Chrono Trigger Chrono Aberration

**Ch. 1 – When the going gets tough, jump into a portal!**

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**Year: 3013 A.D.**

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*SLAM!* Era closed her locker. She glared at it so hard, she could've burned a hole in it.

"Tch… just my luck." She muttered under her breath.

"Hey Era! How's it… Oh…" Lucas came in running from his locker, only to see a disgruntled Era next to a graffitied locker with the word 'LOSER', in huge letters, written all over it.

"Let me guess… Janie, right?" Lucas stared at it with curiosity.

"Looks like her art work." Era joked back. "Whatever… I'm over it. Let's go." Era signaled Lucas to follow.

"Sure thing, boss." He joked in a gangster-ish kind of voice. But as he followed behind her, a small group of girls walked in thru the hallway. It was almost like they came in slowmo-like, marching in synchronization. They were the sassy, the mean, the most stuck up group of the academy. The leader of the four was ahead of them with her head held up so high you could see the back of her brain. The rest followed close behind with their own particular, menacing looks. It was high school all over again.

"Ah crap…" Era grit her teeth as her face debated whether to be disgusted or pissed. The group then spotted their victim and strode towards her. Their unpleasant faces then turned to evil grins as they stopped a mere inches in front of her.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the goon squad." Era proclaimed with a crooked grin. She knew if she spoke before Janie did, she'd have more of an advantage as their dispute would continue on their unnecessary battle of the wits. Lucas stepped slightly behind Era.

"Takes one to know one, don't you think?" Janie laughed as well as her goons, then she snapped her fingers and they all became obnoxiously serious. Very cliché.

"Thank you for admitting it! By the way, I appreciate the lovely art work you did on my locker!" Era smiled sarcastically. Janie glared at her but then smiled back sarcastically.

"Oh! You are so very welcome! I just thought it was well deserved. The school really needs to know what kind of a person you really are, ya know." Her group giggled a few seconds and then stopped simultaneously. They were so perfect at mimicking each other.

"Well, how about I just go and show the dean about this beautiful child-like art work of yours and see if he enjoys it as much as you did, _'don't ya think?'_" Era mimicked Janie's snarky tone and words at the end. Janie's grin turned sour.

"Ha! You can't prove I did any of that. Plus, I can lie and say I didn't and since you have no proof, they'll believe me." She turned to her posse and got her agreement.

"You really think I can't prove it?" Era said smugly and then looked to the side as her hand rose up and opened to show a tiny little device on her palm. She pushed a button and it played everything they were saying to each other. Janie's eyes opened wide as she listened. Era looked back at Janie with a nasty little smirk.

"GIVE THAT TO ME!" Janie leaped for the little device only to have Era throw it to her other hand. She grinned as Janie's impatience started to show. She leaped again at Era only to have the same thing happen but this time, it didn't land in Era's hand. It got thrown up so high, the little device hooked itself onto a hanging light fixture. Janie smirked in delight.

"You know I can still get it." Era scoffed. Janie's face almost popped as she held her breath and turned a very bright red.

"AAAaaaahhhhh! I hate you! I'll make sure you're last semester here is the worst one of your life!" Janie glared at Era she could've disintegrated her if she had superpowers. Era just smirked as she watched Janie snap her fingers and had her little crew follow close behind as they walked down the hall way.

"Heh… she thinks she can scare me." Era laughed and looked over at Lucas who was chuckling to himself.

"So, how do you plan to get your little recorder?" Lucas questioned her.

"Simple, I use my handy-dandy lackey!" She gave Lucas a cheesy smile as he looked down at her in discomfort. He knew exactly what she meant. He looked around and noted how everyone had already exited the building and gave a sigh of relief. Since Era was a little more physically fit than he was, she had Lucas climb up on her shoulders. Poor Lucas hated feeling like the scrawny one but it was true, he couldn't pick her up without hurting himself. He managed to keep his balance on her shoulders and reached up to the light fixture. But just as he grabbed the little device…

"MR. LUCAS! MS. ERA!" Lucas wobbled on Era's shoulders and collapsed on the floor. Era stood there looking a little petrified.

"What do you think you are doing!" The head dean of the college stood there, fists at his chubby sides. Era could see Janie and the other girls behind the dean, giving her dirty looks and laughing their butts off. Era glared at them, knowing they had set her and Lucas up.

"Ummm… I accidently threw my… keychain up and it got stuck on the light fixture. Lucas was trying to help me get it." Era tried to sound innocent; Lucas rubbed his head and finally got up and dusted himself off.

"Yes, Mr. Koro, I was just helping Era get…" Lucas tried justifying himself.

"From what I heard, you two were playing monkey with Ms. Janie's keychain. You realize that it is a violation in the student conduct code to steal and put down any student in this college." The dean was clearly convinced of the situation that had happen. There was no convincing him of the contrary.

"But… we didn't! They were the ones…"Era was quickly cut off.

