Dawson stared at this strange woman who had been dropped in their cage, and listened to the other people behind him start conversing amongst themselves. No doubt that they were thinking the same thing. This woman was obviously a Homeless. However, she called herself an "ex-Homeless." Who did she think she was, and did she truly think that they would accept her if she denounced her former affiliations?

"Okay, Sheryl was it?" Dawson said. "What do you mean by 'ex-Homeless'?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," the woman answered. "I think I would rather be here with you young, beautiful people." She smiled.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt rush to where he was.

"Bitch, you're crazy!" Matt shouted, shaking his fist towards her. "You really think we'd take you in?!"

"Yeah," said Jenna's voice from further behind. "Why did you come here with us? That was stupid."

"I have my reasons. I'm not expecting you all to like me right away." Sheryl stepped closer towards Dawson and Matt. "But I think you'll grow to like me."

Dawson merely stared at the woman. She was certainly a piece of work. However, he obviously could not shake the feeling that this could all be a ruse. That she could just be trying to gain their trust, and then betray them during a crucial moment. No doubt that that was a real risk.

He turned behind him. "Beatrix, Lisa. Take her somewhere else and keep an eye on her."

Beatrix and a young dark-haired woman stepped from the crowd behind him and walked towards Sheryl. They each grabbed an arm of the woman, and started to escort her further away from the group, disappearing in the darkness.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" Matt asked Dawson.

"...I have no idea," Dawson replied.

Reeve looked in the direction towards the Refugee's cage. At first, he was confused as to what- or rather, who the giant woman had placed in there. However, after listening closely to the commotion that occured soon after Melissa left, he was now certain of what happened.

"Oh, Sheryl..." He said to himself. "You traitor."

The other Homeless came to the same conclusion, as they were soon outraged with their former leader's latest stint. Reeve listened as his followers voiced their displeasure with Sheryl.

"Stupid bitch! I knew she was a bad leader!"

"She left us to be with those mongrels!"

"I hope they beat her up, too."

Reeve sighed, and began to walk towards his private quarters, past the fuming men and women around him. He never thought that she would end up with the very people she wanted to try to bond with. Perhaps such a woman was better off with the Refugees, though he doubted if they would ever accept her. They could very well alienate her from the rest of them... or even send her out the next time Melissa comes into the closet.

Now, however, he needed to find a new advisor. One who he believed could serve him better than Sheryl did. Not sexually, because he had long since determined that no other woman there was worth it.

~~~

It had been several hours since Sayuko and Thomas had been blocked out of the FutureTech website. The bedroom was bathed in the amber glow of the setting sun, and the sound of a news program emanated from the television.

Sayuko had since moved Thomas back on her study desk, and was laying in her bed, with her back faced against him. Because of this, he could not tell if she was awake or not. Instead, he looked towards the television and watching what was going on in the world outside.

There was a car accident that morning. The cause was believed to be DUI.

There was the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, and some profiles of people on the American team that could make a big impact at the games.

There was the issue of the rising gas prices. Some places have even exceeded $6 a gallon.

There was the 2008 Presidential campaign, between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

There was-

"Thoma-kun"

Thomas' train of thought was interrupted, as he looked towards Sayuko, who was rising from her bed. She then moved to the edge of the bed facing Thomas, and sat there, watching him.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure," he answered.

She closed her eyes for a seconds, and exhaled through her nose, before asking, "You said that your leader... Bruce... rescued anyone who was captured by Melissa, right?"

"Yeah. Well, except the Homeless."

"Then why didn't he rescue my brother?"

Thomas stared at her. He knew that she would not like the answer to that question, that Bruce's prejudice could have been the death of Taro. He contemplated lying to her, that no one had noticed that Melissa had brung him in. However, after the time he had spent with her, and after everything she had done for him, he had to tell the truth.

He sighed. "Apparently, Bruce is racist against Asians, for some reason."

Sayuko, now angered, jumped from her bed. "What?! Are you telling me that he left my brother in Melissa's closet because he's a racist?! What kind of leader is that?!"

Thomas jumped at her sudden outburst, and his eardrums nearly burst from the volume of her voice. Of course, considering how close she and her brother were, he expected it.

"I never considered him a good leader," Thomas said. "He made an empty promise of leading us out of Melissa's house to freedom. He let the others practically rot in the walls, while he spent most of his time in Mrs. Cruz's dollhouse, practically living like a king compared to us."

"How did someone like that even become a 'leader'?!" Sayuko closed her eyes, and started to breathe heavily, as if to calm herself down.

"Ironically," Thomas said, "him not rescuing Taro worked out better for him."

Sayuko opened her eyes and looked at Thomas.

"Your brother got pulled out of that closet and into her cabinet, where he is fed regularly and has a better living place. We had to scour for food, and the other have gotten recaptured and are at the mercy of Melissa."

Sayuko sighed. "I suppose you're right. But what if she did kill my brother...? What then?"

"I... I don't know. But the fact is, what happened happened, and we can't change the past."

"But..." She shook her head and turned around. "I need a drink." With that, she slipped on her pink slippers and walked out of the bedroom.

Thomas stared at the doorway a few seconds after she left, and then turned towards the television. An advertisement for the store Lover's Lane was playing on screen. He blushed at some of the lingerie shown off in the commercial. He blushed even more when he mentally pictured Sayuko wearing some of them.

Followed by Gloria.

Followed by Melissa.

He quickly shook that image out of his head.

