Getting Away

By Amanda

Ram wasn't truly bad on the inside, he just had too much anger and sadness bottled up inside. Somewhere out there, there was one girl that would forever change his life.

***

Ram felt lost and alone, looking around at the mess that used to be his "palace". The battered remains of his computers were blackened by the vert's fire that had ravaged through here. He could do nothing but sit back and watch from his cage as the verts sneered at him and threw matches at the computers, followed by quick squirts of gasoline. The flames roared up, and luckily for him, Ebony had come to the rescue with a fire-extinguisher. So, there were also bits of white foam here and there.

Ebony was holding a zapper. She was also holding the key to the cage.

" Ram, I could just kill you right now for what you've done to our city. I could, but I won't. It would just be too easy for me. But, why should I let you go? You don't deserve freedom. I know, I'll just leave you in there. Now you'll know what it feels like to be locked away."

Ebony laughed at Ram's helplessness as he choked on the remaining clouds of smoke.

" I thought you cared about me, Ebony." he coughed.

" You, of all people, knew I loved Jay. You forced him to run away or be killed. Now it's my turn to get what I want." Ebony said. She tucked the key away in her pocket and left.

Ram raged at the door until he inhaled too much smoke, then lay his head down on the dashboard of his wheelchair, choking. How was it possible to lose everything so quickly? His precious Paradise was gone completely. When he collected himself again, Ram searched for another way out besides the locked cage door. Then, he saw something Ebony and her sisters had missed, a hole in the back of the cage just big enough for him to wiggle through, though it meant having to leave his chair here. Ram opened the side of his chair.

" So much for my life. " he muttered, knowing the danger he faced once he left.

Ram managed to get to the edge of the seat with a little sideways wiggling, but he dreaded the fall out of the chair. A sound startled him, coming through the hole, and he fell anyway. Ram cringed when a shadow approached the hole. He heard several girls talking outside the hole.

" What happened here?" someone asked.

" Krusty, go in there and check it out, okay?" a girl said.

Who is Krusty? Ram wondered. A little white kitten face appeared in the hole. Ram cringed; he didn't like animals that much, especially not cats. The cat walked effortlessly over to Ram and got very close to his face, tickling Ram's cheeks with his whiskers. Once in a while, the cold, wet nose grazed Ram's skin.

When the cat was done sniffing at Ram, it walked back towards the hole. Ram wasn't pleased at the view he got: the cat's rear end was right there in front of him, and Krusty's tail was sticking straight up.

" Mew? Mrreeoowr?" Krusty said. He went back outside, but pawed at the hole. The walls, except for the metal fence front, were solid. Ram wasn't readily visible from the outside.

" I think someone's in there." replied a voice that reminded Ram of Ebony, only more concerned.

Instead of the cat coming back, a delicate-looking hand swept through the hole. The nails were painted silver, and there was a bracelet on it.

" If you can hear me and reach me, squeeze my hand." the voice called. Ram cringed at the thought of touching a vert, but he was weakening from the smoke. At least he still had his gloves and his homing device. He reached out and touched the hand.

" It could be a trap." a suspicious voice told the hand.

" Oh, hush. You think everything's a trap nowadays. " the hand said. The arm withdrew, and a head appeared. Ram saw blonde hair before he passed out.

One

Ram slept feverishly for the next few days. The tribe who had recovered him called themselves the Angelz, and their leader, Amanda (called Kat by almost everyone), had taken Ram into her own home, which she'd inherited from her parents after the virus, against everyone else's will. Little did anyone know that the Technos were getting ready to recover Ram again. But, that comes later.

When Ram woke, he saw three girls standing over him. They all wore this marking on their foreheads:

" Boy, he's been through hell and back." A heavily-set girl of about 18 said.

" I still can't believe Kat's letting him stay here." answered a tall, thin, deeply tanned girl of about 15.

" All I can say is he's not staying in my room." a younger girl of about 12 commented. It was at this moment that Ram got deathly sick. His stomach heaved, and before he realized what was happening, the remains of his breakfast went everywhere, staining the colorful bedspread that he lay on.

All three girls gave each other disgusted looks. Ram was still half-way unconsious, and dazed from what had happened. Before the Angelz could get him out of the building, a piece of metal had fallen on Ram's head, knocking him out. That's what made him sick.

" Amanda, he threw up in your bed. " the youngest girl said, looking sick herself.

Ram heard someone sigh from the next room, and the blonde hair poked into the doorway, followed by a pale face with silver-framed glasses and brown eyes.

" Well, that's a polite way to thank us." she said, her tone full of sarcasm. Her mouth was set in a straight line, but her eyes twinkled. She moved him around, little by little, and tugged the bedspread out from under him. Then, she brought a plastic trash bag in and lay him on that. Without fear, the girl scooped up the bedspread and bravely took it outside to wash it in the river. The girls followed her outside.

" First, he takes over the city, takes half our tribe away to make slaves, makes that stupid game, causes a rebellion, then shows up here and pukes in your bed. Why can't you be tough like the rest of us and leave that pain in the @$# were he was?" the heavy girl said.

" Because, Amy, you know d@mn well that I can't bring myself to do that. He can't be all bad, it's just a matter of time. "

" Yeah, and it was a matter of time after they saw Corey off on his own and zapped him for no reason. "

" I know, but that was a year ago. He's dead, I laid him to rest myself. He's not coming back, and I wish you would stop talking about it." Amanda's voice was full of emotion, though she tried to keep it calm and steady. Ram sat up for a minute, to see the girls hang the blanket on what looked like a clothesline. He became dizzy again, so he had to lay back down.

" Listen to them, just talking away. I can't believe I'm in this mess. "

Ram felt around for his homing device, but realized it was gone. He also realized that his communicator headset was gone, too. He groaned.

" Stupid verts!" he spat, unaware that the girls had now come back inside. Amanda had heard every word. She felt bad, as in really bad. She felt unnappriciated and used.

" Well, has your stomach settled, yet?" Amanda asked coolly, pretending she hadn't heard Ram's insult.

Ram refused to answer the question.

" Where's my headset and my homing beacon?" he asked angrilly.

" I'll give them back when you've recovered. You took a nasty bump on the head back there. Out cold for 3 days." Amanda said, trying to be patient.

Ram looked Amanda up and down as she sat down in a small chair and started to take her hair down from the ponytail she usually wore it in. The short blonde hair barely grazed her shoulders, but it was curly and looked soft, much like his mother's hair. Ram watched her carefully as she used a green comb to get all the tangles. In the dimming evening light, Amanda looked a lot like Ram's mother did, usually right before she helped him into bed. Without the tribal-looking clothes and with the hair a bit longer, it was all too easy to see the past.

~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~

" Mom, I just don't know what to do. She keeps ignoring me now that I can't walk." Ram complained, watching his mother in front of the mirror. His mother was the only person he could trust right now. Though Ram was a genius with technology, science, and math like his father, who was always away at the base doing things for the military, his mother was the most loving of the family, and she seemed to know a lot about plain everyday life.

" Well, Sweetie, I can't really help you with that. If she keeps ignoring you, all you can do is get on with your life. I'm sure she'll come around. "

Ram sighed. Though his mother was getting ill with some unknown disease, she wouldn't admit it. As Ram studied her face in the mirror, he realized that she looked older somehow. Her face was starting to wrinkle, and he noticed a few silver hairs coming out, even in the dim light. Ram knew somehow that something was going to happen to her.

" Just remember, if anything happens to me, don't give up on life. Show them you're a fighter, but one other thing: A life without love is no life at all."

