If you have read Shining Stars, then you are familiar with Jewel and Jared Rushings. The same comes for Nadezda of Quest for the Treasure. Both stories are placed at about the same time period on the fantastical planet of Galandria.

  Dominica Lamar of The Ultimate Decision comes into her story on Earth at the beginning of July in the year 2013 A.D.

  The characters you are not familiar with are the main characters of a mystery series I started when I was nine or ten, whose main characters are based off three of my sisters and myself. Their names are Azalea, Botya, Chumani, and Deborah, and they lived several years back in the seventies or eighties or something like that. Each of their mysteries that I started I never finished. There was also a story where they were going to go to the Amazon Rainforest fo a trip...but that's not why we're here. We are here to tell the story of how these people of different times on two different planets happened to meet each other....

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   It's a normal, boring school day for Dominica Lamar in the town of Campbell City, North Carolina.  

   Dominica sat in the schoolbus, staring out the window at the gray clouds filling up the sky.

    "It's just another long, boring day in tenth grade," she said to herself. "And right now, I would give almost anything to have something exciting happen to break the monotony of school."

   "What's up, Dominie?" She felt the seat shake as one of her best friends, Wesley, flopped down beside her.

   Domincia didn't move. "I want something exciting to happen."

    "Exciting?" Wesley pulled off his baseball cap, pushed his long black curls back out of his eyes, and put his cap back on backwards before throwing his hands out in mock bewilderment. "School isn't exciting?"

     Dominica threw him a withering look. "No. I'm serious, Wes. School, Monday through Friday. Saturday, work and assignments. And our parents like us to be calm and serious on Sunday."

     "Exciting? You mean like a hurricane or a tornado?" Wes inquired.

    "No," Dominica said again. "I mean, something like a time warp or giant killer tortoises. Something other than school!"

   "Killer tortoises? Going to heaven? Sounds good." Wesly gave her a thumbs up.

    "You don't get it, Wesley!" Dominica straightened, dropped her backpack on the floor, and faced her friend. "Something that's not normal needs to happen!" She stared off into space for the briefest moment, and Wesley stared at her curiously.

    "What is going on?" he asked.

   She blinked and looked back at him. "Huh? What?"

   "What is going on?" he repeated.

   She looked confused, but then it washed from her face and looked out the window again. "Oh, nothing."

    Wesley stared at her, then turned away.

 

     Wesley sighed as he leaned on his desk. He chewed his lip as he looked down at his geometry book. He blew out a breath and turned to Dominica, who sat beside him. He noted that her math was done early-as usual, he thought-and she was staring out the window.

    "Dominica?" he whispered.

    She didn't move. "Yes, Wesley?"

    "Are you okay? Do you need the nurse or something?"

    She stayed in her position. "Recess, Wesley."

 

    Dominica stood against the brick wall of the school, Wesley in front of her. His arms were folded and his eyebrow pointedly raised.

    "Something exciting is going to happen," she said.

    Wesley shrugged. "But you've been so secretive. How can it be so important?"

    Dominica smiled mysteriously. "Something important is going to happen-to me. This afternoon."

    "Just you?" Wesley stared at her. "And what is going to happen?"

   "I'll tell you-when I get back." Dominica moved off, but Wesley was immediately on her heels.

    "Tell me, Dominica, or I'll ask the principal what's going on."

   Dominica whirled around, her eyes flashing dangerously, making Wesley back off a few steps. "He does not know, nor does he need to. You can't tell him. You won't tell him."

   Wesley held his hands up in surrender. "Alright, I get it. I'll be quiet."

   Dominica looked at him for one more moment, then turned her heel and jogged off as the bell rang.

    She walked into the laboratory and threw on her coat and goggles, which were hanging near the door. Then she moved over to a table and listened as the science teacher explained what was going to be accomplished that day. Dominica tried to push her other thoughts away, and it was easy enough, but keeping them out was difficult when she got staerted on her work.

   Somehow, Dominica made it through class, and as she removed her equipment, she began to wonder if anything really was going to happen, and if her inklnigs of suspicion had been for nothing. Shrugging off the doubt, she joined a laughing, chattering group of classmates and walked out the door.

   While everyone dispersed to their various destinations, Dominica hurried over to Welsey, who was standing by the water fountain, leaning against the wall.

    "I  think my thoughts have been for nothing," she said in a voice tinged with disappointment.

    Wesley sighed with relief. "I was beginning to think that something was wrong."

   Dominica glared sharply at him. "Something is wrong, Wes. but I don't know what." She turned away and thougth for a moment. "It's still a secret, right Wes?" she said as she turned back to him. Then she stopped suddenly. "Wes? Wesley? Are-are you there?"

   He had disappeared

   She turned a complete circle, and a strange feeling come over her.

   "The school-the walls-" she stammered, feeling befuddled as the walls, once a dirty shade of white, were washed over and became dark blue. She walked a few steps, and heard metal clanging. She looked down, and no longer were there white tiled floors.

   The floor was black metal, and her casual white sneakers were tight black boots.

   Domincia closed her eyes for several seconds, then opened them. Before her she saw a blackness dotted with bright pinpoints of light. When she reached out her hand, she touched glass.

   Suddenly, the hairs on her neck tingled. She whirled around.

   Six females and two males were sitting at what looked like an enormous council table. The oldest female reached a hand out to her.