~~~

Sheryl sat in a far corner of the cage, far away from the rest of the Refugees. Standing in front of her were the two dark-haired young women that pulled her away from the group. One was taller than the other, but not by much. They were both standing with their backs faced against her.

She sighed. She did expect this kind of treatment from the people who hated her former affiliation. Actually, she expected to be beaten by them. The fact that they did not must suggest that there may be a slight chance that they would accept her into their ranks some time in the future. Of course, if she was male, then it may have been a different story.

"Hey," she called.

Both of the women in front of her turned their heads behind them.

"How long are they going to keep me here?" Sheryl asked.

"I don't know," the woman on the right answered.

"Why don't you be quiet and just wait for them to give us another order?" commanded the woman on the left, the shorter one.

"My!" Sheryl was astonished. "It's nice to see such young and beautiful women take charge like that! What were your names again!"

The two women briefly looked at each other.

"I'm Lisa," said the taller one on the right.

"I'm Beatrix," said the shorter one.

"Lisa! Beatrix!" Sheryl laughed. "I hope that we all can one day become friends!"

Beatrix got a look of disgust on her face. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Oh, don't be like that! I'm actually a nice person once you get to know me!" Sheryl smiled.

Lisa smirked. "Yeah, well, they'll probably throw you out at the first opportunity Melissa gives them, so I wouldn't get used to life here with us."

The two girls then turned back towards the open area of the cage.

"Stupid trashy Homeless woman," Beatrix said, which was met by a giggle from Lisa.