Ram didn't understand that at the time, but he had a feeling in the pit of his stomach, and a tingling in his paralyzed legs that she was trying to warn him.

~~~~~~~~~END FLASHBACK~~~~~~~

Amanda had her back turned to Ram and didn't see the silent tear that fell. It probably would have helped Ram tremendously if he'd just went ahead and cried, but he wouldn't show his weakness.

I can't let her break me. I've got to find a way to get out, he thought stubbornly.

Two

Ram was uncomfortable that night. He was still in Amanda's room, but he had his own bed. Amanda was on the top bunk of the bed. She knew he was there, but she pretended that she didn't feel his prescence in the room. Amanda didn't care much to be around others while she was sleeping because it gave her a strange feeling, especially when her parents were gone, and there was no one to guard the house.

Ram looked over at the old alarm clock that sat on her dresser. The hands showed it was 1:36 in the morning. A sudden sound startled him. Straining in the dark, he heard it.

Amanda was crying. She was trying to keep anyone from hearing, but it was heard. It was a rythmic sigh, once in a while accompanied by a small sniffle.

Amanda was crying about everything.

What did I do so wrong that God curses my name? she wondered. She was remembering her parents. She yelled at them when they made her watch the news.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Then LEAVE! I don't want you here if it's going to get you! You have a chance if you just get the hell out of here!" Amanda cried. Her mother started sobbing and tried to hug her, but her father shoved her away.

" If that's really what you want, then we'll leave." he said.

" GO!" Amanda screamed.

The two parents packed up their bags. They only took the essentials, nothing more. They left, and Amanda watched the car dissappear down the road.

Amanda remembered after the virus, when she'd met her husband, Corey. He was badly in need of care, too weak to stand up and injured. Amanda had come across him when she was sifting through the ruins of the street.

" Oh, my God." she breathed. Though the boy was nothing more than skin or bones, she fancied his dark hair and freckled face. The girls had carried him all the way home, where Amanda spoon-fed him chicken soup (there was still meat in the freezer at that time). At last, the boy was strong enough to walk again.

Amanda remembered all the happy times she'd had with Corey, how she'd walked with him in the sun, the day they got married, and the time they went off into the woods alone. When she realized she was pregnant.

Then, she remembered all the sad times. The time she fell off of her horse and the baby was miscarried. The baby's funeral, and the tears that kept filling Corey's eyes. He'd wanted that baby. She remembered the way he'd held her and kissed her, telling her that maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

Then she'd remembered the day of ultimate darkness: the day the techno's invaded the city, making their awful loud music that made everyone fall to the ground and squirm, the hand bombs, and worst of all: their zappers. She and Corey were only taking a walk through town when some people tried to shoot at them.

" You can come with us willingly, or you can pay the price. " one of them shouted. The two of them ran hand in hand, until Corey stumbled.

" Go on, I'll catch up with you. Don't let them get you." Corey gasped. Amanda darted around and hid behind a dumpster. She watched in horror as one of those technos raised up his zapper. She almost cried out when the beam of light hit Corey in the chest. The technos left, thinking Amanda had kept going. She ran out from behind the dumpster, only to find her husband completely lifeless. Amanda wordlessly lifted Corey's body onto her horse, secured him with her jacket, then rode the horse at a gallop all the way home.

Ram felt a flicker of pain, but he fought it. He couldn't feel sorry for a bunch of verts. There was no point in it. If he was going to remain the great leader of the city, then he would have to keep from going soft. But, the continuing sad sighs from the top bunk above him were starting to get through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three

The next morning, a really good smell was wafting it's way into the room. Seeing Amanda's nightgown thrown over a chair, he assumed she was already up. Also, he figured she was already up because of the laughter from the kitchen.

" I may not be that good with computers and stuff, but I am one hell of a cook." Amanda's voice said, showing no signs of last night's tears.

" Let's eat, already!" said Amy.

" I'm going to go check on Ram and see if he wants any. You girls dig in." Amanda said. Her footsteps sounded close already.

The door opened.

" Feeling better today?" asked Amanda cheerfully.

" A little." Ram let his tough side slip.

" I made breakfast. I'll bring some in here and if you want it, then it's right there, okay?" Amanda said. Ram felt a little nervous. He was going to yell that he refused to eat anything made by a vert, but kept silent. Amanda left a tray on the nightstand by the bed.

" There you go. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." Amanda said. The food smelled really inviting. Ram leaned closer to inspect the plate.

There were scrambled eggs with onions, bell peppers, ham and cheese, two slices of french toast, a glass of juice, and a biscuit with white gravy pouring down the sides. There was also a little bowl of syrup for the toast.

Ram wasn't going to give at first.

No vert food for me. I'll just eat when I get back to my own tribe, he thought. He turned away, but his stomach was roaring. It was getting uncomfortable now, full of acid, and for a few minutes, Ram thought it was going to chew through his skin. His hand inched towards the fork and picked it up involuntarily.

" Well, okay, maybe a taste." he muttered to himself. He scooped up some of the eggs and held it to his mouth. Then, his hand shaking, he closed his mouth around the bite.

Hey, this is better than what we get at home, not bad for a vert. Ram thought. All thoughts of germs or poison left his head as he gradually filled the empty space.

Amanda came in after a little while. She looked a little surprised when she saw the plate and glass completely empty.

" Need anything else?" she asked. Ram shook his head. He thought about saying "thank you" but it could wait until later. He needed to figure out how to get home.

Four

After a few days of vert food, a few angry outbursts, and some hidden tears, Ram wasn't really ready to leave. Despite all the things he said, he actually liked it here. Amanda's cats were friendly (most of the time) the food was good, and Amanda and Ram were starting to get along better. One day, after being gone the whole time, Amanda came into the room with a hospital wheelchair and some news.

" I know it's not your electric one, the rest of the technos have it. They're repairing your hotel. I told them that you were coming back because you were about to go crazy out here. " Amanda didn't realize what Ram was feeling inside.

I really don't mind staying here longer, he thought. I just want to be near you again. What am I thinking? I nearly killed Ved for being with a vert, now I'm following his bad example.

" Well, since you have a way to get around now, you want to see the rest of the house?" Amanda asked, scooting the chair closer to the bed. With a sideways wiggling motion, Ram managed to get over to the edge of the bed. He would have missed the chair had Amanda not caught him. Her face was so close to his that he felt her breath on his cheek.

" Hang on, almost there." Amanda grunted, trying to push him backwards into the chair. After a few minutes of intensive struggle, she eased him back and he was sitting in a chair for the first time in what seemed like ages.

" There's a step here, so hang on." Amanda said, easing him backwards over the stair. She pulled him backwards into the living room. There was a cherrywood fireplace, two couches, two endtables, a coffee table, and a really comfortable-looking chair.

" Who's chair?" Ram asked.

" My dad's. He loved that chair." there was a hint of sadness as she said that.

The maroon-colored carpet ended in white tile with dark green diamonds.

" My kitchen." Amanda said. A table with four chairs were by the windows, along with a fake tree strung with Christmas lights.

" We decided to leave the lights in. " Amanda explained. A china cabinet with elephants stood in the hall, then some drawings and a plastic plate with a child's drawing on it.

" Your pictures?" Ram asked, studying the careful strokes that tried to form a believable design.

" Mine." Amanda confirmed. " Did all that in 6th grade."

Ram was momentarily impressed. Amanda pointed to the doors.

" Guest bathroom," the one closest, " Amy and Emerald's room" that was at the end of the hall

" and Ashley's room." that was the room next to it.

A loud beeping sound made them both jump. It was then Ram smelled something that brought back memories.

Amanda pushed him into the kitchen and shut the timer off. With a couple of teatowels, she removed the cakes from the oven.

Ram remembered how his mother must have made a cake almost every week. She'd always give him the first piece.

" What kind of frosting?" Ram asked. He couldn't believe the conversations he'd had with these verts. Not once had Ram mentioned technology. He was nervous that he'd confuse them. They couldn't possibly understand computers or vertual reality. He noticed a frame hung next to the mirror.

" Chocolate frosting," Amanda answered," but not until it cools. The frosting will melt. "

Ram examined the frame. It looked like one of Amanda's report cards from school. It read:

Algebra 1........................B

Phys. Science/ lab.........A

AP English 1.................HB

Girl's Choir.....................A

American History.........A

