felt like this was a part of me. I don’t know how but I brought myself to get out of bed. I sat on the edge for a few moments reminiscing and just staring into nothingness. I fixed my hair then walked into the hall. It was extremely quiet except for the bellowing metallic beings far below me. The groaning of metal echoed through the halls. I stood for a while just staring over a railing down. I wondered how on Earth it was ever possible for them to keep something like this a secret. Zion. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I quickly turned to see the possessor of the gentle touch.
“Sorry if I scarred you.” RJ explained to me.
“Oh you didn’t” I used to have such strong feelings for him now I didn’t know what I thought.
“What are you doing up this early?” he asked standing beside me.
“I went to sleep early last night… you?”
“I didn’t sleep at all.” He said slowly turning his face towards mine. I stared at him in wonderment for a moment.
“You know, you… look very…pretty without make-up.” I was surprised at this statement. Had he really taken the time out to notice I had even worn make-up?
“Th…thank you.”
“Look I…” he hesitated “…nevermind.” He quickly added.
“I’m going to go take a shower” I said through the awkward silence. I smiled then went quickly back in my room to grab my things. He stood in the same position for quite some time. As I walked past him to the bathrooms, he looked as if he wanted to speak but changed his mind. Turning on the shower, I placed my things on the shelf. Took off the clothes I had been very happy to have since they were my own, then stepped into the water. The steam slowly filled the room. As I stood there with the water running over me, I felt as if all of my problems were being washed away, never to come back. I had to have just stood there for about 20 minutes soaking in the good and letting go of the bad. The scent of the lavender filled my senses and calmed me down as well. There was no where I would have rather been than there.

After I was finished, I put on fresh clothes that smelled of detergent. I made my way to the lounge. Once in there, I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down on the couch beside Keanu.
“Good morning” I said with a smile. He just smiled back. In a way, I wanted to snuggle up to him like a big brother… no more just like my protector. I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my hands and coffee on top of them. I wasn’t dressed to impress. I had on a pair of grey sweat pants and a black t-shirt. Nobody cared though. After a few minutes I got comfortable with myself and rested my head on his shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind and knew what I meant by the gesture. He knew I had no feelings for him that way.

Jada dashed into the room almost losing her balance.
“Agents…they are…” she panted as a tear ran down her face. “…they are somehow haking into our training constructs and… Axle’s in there. Link can’t figure out how they got control but they did and it’s looking bad.” At that moment my first thought was Axel… who is that? I know that name from somewhere. It seems so familiar. I quickly shot up and ran to Link. He rushed trying to get Axle out.
“Let me go in.” I shouted.
“No” Keanu shot a look of frustration to me.
“I can help him. I know any of you can but please… let me.” He glared at me then to link.
“Alright but if I sense any harm being done to you, I’m coming in.” I nodded then laid back into the chair. He forced the long needle into my arm and I was in.
“Nikki… what are you doing here? Get out!” I couldn’t believe he shouted at me like that.
“Look I’ve brought the phone, let’s get out!” just as I finished my sentance, agents came in. They seemed to come from every angle.
“Get out!” he shouted at me.
“No, not without you!” I quickly knocked out an agent. We were in there for at least 15 minutes kicking some agent ass. I finally managed to call Link and he brought us out. I sat up quickly.
“What the hell did you think you were doing?! You could have been killed. Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Do that to HIM? What was he saying? He made no sense.
“What does that mean?!” I shouted back. We both realized we were surrounded by the others. We quickly went out into the hall then to my room.
“Don’t you ever yell at me like that again! You have no right treating me like that. Why did you flip out on me right after I saved your ass?” He shot a mortified look at me as if I had been speaking something forbidden.
“You want to know why?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “Its because I love you!” his tone became more relaxed as he lowered his head and whispered “I love you.” I just sat no knowing what to say. He looked up at me with a curious, angry, confused expression then stormed out as quickly as we had came in. I sat on the edge of my bed, speechless.

*Now to add just a splash of humor!*


Later that evening, around 11:30 I got my things to take another shower. No one had been in the for a while so it was freezing. The floor was usually nice and warm from the steam and the water but it felt like ice against my bare feet. After about 10 minutes when I finished washing my hair, I noticed something black on the wall right outside the shower curtain. With a puzzled look I opened the curtain and there just hanging on the wall was a huge black, incredibly hairy spider about as big as my hand. I screamed so loud and grabbed my towel as fast as I could not realizing it was one of the smaller ones. I quickly wrapped myself in it flew out the door. I stood there, hair dripping wet, heart racing. I stood there bow legged and out of the corner of my eye I saw something even worse. I slowly turned my head cringing at the thought of seeing them. There... Keanu, Carrie, Morpheus, RJ and a new kid they had just released from the matrix. I guess they were giving him a tour of the place. An incredibly akward smile came over my face as their eyes widened. None of them said a word.
"I...uhm... there was...a spider...in there" I said pointing then quickly grabbing the loosening towel.
"I'm going.. back to my room." I said pulling the towel farther up my chest and down towards my knees at the same time. I akwardly backed away and almost slipped on the steel floors. When I got back to my room I jumped on my bed and laid on top of it still with the drenched towel. Sighing, I quickly put some clothes on and went to bed.