Sheryl did nothing but smile, despite the women not showing her an ounce of respect. She found it hard to be angry at such vibrant, yet unfortunate, young women. They reminded her of herself when she was younger, before circumstances forced her onto the streets.

~~~

Reeve heard the closet door open, and soon saw the golden light from the room outside shine in as the hanging clothes were moved aside. As expected, Melissa made her way inside and was soon standing over the glass cage.

"Who's the leader of you all?" the giant woman asked. "If you even have one."

Several of the other people in the cage looked towards Reeve. Melissa turned her head in the direction that they were looking in, and soon had her eyes locked on the Homeless leader.

"Alright, it's me," Reeve said.

"Good." She then reached in the cage and plucked him out.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Reeve yelled out.

Melissa laughed as she brought the man to her face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you." She smiled. "Let's say that you are about to have a fateful encounter."

"What?"

Reeve, confused over what he had just been told, watched as the woman carried him out of the closet, and into the room outside. He looked around. It had not changed much since the day he had partaken in her twisted survival game, though he now had a much higher view of the place.

He was carried to a desk near Melissa's bed, and placed down on it. He looked around the room as Melissa dug into her pocket and pulled something out. She then dropped it on the desk right in front of him. At that point, Reeve saw that this thing was a person; a man. He was Black, had wild bushy black hair, a somewhat bushy beard, and was physically built, if his shirtless frame was anything to go by.

The man stood up and glared at him.

"Why don't you introduce yourselves?" Melissa suggested as she pulled the giant chair out from under the desk and sat in it. "Why don't you go first, Mr. Homeless Man?"

Reeve turned from the giant woman to the man in front of him. "I am Reeve Sardelli, the leader of the Homeless."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes widened, and he let out a short laugh. "I'm Bruce Blake, the leader of the Refugees!"

Reeve was stunned as well. "Oh, is that right?"

The two men glared at each other for several seconds. The silence of the room was soon broken by Melissa.

"Well, you two seem to hate each other already!" she said.

Bruce turned to her. "Of course! He's Homeless scum!"

"'Scum'?!" Reeve said, annoyed. "You and your whole group are nothing but stuck-up snobs!"

Bruce stepped closer to him. "I dare you to say that to my face."

"Gladly!"

Just as Reeve attempted to step forward, Melissa giant index finger fell between both of them.

"No fighting," she said. "Not now. I just want you two to know who's leading the other side."

Reeve stared at her face as she retracted her hand from the desk.

"I've already told Bruce what I have planned for you all."

"...Which is..." Reeve said.

Melissa smiled. "War."

"What?!" He could not believe what he just heard.

"That's right!" Bruce said. "It's almost time to prove to you street rats who the dominant force in this house is!"

Melissa turned to Bruce. "Come again?"

Bruce scratched the back of his head. "Second-most dominant force in the house."

"That's better."

"Hold on," Reeve said. "You mean to tell me that you're actually going to make us fight each other?"

Melissa nodded.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons," Melissa said. "Besides, I'm sure that, deep down, you really want the opportunity to rip Bruce's face from his body, don't you?"

Bruce scoffed at this notion. "Yeah, right!"

"This is my way of giving you little people what you want. Of course, before the fighting starts, I have to thin out your numbers. You have a bit too many people on your side right now."

"...How many of us are you going to kill?" Reeve asked.

"Just everyone in the other two cages back there. That should leave your cage, and his cage."

Reeve began to speak in protest, but stopped himself. He had his doubts over her plan to eradicate nearly half of the Homeless that were being held captive in the closet, but he knew that he was far too powerless to stop her. Besides, he knew that the others would be more than excited to have the opportunity to get vengeance on the Refugees. The only downside was that sheer numbers would be less on their side.

"...Fine," Reeve reluctantly said. "When is all of this going down?"

"Probably next week," Melissa answered. "I don't know exactly when, though."

"It doesn't matter when!" Bruce chimed in. "Next week, the week after, hell, it could even be a year, and we'd still kick your asses!"

"Man!" Reeve gritted his teeth. "I can't wait to knock that cocky look off of your face!"

"You're going to have to wait forever, 'cause that's never gonna happen!"

"Alright, that's enough," Melissa said. "Save some of that fire for the battle." She then stood from her chair, and pushed it back under the desk. "Anyway, I think that's all for this meeting. It's time for you two to go rally the troops."

"Of course!" Bruce said to Melissa, before turning back to Reeve. "You may have quantity on your side, but we have quality! There's no way you people can win!"

Reeve balled his fist and shook it at the man. "We'll just see about that, won't we?!"

Bruce stepped closer to Reeve. "Just accept it!"

Reeve also took a step towards the Refugee leader. "Never!"

"ENOUGH!!" Melissa yelled.

Both men recoiled as the woman slammed her palm on the desk.

"Goddammit, you two just don't listen." She said. "Cool it. Or not only will the battle be cancelled, but I'll kill you both right here. Got it?"

Bruce glared at Reeve for a few seconds before calming himself, and then backing away from him.

"That's better." Melissa then scooped both of them into her right hand. Reeve, being forcefully held next to his bitter rival, watched as he was carried back into the closet.

Once inside, the woman made her way far into the back, where the glass cages were. With her other hand, she plucked Bruce from her open palm and placed him in the Refugees' cage, which was followed by sound of awe emitted from within. Then, Reeve found himself being moved over his cage, and then, with the woman's fingers grabbing hold of his collar, being placed into the cage. As his feet touched the glass floor, the fingers receded. He turned around to look at the Melissa. She merely smiled, and the turned around and left the closet.

Immediately after she left, his comrades began to surround him.

"What happened out there?" One man asked.

Reeve looked around him, at the faces of the men and women each looking back at him, before a sly smile grew on his face.

"You guys aren't going to believe this, but we're going to war." He then pointed his thumb towards the Refugees' cage. "Against them."

He heard a collective gasp around him, which was soon replaced by a somewhat excited commotion as the people around him started to chatter amongst themselves over the prospects of finally being able to take down the Refugees once and for all.

