Authors notes: Thank s to EoF for creating the Universe Dustin, myself, and the others are playing in.

The pictures are of Olivia Munn and Phoebe Tonkin, respectively, so all related copyrights and such belong to them.

Passing through the grounds surrounding the house was pathetically easy. Whipping out my stack of post-its and a pen, I scribbled a note saying as such (complete with a cross-eyed, raspberry-blowing smiley face) and stuck it to the inside of the satellite dish around back of the house with a small but powerful magnet.

That should cause enough interference to the reception to get someone out here. I thought to myself as I slipped quietly into some of the shrubberies close to the house. Sure enough, a few someones did come out and find the note. While they were freaking out and talking to the other guards on their earwigs, I slipped out of my hiding spot and made my way over to the gutter at the corner of the house. By now you’d think they’d know I’m about the only one in this town that can and actually *would* make a fool of them like that, right? Anyway, a quick check to make sure the coast was clear and I carefully climbed up the gutter.

Normally, this wouldn’t work very well, but I had suggested the idea to Cindy after they finally fixed my favorite point of entry (a loose window on the second story) as an easy means of getting out without being noticed. Naíve much? After carefully working it half way across the roof, I found the vent covering I was looking for. I reached into my cleavage and produced a squirt bottle about the size of my palm. Inside this bottle was some lubricating/penetrating oil for just such the occasion. (A girl has to be prepared and before you say anything, there weren’t any pockets on my pants and I’ve seen women put stranger things than this in their boobs. So don’t even start with me.) A few squirts later, to insure that no noise was made, I removed the vent covering. After carefully slipping in, I then reached back up and put it back as it was. No need to run up their energy bill.

Stepping only on the wooden joists (it wouldn’t do to put my foot through the drywall and all that) and taking care not to disrupt any of their insulation, I spiderman’d my way over to the access panel that opened into Cindy’s closet. Slowly pulling it open, I carefully slipped down and closed it behind me. Turns out I was about to interrupt girl talk between Cindy and her sister, Carly. Then Carly set me up perfectly for my entrance.

“So, have you heard anything about how that Dani chick is doing? She broke down pretty bad after that thing with the Hunters.”

“Not a clue. I was meaning to call her be-“

“Before I just randomly pop out of your closet?” I interrupted as I slid the door open and sauntered out into the room. Oh, the looks on their faces... And not a pair of brown pants between them. Apparently, no one taught them that old saying: “Speak of the Devil...” After a momentary start, Cindy just rolled her eyes at me. Carly, on the other hand, was apparently taking longer to adjust to my dynamic entries than Cindy did.

“Are we ever going to be able to keep you out?” Carly asked, somewhat rhetorically, after she had calmed down from her near heart attack.

“Nope” I said with absolutely no hesitation and flashed them my psudeo-patented winning smile.

“Okay, now that we have that established, what brings you to my closet?”

“I just came from Narnia.” I managed to say with a straight face.

“What.” Came the reply from both sisters at once. It wasn’t as much a question as it was a deadpanned exclamation.

“I did just walk out of a wardrobe of sorts, didn’t I?” They just looked at me, then the closet, back to me, then at each other, then back to the closet, then finally back to me like that might actually believe me if I pushed the issue.

“Well then... Maybe we’ll have better luck with a different question. What brings you here?”

“I’m chasing down confirmation on a rumor a friend of mine heard at the university today. Would either one of you happen to know an Ashley Martin?” This, I could easily see, worried Carly.

“What business do you have with her?” Came Carly’s response. She seemed a bit nervous about it, so I guessed something had happened there that I wasn’t aware of... Yet.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I said, giving her a seductive smile.

“And just how would you expect either of us to get that kind of information?” Cindy asked.

“Judging from her reaction, I’m assuming that one or both of you know her. I also happen to know that she attends the same high school as you, Cindy.” I said. “I figured that one of you might be able to figure out when she would be going to that karaoke bar next and let me know.”

“And how do you suppose that we could do that?” Carly asked with a hint of hostility in her voice.

“Light a candle in that window there, Cindy.” I said, pointing to the one I could see from my pine-tree-perch. “And I’ll meet you at your dojo the next day. After your classes get out, that is.”

