“Ow!” Courtney shouted out to the night.

“Shhhh! Be quiet!” Jessica scolded. “Here, you gotta lift your leg up and...... yeah, there ya go!”

They were in the process of climbing though the tiny bathroom window to get up to the roof.

“Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t such a great idea?” Courtney said as she looked over at Jessica, who had already sat down on the rough black of the rooftop. Courtney reached in the bathroom window and retrieved the CD’s and the player. “Mustn’t forget these.” She said as she handed them to Jessica.

“Oh, of course not.” Jessica replied. She craned her neck to see inside the window from where she was sitting. “Did ya get the food?” She questioned.

Courtney pulled her head out of the window again and turned on her haunches to look at Jessica. “What food?”

“Oh, I knew I forgot to say something.”

Courtney rolled her eyes at this.

“That everything?” Jess asked.

“Yep.” Courtney whispered as she sat down next to Jessica on the roof. She picked up the CD player and showed it to Jessica. “Shall we?” She offered a headset to her friend.

Jessica took the headset. “Yes, we shall.”

“What number? It’s your call.”

“How bout number 2?”

“Poison Ivy? Ooh, Jess, good pick!”

“Thank you very much.”

Courtney looked anxiously at the CD player. It wasn’t working right.

“What’s wrong?” Jess asked at she too peered at the CD player.

“Well, what’s wrong is that it won’t play, that’s what’s wrong.” Courtney said. She looked at Jessica.

“That’s a problem.” Jess said as she took off her headset and set them down on the rooftop. “Now what?” She looked at Courtney. Courtney shrugged her shoulders.

“I dunno. We could just.... talk.” She offered.

“Okay.” Jess replied.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until finally, they both spoke up at the same time.

Courtney: “So do you ever---”

Jessica: “What are we gonna talk---”

They both started laughing uncontrollably.

“Go ahead,” Jess started, in-between giggles.

“No, you,” Courtney offered.

“No, really, go ahead.” Jess said.

“Okay. Well I was just going to ask you if you ever, well,” She paused. “Do you ever wonder about the universe?” She received a blank stare from Jessica. She continued talking. “Ya know, like do you... well, do you ever just stop and think about it? Like the stars and stuff?” All she was getting from Jessica was a confused look. “Okay, like for example, do you see that planet over there?” She pointed to Venus. Jessica looked in the direction of where Courtney was pointing.

“Yeah, what about it?” Jess said simply.

“Well, think about it. I mean, that planet is millions and billions of miles away, but still, we can see it. It’s within plain sight. I just think that stuff like that is cool. Ya know?” She looked at Jessica.

“Yeah, I guess so, but is it really all that fascinating? I mean, it’s just a star.”

“It’s a planet.” Courtney corrected.

“Well, whatever it is, I don’t really find it all that fascinating. And I really don’t see why people care about it.”

Courtney sighed quietly. She knew to just sit back from the conversation and let Jessica talk. She was definitely on a roll, and nobody, not even Courtney, can stop her.

“I mean, come on, people get so worked up over all this crap about aliens coming and invading the universe and it’s just a bunch of bullshit! And they even supposedly know what the aliens look like? How are they supposed to know that? And who in the hell are they anyway?”

Courtney sighed and rubbed her temples. Here we go. She thought to herself. Jessica continued.

“Okay, so let me get this straight, Courtney, according to you and all of the other sci-fi freaks, we’re not alone in the universe, right?”

Courtney tried to intercept. “Jess, I never said that. All I said was-”

“I don’t care what you said. It’s what you implied. That’s what I’m talking about.”

“Jessica! My god! Why on earth are you getting so worked up over this for? What did I imply?” Courtney exclaimed as she stood up and faced her friend. “The only reason that I even started talking about this is because...”

Jessica’s expression suddenly softened. She looked up at Courtney with a look of sympathy and apology. She stood up next to Courtney and put her arm around her. “Court, listen, I’m sorry. I- I didn’t mean to get so...”

“Bitchy?” Courtney finished bitterly, shaking Jessica’s arm off of her. She turned her back.

“Courtney, look I said I was sorry, okay? Just forget it.” She looked at Courtney. “Please?” Courtney remained turned around. “Courtney, I’m sorry, okay?” Courtney didn’t say anything. Jessica sighed. “Okay, what do you want me to say? I already apologized. I honestly don’t know what you want me to say to you.”

Courtney sighed and turned around. “Okay. Alright, alright alright! You’re right, you already apologized.” She ran her hands through her hair and left her hands resting on her neck. “What I want you to do- is listen to me. I have something really important to tell you, and all you can do is bitch about how other people’s opinions don’t match yours! Geezus. This is so typical. Ya know? It is just like you to do this.”