Computers 2..................A

Art..................................A

Maybe she wasn't just another dumb vert after all.

" Ebony's furious that you escaped. She kept demanding who got you out, and nobody would tell her even though they all saw me do it." Amanda laughed, sitting down in the chair next to him.

" Ebony always did want her own way. She was so much like me." Ram said.

" I know this is a personal question, but what did you see in that girl, anyway?" Amanda asked.

" She wanted power, just like I did. She wanted her own way, and she didn't want anyone telling her what to do. I should have known she'd betray me for Jay, because of the way she'd always look at him."

Amanda leaned in closer.

" Ram, everybody makes mistakes. You were only following your heart, and besides, it's her fault she betrayed you, not yours. Sometimes love blinds people. But, did you really love her? If you could be with her right now, what would you do? Your answer will tell you." Amanda said. She walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl of freshly prepared frosting. She dumped the first cake out on a platter, then began spreading frosting on it.

" What is it, really, that Ebony ever did that was so special?" Amanda asked, dumping out the second cake onto the first one. It slipped sideways, and Amanda had to move quickly to keep it from smearing the frosting.

For once, Ram was at a loss for words. Amanda didn't demand an answer, she just kept spreading the frosting.

" This is the first time I've ever said this, but I can't think of anything." Ram said, watching Amanda slather the last bit of frosting on the side of the cake. The cats started meowing, so Amanda rubbed some of it off the knife and knelt down on the floor. The cats licked away the frosting with pure delight.

" Okay, boys. That's enough. Too much will make you sick." Amanda turned to wash her hands in the sink. Ram wondered if it was anyone's birthday or something. How could verts afford to eat like this everyday?

Just then, Amy, Emerald, and Ashley came into the kitchen with a bag of crushed ice.

" There it is. I hope you remember how to make ice cream." Amy said, casting a Look at Ram. It was that " I want to hit you" look.

Amanda started getting different things out. Vanilla flavoring, rock salt, and some other things. She dumped all of this into a big bowl and stirred until it started to stiffen, then she put the bowl on the table.

" That's the first decent dessert we've had in a while. What's with the extra effort?" Emerald asked.

" Oh, nothing. I got all the cleaning done yesterday, so I have a little extra time on my hands." Amanda said.

Cleaning. That was a word that pleased Ram.

" And what about dinner? It's still your turn to cook." Amy asked.

" Already taken care of." Amanda said. Ashley went over to the stove and lifted the lid on the pan.

" We get macaroni tonight! " she announced with a happy tone in her voice.

Ram kept his expression blank, but on the inside, he was amazed at how the verts were so much like his family. They were starting to grow on him. He even liked the cats, well just a little.

Amanda started dishing up the food. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Amanda went to answer it, then there was a gasp of surprise.

" What have you done with Ram?" It was Java's voice. Only coughing was heard.

" He's in the kitchen, I can't breathe." Amanda choked out.

Ram should have been happy that Java had come for him, but he found himself rather dissappointed.

Java and two masked technos with zappers appeared in the kitchen. Java held Amanda's arms with one arm, and the other arm around her neck.

" Java, what are you doing here?" Ram asked. The cats growled and hissed. The rest of the tribe glared at her.

" I've come to take you home. And this criminal is coming with us. " Java squeezed tighter, making Amanda's face turn red.

" You can take me, but leave the vert alone." Ram demanded. Right then, he spotted his zapper, headset, and homing beacon on the counter. He held the zapper threateningly at Java's head.

" You're going too far, Java. You sent Ebony away, you kept acting like my nursemaid, I appreciate the extra effort, but leave Amanda alone!"

It was rare that Ram called the verts by their names, but when he started to yell, that meant to do whatever he said immediately.

Java gave Amanda a black scowl and threw her forward. Amanda dropped to her knees, choking and coughing. The two masked technos took Ram's chair and lifted it over the steps out the back door.

I didn't even get to eat any cake, Ram pouted.

Java would have fussed at Ram for being with the verts, but she didn't know the whole story, so she decided to keep it quiet.

" We missed you," she said instead, "what happened to you back there? What were they doing to you?"

" They were spoiling me, Java. That vert, Amanda, reminded me of someone. But next time, " Ram's voice started to rise into anger," I decide who gets strangled, got it?"

Java cursed Amanda in the back of her head.

" Java, you've changed. Everytime I interact with another girl, you start acting strangely. " Ram said. His techno-attitude was gone. He wanted to go back.

And you've changed yourself. I'll figure out some way to get back at that little _____. Java thought.

Five

Amanda was distraught. She'd just been about to bring out what good she'd seen in Ram, and Java had to come and snatch away her chance. She couldn't eat now, and she sat fuming in her chair while the other girls devoured their supper.

" Amanda, starving yourself isn't going to bring him back." Amy told her. Amanda didn't answer, not even when one of the cats climbed up in her lap and started eating out of her plate. It was as though she was frozen in her own little world.

Meanwhile, Ram was forced back into his techno attitude. He'd lost Ebony and Siva, but Java, Ved, and the rest of the technos remained. He decided that his few weeks with Amanda didn't really matter, though he owed her for saving his life.

" I have some more things I need to have tested. " Ram told Java and Ved.

" And the testers? The Mall Rats already got all of them." Ved answered. Ram felt a surge of anger, but he held it down.

" That vert, Amanda. Go get her, and we're moving her in with us for now." Ram said.

" Why Amanda?" Java asked.

Ram gave her the Look.

" Why not?" he asked.

" She's weaker than a potato chip dropped in water." Java complained.

" Go. Get. Her. " Ram snapped, his voice low and sinister. Java and Ved looked at each other, then hurried out of the room. Ram liked Amanda, and he was going to play with her.

A few hours later, Java and Ved came back, dragging Amanda by her arms, and some masked technos were carrying some of her things. Judging by Amanda's disheveled appearance, she'd been dragged right out of bed. Her hair was messy, her makeup was smeared, and she was blinking a lot, trying to get her eyelids unglued.

" What's with dragging me out of bed? It's late. " Amanda said, yawning so big that the braces that should have been removed years ago showed.

" You're coming to the Virtual Reality space." Ram said.

" Why?"

" You'll see." Ram gave Ved a five.

Amanda didn't like the way this was shaping up.

The technos dragged Amanda into the dark room. Amanda didn't struggle, she was just slow because she was tired. Java was grinning so much that Amanda had a feeling this couldn't be good.

Ram typed something on his computer, then snapped his fingers. The masked technos put one of the VR headsets on Amanda and Ram adjusted the computer so he could watch.

" Go put her things in one of the cells. And try not to drop the cat." he said, eyeing the struggling, hissing white kitten of Amanda's. Krusty never had been fond of strangers.

" I don't want it running loose." Ram finished, then turned back to the computer.

Amanda stood in a beautiful garden with lots of flowers, and she was wearing a flowing white gown.

" Where am I? What's with the dress?" she asked aloud.

Ram laughed.

Amanda walked along the flowers, examining them. She loved the flowers. There were a lot of red roses, what she loved most. She stroked their petals, but didn't pick one because of the thorns. Suddenly, clouds appeared overhead and lightning started to flash.

" Okay, all I have to do is find a place to stay." Amanda said to herself, eyeing the storm clouds warily.

Suddenly, the lightning slammed into the ground very close by. Amanda dashed away from it, screaming.

Ram was almost in tears, he was laughing so hard. Java was in tears, and Ved was on the floor banging it with his fists.

Ram stopped laughing long enough to watch Amanda's reaction. The lightning had started a fire, and now there was no place to go. Amanda was trapped. There were silent tears running down her face.

Ram suddenly didn't feel like playing with her anymore.

" Okay," he sighed, " I'm bored. Get her out of here."

Java looked as though Christmas had been cancelled.

" That's not the end of our fun, Java. She's got more coming."

The technos lifted the visor off Amanda's head. She was panting hard.

Ram would have felt less guilt if Amanda had yelled, but she didn't. She just gave him a sad look with her big brown eyes and stumbled along as the masked technos dragged her out.

That night, just about every five minutes, Ram would check on Amanda with his laptop computer. She sat on the edge of the bed in the cell, absently petting her cat.

" Wonder what it was that I did to him." Amanda said quietly. She opened a can of cat food and set it on the floor. Krusty looked at it strangely, but then purred contentedly as he gobbled it up. Amanda pawed through the boxes and found a thin blanket. She wrapped it around herself and sighed.

" I wonder what the girls are doing right now." Amanda said. Krusty looked up from his dinner long enough to let out a questioning meow.

Ram sighed guiltily. He heard Java in the hallway and shut the computer off.