"I'm sorry but you know the rules…" the dean shook his head in disappointment, "and there's a punishment… you know the drill." Era and Lucas hung there head and walked the walk of shame down the hall, though there was no one to see it.

After a few hours, they finished with their punishment. Era and Lucas wiped the sweat off their forehead, threw the rags they cleaned all of the desks in every room of the two-story building with away and leaned their butts on the table tops of the desks.

"You know Era, I don't know why you always get me into your mess." Lucas crossed his arms in front of him as he accused her.

"Oh shut up, Lucas. You always say the same thing every time we get in trouble… and like I say every time, you don't have to be my friend if it really bothers you so much." Era pushed herself off the desk top and looked over at him slightly annoyed.

"It's just not fair that I have to pay for your actions. I didn't do anything! Why must I always be the victim here!" Lucas walked around as he continued with his rant, meanwhile Era mimicked every work he said while rolling her eyes. She stopped in front of him which stopped him from continuing his pointless rant.

"Lucas, you know there's no point in complaining… you know you're my best friend and I appreciate you sticking by me even if it's at a cost." She leaned in and hugged him; Lucas blushed and gave her a weak smile.

"You know I don't like this side of you Era. You only do this so I stop talking. Jerk." He looked down at her, disgruntled, while she still hugged him.

"Fine… how about THIS THEN! IS THAT BETTER!" She grinned evilly and squeezed him tighter, making him turn blue.

"OK… OK! I'M SORRY!" He gasped for air. Era let him go and smiled smugly at him. Lucas returned to his normal pale skinned color as he kept gasping for oxygen.

"Well, we're finished so, let's get goin'!"Era grabbed her backpack and signaled Lucas out the door. Lucas sighed, grabbed his backpack and followed behind Era.

As Era and Lucas stepped outside the college's main entrance, they're almost knocked down by a hooded man that rushed by them and went towards the woods. They note some guards chasing after him at a distance where the hooded man ran from. Lucas turns to Era a bit scared and before he could say anything Era turns to Lucas with a gleam in her eyes and a smirk on her lips. Lucas gulped as Era grabbed onto his long sleeve with a tight grip.

"Let's get him!" Era decides to be heroic, which Lucas knew was to come, and starts running after the hooded man.

"But I wanna go home!" Lucas whines as Era drags him as she speeds through the woods she saw the hooded man go into.

"Oh come on! You know that if we capture a bad guy we'll get a high prize from the king!" Era continued running but let go off Lucas.

"You and your something with the 'king'…" Lucas stood for a second, shook his head in disapproval and sighed, but unfortunately for him, his obligation of making sure Era didn't get into any more trouble made him begin to follow the wannabe heroine.

After a few minutes of running, the hooded man runs into a dead end forest opening. Era quickly catches up to him and corners him.

"You're quick… but not quick enough for me!" Era smirked as she crossed her arms in front of her. The hooded man eyes her funny and seemed confused. Lucas came in gasping for air and noted Era's stance as well as the hooded man's and readied himself.

"Give yourself up and we won't hurt you!" Era gets in her readied stance and prepares for a fight.

The hooded man laughed mockingly and slowly his mouth stays as a steady smirk. Era and Lucas look at him slightly confused but angry at the way he sneered at them. He then opened a bag and reached in. Era and Lucas stayed in their fighting poses though they held no weapons but then noted how the man pulled out and held up a scepter and after a few seconds a dark waving portal opened up. Era and Lucas were in awe as they went from looking at the portal to each other then back to the portal. The shock they were in by what they saw left them completely motionless and unfortunately they watched as the hooded man saluted them and walked into the portal.

"Stop!..." Era and Lucas took a couple of steps forward but then heard the guards arrive behind them.

"You there! Accomplices! You are under arrest!" One of the guards shouted at Era and Lucas. The guards blocked their way out and pointed their swords and spears at them.

"Wait! We aren't….!" Era tried to explain only to be interrupted.

"Quiet! You will only speak when you are asked!" The main guard yelled at her.

"Where is the hooded man! Where are you hiding him!" Another guard questioned them.

Era and Lucas looked at each other in fear and then looked into the portal, then back at the guards. The guards just kept staring at them waiting for an answer. Era looked over at a very frightened Lucas, then down at the ground. She knew the guards would never believe them but then…

'…_that portal…'_ Era sighed to herself but then nodded at her thoughts.

"I'm sorry Lucas… but… I promise that this will be the last time I'll ever get you into anything… literally." Era whispered over to Lucas.

"Wha…?" Lucas looked over at Era as she quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him. As he was being dragged he could've sworn that everything was in slow motion. He watched as the guards ever so slowly began chasing after them, yelling at them to stop. He then looked over at Era as she continued to drag him as they entered the portal the hooded man had gone into… and then… complete blackness. The portal closed as the guards ran to it.

"Wha…! Where did they go! They just disappeared" The guards stopped running and looked around the wooded area and then back at each other in awe and disbelief. The two had disappeared into thin air. There was not a single trace of them…

They completely… vanished.


End file.

Chrono Trigger, Adventure, Friendship