I sit outside the door, sighing as I press my ear up against the cold wood, listening for something. Anything. I still didn't understand what we could possibly gain by doing this all night, chances were the Gamers were sleeping. But, to my surprise, I'd hardly sat there for five minutes before I hear voices. The first one I recognise immediately: the Survival Gamer from the power plant. The other one is a female's voice, very scruffy and nasty, one I definitely don't recognise.

"It's only been seven days, they still have plenty of time to snatch the stone from our hands!" The female's scruffy voice whispers.

"Patience, Milana, you know as well as I do that Survivor's are always a step late. We'll just have to keep a step ahead of them at all times, and, doing that, they'll never find it."

"This is useless! The stone is in our possession. I say we double-cross these losers and just go charge up the weapon already!" Milana hisses.

"That would be dishonoring the rules. I am fierce, yes, but not cruel. To charge up the weapon now would be dishonoring to both the humans and the Survival Gamers. We must honor the rules we told them by following them ourselves."

"I'll honor the rules about as much as I'll honor this pathetic planet!" Milana growls. I narrow my eyes at their rather disturbing conversation, thinking it over in my head. Trying to decide whether this was bad news or good news. She almost sounds... tired. Like she's weary of playing this game over and over and over. I think to myself. That could be an advantage! It would seem the Survival Gamers themselves are sick of this game. Perhaps we can play off of that... I consider.

This may not be all too good, either, however. If they're so tired of this game that they're willing to go against their own rules, then we may not have long left to live. I decide to listen in a little longer before going back to wake Daxter for his shift.

"Who's got the dumb rock, anyway? I swear, between the five of us, they never communicate well these days!" Milana continues rambling. The five of us? Does that mean Myrror only sent five gamers down here?! I think, impressed at the progress that five creatures have made against 24.

"I sent it over to Raymond, he's keeping it safe in our hideaway." The first man answers.

"Raymond?! I wouldn't trust Raymond with my broken iPod, more or less the source of power for our most powerful weapon!" Milana exclaims in disgust. "Are you sure you can trust him for this job?"

"I would trust Raymond with my life." The first man replies. Milana scoffs.

"You're as foolish as Raymond himself, Pilas." She mutters under her breath. I press in closer, curious to hear more of their conversation, but a loud noise erupts from the broom closet. The clattering and clashing of supplies and shelves. Guys! You idiots! I think, grunting in annoyance. Then prick my ears as I hear movement inside the apartment.

"What was that!" Pilas exclaims.

"We're being spied on, you fool! Get them!" Milana yells, and immediately I hear stomping feet as they rush for the door. My mind whirling with panic, I scramble to my feet, tripping over the funnel-object Raven had been using to listen with earlier. It slides near their apartment door. Finding my footing again, I dash to the broom closet, throwing the door open.

"We've gotta get out of here now!" I yell, running for the elevator.

"Well, don't do that! Take the stairs!" Jack exclaims. The apartment door is flung open, and there stands the all-too-familiar Pilas and... possibly the ugliest woman I've ever seen in my life. She had wiry, grey hair, thin, pale, dry skin, and her teeth were dark with rot. Well... the teeth she had left, that is.

"Halt, Survivor scum!" She snarls at us.

"That is one perplexing face!" Daxter exclaims as the scramble towards. But, to my luck and fortune, they trip over the same funnel that had slid near their door a second ago, falling on the floor in a twisted pile. The elevator makes a small noise, and the doors slide open. Well, don't have any better ideas. I think, running into the elevator.

"Come on, guys!" I yell. They follow me in unwillingly, but knowing there's no other way out at this point.

"No! Stop!" Milana screams, scrambling up, only to trip over Pilas, falling down again. An object slips from her hand as she falls, flying through the air, and hitting Raven in the eye.

"Oww!" He yelps as the doors close. For a long second, we sat there, watching the number on the elevator, and sighing with relief as it begins to drop down. They missed us, they couldn't catch us now. At least not by elevator.

"You ok, Raven?" Daxter asks. My thoughts interrupted, I look at Raven, then down at the floor, where a round object now sits. Bending down, I pick it up. It's about the size of a pocket-watch. Looks like one too. Flipping the top off, I look at the strange numbers and letter on it, and the two arrows, one red, one silver, pointing in opposite directions that seemed to move as I turned the object round.

"It's a compass." I think aloud.

"Where'd it come from?" Daxter asks.

"It slipped from the old woman's hand." Jack answers. Raven said nothing, but narrowed his eyes at the compass. As the elevator made it's way down, he glared at it as if to study it. Certainly it's not anything important. I think, but by the look on Raven's face, I can tell that it ain't just any compass.

