The photo is of Jack.

Hey guys! Sorry it's kinda late! Well, I'll make you a deal. If I get five comments in

three days I'll upload TWICE a week for one week. That means one comment per

person = two new chaps in a week!

Lots of love, me.

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RECAP:

"How do you know my name?!"

"I can read minds," He said, and I looked at him as if he were crazy.

He laughed.

"It's on your necklace."

Stephanie's POV:

It had ended with me pacing back and forth, biting my nails nervously. I had no clue where I was, hardly any clue who this 'Jack' was, and the world was ending. I think times like this are meant to be accompanied by a nervous break down. My head snapped up and his eyes met mine. For just a moment, my heart skipped a beat.

"What's going on out there? Will the fires go away soon? How long are we going to be here?" I paused. "Who are you? And why didn't you save my family?"

I heard my voice crack on the last part, tears springing to my eyes. My mother and little sister were the last two people. To ever be there for me. We fought at times, but it didn't mean I loved them any less. I looked to Jack expectantly.

"Calm down and just let me explain," He said, in a particularly reassuring tone. I nodded, pulling my knees to my chest. He stood, coming over to sit on the bed with me, so close I could smell him.

"I'm listening." I told him.

"Just a beginning question. Do you know what day it is?"

"Isn't it December 21st, XXXX?"

"Exactly. The say the world is supposed to end---" I cut him off again, so quickly I could hear the desperation in my own voice.

"No! It's not possible! We're still alive and that's just a myth, isn't it?! Every year they say the world will end, how can this be any different? If we're alive, there's got to be others, too, right?" He put his finger to my lips, silencing my incessant rambling.

"Sorry." I smiled at him, a sheepish blush burning my cheeks.

"It's okay. Now. Scientists have known this would occur for years - have you ever heard of the Richter scale?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Measures the severity of earthquakes, right?" He clicked in approval at my evaluation.

"Exactly. Well, a few years ago, they started getting readings that were off the charts. Major melt downs like in Chernobyl and Japan destroyed their environment. Scientists began to think that the radiation left over from those sites had someone leaked into the Earth's crust and to the mantle, causing an extreme amount of chemical reaction. The tremors that've been happening lately? That was the reaction within the mantle. So much chemical was being released and confined in such a small space that the pressure was too much, and so there had to be the split." He explained, keeping an eye on me to make sure I understood.

"Well, what happens when that chemical is released? Isn't that dangerous for the human race?" I asked, wearing a completely dumbfounded expression.

"Ahh, thank goodness you weren't the first to think of that one, sweetheart," I raised an eyebrow curiously, beckoning him to explain himself.

"The same scientists who figured out about the quakes were able to find a cure for the toxicity of the chemical released. They started slipping it into the water supply months ago. That way, if people survive the disaster, they'll be safe. The plants, too. We're not so dumb as to be easily defeated by radioactivity, anymore. But natural disaster can't be protected from."

His point made sense, and I could see the logic behind it. But I had one last question.

"If they knew this was going to happen, why didn't they tell anybody?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"When people understand that many will die, they riot. They lose their minds. They stop working, they stop listening. They conform to anarchy, which is rather ironic. This was done so that things would remain the same." He whispered. He would no longer make eye contact with me, as if he were responsible for this.

"Well... I suppose it had to be done. But are there others? It can't just be you and I, can it? How did you find out?"

"Don't worry, there are more people in California. About 300 or so. Six months back, the government began forming colonies around the nation to maintain the survival of the human race. They told around 150 people who went out to look for their "soulmates". Each had six months. Your town, Ottawa, was just a stopping point for my trip. Then I saw you, and... I fell in love." He said, and his gaze turned back to mine. For a moment, my breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't look way. then I laughed.

"What?" He asked, looking genuinely astounded that I had laughed at him.

"You think I'm going to have your kids?" I asked, gasping for breath. This was utterly hysterical. What kind of woman did he think me to be?

"Most definitely," He said, with the utmost certainty. "So, should we get this done now or later?"

I stopped laughing.

"No! Ugh! I don't even know you... you don't even know me!"

"Oh, mon cher! If you don't remember, I've been stalking you for the last two weeks. And I took a few bruises from you, too." He quipped, and I shrugged.

"It isn't my fault that you're a creeper. If you know me so well, what's my favorite food?"

"Chinese." He replied easily.

"Be specific."

"Panda Express. Orange Chicken and white rice, but you also have a serious hankering for sesame seeds." I glared at him.

"What's my favorite color? What's my favorite gem?" There was no way he could know me this well after only a few weeks.

"Purple. And you have no favorite gem because you like both emeralds and diamonds." I glared at him again.

"You suck."

"Don't hate me cause' you ain't me!"

"I hate you because you're an idiot and a stalker."

"I saved your life! Anyways, the fires will be out in a few days. The rain should put them out, and then we can head to the colony."

"What rain?" I almost asked, but then I heard it. The sound of a light pitter-patter, similar to children's feet running up and down a staircase. The rain had come.

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