Bonjour readers! Here comes chapter 9...a bit of a mystery is going to begin...and as a warning: it will be different. Thanks to all my reviewers for reviewing! I have several new reviewers, which always is a thrilling thing. In response to moosetrack's idea, thank you for the constructive criticism, but I didn't see that route as a viable option for my story. Anyways, on we go...

Wakefulness washed over my body, spreading relief through my bones. The horribly realistic cliff dream had returned. I didn't understand why this dream kept occurring. What did it mean? Pushing off the covers, I rearranged, eventually falling asleep again.

In the morning, I shoved the dream from my mind and moved on with my day. Rain fell mercilessly from the sky, enshrouding everything in a damp grey fog. I drifted through calculus in a lousy mood, but brightened when the storm broke up before biology. Seeing Jon in science helped to improve my mood even more. We had been dating for almost a month now and our affection for each other was extremely strong. After a quick lunch with Trinity, I went down with Emma to study and chat in the library. Ever since learning about Emma's Amish past, I had been especially generous and compassionate towards the young woman. Unfortunately, she did not have any pictures of her family because the Amish do not like having photos taken of them. I encouraged Emma to consider contacting her family. She could be the pioneer in ending the tradition of disowning children who leave for the modern world. Add first, she strongly opposed the idea, but she began to mull the idea over. I promised to help her compose a letter to her family.

At midnight, misfortune befell me. I was working studiously to finish my calculus homework, when my calculator failed me. I didn't have any batteries with me, so I decided to borrow one until I could find batteries. Trinity does not take calculus, so she did not have a scientific calculator. Gwynne was always in bed at eleven, so I did not want to awaken her. That left me with Sophie, my other friend in the girls' dorm. As I was about to knock on her door, I heard Sophie's muffled angry voice inside.

"What? That's too soon! Are you crazy?" I heard her agitated voice scream. It was quiet, and then I heard a quiet "All right...I want more then...I'll be there..." before I could no longer hear. She quickly hung up and I waited another minute before knocking. Sophie came to the door looking disgruntled and grumpy, so I put a big smile on my face and asked for a calculator. She hunted through a mound of clothes and junk before finding the calculator. Once she did, she handed it over and shooed me out the door. As I strolled back to my room, I pondered the phone conversation I overheard. My common sense told me it was nothing, but my gut intuition seemed to feel otherwise.

The next morning, I still was worried what I overheard, so I talked with Trinity.

"That definitely sounds suspicious, but we can't jump to conclusions. She could be talking to a parent, sibling or even a friend!" Trinity said sensibly.

"I know, but it was weird! It was midnight and she seemed really antsy when I knocked on the door," I replied as I braided my hair, "I'll just keep my eyes open."

"That's probably smart," Trinity said, returning to her novel.

Later when I was lounging by the lake with Jon, I brought up the subject with him.

"Who knows!" was his response to my story, "Sophie could have been talking to anyone! But she is a rather strange person."

"I know, maybe I'll try to find out a little more," I suggested.

"Look out Nancy Drew!" laughed Jon amicably.

"Oh be quiet," I retorted, playfully pushing him back on the grass. He reached up, pulling me down next to him.

That night, I walked by Sophie's dorm several times, hoping to overhear another conversation, but I had no luck. Afterwards, I realized that I might be overreacting, so I decided to let my worries go. Sophie was strange, but she wouldn't be up to anything suspicious.

oeoeoeoeoe

Meanwhile, at the University of California, Los Angeles:

Archie Andrews kissed Veronica Lodge, but without much emotion.

"You want to come in?" asked Veronica seductively, opening her dorm door.

"Not tonight sweet pea, I have a huge test tomorrow," he replied. Last year, Archie would have jumped at the chance. But this year was different.

"Okay," said Veronica, pouting slightly. Veronica walked in, waving goodbye to Archie. He walked out of the dorm and into the warm Californian night. Because of the city lights, no stars could be seen. Once he opened his door, he sighed, flopping on the blue bed. His roommate, Todd, was in the library studying, where he usually was. Archie pulled out the top drawer of his desk, and took out the weathered picture of Betty. This was a prom picture of the two of them; Veronica had been out of town. Betty's wheaten hair was swept up in a clever up-do and a hint of makeup made her look even more dazzling. The royal blue dress hugged her slim body as it cascaded towards the floor in a river of fabric. Of course, Betty had sewn that marvelous gown herself, and even made Archie's corsage. Her smile was so wide and sparkling! Archie sighed, wishing he could regain Betty's love. Veronica's not bad, he reminded himself, thinking of the raven-haired beauty. She certainly has her advantages. Tucking away the picture, Archie clambered into bed, his heart in turmoil.

Later that week, Sophie left for a quick vacation. Normally, I would think nothing of it, but I was a little more curious now. My intuition refused to cease wondering about her whereabouts. When Sophie returned, looking more haggard than rested, I approached the young woman.

"So where did you go?" I asked her casually.

"Oh just back to the States for a quick visit with my parents," she replied, her gaze wandering.

"Cool," I said, thinking of my soon arriving Winter Break, "Was it relaxing?"

"Yep," she said simply, "My sister really missed me!"

Oddly enough, I was relieved to find out her trip was normal. I didn't want that vacation to be anything strange.

Later, Trinity, Sophie, and I all went to the dining hall for dinner together. Towards the end of the meal, Trinity and Sophie went up for desserts; I decided to pass on the sweets. My eyes wandered over Sophie's backpack and I noticed some protruding papers. I inspected them closer and realized they were plane tickets. Glancing back at the dessert counter, I debated whether to take a peek or not. Once again, my common sense told me it was nothing worth violating Sophie's privacy. My intuition said otherwise. I can't believe I'm doing this! I thought as I pulled out the plane tickets. One look at the papers told me everything. Stuffing them back in, I tried to compose myself. Sophie had flown to Athens, not the U.S.! Why would she lie to me? I thought miserably. Confronting her about the lie would not be an option; that would be admitting to looking through her belongings. Still, I wasn't sure if this was anything significant. Maybe she has a secret boyfriend in Greece, whom she doesn't want anyone to know about! I knew it was doubtful, but was grasping for any logical explanation.

That night, I told Trinity about my findings. She scolded me for looking at the papers, but admitted that it did seem odd.

"I'm so frustrated!" I said, "There's something weird going on!"

"I know Bets," Trinity replied, "Just let me know if you want any help. We could probably find out a little more about Sophie and her past."

"Thanks!" I said. Trinity was such a kind, reliable friend!

In the morning, I asked Jonathan for his thoughts and he echoed Trinity's thoughts, but had ideas for even a more drastic plan.

"You could take a look around her room. I'd be a lookout if you want," he said seriously, running his fingers through his dark mane.

"I hope it doesn't get that drastic! It was just a weird phone call and little lie," I replied.

"It was a pretty bizarre lie, though," he said, "Why would you have a problem with her going to Athens? She could just be sight-seeing." We sat there for a while, under the bare maple tree, engrossed in our own thoughts. Finally, I felt Jon's gaze on me.

"What?" I said, turning towards him.

"You know I'm into photography," he began sincerely, "So I was wondering whether I could photograph you sometime. Just doing your normal things: reading, sitting here, and so on."

"Of course!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him. He smiled down at me. "You're the perfect subject."

oeoeoeoeo

Trinity and I conceived several ways in which we could find out more regarding Sophie's past. Unfortunately, the information would not relieve me at all, but make me more concerned than ever. What was going on?

That's it for now! Hmmmm...What will Archie do about his girl dilemma? What's going on with Sophie? You'll find out soon, but in the meantime, please review (that does not include flaming please!)