The days now seemed to just fly by. It was Tuesday and I couldn't even imagine how my family or friends were feeling about not being able to reach me. They probably thought I was dead. It wouldn't have really mattered at that point to me. I didn't even care if I never went home. No where felt right. Little Jeannette felt like a cage that was always unlocked but for some reason I felt compelled to stay. Zion was more of a home than any place but it only brought pain, suffering, and more pain. I don't remember exactly what time I got up. Stretching, I ran my fingers through my hair, fixing it as much as possible then headed down to the lounge. Only Keanu and two other people were there. He sat by himself at an old card table while the others sat and talked on the couch. I grabbed a small cup of water and sat beside him. Resting my chin on my hands I stared at him.
"He's gone" Keanu said soflty.
"Who?" I asked confused.
"RJ. He left hours ago" My eyes widened...
"Well how am I supposed to get home?" I asked nervously
"I'll take you. Let's just hope no one sees me" he smiled. I just smiled back and agreed to let him take me home.
"Alright, I'll be down in an hour" I said quickly heading upstairs. Once back to the tiny room that was deemed my bedroom I grabbed the bag with the few sets of clothes, changed into the last clean outfit, did my hair and went back down stairs. Grabbing a coffee, I sat and waited for him. He came down 15 minutes later ready to go. I simply picked up my bag and headed outside.

We drove for a half hour not saying a word. The radio played softly as we rolled down the highway. He had on his sunglasses so as not to be recognized as quickly. Sitting there looking at him I couldn't help but feel at ease. I felt this way everytime around him. Maybe someday he would prove to be "the one" but for now he was the best friend she ever had.

Arriving home we sat there in front of the large grey house under the bright green tree of my neighbors house across the street. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go home and face life but I also didn't want to go back to Zion though I knew I had to do both.
"I have to come up with an excuse for not being home yesterday" I said laughing slightly.
"Just tell them the truth" he said smiling back. "Don't you have a best friend that can cover for you?" he said checking the time.
"No but I have an aunt" I said quickly thinking of my Aunt Tracy. Again we just sat there in silence. Without removing his sunglasses, he leaned over hugging me tightly. I hugged him back. It felt like the time my brother was leaving for Germany and I felt I would never see him again. Fortunately, he returned two years later and I knew I would see Keanu again I just needed to know he was there for me now.
"I'll see you in a few weeks" I said taking out my house key with the keychain I had received in 3rd grade. I walked across the street and walked into my house. I felt as though I hadn't been there in years. It smelled of vanilla and apples but it was as if I had never smelled it before. I quickly ran upstairs to my bedroom throwing my suitcase down and giving my aunt a call. She wasn't technically my aunt since she and my uncle divorced and they hadn't had any kids so I didn't usually consider her my aunt but right now...I did. She agreed to tell my parents I had visited her and stayed with her. She was always good for a lie like that. All I had to do then was sit and wait. Wait for the first brutal questioning from either my mom or dad...most likely my mom. I decided to head to school. It was almost over but I went to get the work I missed. Despite everything that had been going on, I was actually doing well in most subjects. The principal and secretary had both liked me and when I told them my aunt was sick, which was not the same excuse I had come up with for the parents, they believed me and gave me the work I missed. As I sat in the lobby, the bell rang and the school day was over. There was actually a month left of school but since we were the graduating class, we got out two weeks early. (don't know if thats actually true...but we'll go with that ^_^) I sat there waiting for a few teachers I needed to speak with when Jessica ran over.
"Nikki!" she said hugging me. "where have you been? I've been trying to call you all weekend. I called your house and your parents didn't know where you were. We were worried." Her hair was dyed a vibrant pink as it was every few weeks.
"I was with Keanu Reeves all weekend" I said sternly. She laughed.
"No for real"
"I was with my aunt" I said noticing her boyfriend, Jerome was walking over.
"Hey Nikki" he said "Jess, we gotta go"
"Alright" she said turning back towards me. "I'll call you later" she got up and walked off. I continued waiting when I saw RJ walking down the hall right towards me. He simply walked straight without even a glance to me. I pushed some hair from my face then spotted my french teacher so I quickly went to talk to her. He walked past again without saying a thing or looking. I didn't know if I should say anything. I just forgot about it and drove home.

That night I laid in my bed. My parents and I had arleady talked about where I was and they called my aunt to confirm my excuse. I dialed around through the channels then the stations on the radio. I was so confused on what to do with RJ. I didn't know if I was still in love with him or not. How could I ever have been in love when he never felt the same...but actually he does now. I fell asleep around 3 just staring up at the ceiling.