Cindy and Carly shared a look with arched eyebrows, conversing without words the way close siblings sometimes do.

“Fine, I’ll find out for you.” Cindy eventually said with a sigh of resignation.

“Yay! Thank you!” I quietly squealed. I bounced over and wrapped her up in a huge hug. “Ahhh! I’m so excited!”

“Well, it’s about time for me to get back to the chapter house, so I’ll have to actually catch up with you some other time Cindy.” I said as I disentangled myself from the hug and walked back over to the closet.

“Toodles.” I said with a wink as I slid the closet door open and stepped in. However, all I did was place a prewritten post-it (“Sorry, you missed the last train to Narnia. :’( Better luck next time!”) and I used my uber-speed to quickly yet quietly close the closet door again and slip out through the bedroom door (quickly closing it but preventing it from slamming to create a giant “whoosh” of air, call it the Narnia Effect). Having accomplished all of that before Cindy or Carly could even bat an eye, I tip-toed my way down the hallway and pondered how I wanted to leave this time.

Random guard's point of view

He really didn’t want to be on guard duty tonight. He had to cancel his plans to hit up the Guardian with his buddies, but here he was in his uncle’s house, watching out for his cousin and that little girl that mysteriously show up out of nowhere. He had almost made it to the end of the hall way on the third floor when some black haired chick just appeared out of nowhere at all. Realizing that this was probably the intruder that got his brother in trouble earlier, he took a breath to call out that he found her.

“NO! Shhhhh...... You’ll wake the baby!” She said, her voice an exaggerated whisper. “You know how protective Cindy is of her, right?”

Maybe it was the logic of what she said or maybe it was that she said it with the authority of someone who was supposed to be here. More likely, however, it was indeed how protective Cindy was of her young charge that caused him to pause in a near panic and look quickly towards the baby’s room. When he realized that he’d been had, he looked back only to find the strange woman had vanished without a trace as quickly as she had appeared. He first looked to his watch, then to his cup of coffee. He then walked into the bathroom, dumped the coffee down the sink and began splashing some cold water on his face to wake himself up. Seems like tonight, he thought, is just going to be one of those nights.

With both of my feet on the crown molding on one side of the hallway and one of my hands on the molding on the other side, (the second hand was keeping my gear from falling out of my cleavage) I waited for him to leave before gingerly climbing down and making a quick getaway. Dexterity is a beautiful thing and you can pull off all kinds of crazy bullshit when you have enough of it.

After making my way down the grand staircase, I hung a quick right and ducked into one of the bathrooms. I opened a window and placed another post-it on the outside about the “noob” I just bluffed into thinking he was hallucinating. After a false alarm with another “guard”, I continued down to the first floor, where I put a post-it reading “The Fanged Crusader of Chaos Strikes Again!!! You, my good sir and/or Madam, have a security force that FAILS! :D” on the inside face of the door.

Knowing that the alarm was going to be tripped, I unlocked it, slipped out and closed it behind me again. Once outside, I cut loose with the speed and hopped clear over the wall with a running start. I started running again the instant my dainty little feet touched ground again and I didn’t stop until I made it back to my scooter. After putting on my helmet (safety first, you know) I hopped on and made my way back into town. Got home and into my room just in time for curfew, too.

“So, did you get the info?” Darcy asked me as all but waltzed into the room.

“Nope, not yet.” I told her, which got me a pout. She brightened up when I continued though. “But Cindy and her older sister agreed to let me know the next time they learned she was going to be there.”

“Woo!” She said as she pumped her arms in the air.

“My sentiments exactly. For now, though, we wait.”

The Next Day…

I shot up in my bed with a piercing scream. The nightmare had come back. But… something was wrong with it. Shaking, I moved one of my hands to move a lock of sweat drenched hair off of my face and tried to tuck my knees to my chest… but my legs wouldn’t move. Another cry caught in my throat when I lifted my blanket away. I had my tail! I fell back down and began to sob openly. My sweat made me change, and I couldn’t prevent it! I forced my legs to come back so I could just curl into a ball and sob.

Another scream flew from my lips when I felt a hand gently stroke my back.