" Ram, are you still working? It's really late. It's not good for you to be up this late."

" Java, give it a rest." he spat.

" Something on your mind?" she asked sweetly.

" No."

" Ram, I'm worried about you."

" I said give it a rest!" Ram yelled. Java trembled. The masked technos all turned around. Ram glared at all of them, and they quickly turned away to mind their own business. Java hadn't meant any harm, she was just worried, that's all. She wondered what Amanda had possibly done with her husband, to turn him into such a vert lover. She knew that was exactly what was bothering him.

The next morning, Ram took up his trusty laptop and checked on Amanda again. She was fast asleep in the floor with Krusty at her side.

" That cat sure is faithful." Ram said, a saddened tone in his catlike voice. Amanda stirred under the blanket, then sat up.

" Ohhhh. That's the hardest d@mn floor I've ever slept on." she groaned.

" What is it with her and that word?" Ram wondered aloud.

Amanda held her hand over her stomach.

" I'm so hungry I could eat this building." Amanda complained to the sleepy cat.

Ved happened to walk by when Amanda said that.

" You hear that Ram? What are we going to make her do to earn her keep?" Ved asked. Ram was annoyed but the thought of having some more fun took the edge off of it.

" VR time." he told Ved. Ved nodded.

A minute later, Amanda was dragged out of her room by the technos. Krusty tried to follow her, but one of the technos zapped the cat.

" KRUSTY! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!" Amanda howled. Ram heard the commotion from up the hallway and came as fast as his chair would take him. Amanda was kicking and punching and yelling and crying, frantically trying to get to the cat.

" Who zapped the cat?" Ram asked angrilly. The other technos pointed at the culprit. Ram turned on his zapper.

Amanda dove out in front of the person and took the hit.

" Would you stop it with the violence?!" Amanda raged. She picked up her unconsious cat and held him to her ear. His heart was still beating, and he was still breathing. She grunted as she moved towards her room. Ram watched as she laid the cat gently on her makeshift bed, then turned to Ram, clutching her side.

" That was a foolish thing to do. You could have been killed!" Ram snapped, shocked at what she'd done.

" I guess my problem is that I hate seeing people get hurt. " Amanda said shakily.

Six

Just because Amanda was injured, Ram decided to take it easy on her. He put her in a jungle with some wild animals hiding out in the trees. At first, Amanda didn't think it was so bad. The scenery was beautiful, and Amanda watched in wonder as a huge butterfly landed on her shoulder. It flexed its wings a few times, then flew away.

" C'mon Ram, when are we going to see some action?" Ved asked. He was watching over Ram's shoulder.

" Wait for it." Ram said. Suddenly, there was a growling sound. A leopard came diving out of a tree, and it was very narrowly that it missed Amanda. She screamed and took off for no where in particular. A snake dropped its head down from a nearby tree, and she screamed again and ducked underneath it. Java was laughing so hard that she had to hang on to Ram's wheelchair for support. Ved was turning red from lack of oxygen.

Amanda saw a cave, and in panick, ran for her life. A few seconds later, she came screaming out of it as bats flew over her head. More leopards had come, sensing her fear and hearing the screams. She was trapped. Just as Amanda thought it was the end, someone lifted the helmet off of her head. She was safe in the dark room-so to speak.

Amanda might have objected to this treatment, but she was breathing too hard.

"Mmm. Not bad for a vert. You almost got away." Ram said.

Amanda cast him a cold look.

" Get her out." he ordered the technos. She didn't need their assistance this time. Amanda got up as fast as she could and took off towards her room to check on the cat. He was awake now, and moving about. Amanda gave him some more food.

" I don't know about you, but I think they're trying to see what I die from first: hunger or virtual reality stuff attacking me. " she said, collapsing onto the makeshift bed.

A techno came in, carrying a plate almost overflowing with food. Both girl and cat eyed it hungrilly.

" Ram sent it up here." he said, then left. Amanda looked at Krusty, then tore into the food. Krusty meowed, almost sounding disdainful.

" I can't help it. I'm hungry." Amanda said around a mouthful of fruit.

A few minutes later, the plate was empty and Amanda lay on her bed (the technos had brought a hotel bed inside for her while she was eating) and strummed her guitar.

" I wonder what else he's going to do with me. I wish the girls would come get you so you wouldn't have to put up with this." Amanda told her cat. Krusty meowed and rubbed his head against her leg.

" It's a shame our baby died. I was ready to be a mother." Amanda said. Ved was watching from the doorway, which was open a crack. He put his hand up to his mouth and snorted with laughter. Ram wheeled up to the door, and Ved motioned him to be quiet.

" Everybody said I would have been a good mother. And Corey was thrilled about it. He kept patting my stomach and forcing me to eat until I was nearly sick. I told him I was eating for a baby, not another fully grown person, but he just laughed. " Amanda said, stroking her cat and half-smiling at the memory.

Ram felt bad for Amanda. He kept listening. He wished he'd have just left her at home so that he wouldn't have to listen to her now.

" Remember before the Virus hit, I found you when you were just a kitten? You were so tiny and helpless. Your momma just left you in that barn with no place to go, and you were too weak to walk. My mom and me bottle-fed you and everything. Now you're getting so big." Amanda said. Krusty flopped over in her lap. Amanda laughed. Ram realized just how much he wanted a family of his own, but he was still afraid of germs, though less so then he was before. There was no possible way for him to have real kids without taking a huge risk.

Ved knew exactly what Ram was thinking, but he also knew what to do. He'd slip into the VR room one day and turn off the safety gears. He felt a little devilish, but that's how he is.

Ram wheeled back into his own room to do a little thinking. He heard a strange sound that seemed to be coming from the walls. Afraid that something might be seriously wrong, he called his masked technos to come see what the problem was. They must have sawed a hole at least three feet wide when Ram saw the problem.

There were five kittens, trapped between the pipes in the wall. They were all squealing loudly, and their mother lay dead under the pipe.

" What should we do with them, Ram?" asked a blonde techno.

" Get that big one out and bury her. Somebody go get a box and a towel." Ram said. He wheeled over the piece of wall that had been cut out and plucked a kitten from its prison.

" Mewmewmew meeeeww!" it cried. Just then, a techno appeared with the box and towel he'd asked for. Ram put the kitten in the box, then gently pulled the other four out. Normally he was afraid of things that didn't talk and walk on two legs, but he realized that he kind of liked the little furry noisemakers. There was one that had quite an attitude. He kept biting the others on their tails. Ram picked it up and looked at it.

" I like you. You remind me of-uh-me!" he said, watching the kitten try to bite his gloved hands.

" Ram, where did you get those kittens?" Java asked. " They could be carrying some sort of disease. "

" Java!" Ram said, his voice rising in anger. Java trembled and wondered why Ram was turning against her. Ram set the box on his dashboard and headed for Amanda's room. He listened, but didn't hear her talking, only the sad-sounding guitar. He tapped the door gently.

Amanda opened it.

" I was wondering if you could do me a favor. " Ram said when Amanda let him in.

" I will if I'm not dead." she responded. Ram thought this was a clever comeback.

" You sound like you're a maternal person, and you do well with your cat," Ram began, trying to sweettalk Amanda," and we found these in the wall." he uncovered the kittens.

Amanda's harsh look of anger and sadness turned to sympathy when she saw them.

" Where's their mom?" she asked.

" Dead." Ram sighed.

" I'm going to need certain supplies. " Amanda said.

Ram gave her a questioning look.

" They can't be more than two weeks old. They need milk, and I'm going to need ready access to a bathroom." Amanda said, picking one up to examine it.

Ram decided not to ask.

" Fine. We'll move you into the room down the hall." he said, using his headset to gather up some technos.

Seven

Java was more distraught than ever. She fretted to herself that Ram was being taken over by a vert, when in reality, Amanda was teaching Ram things he had yet to learn.

Amanda was sitting on the edge of the bathtub with the kittens. She was dipping them in the water, then scrubbing them gently with a little brush. Ram saw the door open and went inside to see what she was up to.

" Hey." Amanda responded without looking up. She knew who it was by the sounds of the wheels. Ram watched as she scrubbed the kitten that he'd pulled out first. He looked like Ram in a strange way. He had a patch of black hair over his head, and the tips of his ears were orange. His eyes were bright blue, but starting to change color. The rest of him was white, but he had gray patches around his eyes, giving him a slightly intimidating look.

" Do you realize how much this one looks like you?" Ram asked, picking up a kitten.

" You think she looks like me? Look at this one and tell me who he resembles. " Amanda said, holding up the kitten. It meowed loudly. Amanda held the kitten up close to Ram, and he looked in the mirror.

" It looks like me." he laughed. Amanda used a tiny comb to brush the kitten's hair up in spikes.

" Aren't you just the cutest thing?" Amanda cooed at the cat. It seemed to be smiling. Krusty came in and jumped on Ram's dashboard.