"What would an old hag cooped up in a Hong Kong apartment flat want with a compass?" Daxter asks, voicing the very question we'd all been wondering inside. I shrug.

"Maybe her senses are a bit off these days." I answer, half-jokingly.

"No, this isn't just a regular compass. This is definitely some sort of tool they disguised as a compass." Raven says thoughtfully.

"How do you know?" I ask.

"Well, if this was to be used as a compass, it doesn't work, that's for sure." Raven begins to explain. Seeing that I still don't understand, he sighs, reaching in his pocket, and pulling out his own compass. "Here, let me show you." He says, taking the two compasses and turning them around until the red arrows on each compass match up with the letter "N." Then, holding them out to me, he nods at them, indicating for me to have a look. I peer down at the two devices, and immediately understand what he's talking about. The red arrows and "North point" are aligned on both compasses, yet they still point in two different directions.

"If these compasses were both operational, they would be pointing in the same direction." Raven explains.

"So, which one's right?" Daxter asks. The elevator dings, and we walk outside into the early morning air. The sun has just begun to rise above the mountains in the distance.

"Well, mine, of course." Raven answers simply.

"How do you know?" Daxter challenges him, smiling mischievously. Raven nods towards the rising sun.

"The sun always rises in the East." He answers. I look at the two compasses. Sure enough, Raven's compass was turned where the "E" was facing the rising sun's direction. We walk back through a back alleyway of the city towards the flying barrel, discussing the possibilities of what the compass might be along the way. Ugh, we have school today... I groan in annoyance. This is going to be a painful school day. I think sourly, as we roll the barrel into position over the platform. My thoughts are interrupted by a scuffling noise, and I whip around just in time to see two white tails disappear into the shadows. Hey... someone was following us! I think, narrowing my eyes at the place where the figure once stood.

"You coming, Klere?" Raven calls. I take a step towards them, hesitating to look back at the spot where our pursuer had hid. Finding nothing there, I attempt to dismiss the thought.

"Yeah, coming." I answer, walking over to join them.

******

I twiddle my thumbs, trying hard to ignore the fact that I'm sitting next to my "arch-i-est" arch nemesis. Literature class. Possibly the worst class this year, especially since Ms. Veronica showed up!

"Alright, students, let's begin! First of all, good afternoon!" She greets us. That most angering smile still plastered on her "pretty" little face! "Today, I'd like to start off with some more icebreaker activities with your partner!" She exclaims in glee.

"Oh no..." Me and MK mutter in unison.

"This exercise is going to build bonds as well as english skills. But mostly just bonding. What you're going to do, is one of you is going to start with a sentence. It can be any sentence, but try to start it off like you're starting a story." Ms Veronica explains.

"You'll say once sentence of the story, then you're partner will say another, and so on, so that together you two can put the pieces together to make a story." She explains. Oh boy... I think. "Alright, off you go!" She says dismissively, then retreats to her desk.

I glare at MK. MK glares at me. You first, I think with a sarcastic respect. Her hostile stare almost seems to reply. "No, really, you first, I insist." It almost seemed to say.

"Once upon a time, there was an ugly little girl, with wavy brown hair, and the most offending smile ever known to mankind!" I sneer.

"Little did the world know that she wasn't offending, but simply offended by the hairiest intelligent being she'd ever met." MK retorts. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Clearly, this girl didn't get around much at all to think things such as this." I mutter.

"True, true, she doesn't really get around at all due to all the savages rampaging the streets." MK replies in her sweet little voice.

"But how does she know that the savages on the streets are actually savages if she doesn't even leave the house?"

"A savage is a savage. The girl is very smart, and she knows it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Sounds like the girl is very boring." I smirk bluntly.

"Oh, no, of course not! If you got to know her, you'll find she's very fun! A great girl to be with."

"I've 'been' with her every literature class for the last four or so school days. I don't feel 'great.'" I retort, giving her a straight face.

"Can you really say you've been with her? You never even gave her a chance."

"I gave her just about as much a chance as she gave me." I retort.

"Hey, you've proved to her that you aliens are nothing but violent."

"Hey, don't forget, your little government 'friends' set up their own death camps."

"Oh, and I suppose you saw it yourself?" She challenges me, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, from the inside." I mutter. MK's eyes widen slightly.

"So you've been in one of the camps, huh?" She asks, slightly impressed.

"If you knew a thing or two about me, you'd know I get myself in all kinds of trouble." I smirk. MK laughs.

"Well, that's something we have in common."

"Is everyone finished?" Ms. Veronica calls merrily from behind her desk. The class answers "yes" in unison. Most of the students had no interest in bonding with each other. Really, when I say "most," I mean all.

The class proceeds normally. Ms. Veronica gives us an assignment requiring pairs to work together. At first, MK and I work in silence, like always. After around five minutes or so, however, she speaks up out of nowhere.