Jessica was, for lack of a better word, speechless. “Well, I.... uh I.... huh!” She was stammering. “What’s so... uh, important?”

“Nevermind. You wouldn’t be interested. It has to do with all the ‘universe crap’.” She plunked down onto the rooftop.

Jessica sighed. She sat down next to Courtney and turned her head to face her. “Just tell me. I promise I won’t blow up or anything like that. Okay?”

“Alright. Fine.” She sighed. She’s probably going to think I’m crazy! Should I tell her? She stroked her necklace as she thought about it.

If I tell her, then she’ll know if.. if.. if I do switch souls with someone. Her whole body shuddered as she realized what she had just thought. Switch souls? Could that really happen? Oh my god! This is too weird! Maybe I should tell her. “Okay. See this necklace?” She held out the pendant as far as the short cord would allow it.

“Yeah. That’s the one that Lori got you from California, right?”

Courtney nodded her head. “Yeah.” She took off the necklace. “See these little characters right here?” Courtney pointed to the inscription.

“Right there?” Jessica asked as she pointed to it.

“Yeah.” She handed the necklace to Jess so she could get a better look at it. “That inscription translates to ‘Wearers shall interchange souls under the presence of a star.’”

Jessica looked at her through a cloud of confusion. Courtney continued.

“Lori told me that there’s only two of these necklaces in the world. Which I think is really bizarre, but, well, I guess this whole thing is bizarre.” She took a deep breath. “Jess, you’re gonna think I’m crazy, but try to keep an open mind about this. Please?”

Jess was silent for a moment.

“Jess?”

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure. Here.” She handed the necklace back to Courtney. She put it back on.

“Okay. I think that the inscription means that.... that I’m going to..... that I’m going to.....God! I can’t even say it out loud!” Courtney hung her head, fighting back tears.

Jessica was really concerned now. “Courtney.. I...” She couldn’t think of anything to say. “Are you okay?” She put a comforting arm around her friend. Courtney leaned back against Jess. She looked up into her eyes.

“Yeah, I guess.” She wiped her tears off her cheek with the back of her hand. She sniffed. She began talking very softly. “I think it means that I’m going to switch souls with someone. Or maybe that I’m supposed to. Ya know, like something that’s predestined.” She moved away from Jessica and pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tight. “I don’t know. Shit.” She looked at Jessica. “So do you think I’m crazy?” She asked softly.

“No, I don’t think you’re crazy. But I will admit that it is a little farfetched.”

“Yeah, I know. Oh well. Forget it, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They fell into a lapse of silence. Not uncomfortable silence, really. Just contented silence.

Courtney gazed into the black nothingness of the midnight sky. She leaned back on her elbows. Where’s Venus? She thought to herself as she yawned. Geez, it must be getting late. She looked at her watch. 12:43. It was getting late. She looked up to the sky. She spotted Venus. Oh, there it is! She stared at it. It began to get brighter, almost too bright to look at. She blinked. Now it was almost too dim to see. Must be clouds passing over it or something. She continued to look at it and as she did, it seemed to go in a metamorphosis cycle, bright, normal, dim. Normal, bright, normal, dim, normal, bright, normal.....

She rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Clouds can’t do that! What on earth.....

The metamorphosis cycle was getting faster by the millisecond. She realized that the whole time this had been happening, she hadn’t taken her eyes off the planet.

As her eyes followed the planet’s animation, she began to feel lighter, like she was floating. She lost track of time. She couldn’t tell whether a minute had passed, or a second. Slowly, a faint purple ring encircled the planet. She watched in amazement as the ring exploded in to a tunnel of twisting colors and shapes. She was sucked in. She watched as the purples, blues and greens, all the colors of the cool end of the color spectrum flashed by her at an astonishing speed. As she traveled faster the colors blurred together, making a beautiful blue color that seemed to flow in and out of it’s different color identities right before her eyes. She wanted to touch it. She tried to move her hand, only to realize that it wasn’t there. She would’ve gasped in horror, had her vocal chords been present. She tried to move her eyes, her head, but she didn’t need to. She was not in her body. Her body was back on Jessica’s rooftop. She, her soul, was floating, flying, through space. She looked through the transparent walls of the warp tunnel. She could see stars, the earth, and... the whole galaxy! She could see millions upon billions of celestial beings dancing in the sky, all around her. The purples and blues and greens and reds and yellows and oranges all dancing, dancing in and out of existence. She looked ahead. Something was looming in front of her, rushing at her at tremendous speed. No.. she was rushing towards it. NO!!!! Take me back to Earth!! Please!!! Take me back!!!! She closed her eyes.

“Courtney?! Courtney!” Someone was shaking her. She opened her eyes. “Courtney.” Someone said with relief apparent in their voice. The shaking stopped. She looked up and saw Jessica.