" What did you say this one's name was?" Ram asked, stroking Krusty. Krusty purred and lay down on the dashboard, almost taking the whole space up.

" His name is Krusty." Amanda said, patting the kittens dry. They all started squalling again.

" Why are they doing that?" Ram asked, disturbed at how much the kittens were crying.

" They're just hungry. Could you watch them for a second? I have to go get their bottle." Amanda said. She left.

Ram scooted closer to the box. The kittens stood on their hind legs, occasionally falling over. They had their front paws on the edge of the box, and they looked at him, meowing loudly.

" Mewmewmewmewmew!" they cried. Amanda came back with a little bottle and a carton. She opened the carton, poured some of the pet milk into the bottle, and put the top back on. She heated the bottle by running under the hot water faucet.

" Why does it have to be warmed up?" asked Ram.

" Because it's warm when their mom gives it to them. This way, they'll still drink it." Amanda said. She picked up the first kitten out of the box.

" Okay, Ram Junior, you can go first since you're yelling the loudest." Amanda said sarcastically. She stuck the bottle in the kitten's mouth, and it went quiet. The others continued to whine, but not as loudly as he had.

" Have you named them yet?" Ram asked as the kitten sucked on the bottle. He was sucking on it so hard that the bottle had a dent in it. Amanda laughed.

" Slow down, no one's taking it away from you, you little monster!" she commented breathlessly.

" If you want to," Amanda said to Ram, " you can name this one since you found them."

" Ram Junior is pretty hard to beat." Ram responded, smiling at the cat.

" We can call him R.J. for short." Amanda said. Krusty had removed himself from the dashboard, so Amanda wrapped Ram Junior up in a warm towel and set him on it.

" There. Talk to him and pet him. He'll get used to you, and then he'll be 'your' cat. He'll be like Krusty is with me." Amanda said. She continued to feed the others. Java came in to see where Ram was at, and she was surprised at Ram, who was holding Ram Junior up against his chest.

" Hi Java. " Amanda said. Amanda never held grudges against anyone.

" She's naming the kittens, Java. You want to name one?" Ram asked. Ram had a healthy glow to his face, something she hadn't seen in a long time. Maybe Amanda wasn't doing anything wrong. Watching them laugh over the kittens, Java felt some of her jealousy ebb. Ebony was gone, and if Amanda wanted power, she was certainly more subtle than Ebony ever was.

" C'mon, don't be shy. They couldn't hurt anyone." Amanda said.

Java looked down at the box, and she found a dark brown kitten. Hesitantly, she picked it up.

" Is it a girl or a boy?" Java asked, hardly believing what was about to take place.

" That one's a girl." Amanda said.

" I got one." Ved had found the trio. The bathroom was getting a little crowded.

" Don't you dare." Java said, eyeing his devilish face nervously.

" I promise it's not bad." Ved laughed, looking at the little kitten in Java's hand.

Everyone else gave Ved a questioning look.

" What I started to say was that since your name is Java, I thought we could name that cat Mocha." Ved said. The kitten meowed, as if responding to the name.

Everyone laughed.

" I didn't think you had it in you, Ved. " Amanda chuckled.

" That was the most intelligent thing I ever heard from you." Ram commented sarcastically.

" Okay, we have Ram Junior and Mocha, but what about these other ones?" Amanda asked. She took Mocha and wrapped her up in a warm towel, then handed her to Java.

" 'Kay, Ved. You pick one out." Amanda said, holding up the box with the three others. He noticed a kitten that huddled in the corner of the box away from all the excitement. Then, he thought of a name that would match the cat's personality and his love for computer.

" I call this one Mouse." Ved said, picking up the kitten. It looked like a mouse, too. It was gray and had rounded ears. But, that left two more kittens without names. There was a solid black one, and one that was blue-gray with cloudy-looking white patches.

" I got it! This one is Sky." Amanda said, picking the bluish-gray one up. That left the black one by himself. He mewed loudly and started clawing at the box. Everytime he mewed, he opened his little pink mouth up so wide you could almost see down his throat.

" He acts like a dragon." Java said, unaware that she'd stumbled onto something. Everyone else looked at her in surprise.

" You just named the last one." Amanda said, wrapping Dragon up. The kittens were named.

Amanda noticed that all the kittens were asleep.

" Unless you want to carry yours around, I'm taking them back to my room for a nap." Amanda said. Krusty was even asleep. Everyone put their kittens back in the box. They looked like colored burritos, all wrapped up in their own little towels. As quietly as they could, everyone went to Amanda's room, Amanda carrying the box. Amanda set the box on the radiator so that it would keep warm.

" Okay, let's all clear out and let them sleep, okay?" Amanda whispered. She laid Krusty on her bed and everyone left.

Eight

The kittens had helped to fill the emptiness in Amanda's heart, but not completely. She wanted to get married and have a child of her own, but in her heart, she didn't know how. Corey was gone, and so was the baby. Her body had recovered, but not her heart.

Ram was watching the kittens play in the sunlight, but Ram Junior didn't seem to want to play. He didn't act like he was well. When Dragon and Mocha tried to coax him into playing, he hissed at them and struck at them with his paw. Then he laid down.

" What's wrong with you?" Ram asked. Java picked Ram Junior up. She took the kitten to Amanda's room. Amanda was playing her guitar again.

" Amanda, Ram thinks R. J. is sick." Java said. " He won't play with the other ones, and he's been laying down all day."

Amanda put her guitar down and took the kitten. She pressed her cheek against his, then felt his nose.

" I think he does have a fever." Amanda said, touching the pads of his feet.

" He will be okay, right?" Java asked, just as the kitten sneezed. Ram liked that kitten, and if it died, she was sure it would hurt badly.

" That depends on what his problem is. It could be just a cold." Amanda said, sounding a little unsure. She put her ear up to the kitten's chest.

" His heart's beating awfully fast." Amanda said.

Amanda covered R.J up with a blue hankie and lay him on the bed, though the kitten was shivering.

" Can't you use a towel?" Java asked impatiently.

" No, because it would just hold the heat in, and he wouldn't get any better. He has to get rid of the heat. "

Amanda put some cool water in the bottle and made R.J. drink it. R.J. didn't like the water too much, but after he discovered it was cooling him off, he drank it more.

" I'll keep him in here with me, and if anything happens, I'll let you know." Amanda told Java. Mocha appeared between Java's legs, curving her little body against her ankles, purring. She jumped up on the bed and purred against her brother.

" Looks like sis wants to keep brother company." Amanda laughed. Suddenly, Mouse, Sky, and Dragon came running in. They all cuddled around Mocha and Ram Junior and mewed and purred.

Amanda and Java were laughing at the sudden show of affection.

" I don't think we'll ever get these guys apart. They know who their family is." Amanda said. Ram was listening on his computer using the digital camera.

" Yeah, I wish I knew for sure who mine was." Ram sighed before turning off the computer and going to bed.

Nine

The next morning, Ram came in to check on R.J. Amanda was stretched out across her bed, still asleep. She was wearing a long black nightgown. There was something completely mysterious about her, mysterious, yet peaceful. He watched her closely to make sure she didn't wake up while he searched for R.J. R.J. was laying on a towel in the midst of his brothers and sisters. When he saw Ram, he let out a contented squeak and wobbled over to him.

" You're walking already?" Ram asked, stroking the cat. Ram Junior didn't just look like Ram, he was also just as smart. He was only 3 weeks old. Ram picked up the kitten and set him on the dashboard.

Ram looked over at Amanda. She had rolled over on her back and was twitching a little bit. She was having a dream. A slight smile crossed her face and she rolled right, then left before becoming completely still.

" Let's get out of here. " Ram told the kitten. It was too late, Amanda woke up just as golden sunlight filled the room. Amanda yawned and stretched, unaware of Ram. Ram noticed that the nightgown was sheer. He pretended not to look when Amanda realized he was in here, and instead, pretended to be interested in the rest of the kittens, as they were waking up. Amanda blushed and wrapped a blanket around herself.

" How long have you been in here?" Amanda asked, her face as red as a cherry.

" Just came in here to check on R.J." Ram told her. He was trying to keep a straight face, but the minute she stepped into her bathroom to get dressed, Ram burst out laughing. It was as though something was tickling him on the inside, and he couldn't stop.

Amanda came back in, fully dressed.

" I take it everyone in this room is in a good mood today, even if it meant you saw me with that nightgown." Amanda said. She didn't seem embarrassed now.

" You don't look like it bothers you." Ram said, toying with the kittens.

Amanda was shocked at that last comment.

" You know what, Ram? You've changed since you've been around me." Amanda said.

Actually, it was due to the large amount of hormones running through Ram's system. He'd been fighting them off for so long, and now they all flooded out into his system. Java, Amanda, it didn't matter. He just wanted to be in company with girls today.