~~~

The Refugees began to surround Bruce, who had just been dropped into their cage by Melissa. She had just walked out of the closet, leaving them to marvel at their leader, whom they had not seen in quite a while.

"No way..." Matt said, standing in awe.

"Bruce!" Dawson called out. "Where have you been?!"

Bruce let out a hearty laugh. "I could ask you all the same thing! I went to the campsite, only to find out that you all had left! Why did you all do that?! Didn't I say that I was going to lead you all out of here?"

"Sorry," Dawson said. "Ray goated us into following him outside, which led us right into Melissa."

"Ahh..." Bruce folded his arms. "Anyway, I went out to try to find where you went, and was soon caught by Melissa. She kept me prisoner in another place. I guess it's because I'm so handsome."

A few giggles were heard from the crowd.

"But wait," Shawn said, stepping forward. "If you're one of her special prisoners, then why did she all of a sudden bring you in here with us?"

"That's a very good question!" Bruce said. "Melissa had me speak with the leader of the Homeless over there. Basically, here's what's gonna happen: Sometime in the near future, we are going to engage in an all-out, no-holds-barred battle against the Homeless."

"What?!" Dawson exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"I'm dead serious," Bruce replied. "I was put in here to help you all prepare for this monumental event."

The Refugees began to chatter amongst themselves. They seemed to be excited to have the chance to destroy the Homeless in one decisive battle. The mood of the cage became somewhat optimistic.

"They may have numbers on their side," Bruce loudly announced, "but we have power. We are younger and stronger! We can break their bones with no effort at all! Am I right?!"

"Yeah!" Several of the Refugees shouted.

"I even beat up one the other day!" Matt cheerfully said. "Dawson helped, too. It was a 2-on-2 battle."

"Oh?" Bruce looked towards him. "Then you both already have experience."

"Yep!" Matt grinned. "They should be no threat to us!"

Bruce laughed. "Of course not!"

"Excuse me." Bruce turned to his left and saw Carlos approach him. "Do you happen to know where Thomas and Gloria are?"

Bruce stared Carlos in the face for several seconds, his cheerful expression having disappeared in favor of a more stoic one.

"Well?" Carlos added.

"I don't know where Thomas is," Bruce said. "I bet he's somewhere hiding in the walls." He sighed. "But Gloria..."

He looked around him, and saw the group watching him expectantly, with a look of concern and curiosity on each of their faces.

"I hate to say this. I really do." Bruce shook his head. "Gloria is dead."

A collective gasp was heard from around him. Carlos' mouth dropped wide open, before he dropped his head.

"That's what Melissa told me."

"Wait..." Matt said. "Did Thomas leave her behind or something?"

"I wouldn't put it past that fool." Bruce replied.

"I knew he was unreliable," said Jenna in contempt.

"You said it," agreed Matt.

"Hold it," Shawn said. "Aren't we jumping to conclusions? There must be a reason for this."

"The reason is that he's a fuckin' coward," Bruce said.

Several people in the crowd shouted their agreement with him. Deep inside, Bruce loved that Thomas was not popular among his followers. If possible, if Thomas is ever caught, he could even get them to beat and exile him.