"My grandfather was in one of the death camps, you know." I glance at her from the corner of my eye, slightly interested.

"Really? Did he, uh, make it out?" I ask uneasily. She nods.

"Yes, he did. But he was never the same. He was a very light-hearted man, always cracking jokes and taking jabs. He's never said a single joke since." She murmurs. Her eyes have that faraway feel, almost as if she's picturing the scene as she tells it. "What about you?" She asks abruptly.

"Me?"

"Yeah, do you feel... you know... different?" She inquires. I laugh.

"Not in the least. You've never had a glimpse of true stubbornness until you met me, I assure you." I tease. As light and funny as this conversation was, I had to admit a newfound respect for Mary Kate, as annoying as she was. And it would seem she'd found one for me as well. Maybe we can at least get through the rest of this year without going for each other's throats. I admit to myself hopefully.

Class ended quicker than ever, and, to be honest, this is the first time in a long while I've left that classroom in such a good mood. Opening my locker, I find myself humming Daxter's tune that he sang last night. "Fried Ham," he called it? Tossing my books in, I close my locker, getting ready to head to the meeting place, as always. As I turn around, I smile as I see Jack walking towards me. His face expressionless as ever.

"Afternoon, stone-face, how's it going?" I greet him optimistically. He blinks at me, his face unchanging.

"You're in a good mood." He comments.

"That I am, that I am," I admit, trailing off in my thoughts. Shaking my head to keep myself from dozing off, I look at Jack in the eye, "So where's your pal?" I ask. Jack looks around, scrunching up his nose in confusion.

"Good question," he admits, "I haven't seen Daxter or Raven all day. They weren't in any of their classes today." My smile fades.

"Really? Not even this morning? I didn't notice that." I mumble to myself. I had to admit, this was a bit disturbing. It was one thing for someone to go missing, it was another for someone like Raven to go missing. He was one hundred and one percent nerd! The only reason he wouldn't show up to school is if he was dead! Or maybe unconscious... I think, but that's not the point! I remind myself.

"Do you think we should go check their homes?" I ask. Jack shakes his head.

"Nah, if they're really missing, it would be for a bigger reason than staying home. Maybe they'll still meet up with us in Hong Kong? Certainly they couldn't be lost." Jack thinks aloud. I nod in agreement.

"I guess we just wait for them at the rendezvous." I conclude, shrugging. Jack opens his mouth to speak, but before he can utter a word, I see a furry white hand appear on his shoulder from behind.

Everything happens in an instant, the hand yanking him backwards, and slamming him into the wall. Pinning him by the chest with one arm, and in the other a knife held at his throat.

"Traitor! I knew you were associating with them! I just knew it! What kind of operation are you running, you heartless freak?!" The Tailer screams at Jack.

"Tiare! What? I--" Jack stammers.

"What the tail feathers is going on?!" I exclaim, still whirled by Tiare's shocking, sudden appearance.

"You've no say either, Klere!" She snarls. "I saw both of you - no - all four of you last night! With the Survival Gamers!"

"You know about the Survival Gamers?" I exclaim.

"Tiare, you've got it all wrong. We weren't with them, we were--" Jack begins.

"Save it! I want to know just what in Vickie's name is going on here?" Tiare interrupts.

"Tiare, that's not what happened, we--" I stop myself, pausing. "Wait a minute, what were you doing there, anyway?" I demand.

"I beg your pardon! I swear I never came near that wretched place." Tiare exclaims.

"Don't even try, I saw you! I saw you following us on the way back!" I point out. "What kind of sick joke is this?"

"Joke? You think this is funny? Do I look like I'm laughing?" Tiare snarls.

"No, you look just like a little girl who's lost her mind!" I hiss.

"Oh, Klere, you're just as lost and confused as Jenny! And just as dead, too!" Tiare speaks slowly, her voice low and threatening.

"Hold up, how do you know Jenny?" Jack questions, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know what made you think you had the right to do something so terrible to a seven-year-old, but I assure you, I'm not so foolish as I was two years ago." I growl under my breath.

"What? What'd you do to Jenny? What's your connection with her?" Jack questions. Tiare ignores him.

"Fools! Fools! You're all just a bunch of silly old fools! Do you even know the intention of the Survival Gamers?"

"How do you know the Survival Gamers?" I grit my teeth in annoyance.

"All of you! Fools! You've doomed this planet, there's nothing you can do about it now!"

"I'm not going to ask you again. How do you know about the Survival Gamers?!"

"I was one of them!" Tiare snaps. Both of us freeze, Tiare's mouth gaping, realizing she'd said the wrong thing. For a moment, none of us speak. But that doesn't last long. There was still so many unanswered questions, and now that we'd finally gotten the answer to one, all we had were even more questions.