“Jess!” Before she even knew what she was doing, she was in Jessica’s arms. She was shaking, this time on her own. “Jess, I was so scared... I ..” She broke off in tears.

“You’re scared! Yeah, so’m I! I mean, one minute you’re sitting here looking at the sky or something, and the next you’re hyperventilating and freaking out!” Jess held her tight, stroking her hair like you would a child’s. “What on Earth happened to you?”

“You mean what not on Earth happened to me.” She sighed and leaned against Jess. Her arms fell limp to her sides. “I don’t know! I don’t know what happened to me! I was flying.. through a tunnel.. in space and I almost hit something, and I didn’t have a body, and I was..I was so scared.” She managed to get out before breaking down in tears again.

“Shhhh. It’ll be okay. I promise. Okay?” Courtney nodded, silent. She had no words.

Just then, a car full of teenage boys turned the corner sharply, almost missing it. They drove fast, too fast, and the car was going down the street swerving all over the place. The ran down a mailbox before slowing down in front of Jessica’s house. Courtney was still in Jessica’s arms, crying. Neither one of them noticed the Ford Mustang below them on the street, bathed in the eerie yellow glow of the streetlamp.

But the boys noticed them. “WhoooooHoooo! Yeah!” The boys were hanging out the windows of the car, gawking at the sight of two girls standing on a rooftop in an embrace. “I love watching lesbians, man! Yeah!” A drunken teenager called from below. This time, Jessica and Courtney did notice. They broke apart, glaring at the boys in the car below.

“It’s Brian.” Jessica whispered to herself. But Courtney heard it.

“What?! Brian Sheehan?!” Courtney said in astonishment.

“Yeah.” Jess whispered.

The calls continued from the boys. “Yeah baby! Take it off! Come on! I’ll pay you!” That boy ducked back in the car, presumably looking for a bill to back up his offer. Another boy leaned out the window. “Hey girls,” His speech had a definite slur to it. “you wanna come with us? We can PARTY! Yeah!” He was yelling loud enough to wake the dead. The money boy pulled the other boy out of the window and thrust his arm out, showing the five dollar bill he was holding in his hand. “See?” He gestured to the money. “I’ll pay y..”

Jess cut him off. “Go home! We’re not lesbians, and we will not come with you! Now drag your sorry little drunken asses home before I call the cops on you, you perverts!”

“Dang, Jess.” Courtney whispered under her breath.

“Fine! You little bitches! We’ll go home!” Brian yelled from the driver’s seat.

“Yeah! See you never!” Another one called as the car sped off. Courtney and Jess watched as the taillights disappeared down the street.

“My god!” Courtney said as she sat back down on the rooftop.

“Oh, I know. They do that all weekend long. It gets so annoying.”

“I bet!”

“Hey, doesn’t Lori like Brian?”

“Kinda... no.... yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes. She does.”

“Oh. Well does she know that...”

“That he gets drunk all the time and plays speed racer up and down your street?” Courtney finished for her.

“Yeah. Does she?”

Courtney shook her head.

Jess nodded. “Great. Just great.”

“Well should we tell her?”

“Nah. Let her find out on her own.”

“Okay.” Courtney said with a warning tone in her voice. “But if she gets into trouble with him, I’m blaming it on you.”

“Courtney, he doesn’t even know her!”

“So? They’re bound meet sooner or later!” Courtney protested.

“Alright, alright! So when she does, we’ll tell her!”

“Okay! Fine!”

“Fine!” Jess said.

“Jess,”

“Yeah?”

She looked up at Jess. “Do you wanna go back inside?” She asked, stifling a yawn.

“Yeah.” Jess replied with a sigh.

“Let’s go.” Courtney got up and walked towards the window. Jessica followed.

When they got back in the room, all the lights had been turned out and everyone was asleep. Courtney and Jessica had to crawl on their hands and knees through the darkness to their sleeping bags.

Jessica fell asleep immediately. Courtney could tell by the snores coming from halfway across the room. Courtney’s eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark. She could see most of the room now, by the thin sliver of moonlight that was cut into shape by the window curtains.

She glanced at the mirror to her left. She made a few funny faces, scaring the hell out of herself.

She finally laid back on her sleeping bag. She settled in under her covers and closed her eyes. Next to her, Helen mumbled something that she couldn’t make out. Her eyes passed by the clock. It was 1:02.

She was half asleep when she saw it. She saw it through closed eyes, actually. It was as if it was calling to her, calling her to it. The light penetrated her eyelids. At first she thought she was dreaming, but as the layers of sleep slowly drifted away, she realized she wasn’t. Her eyes snapped open. She knew what the light was. She didn’t have to be told. She stared out the open window in front of her. The pulsating point of light in the sky was aimed directly at her. It began the metamorphosis again. This time she wasn’t afraid.