He walked towards the crowd. "Anyway, I think I'm going to find some place to rest."

"Wait," Dawson said. "Before you do that, there's someone you have to see."

"What?" Bruce said, confused. "Who?"

"You'll know as soon as you see her. C'mon."

Dawson led Bruce through the Refugees, then away from them. He followed him across the dark cage, until they arrived at one of the far corners of the glass prison. He saw two young women standing there, and recognized them as Beatrix and Lisa. However, sitting behind them was an unfamiliar woman. She seemed rather old and somewhat homely by his standard. Her clothes were also dirty and ragged.

He knew right away that this was a Homeless woman.

"Bruce!" Lisa greeted. "Good to see you back with us."

"Glad to be back with my favorite people," Bruce said with a smile, which quickly faded as he pointed past the two women. "What is she doing here?"

"I don't know," Beatrix said. "She was dropped in here by Melissa. She calls herself an 'ex-Homeless'."

"'Ex-Homeless'? What the hell?!" Bruce grunted. "Listen, lady. Don't think you can become one of us, because you can't. You should have stayed in there with your own kind."

"No," the woman said. "'My own kind' rejected me and my ideals. I think I will fit in quite nicely with you all."

"Bullshit!" Bruce spat on the floor. "Listen, the next game Melissa starts, you're going out there. No 'if's, 'and's, or 'but's."

The woman smiled. "Then I'll make sure that I win and come back here."

Bruce slapped his palm against his forehead. "Shit!"

"What do you want us to do with her?" Beatrix asked.

Bruce glared at the woman, who returned his gaze with a smile. "Keep her here and watch her."

Lisa sighed. "We've been doing that for a while now."

"Well, do it for a little bit more, and I'll get someone else to replace you two." Bruce turned around. "I'm going to go get some rest." With that, he walked away from the four people behind him.

~~~

Sayuko walked back into her bedroom, now a bit calmer than she was when she left. After thinking it over over a glass of water, she knew that Thomas was right. Taro had not been slain by Melissa, and she did not want to think about him being murdered. She only wanted to think about liberating him from the clutches of that mad woman.

She approached the study desk, and saw that Thomas was looking diligently towards the television. He merely glanced at her as she walked to the desk, before focusing back on the TV. Curious, she turned towards the TV and saw that a middle-aged African American woman was being interviewed.

"I miss him," she said in a worried tone. "I wish that he would call me and let me know that he's alright. This is very unlike him. I hope nothing bad has happened to him... He's my boy."

"Who is that?" Sayuko asked.

"...My mom," Thomas answered.

Sayuko's mouth dropped as she covered it with her hand.

A photo of Thomas appeared on the screen. "Thomas Kirkland is just one of the many young people who have gone missing in the past months," said a male voice, most likely belonging to the newscaster. "There are no leads, and police fear that these strange disappearances will continue. If you have any information to the whereabouts of Thomas or any of the other missing victims, call 1-800-555-3313. Joshua Daniels, reporting."

Sayuko turned to Thomas. "Are you sure that you don't want to call her? She seems very worried about you."

Thomas stared at her, before saying, "No. I said before that I don't want to talk to her until all of this is resolved."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yes. My mom's a strong woman. She would never give up hope unless proof of my dead body surfaced."

"Oh." Sayuko smiled. "She sounds like a nice woman."

"She is. ...And I know that she'll be estatic when I'm finally able to call her, when I'm back to my normal size." He sighed.

Sayuko knelt down, so that her face was on the level of the desk's surface. "Let's not keep her waiting, then. I'm not going to give up hope, either."

"Neither am I. We'll find a way to settle all of this. Very soon. I know it."

"Oh, and Thoma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"When all of this is over... could you introduce me to your mother?"

Thomas smiled, and nodded. "Of course."

Sayuko smiled back. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"You're more than welcome." Thomas smiled again, and then turned back towards the television, as did Sayuko.

The news station's weatherman was standing in front of a map of southern California.

From the looks of things, it seemed that a heavy rainstorm was headed for the area.