“Shhh, it’s okay, honey. It’s just me,” Mom’s voice said. I felt her lift me up so that she could hug me properly. I leaned against her, savoring her support.

“Did you have another nightmare?” she asked.

“I… I thought they were done. I thought I was okay…” I sobbed.

“You’re safe now,” Mom said, in infinitely soothing tones.

“I just want it to stop!” I yelled, burying my head into Mom.

“I know, Ashley, and I truly wish I could help,” she said, continuing to gently stroke my back.

“It was different this time,” I gasped.

“Different? The nightmare changed?” Mom asked, surprised.

“There was something… someone there, instead of the Orb,” I told her.

“Did it do something different than the Orb?”

“It… tried to talk to me. Instead of the Orb trying to draw me to it, this thing tried to convince me to join it,” I explained. “It didn’t tell me what its goals were, but it felt overwhelmingly evil.”

“Just remember that it’s just a dream, okay? It’s not real,” Mom assured me. I pulled myself off of her chest.

“I know, but it’s hard to remember that while it’s happening,” I told her. Mom smiled softly.

“I know you’ll get through it. You’re a strong woman,” Mom said, lightly rubbing my head.

“Thanks, Mom,” I weakly smiled, hugging her. I wasn’t quite 100%, but I could get through the day now.

“Now, why don’t you get ready for school? I’m sure some time with your friends will help you keep your mind off things,” Mom continued.

I looked at the time. “It looks like we might be late, though.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Mom smiled, “but you’ll make it if you’re quick with your shower.”

I nodded, taking that as a hint to get to the bathroom as soon as possible. I thanked Mom again and headed to the bathroom.

In the shower, I was able to relax a little more, but I jumped in surprise when I looked at my right palm.

“What…?” I gasped. There was some kind of mark on my palm. It almost looked like a brand, and it was shaped like an odd horn. I shook slightly as I continued to look at it.

Did it have anything to do with my dream…?

Distracted by my thoughts, I almost took too long in the shower. I didn’t want to be late today, so I hurried out and back to my room. Soon enough, I was dressed and on my way to school. I made sure to hide my palm from Mom. I didn’t want to worry her until I talked to someone more knowledgeable about it.

“Have a good day, honey,” Mom chimed as we got to the school.

“I’ll try my best,” I replied, waving back at her. I settled into the halls relatively quickly, keeping an eye out for Max. I found him at his locker, and he smiled upon seeing me.

“Hey, Ash–“ he started, then paused to look at me more closely. He immediately hugged me. “Are you okay?”

I almost melted at his affection and how easily he knew that I wasn’t in the best mood. “I just didn’t have a good night’s sleep. I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow,” I told him, in a half lie.

“If you need some help getting cheered up, I’m always here. Okay?” he said, completely skipping our usual joking with each other.

“Thanks, Max. I needed to hear that,” I said, rewarding him with a peck on his lips.

“That’s what friends are for!” he chimed.

“Boyfriends, too,” I added.

“Well, yeah, but I’m betting that both Leslie and Jan will give you the same offer. Heck, Cindy Harper might, too!” he told me.

“You’re probably right. It just shows that I’ve chosen my friends right,” I said with a smile.

“And I’m glad you chose me!” Max said, beaming. I’m sure he thought I would kiss him again, but I decided to take advantage of my slightly better mood and mess with him a bit.

“I think we kind of chose each other,” I told him.

He shrugged. “Touché.”

“Thanks for cheering me up. I’ll see you at lunch,” I said, smiling again.

“You know it!” he called back as we started our walks to class. I stopped before he did, settling down in my math class. Leslie was already there, and she offered a helping ear to me just like Max did. Apparently, my better mood wasn’t as good as I thought. It became especially obvious in my classes, as I had trouble concentrating, instead thinking about the nightmare. The fact that it had changed chilled me to the bone.

Thankfully, lunch came quickly. I was eager to see my friends again and work toward a better mood again, but I really needed to talk to Melissa. I gently knocked on her office door, and I didn’t miss the telltale glow of her hand as the room was warded to give us privacy.