" Actually, it doesn't anymore, but it used to." Amanda said, knowing what was happening to Ram.

" Why?" Ram asked.

" Why what?" Amanda said, her face slightly flushed.

" Why did it used to bother you?" he asked.

" Because everyone expected me to, and some still expect me to be such a good girl. And I have. Back when, the adults were ashamed of us. There were some that thought it was pure sin to accept yourself for who you are. But, what's life without the roller-coaster feeling in your gut? Yawn." Amanda said, brushing her hair.

" Now that they're all gone, I can judge for myself what's right or wrong without any pressure from middle-aged morality." Amanda said, pulling up her hair with a scrunchie.

" Exactly." Ved appeared at the door.

" What is it with everyone sneaking up on me today?" Amanda asked playfully. Ved saw the nightgown and picked it up.

" Yeah, I know what's going on here." Ved chuckled.

" No you don't." Amanda said, snatching it away from him.

" Don't let Java catch you two together with that thing on. She'll throw a fit. " Ved laughed.

Amanda took the nightgown and shoved it into a drawer.

" You boys better not tell on me!" Amanda said, trying to sound serious, but she was laughing too hard.

Java came in, completely unaware of what they were laughing at.

" Ebony came looking for you, Ram. " she said in a grim voice. Everyone abruptly stopped laughing, and a cold silence filled the air.

" What does she want?" Ram asked, his face twisting with anger, fear, and sadness.

" She figured out that it was Amanda that let you go. She wants back witht the Technos, and she wants you to throw Amanda out. She says she'll come back if you get rid of Amanda."

Ram looked at Amanda, who was pretending to busy herself with feeding the kittens. He felt a lot of fire around Ebony, and she made him feel like he was on a roller coaster, but the way he loved Amanda was different. There was fire, but not a hot, burning flame like Ebony. It was more like a soft glow, a gentle warm that filled Ram's insides like spring sunshine. Ram hated to think he'd have to choose between the girls.

" Where's she at now?" Ram asked.

" She's outside. I say we lock her up." Java said angrilly.

" I say we throw her in VR and leave her there." Ved said.

Amanda didn't jump in with an idea. She was silent.

" Just tell her to get out, I don't want anything to do with her." Ram said after a long pause.

" Fine with us." Java said. Java never liked Ebony that much, but after her and Siva had been thrown out of the Locos by Ebony, she hated her.

Ebony burst through the door, several Technos trying to hold her down, but Ebony's anger was too much for them.

" You want me thrown out, after all I put up with!?" she yelled. Amanda cringed.

" You wanted Jay, remember? Are you not happy that you almost broke our tribe up?" Ram asked, his voice rising with anger.

Amanda saw a fight coming on.

" Jay left me for that vert, Amber! There was nothing between us. I hate to say it, but you were right! He was thinking about her!" she yelled.

" You betrayed me. I have no room for betrayal in the Technos." Ram snapped.

" You betrayed me first! " Ebony shot back.

Ebony lunged towards Ram. Without thinking about it, Amanda's hand shot out and connected with Ebony's chin. Ebony broke free of the technos and caught Amanda in her jaw. Amanda faked a hit with her left hand and struck with her right. She slipped behind Ebony and tripped her. Ebony was really mad right now, she was angry that Amanda had stolen her spot. Ebony got behind Amanda, and Amanda grabbed her by the waist, then she threw Ebony forward. Amanda didn't want to hurt her anymore than she had to, but Ebony just wouldn't let it go. She lunged at Amanda, and Amanda jumped and landed right on top of her. There was a cracking sound and a scream of pain: Ebony's arm was broken. Amanda got her in a headlock.

" Enough! If you want to talk things over with him, do it in a civilized way. I didn't mean to hurt you, but you were asking for it. " Amanda said. Her blonde hair straggled onto her face, which was red as a cherry.

" Now then, I'll let you go if you promise to behave." Amanda said. Ebony nodded, and Amanda let her go. Ebony rarely told anyone when she was in pain, because she thought of it as a sign of weakness, but tears were coming like waterfalls, and she was whimpering in pain.

" Okay, I think I can fix that." Amanda said. She talked to the Technos for a minute, and they scattered out to find the things she asked for. Amanda sat Ebony down on the bed.

" This is going to hurt like hell, and I'm sorry, but we'll have to reset that bone. "

Amanda took Ebony's arm underneath hers, then wrenched it around until the hinge was closed. Ebony screamed so loud that every Techno in the building wondered what it was all about. The ones that Amanda had sent for supplies returned. One of them carried a sheet of cotton, one carried a bucket of plaster, and one carried gauze bandages. Amanda took the sheet of cotton and cut a hole in it for Ebony's thumb, then wrapped it around her arm. She took the bandages and dipped them in the plaster. Being careful to keep Ebony's arm perfectly still, she wound the bandages around Ebony's arm.

" Keep still. That has to dry straight." Amanda said. Ebony had stopped crying, now she just looked miserable. Ram watched the two girls together, and he realized that Amanda could be both tough and gentle. He picked up the kittens and fed them, since they hadn't gotten finished.

" I thought you hated animals." Ebony said, as Ram picked up R.J. and petted him.

" Not these. This one's just as smart as me." he said, holding up R.J. for Ebony to see. For the first time, Ebony wondered if she'd made a mistake. Jay no longer wanted anything to do with her since the fake Zoot incident. In fact, almost no one wanted her anymore. Amanda tapped on the cast, it was hard enough to let her go.

Ram kept commenting on the kittens, but Amanda's actions had stunned him. She had broken Ebony's arm, but then she fixed it. She disliked Ebony for her treachery, but she had helped her. Ram didn't understand it.

" You can't go out there with a broken arm. " Amanda told Ebony when she was ready to leave.

" Why not?" Ebony asked. " Afraid I'll run into more trouble? Zoot will look after me."

" Look, I don't think you need to be out there tonight. You can leave tomorrow, but if that arm gets broken any worse, I doubt it can be fixed.

" You can stay with me tonight. If you feel better tomorrow, then we'll let you leave. " Amanda said firmly. Something about her tone made Ebony back down.

" I can't believe she let her stay." Java said to Ram that night as she rubbed his shoulders.

" Amanda's different from the others." Ram commented.

" She beats Ebony up, then she heals her. I don't get it." Ved said, watching Amanda on the computer screen. Amanda was talking to Ebony as she put the kittens to bed. Mocha and R.J. seemed wary of Ebony, and they both hissed at her when she tried to pet them.

" I can't believe all the problems I've run into since the virus. It's like no one wants me. I tried to find a place to belong, and nothing works out. I've been with the Locos, I fought the chosen. I've fought the Technos, I joined them, I fought them again. I formed the Zootists, now they're all ready to throw me out. Everyone looks at the mistakes I made, not what I learned from them." Ebony complained.

" I know the feeling. " Amanda said. She was making a bed for Ebony, since Ebony couldn't do it herself.

" Amanda trusts too much." Java said, turning to Ram.

" What do you mean?" Ved asked.

" You watch. She'll stab Amanda in the back faster than you can say 'ouch'." Java explained.

Ram barely got any sleep that night. He kept getting back on his computer and checking the camera. Amanda and Ebony were both fast asleep. He made sure it stayed that way.

The sky got lighter, and the sun came up. Ram was exhausted. As soon as Amanda and Ebony woke up, Ram laid his head down on his dashboard and fell asleep. When Java and Amanda came in to check on him, he was still asleep.

" I think he was trying to make sure Ebony didn't pull anything. " Ved commented when the girls asked him about it. They pushed Ram over to his bed, and opened the side door to his chair. Very carefully, they eased him out onto the bed. Amanda took the blanket off that she had wrapped around herself and covered him up. R.J. mewed, making both girls jump.

" Shhh! " Amanda hissed. She picked R.J. up, wondering how in the world he'd found his way here.

R.J. didn't want to leave Ram. He mewed until Amanda sat him on the bed. R.J. curled up by Ram's hand, then closed his eyes.

Amanda and Java looked at each other, then tiptoed outside, making sure to shut the door.

" Is he still asleep?" Ebony asked.

" Just went to sleep. We put him to bed." Amanda explained. Ebony felt a surge of guilt. She knew exactly why Ram had stayed up all night, though Java didn't tell her.

As Amanda was tending to the other kittens, Java sat down on the bed beside her.

" Look, about that night we came in and took Ram, I'm sorry I choked you." Java said.

" Don't worry about it." Amanda said, feeding Sky.

" I mean it. I was worried sick about him. Ebony and Siva may not have loved him, but I did. I cared for him in a way that I can't explain. That's why I married him." Java explained.

" I like him a lot, but sometimes I wonder what made him cause all this mess with VR and the zappers and taking over the city, I mean what good would it do him? " Amanda said. Ved was watching them on the cameras. Since Ram was still sleeping, he recorded the girls.

" Why do you like him?" Java asked.

" Well, I suppose I have a weakness towards other people. I hate to see anyone who's lost, sick, or hurt, and I always try to help them, even if it makes me miserable. When we found Ram, even though the other girls told me they didn't want him in our house, I took him home anyway. I tried to bring out what was behind the techno uniform. I wanted to see if he had a good heart, and he did. He's just been banged up really bad. " Amanda explained. Java nodded.