   "Welcome, Senator Lamar."

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   "Jared! Get up!" Jewel hissed in her twin's ear for the sixth time.

  Jared rolled over and pulled his pillow over his head. "No."

  Jewel rolled her eyes as she turned and left the room. Jared sighed happily and closed his eyes, thinking that he had gotten teh last word.

 

  Jewel walked over to the fireplace, grabbed a stick ,and stuck one end in the fire. She pulled it out, blew out the flame, and put it in again. She continued teh porcess until the end was good and hot, then she ran into Jared's room, pulled off his covers, and jabbed him in the bottom.

  "Get UP!" she yelled.

 "Ye-OWWW!" Jared shouted as he bounced into the air.

  When he was standing on solid ground, he brushed his hair out of his eyes and glared at her.

  Jewel just smiled. "We were supposed to be at the throne room ten minutes ago."

 Jared's eyes widened. "You're right!"

 

 Five minutes later, they were kneeling before the throne of Lord Kyne.

 "Why are you late?" asked Kyne imperiously.

 "We crave your pardon, Lord Kyne," said Jared, "but we were up into the wee hours of the morning performing the duties that your Honor had assigned us."

 Kyne waved his hand. "Very well, then. See to it that you are not late again."

 "Yes, my Lord," they said in quiet unison, standing and walking quietly to their place.

 "Now that we are all gathered here," Kyne said, looknig pointedly at the twins, "we shall proceed with our business."

 Jared and Jewel rolled their eyes.

 "First of all, Lord Malin of the kingdom Xaya in the country of Xotura, has recently risen to the position of ruler due to the death of hos father, Lord Michel."

 A murmur swept through the assembled nobles.

 Kyne swept a hand toward a man about forty years of age, who was dressed in a black tunic, black tightsm a black cloak, and tight black leather boots. His face was completely expressionless.

 "You have our sympathies, Lord Malin," said Kyne.

 Malin nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

 The business gathering continued, but Jared barely heard what went on as he intenly watched Lord Malin.

 Malin saw the young noble watching him, but mostly ignored him.

 When everyone was dismissed, Malin hurried from the room into the shadowy hall beyond. He flipped out his communication radio.

 "Sythara?" he said.

 A female's voice crackled to life. "Yes, Sprinter?"

 "I'm sorry to say that one of our cases seems to be rather suspicious of me, due to my choice of apparel."

 "Keep trying, Sprinter. Our lives depend on it."

 "I will, Sythara. I'm out."

 "Goodbye and good luck, Sprinter."

 

 "Who are you talking to?" came a voice.

  Malin's head snapped up. That noble...again? he thought as he casually walked out of the shadow, inwardly groaning as he saw that the noble who had been staring at him now had a girl at his side, and stealthily slipping his radio into his pocket. "Nobody," he said.

  "We heard a voice over there," said the girl.

 "It's not something you need to worry about." Malin started walking away, bu the male grabbed him.

 "You're a spy, aren't you?"

 Malin shrugged him off. "That's ridiculous."

 The pair stepped forward and grabbed him, spinning him around to face them.

 "Let go of me!" Malin commanded.

 "No," said the girl.

 

 Malin's muscles tensed as his arms lifted and threw the pair over his shoulders. "I meant it."

 To his surprise, they got right back to their feet and started after them.

 Malin turned and ran off toward the entrance of the keep. "They don't call me Sprinter for nothing," he thought with grim satisfaction as he leapt off the steep stairway that led up the keep, landing on the ground below.

 The sound of pounding footsteps above him warned that his questioners were after him.

 The chase was on.

 

 Jared turned to Jewel. "Send some fighters out after me. There may be more to him that we think."

 "I agree," said Jewel as she broke off the chase and ran towards the guardhouse.

 

 "Hey you! Stop!" yelled a gate guard as Malin ran past him. "Up the drawbridge!" he yelled to a nearby soldier, who immediately ran to do his bidding.

 Malin stopped briefly, a plan quickly forming in his sharp mind. He put a hand to his belt and pulled of a four pronged hook and a tightly rolled coil of rope.

 With lightning speed, he tied the rope tightly to the hook and swung it upward. The hook went over the side of the walkway wall at the top of the castle and caught. With the swiftness and agility of a cat, Malin grabbed the rope and climbed the wall to the top, where he caught it on the other side of the wall.

 He was halfway down the other side when a squad of soldiers lined the wall. One cut the rope, sending Malin tumbling down into the moat.

 

 Jared and Jewel cranked down the drawbridge.

 "I'm glad we don't have to wear those royal tunics to hunt down a spy," Jewel said gratefully as they hurried across the drawbridge.

 The twins looked down into the moat, where their quarry had fallen. There was no sign of Malin.

 "Knowing most lords," Jared said, "he probably knew how to swim."

 "Yes," Jewel agreed.

 They walked several meters, discussing what could have happened, when Jared pointed to small depressions in the mud right next to the water.

 "He knew how to swim alright."

 "Now we'll never catch him," Jewel said regretfully, fingering the string of the bow slung over her shoulder.

 Jared stooped and picked up a piece of black cloth. "He's also good at leaving clues. How on earth did he get away with guards all along the wall keeping a close eye on the moat?"

 Jewel shrugged. "You got me."