“You look like you need some sleep, Ashley. Did your nightmares come back?” Melissa asked, nailing the issue on the head.

I sat on one of the cots, fighting tears. “I thought I had recovered enough, but they did.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” she pressed.

“The dream was different this time. Instead of the Orb floating in front of me, there was something else. It looked like a person, but I somehow knew it wasn’t,” I explained.

“That’s certainly new,” Melissa mused.

“There’s something else, too,” I told her, holding my marked palm open. “This mark was on my palm when I woke up this morning.”

Melissa gasped when she saw my palm. “The mark appeared on your palm while you were sleeping?”

I nodded. “Do you know what it is?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not sure, but it can’t be good. I’m going to take a picture of it and see if my mother or the rest of the Coven can identify it, if that’s okay with you.”

I gulped while watching her rummage through her desk for a camera. “Am I in danger?”

“I don’t know Ashley, but it’s likely. If it just appeared today, though, we have time to deal with it,” Melissa said, taking a picture of my open palm.

“Deal with it? Before what?” I asked, starting to shake in fear.

“Before its purpose is revealed,” she said.

“Am I… am I going to die?” I stammered. My breathing started to quicken as my mind ran through all the possibilities.

“You aren’t going to die, Ashley,” Melissa said with a commanding tone. She placed her hand on my knee, which felt surprisingly calming.

“Sorry. I’m just a little frazzled right now,” I said.

“I would be too, in your position,” she said with a comforting tone.

“So, what do you think it all means?” I asked.

“I’ll get this new info to the Coven,” Melissa said. “If it has anything to do with the Orb, then we need to pay attention to it.”

“I just wish it could stop haunting me like this…” I sighed, “I know we canceled our appointments, but do you think I can start seeing Cassie again?”

“Of course,” came her answer.

“Thanks,” I said, “and thanks for listening. I guess I’ll be off to lunch again.”

“No, thank you for telling me so quickly. If anything besides simple trauma is causing your nightmares, we need to know,” Melissa answered. I nodded in agreement as I left the room.

“Ah, there you are,” A familiar voice called from behind me as I approached the cafeteria. I turned around to face Cindy.

“Hey there,” I said, “were you looking for me?”

She nodded, then gave me an odd look. “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t sleep too well last night. I’m still up and about, though,” I said.

Cindy smiled, “Then I have just the thing to cheer you up. I’m gathering some of the girls we both know for a girl’s night out. Want to come?”

“Who’s coming?” I asked.

“So far, I’ve got Carly, Leslie, and Jan. We’re going to a more upscale karaoke place than Sally’s, and you were the last girl I wanted to ask,” she explained.

“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to take my mind off things for a while. I’m in,” I said, giving her a small smile.

“And I’m sure singing a good song or two will help you too,” she chimed.

I nodded. “When are we meeting up?”

“At about seven or so. Leslie has directions, so she’ll drive you and Jan and I’ll take Carly,” she said.

“Sounds good,” I said.

“Alright. See you then!” Cindy said with a smile, before entering the cafeteria ahead of me.

The rest of the school day went a little faster now that I had something to look forward to. It was fun to sing, and it would be a good way to get my mind off what was happening to me. At times, I found myself staring at the mark on my palm, wondering just what it was.

I was doing it again in the car with Leslie and Jan as we drove to the restaurant to meet with Cindy and Carly.

“Why do you keep staring at your palm like that, Ash?” Jan asked, snapping me out of it.

“Sorry. I guess I’m just spacing out a bit,” I admitted.

“Are you sure you’re up for this? You’re obviously not yourself today,” Leslie added.

“This’ll be good for me,” I insinuated.

“We’ll take you home if you start to feel bad, okay?” Jan said.

“It’s a deal,” I told them. Soon enough, we were at the parking lot and getting out of the car. I took one last look at my hand before getting out. I didn’t catch the name of the restaurant as we walked inside.

Author's note, part two:

Camments, as you know, are an author's lifeblood. I'm not begging or demanding that you leave one, but if you liked the story then tell us what you liked. Or didn't like, as the case may be. Constructive critisim is always welcome, but please have a suggestion handy when you go to give it. Other than that, I hope you had a good read. ^_^