" He doesn't talk about what happened to get him in the wheelchair. He probably thinks if he tells anyone what happened that we'll all think he's weak." Java said.

" In a way, he is. He's trying to hide behind his reputation. If he'd show us what's really there, he'd get stronger. That's how I was. " Amanda said. It was at this time that Ram came scooting in where Ved was, and Ved rewound the DVD and showed him. Though Ram didn't say a word, he knew Amanda was right.

Ten

As the days passed, Ebony learned to behave herself and give unselfishly. Ram understood that his feelings for Amanda were too strong to be ignored, and Java learned to be less jealous. Ved was just as mischievious as ever, and one night when Amanda and Ram were headed to the VR room, Ved switched off the safety controls. He was pretty sure what was going to happen. Java had no idea what was going on because she was already in bed.

When the two of them entered VR, Amanda discovered Ram as a very different person. He was a lot less arrogant, and he was a lot more confident. He seemed to care about her more than she was sure that she wanted him to.

" Wow. Are you sure nothing's going to jump out and get me?" Amanda asked. After the lightning and the wild animals, she didn't want any more surprise attacks.

" Nothing. You're inside my little world that the verts didn't find. " Ram said. His green eyes held a light that Amanda felt was almost dangerous. For the first time, Ram noticed Amanda's ballet shoes.

" Can you dance?" he asked.

Amanda stood on tiptoe, then leapt into the air. She landed on one toe, then twirled around.

" Yep. I sing, too."

" Sing, then." Ram said.

Amanda didn't hesitate.

" Just a day, just an ordinary day,

Just tryin' to get by,

just a boy, just an ordinary boy,

but he was lookin' to the sky." she sang, moving quite gracefully.

Ram was impressed.

" Amanda, you amaze me. Most verts don't know how to move like that. We could restart CityNet and you could be on it."

Amanda shook her head.

" Ram, do you even remember all that chaos that happened? You don't want them to catch you again, do you? I'm happy doing it for me." Amanda said, looking into his eyes.

Ram saw pure innocence and unselfishness in her eyes. There was a radiance to her, as though she wasn't just another vert. She was special. Ram had a sudden desire just to reach out and take her into his arms. He wanted to feel her heartbeat against his own chest. He wanted to feel her breathe on his face.

Amanda stood right where she was, watching him. She wordlessly questioned him, looking up at him with those big, innocent brown eyes, slightly hidden behind glasses, her two blonde, face-framing braids and the feathers stuck into her hair bun quivering in the VR wind. Ram couldn't resist her anymore. He leaned in and kissed her on her soft pink lips. Amanda didn't kiss him back at first, she just waited to see what he was going to do. Amanda felt the all-too-familiar pain in her heart that told her what was happening. She liked Ram a lot, and she knew if it developed as her love did for Corey, she might lose him, too.

" Amanda, are you mad at me?" Ram asked, when he pulled away. Amanda just continued to look at him with a pained look.

" No." She turned away.

" What, then?" he asked, knowing it was because of Corey. He'd listened to her talk to her cat too much.

" My husband. He died a while back. When I was with him, and even though I'd lost him, I never so much as looked at another guy. I'm scared." Amanda admitted.

She was too brave for the moment, though Ram could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

Ram took her in his arms. Amanda didn't break down like most girls would, but he felt her shake as she started to control her tears. In a few minutes, she was okay.

I can't stay this way forever, she told herself. Running away and hiding just won't get it anymore. Corey's dead, and I just have to accept it.

She rested her head on Ram's shoulder. Ram felt her heartbeat, and her breath on his neck. When the two of them didn't come out for a few hours, Ved knew exactly what had happened. He laughed devilishly and went back to bed after checking Amanda's room and Ram's room.

Eleven

Amanda lifted the headset off, and she was once again surrounded by darkness. Ram took his headset off.

" I think we better go our separate ways tonight before anyone figures out what happened. " Amanda said, her heart beating wildly. She wasn't smiling, but she was sweating and breathing hard. So was Ram.

The two of them said good-night hurredly, and went quietly to bed. Amanda hoped that nothing else ever happened between them, because it was just too dangerous. Java had learned to get along with Amanda very well, but who knows what she might do if she found out? The thought of this scared Amanda. Amanda also felt guilty about Corey, though he was long dead. What would the other girls think? Too many questions with no answers exhausted her, and she slept. The next morning was very awkward for Amanda and Ram, because when they were around each other, there were these odd pauses. Java noted this strange behavior and mentioned it to Ebony.

" Do you think what I think about those two?" Java asked when Amanda couldn't look Ram straight in the eyes. Ebony nodded, but they decided not to ask.

Everything went well for about three more days, then Amanda started acting really strange. She'd be gone outside for long periods of time, and she looked sick when she returned. Her eyes would be red, and she'd usually have very sour breath. Her face was pale, and she'd get tired very easily. Ram noticed that when she wasn't sick, she had to eat twice as much.

" I think she's pregnant." Ebony whispered to Java. Ved heard them. He snorted with laughter and walked away.

" Ved, do you know something we don't?" Java asked. Ved shook his head, but he had guilt written all over his face.

" Ved, you better let us in on it!" Ebony snapped.

 

" Okay, okay! When Ram took her in there the other day, I turned off the safety switches." Ved told them, his face going red.

" Ved, how could you! What if something happened to Ram!" asked Java.

" I think we need to worry about Amanda, more." Ved said. " She's been outside barfing up her guts."

" What are we going to tell Ram? He'll kill someone over this." Java moaned. From the nearest bathroom, they heard the chucking noises and coughs. A few minutes later, Amanda came out, looking bad as ever.

" Did you tell him yet?" Amanda asked, looking ready to faint.

" No. We just didn't have the guts." Ved joked.

" Not right now. It's too early." Amanda said, moving slowly towards her room.

Ved had a pang of guilt. Amanda had what she wanted, but what would Ram do once he found out?

That night, Amanda waited until everyone was asleep. The kittens could eat regular food now, and were weaned off their milk. She left a bowl out for them so as not to wake Ebony. Then, she left a note on her bed, packed up her things, and left.

The next morning, Java came in to check on Amanda, and found Ebony alone.

" Where's Amanda?" Java asked.

" She left." Ebony replied, handing Java the note.

Ram, Java, Ved, and Ebony:

I went to go visit my tribe. I'll be back in a few months.

The kittens eat regular cat food now, so please remember

to feed them twice a day.

Love from Kat.

P.S. please don't send anyone out here. I can't tell you

why not.

Ram came wheeling in just as Java finished the note.

" Where's Amanda? Normally, she'd be up and singing by now." Ram said. He had a healthy glow to his face that the others hadn't seen in a while. Ved was finally the one to break the news to him.

" Amanda's gone, Ram." He said slowly. For once, the devilish look was gone.

Ram's angry look showed up.

" What do you mean she's gone?!" he asked, his voice rising.

"Here. See for yourself." Ved said, handing him the note.

Ram's angry expression turned to sadness. She'd left him, just like everyone seemed to leave him. His very first wife died from a heart condition, and she'd miscarried her baby, too. Now, Amanda was gone with her baby.

That evening as Ram sifted through what Amanda left, Ram Junior jumped up on the dashboard with a white piece of paper tied to his tail. Ram took the paper off (which made R. J. 's stiff tail feel better) and opened it up. There was only a picture there that Amanda had drawn. It was two cats holding a heart up.

" Promise I'll be back soon. " it read.

Ram had planned on asking Amanda to marry him tonight, but it would have to wait. He was distraught and didn't want anyone around him. He became bitter as the weeks wore on. Each time someone said something trivial like " I fed the cats", Ram took it as a bad comment and jumped on them with " I could have done it!"

Meanwhile at the Angelz house, Amanda was becoming quite big around the tummy. She spent half of her time eating and a third of it throwing up. In between, she made clothes for the coming baby. She was about 6 months along, and very moody. The other girls were afraid to lose a second baby, so they spared her all but the lightest house work, though none of them tolerated it as well as she did.

Late one night, an unexpected visitor arrived at the Angelz house. It was snowing, and the wind was very bitter. Amanda couldn't sleep, so she sat at the table, brooding over a steaming mug of hot chocolate. There was the slightest tap on the door, and Amanda padded over to it. She cracked the door open enough to see who it was, then she opened it quietly to let him in.

Ved shook the snow from his thin coat and shivered.

" Thanks." he said.

" What are you doing here? I wrote not to let anyone come here until I come back!" Amanda whispered angrilly.

" I don't care. I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead. Ram's sick, as in very sick. He won't eat, he can't sleep, and Java's driving him crazy, trying to get him well."

