“You must get back here as soon as possible...” the voice on the screen was saying. The boy was crying. “ “But they killed her!” he sobbed. It was too dark out. He wanted light. He wanted Susan... “Focus!” the voice said harshly. “Listen, there is the medicine we thought would work for you in the cabinets, and the tapes are above that. You can land for a maximum of three days. I will keep reporting in. Please remember to take the medications!” “Why,” the boy asked. The man on the screen seemed to grow darker. “Just take it, or else. We want you back my little experiment!” Suddenly the voice changed to a more calming, but dangerous tone. The face shifted into the agent that killed his sister. “You are very important to us!” Suddenly there was pain. Pain beyond all belief. He didn’t want it to happen, no... “SUSAN!” the boy screamed in his sleep. River shook him wildly. He woke up, punched the wall, and started swearing at the pain. “Are you OK?” River asked, worry in her voice. The boy spun around, eyes widened in disbelief, and pinched himself. When he didn’t wake up a second time, he swore loudly. “Dammnit River, how do you keep finding me?” he asked. She smiled. “When I read your mind, I got more than fantasies.” He suddenly grabbed her and pulled her close. “Did you see ANYTHING else?” he asked, alarmed. She was afraid at first, and thought back to try and find something that he might not want her to se- what's this... “You mean besides the thoughts you had about me?” she asked, hoping to cheer him up a bit. He stared blankly a bit, and then swallowed. River tried to form the actual thought in her head. “Did I really use a carrot?” she asked, further paling the boy. “Uh... er... well, um...” he stuttered. River laughed. She was really normal this time, but ever since the whole sexual outbreak episode thing, she felt a lot less foggy about things. This meant she was getting better. Hopefully. “Oh, and by the way, Simon knows about you.” she added, hoping to alarm him. “Yeah, and he really sucks at fighting too...” the boy mused. Now it was River’s turn to be confused. “What, did you really think he figured out the whole hormone thing on his own?” “Well, yes,” River replied, having to rethink her whole vengeance plan. Just a slight modification and- “So does Kaylee.” Now the boy froze. He looked at her, and she tried to look worried. Like she didn’t want him to be found. “How do you know?” he asked. She sighed. “Lets se here...” she droned. “Simon has sex with Kaylee, Kaylee asks if there is anything wrong, ‘cause he doesn’t... y’know right away. He hesitates, blames it on me, and she doesn’t believe him. Then out comes you!” She gave a fake shudder, and he looked like he could pass for paper... very, white, paper. “I don’t believe you,” he finally said, but not looking too sure. Perfect. “I guess we will know soon enough, won’t we?” River stated. She gave him a small kiss on the forehead, and climbed out of the compartment. “Sleep well,” she whispered, and disappeared into the vents.

*** River felt the void of thoughts right above the sink. Perfect 2.0! She proceeded to drop her for just at the right angle so that it rebounded underneath the cabinets, unreachable by human hands. She made made a discouraged ‘ugh’. “Kaylee, will you please get me a new fork?”she asked, trying to keep her annoyed voice going. Kaylee gave a sound that was somewhere between ‘sure’ and ‘yup’. Right when she reached the sink, River thrust into Kaylee’s mind, trying to recover the most insecure moment she had ever had. Suprisingly, it was the time her and Simon first had sex. The first time River had ever spied on them too. Focusing on the insecurity, River tried to bring it up t the surface of Kaylee’s senses. It worked. Kaylee started looking around her, and... SCORE! she held the longest look right at the void, which was now moving very fast in the opposite direction. Mission accomplished!

***

Kaylee was sleeping alone tonight. Simon, for some reason, was afraid to sleep with her ever since she showed him her modified toy. She just couldn’t sleep tonight. Then, suddenly, hand came out of nowhere and slapped down on her mouth. She went to scream, but... well, the hand was kinda already there so she really never had a chance. She went ot plan B (Flailing about like a chicken who just found out it couldn’t fly) but found a body laying on top of her. “Now, I am sure you know by now what I can do to you, so be sure not to scream when I take my hand off.” It was a boy, about River’s age. She really couldn’t tell though. Kaylee nodded her head, afraid of what he was going to do. He took his hand off. “Who are you?” was the first thing she said. He smirked “Like you don’t know!” he said smugly, thinking he was not going to be outsmarted. “Ah, no, I really don’t,” she replied, furrowing her brow. “You can stop that now. I know. Just don’t tell ANYONE and you will be safe from me.” He had a look of danger in his eyes now. “Tell who WHAT!?” Kaylee asked, getting very discouraged. “You know...” “no, I DON’T!” she almost yelled. Then something seemed to hit him. He cursed in harsh old-world swearwords. “Well...” he stuttered. “Don’t tell anyone about me now!” he stated, shaking his head. “Really sorry...” And then he was gone. Just... gone. Kaylee really wished he hadn’t ever showed up in the first place. Then Simon came walking in. “Oh thank God you're here!” she hugged him and turned on the light. She held him back, and stopped suddenly. “Did something very weird happen to you too?” He asked. He had his eyebrow raised, which stretched out the writing on his face. “Blabblemouth...” Kaylee read aloud.

***

River was laughing in her bed. She had to put a pillow over her face to keep from laughing. In fact, she was failing to stop laughing so hard, she did not fell the void enter her room. She woke u the next morning feeling all fuzzy inside. Well, actually, outside too. She took off her blanket, and the fuzzy feeling went away. She looked down, and saw she was naked. Blanket back over, Fuzzy feeling gone in her stomach (but once again on the outside of her skin due to the fuzzy blanket she preferred). “I really have to remember to put clothes on...” she said, annoyed with herself for being so out of it last night. She went to get a shirt and pants, but found her clothes supply empty. In fact, all she had to wear was a thong and a REALLY skimpy bra... “juh jen sh guh kwai luh duh jean-jan!” she cursed, immeadiently blaming the boy. Ok, two options. 1) go out naked and try to pull the ‘I’m still crazy’ act, or 2) Go out with some very slutty clothes on and try and pull the ‘I’m still chronically horny’ act. Suddenly, Simon, Mal, and Jayne opened the door. Jayne had a rope, Simon had a syringe, and Mal had a... VERY disturbed look on his face. “And I don’t even have to pay!” Jayne mused, just before getting punched by Simon. Mal, while the two where fighting over the syringe in the background, just kept staring blankly. River stared back. In fact, this whole process of Mal staring at River, River staring back, and Simon and Jayne each trying to push the syringe towards each other in the background lasted some 30 seconds. It ended with the tube full of anesthetic shoved into Mal's buttocks, and him falling over, still blankly staring at River’s naked body. Finally, after Jayne and Simon had ran off for fear of what the captain was going to do, Mal blinked. “Uh, River?” he asked, still having his face in the awkward position it had been in when he fell. “Are you sure your all right?” She swallowed. “Yes. I just need a change of, uh, clothes.” “I will ask Simon to get you some then. Ah...” He started to crawl away. River went to help him up, but he stopped her. “Nooonononono. Don’t mind, er, bending down,” he flinched. “I will go get him myself.” And with that, he started to crawl away with one arm, the other attempting to close the door behind him.