Speed, by Alicia U. Ooooh, here. One of my favorite stories ever.
*Laney, wake up!*
Laney Kent sat up in bed in response to the voice
sounding in her mind. *I'm awake*, she thought. *I'll be there
in a few minutes.* She checked the clock. Two a.m. Moving
slowly and stealthily, she slid out of bed and dressed in old
jeans, a dark t-shirt, and hiking boots. She pulled her heavy
brown-black hair into a ponytail, and, after a moment's
thought, took insect repellent from her dresser and slathered it
on her exposed skin. Smelly stuff--she'd have to be sure to
shower before Marty or her parents saw her tomorrow so they
wouldn't suspect--but if she were to come down with malaria
in a week or so, there would be no way to keep this a secret,
so there would really be hell to pay.
She tiptoed to the door and opened it, cursing its
tendency to creak. Fortunately, Claire's room was next door.
Of course, she couldn't be totally silent, so if Marty or Dad
were listening then she was just dead and would probably be
grounded until her high school graduation, which was flatly
unreasonable. It wasn't like she was sneaking out to a wild
party like most kids her age would be.