Amanda gestured for Ved to come into the house. He eyed Amanda's swollen stomach, then gave her a questioning look.

" Yes, it's Ram's. I didn't want to admit it until I got farther along in case something happened." Amanda said, answering her stomach.

" Did anyone else know you were coming?" she asked anxiously, pouring Ved a cup of hot chocolate. Ved took it gratefully and took a sip.

" Nope. You and me are the only ones." Ved promised.

" If I were you, I'd stay here tonight. You'll freeze out there." Amanda told him. Ved took a sudden drink and burned his tongue.

" What happens when Ram realizes I'm gone? Worse, what happens if he realizes where I went?" Ved asked.

" I'm going back next month. But, you have to keep it a secret." Amanda told him. Ved slowly nodded his head.

" Good. If the snow clears out tomorrow, you can leave. " Amanda promised. She helped him make a bed out on the couch.

" If the girls catch you in our room, they'll throw a fit because they'll think I slept with you, too. Even if you were on the bottom bunk and I was on top." Amanda explained without being asked. Ved watched her put the cups in the sink and fill them with water, then watched as she carried her candle into the bedroom. She was wearing the same black nightgown, and though there was considerably less room in the front, Ved began to see that she was very graceful-looking. He pictured Cloe in that gown, and his heart ached. He drifted off to sleep, his dreams circling around her. Where had she gone? Was she even alive? If so, was she thinking about him?

The next morning, Ved was gone. Amanda hadn't even had time to get up and cook breakfast. When she heard the door shut and the motor of a Techno buggy, she knew he was gone.

When Amanda was eight months, she climbed on a horse and packed her things. She had to move slowly, because any fast movements would shake the baby violently. It constantly kicked and moved, making Amanda feel as though she had butterflies in her stomach. It was February, and still quite cold. She'd changed her outfit temporarily to a long, blue, flowered dress. It was thin, and even though she had a thick silver coat on, she shivered. Her legs felt like Braille from goosebumps.

When the Technos spotted Amanda outside, they all slipped out of the room, then ran downstairs to help Amanda and bring the horse into the hotel yard where it would be warm. Ram heard all the chaos from his bed, but he was too weak to get up. Java urged him to eat something, but he didn't answer her. A few minutes later, Amanda came down the hallway. Ved told Java and Ebony she was here, and the four of them went into Ram's room. Amanda kept quiet, and the others didn't tell.

" Guess what's behind our backs. . ." Java said cheerfully.

" I don't feel like playing games, Java." Ram whispered.

Amanda pushed them aside. Ram stared at her in disbelieve.

" Hi." she said.

Ram's mind was filled with thoughts, and his heart with mixed emotions.

" I have something to tell you." she said, without missing a beat.

" I'm glad you came back." Ram told her. Amanda nodded.

" So am I." she said, shifting her weight to one leg.

" What is it you wanted to tell me?" Ram was deathly afraid that she was going to say she was sick.

Amanda unzipped her jacket, then took it off, revealing the bump on her stomach.

" It's nearly nine months. I wanted to wait until it was close to time." Amanda said, stroking her stomach with the palm of her hand.

Everyone in the room cheered. The flush came back to Ram's face, and he did something he rarely did to anyone: he kissed her. Java felt a hot flash of jealousy, but she pushed it aside.

" Ram's got a baby!" Ved laughed. " I knew it!"

Ram patted Amanda's stomach and felt something move.

" What happened?" Amanda asked, feeling Ram's hands shake. Java gave her a Look that told her not to ask. Amanda tipped her head in understanding, then went to her old room to unpack her things. The kittens miowed and purred, rubbing all over her. Mocha and Ram Junior had gotten quite big over the months, they were the biggest out of the bunch. Sky was the next biggest, followed by Mouse, then Dragon.

That evening, Ram's appetite had returned, and so had Amanda's. They both must have eaten a hundred T-bars each while Amanda was in the process of preparing the room for new life. The Technos downstairs had made a crib for the baby, and Amanda was making a bed for it.

" I never thought I'd see the day." Ram commented, casting a look at Amanda's swollen belly.

" Same here." Amanda answered. She took out a little pillow and fluffed it.

" What do you think it's going to be?" asked Java as she entered the room.

" There's a question I couldn't answer if I tried." Amanda said, unpacking boxes of stuffed animals. They used to be hers when she was young.

" I think it's a boy." Ved claimed, carrying Sky and Dragon into the room.

" What if it's a girl?" Java asked. Ebony walked in.

" Ebony, what do you think the baby's going to be?" asked Ved.

" I vote girl." Ebony said. " They're so much smarter than boys."

" What?!" asked Ram and Ved together. Amanda cracked up.

" I have to agree with Ebony." Java said slowly.

" Are you saying we're stupid?" Ram asked.

" I never said you were stupid, I just said girls are smarter." Ebony explained.

" Then tell me, how does VR work when there's a bug in the system?" Ved asked.

" I didn't mean that kind of smart. I meant in everyday life. "

By now, Amanda was nearly in tears with laughter.

" Let's forget this argument all together, okay? I don't think I can take much more." Amanda said, gasping for air.

Twelve

After that, the days went smoothly despite the debates over whether the baby was a girl or boy. Amanda couldn't dance anymore, but she still sang as sweetly and clearly as ever. One night, Amanda sat in a chair beside Ram. Ram was ranting at his computers because they weren't working properly, and Amanda was trying to calm him down. Java and Ebony came in looking tired and annoyed.

" Ram, those verts out there are trying to break in. They think the power outages are your fault. " Ebony lamented.

" If I were you, I'd get it turned back on, that's what they want." Java warned him. Ram's face tightened in fury.

" DON'T TELL ME WHAT THEY WANT!" Ram exploded. Amanda cringed.

" THANKS TO ME, THEY HAVE FOOD, WATER, AND THEY ARE BEING KEPT WARM BY MY ELECTRICITY! IF THEY CAN'T BE PATIENT ENOUGH TO WAIT UNTIL IT COMES BACK ON, TELL THE OTHERS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

Amanda's face twisted in pain, but no one seemed to notice. Java, Ebony, and Ram continued to have a yelling match while Amanda's labor started. She couldn't get up without some help because it hurt so much. Ved came in, and saw Amanda holding her stomach.

" Why don't you tell them to stop?" Ved asked frantically. He helped Amanda up. Amanda took two steps before her water broke, causing birth fluid to gush out onto the floor and between her legs.

" HEY!!!" Ved yelled, shutting them up.

" My baby's here." Amanda moaned, doubled over by now.

Java, Ebony, and Ved along with a couple of other Technos picked Amanda up and carried her to her room. Java spread out some clean towels and pushed up Amanda's skirt. There was a knock on the door.

" What are you doing here, Mall Rat?" asked Ved.

" I heard someone was having a baby up here. I came to help." said Patch, seeing Amanda on the bed. Dee also came in, followed by Salene and Lex. Lex took one look at Amanda and left.

" How long she been in labor?" Patch asked.

" Just started, but the water broke." Ved commented.

Amanda screamed loudly enough to scare the cats. Ram looked like he wanted to throw up right then. Patch pulled on a pair of latex gloves just as the top of the baby's head appeared. So many thoughs appeared in Ram's head as his first child slid out. Amanda's face was red and shiny with sweat. Salene helped to dry Amanda off while Patch inspected the baby.

" It's a boy!" Patch announced. Everyone cheered.

A few hours later, everyone was gone except Amanda and her baby. She hadn't decided what to name him yet. He looked so innocent, snuggled up against her chest with his pastel-blue blanket. Ram came in, without his wheelchair. He staggered along, barely keeping from falling over. Amanda let him lean on her shoulder as they walked into the next room together. Java, Ved, and Ebony exchanged astonished glances as Amanda stood in the middle, baby cradled in one arm, Ram leaning on the other.

" Things are going to be different now. For the better, I hope." Amanda said cheerfully. Amanda led Ram back to her room. She laid the sleeping baby in his brand-new crib and helped Ram over to the bed.

" Amanda, I think you're the best thing that ever happened to me." Ram said, taking both her hands.

" All in a day's work." Amanda told him. " But thanks."

" Will you marry me?"

Amanda released his hands and went to her closet. She pulled out a long, white, lacy dress decorated with silver rhinestones.

" I knew I was going to need this someday." Amanda said as she turned to show it to Ram.

" How did you know?" he asked, feeling slightly shocked.

" I made this back when the Locos took over the city. I figured I'd get married sooner or later, better or worse, and when Corey and I got married, I couldn't find this dress. Then, when I realized I was pregnant, I was looking for toys and bottles, and stuff like that. I just happened to find it."

Right on cue, the sun shone through the clouds, filling the room with a golden light. The baby was awake, and Ram walked over to the crib and picked him up.

" I've got a name for you. " Ram said, as the baby looked at him with the brown eyes he'd inherited from his mother.

" You're name is Angel."

The baby cooed as Amanda took a tiny comb and ran it through Angel's bushy black hair.

Ram settled back on the bed, watching his wife-to-be and his baby together. For once, he felt like he truly belonged.