Its funny how days just turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. The next month and a half just seemed to fly by. It was now June 29th and I had been out of school for a few weeks now. Most of my friends were on vacation with their other friends and their families. That night, some people I knew were having a party so I decided to go. There was nothing better going on. I invited my friend Jeremy who I hadn't done anything with in a while. The music at the party wasn't really what we usually listened to but it was going to be fun anyway. I was there for an hour when he finally arrived.
"Jeremy!" I shouted from across the room. No one noticed though over the music. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."
"I got lost" he said smiling stupidly. We danced for a while and even though it wasn't the most apporpriate dancing for two teenagers who met at church it was all in good fun and there was nothing between us. He had a girlfriend and I wasn't in love. We danced for two hours then I just needed to talk.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" I asked pulling him aside. "I'm really sorry that I'm not much fun" I said sitting down in a room outside of the dancing.
"What are you talking about? I've never had more fun before." he said smiling.
"Well I'm just having this problem and... nevermind. I shouldn't be talking to you about my guy problems."


(sorry this has to be cut short...I'm going to see les miserables tonight BYE!)

"No go ahead, I'm always here to listen" he said with a sincere smile.
"It's just...You know that kid RJ that I've liked for a long time..well used to like?"
"Yeah of course..." he shot a sarcastic look...mainly because I used to talk about RJ all the time.
"Well...he told me he loved me but when he said it...I didn't know what to say in response. I don't think I love him anymore but I'm not sure." He sighed and gave a look like he knew exactly what to do.
"You are in love. There would be no question in your mind if you didn't. I mean you had really strong feelings for this guy for...quite a long time."
"So what am I supposed to do?" I said biting my bottom lip as I often did when confused or nervous.
"Tell him. Tell him before it's too late. I almost missed the opportunity of going out with Angela because I was nervous but...look. I'm a junior and we're still together. You need to tell him." He was right. I was still in love and I wanted nothing more than to be with RJ at that moment. I stood up and hugged Jeremy tightly then headed for the door.
"Wait" he said laughing "you're going now? At 2 in the morning?"
"Yeah, He's in O.C. MD...I'll be there by 10 if I go now...remember I'm a slow driver" He smiled then yelled "good luck" as I ran up the stairs.

I started my car, then started driving. I slowed down then pulled over realizing I had no money, no clothes, and no directions. I laughed slightly then quickly drove home. My parents, again, were in clearfield visiting my uncle who was in "The Music Man" at the local theater, so I would have no explaining to do. I just left a note telling them to call me when they got it. I packed a small suitcase, grabbed my credit card and mapquest directions, then drove away.

At about 5am I was pretty tired. I'd never driven this long or this late and the hour was really starting to take it's toll on me. I pulled over to Denny's and ordered a regular, black coffee and an order of toast. I knew that it wasn't exactly safe for me to get back onto the road so quickly being as tired as I was but I wanted to be there with him so bad.

It was now 10:30 am. I had gotten lost about an hour ago which was pretty scary but I made it back onto the highway. Jeremy had called me around 8 to make sure everything was going smoothly. He played me a few loud songs on his guitar to keep me awake and we talked for about an hour. I then realized, yet again, I didn't even know what hotel they were staying it. He always went on vacations with his family so I called his sister, Tara. I explained the situation and she laughed because she knew the whole time the way I felt. I parked on 54th street around his hotel and got out running inside. Tara didn't tell him that I was coming because she wanted it to be a surprise. When I got to the front desk they wouldn't tell me what room he was staying in because I hadn't registered with them. I called Tara back but there was no answer. I was not about to give up that easily. I ran outside, suitcase still in hand, and stood on the boardwalk. The sky was cloudy and it was slightly windy. There were so many people around. On bikes, rollerblades, and people just walking. Tears began to fill my eyes as I thought I'd never find him when...I saw a bright teal shirt walking down the boardwalk away from me. It was his father. Just to be sure I looked around and saw his mother. My eyes lit up but...I didn't see him...or Tara. I sulked again sighing. I walked towards them though hoping I could ask where he was when I saw him leaving a gift shop. I was surprised I could see him as he was wearing a grey billabong t-shirt and jeans almost like every other guy there. I yelled his name but he didn't even glance. I shoved my way past people and finally was able to tap his shoulder. He turned around quickly but instead of a look of happiness and "Oh my god I can't believe you're here" he simply looked a bit shocked then kept walking. I was crushed. I'd driven almost 9 hours just for him but he didn't care. I was still within shouting distance when, I surprised myself, I yelled "RJ I love you! I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but I really do love you." everyone around had soft looks on their faces and a few "awws" came from the crowd. It began to rain. It looked so cliche like something out of a romance flick but...it was perfect. I thought he would never stop walking when suddenly, he turned his head then made his way back towards me. I looked like a wet dog standing in the cold rain, hair a mess from partying for 3 hours then no sleep for 8 and a half. I was terrified at what he would say...