"You were a Survival Gamer?" I exclaim.

"Would one of you two please explain to me what the world is going on here!" Jack snaps, still pinned against the wall with a knife at his throat.

"Be quiet, or I'll silence you!" Tiare threatens, then turns back to me. "Yes, I was a Survival Gamer. You've heard about planet Titranis, yes? You heard about how it exploded?"

"Of course, the Murk ship blew it up, just like they did a lot of planets. Why?"

"It's a lie, you fool! The Murk ship didn't blow up a thing on that planet, I did!" She hisses. My eyebrows raise slightly. Tiare continues. "Titranis was playing the game. The Survival Gamers, me being one of them, were paying that planet a visit like we did so many others. But things went wrong just as the games were drawing to an end. It's a lie, what they tell you, you know. The Survival Gamers didn't win every game. This one they lost. Or... almost lost, I should say."

"What do you mean?" I ask, giving her a wary look.

"Just as the last day was drawing closed, things started getting hairy. We, the Survival Gamers, had the stone, but the Survivors' forces had us cornered. We knew that they'd kill us if we didn't surrender, and either way, they'd have possession of the stone when the last day was over." She explains.

"So then how did you win?" I ask. "The planet blew up - you blew it up!"

"Yes, I blew it up! But I didn't win!" Tiare snaps. "I did what a Survival Gamer is vowed never to do: I broke the rules! I fired up the weapon before the end of the day, and blew up the planet."

"You broke the rules?!" I exclaim, and my mind immediately flashes back to the night with Pilas and Milana. The old hag had also mentioned breaking the rules...

"Yes, I broke the rules. Not freely, no, there's always consequences for such actions. I lost my identity as a Survivor Gamer, and being that I had been in disguise as a Tailer at the time, I became a Tailer permanently."

"That's it?"

"No, of course not! That wasn't half of it! When I got back on the ship, they gave me nothing but grief about it, of course. And then came what we all knew was coming - every Survival Gamer knows the penalty for breaking the rules - death."

"So why aren't you a rotting carcass?" I snarl.

"Because there is one way a Gamer can avoid the death penalty; and that is if another life is taken in their place." She answers. I consider this for a moment, then gasp.

"Jenny!"

"You catch on fast."

"I don't believe this. You cheat an entire planet, who clearly won your little 'game,' and you kill a little girl just to save your own hide!" I exclaim, shocked.

"You killed Jenny?!" Jack demands.

"Quiet, Murk boy!" Tiare hisses, then turns back to me. "I don't expect one such as yourself to understand. And I'm not the only one. You'll be surprised to know that over half of the Survival Gamers have begun to consider taking the same road I did back on Titranis. You should know, you heard one for yourself!"

"So they're going to just straight out blow up the planet less than ten days into the game?" I murmur to myself.

"Look, I don't know what you four think you're doing, but you're taking this game in the wrong direction! Stay with the rest of your team, and I assure you you're planet will have longer to live."

"Why do you care how long my planet lives, you worthless coward?" I growl.

"Because I live on it." Tiare retorts, and with that, she sheathes her knife and struts away.

"Milana, she must be talking about Milana!" I quietly think aloud.

"Mind telling me what's going on here? What's her connection with Jenny?" A frustrated Jack demands.

"Jack, I don't have time to go on explaining everything, ok? We've got to find Daxter and Raven before one of the Gamers goes haywire and decides to blow up this whole freaking planet!" I exclaim, then continue pacing and muttering, trying to put the pieces together. This is one of the most complicated puzzles I've yet encountered, and I'm not sure I can solve it.

"Klere, what is-- Klere!" Jack continues shouting at me, trying to get my attention. The Gamers have the stone... they can use it anytime now! No... it's just Milana! Only Milana wants to use it, we just have to keep some space between Milana and-- My thoughts are cut off as Jack grabs me by the shoulders, slamming me into the wall of lockers behind.

"Klere, I'm not going to say it again! What is Tiare's connection with Jenny?!" Jack shouts. My eyes widen, I try to find the right words to answer, but his sudden burst has me startled to speechlessness. Finally, I sigh.

"Jack, Tiare told me something not long ago. Something that I probably should've told you far before now..." I begin.

"And?"

"Jack, Tiare told me she was responsible for Jenny's capture on your... Murk ship thing or whatever it was."

"So Tiare did kill Jenny?!"

"Technically, yes." I admit nervously. Jack looks down, his lips drawn back in an angry snarl. For a second, he's quiet and thoughtful. Finally, letting go of me, he stomps off in a rage down the hallway and out the door. I sigh in dismay. Let him go, I tell myself, there's nothing you can do for him now.