Entry 95: A Common Goal -Vincent-

This guy was so easy. The whole walk I had people looking at him like he was stupid. He was stupid, but I had people THINKING he was crazy. And his face? Priceless.

I knew he was tiring of my antics. I was pretty sure that you couldn't kill a teddy bear though, so I didn't care. Besides, my life was destroyed all ready. I didn't care if I could be killed. All I cared about at the moment was somehow earning back my place in Heaven; if it actually existed.

We had been walking for a while before we decided to find some car and "borrow" it. We were getting close, but it would have taken hours before we got to Crystal. The car would speed things up a bit.

It did ruin my fun though. I was stuck sitting in the passenger seat looking at the glove compartment. Carl couldn’t hide his laughter, nor did he try.

I had just lifted my head to make a degrading remark toward Carl's driving skills when I felt this static in Crystal's connection to me. Kind of like a fuzzy feeling, and yes; I do see the irony of that.

"We need to hurry. I don't care how bad your driving skills are, just get us there. Something’s going on."

I felt the car speed up as his foot hit the floor. We were going fast. It would still be ten minutes before we got there. It wasn't quick enough. We'd never get there in time.

There was no longer any static between our connection. Our connection was completely gone.

Entry 94: Saba's Choice -Saba-

I could still feel that strong power coming off of her, but it had significantly lowered. It was no longer overwhelming my senses to be near her. Even as we both walked up the massive double doors of the mansion, I was slowly beginning to feel more comfortable being around the "aura" she gave off.

Why I had brought her here, I didn't know. I wanted to escape and I'd done that. I could have just killed her and get it over with.

Glancing over at Crystal, I notice her solid gaze on the doors. Seeing someone like her be so serious is kind of scary. Had fear stopped me? No. I'm not scared of her. It's something else. A kind of respect for someone who has dedicated themselves to something. She released me, a very dangerous prisoner, just to figure out some answers. Not the best idea, but she was willing to risk it.

The doors opened as we walked up, and the person who came out made both Crystal and I step back in shock. From her long black hair to her olive colored skin, she was an exact copy of me. I had just walked out of the building in front of me.

"Of all the things I was thinking could happen," Crystal pointed at my perfect copy, "I wasn't expecting that."

"Why are you alive?", the other Saba glared at me with disgust, "I thought Patrick killed all the failed versions."

Crystal glanced at me and then at the new Saba, "I am so confused. I'm looking for Nick. Is he here?"

"No, but that isn't your concern right now.", the air began to get heavy as the other me looked at me, "Right now you have to worry about me. You're evidence that was supposed to be destroyed."

As much as I hated Crystal, this person who had my face was insulting my strength. To think I'd have to worry about her at all! I'll crush her swiftly and then eat her entrails for dinner.

"Crystal, I hate to say this, but you should keep looking for Nick. I'll take care of this."

A glance to my left showed Crystal unmoving, "I'm not going to leave you behind," she looks at me and smiles, "It's kinda my fault we're in this mess anyway."

Something about her smile just pissed me off. I was sure exactly why but, it made me feel . . . happy. I don't like being happy.

I would remind myself later to remove that part of her first. Right now, I have to take care of an over-confident mimic.

Flashback Entry 93: "Not today" -Nick-

Patrick was born soon after and I was kept under their employ for their wife. I would go and find the artifacts she was looking for while she took care of the baby. I knew she was working toward some kind of goal, but I realized what it was way too late. I had helped her achieve what she was attempting to gain.

I found out on the last night I was under their employ. I had just retrieved the final artifact and, like usual, I went to my quarters to rest. The final wizard was well-known and very powerful. I say wizard because that's how I knew him. Of course he was a warlock like me, but he presented himself as a wizard. I guess that's what they called us back in his age, when his place was next to King Arthur's throne.

I'm not sure how long I'd been sleeping when I was jolted awake by the building quaking beneath me. I could feel the magical energy flowing through out the house, and it was stronger than normal. Usually I could just feel the power of the artifacts I'd been collecting, but this time the whole house was vibrating with it.

Something horrible was going on. I leaped from my bed and bolted down the stairs three at a time. The energy was seeping from above me; I just kept going up. I felt the power increase and could sense the malevolence within it. I was moving too slow.

I burst in to the biggest room in the highest tower of the house, and was immediately hit with a massive blast of magical force that picked me up and pushed me to the floor.

"I will not have you interrupting our summoning, Nick. It'd be best if you stayed down." Saba's voice was filled with dark intent. It was almost as though there was a different person in control.

"What's going on?" I tried to lift my head to look, but the force kept me stuck in place.

"We must bring our Lord into this world, so he may crush the unworthy. You should not worry though. You are more than worthy. Non-magicals, how ever . . ."

I had been working for these people for so long and they'd never exhibited any kind of evil intentions until now. They had hid it so well, but now while I was trapped, I saw the signs I'd missed. The late night walks, locked rooms, questions they shouldn't have ignored; questions I shouldn't have stopped asking.

Non-magicals. They were going to take out more than 90% of the people alive. This was not going to happen; I'd never let it. I slowly began looking for that faint magical signature that Saba's abilities gave off.

"That's complete madness. You're insane!" I felt the force tighten on me as I yelled.

"Insane? Non-magicals are ruining everything. In a few more years the only thing people will talk about is how much the planet is in danger. Why shouldn't we kill them all?! You think I'm mad, but I am more sane than most."

I could feel the magic increasing and right now it was so powerful, that my ears were ringing. It was now or never. I forced as much magical force out of me in every direction, feeling the restricting energy fade and break apart as it tried to contain me.

"I can see you're upset. Maybe I was wrong about you. You may leave now."

"No! I'm not going to let you do this. It's genocide. You will stop now."

The middle of the circular room was filled with hundreds of objects that I had collected during my employ. Saba had turned toward me and her husband was staring in to the objects, his hands raised above his head. Their son Patrick was sitting nearby. A giant light floated above the pile of artifacts.

I only got a glimpse because Saba raised her hands, and I was lifted off the ground. With a flick of my wrist and a few words, I fell to the ground again. I ran for cover but was too late.

Saba's unique energy slammed in to my side, sending me in to the wall. The lack of magical signature made dodging and countering the spells more difficult. If it was still I could find it after some time, but moving made it impossible. Three more hits left me breathless.

I felt the energy wrap around my leg and I was lifted upside down in to the air.

"You can't stop us and killing you would be a shame. Can't you just see things our way? Ignore morality and let everything fall into place." Saba's voice was alien; filled with hate and loathing.

"People shouldn't be killed just because they were born a certain way! What you're doing is murder. You can't get away with that!", I yelled, my anger increasing, "One day I'll watch as your deeds come back on you two-fold."

"Not today." She tossed me like a rag doll out of the nearest window.

Flashback Entry 92: Saba Bernauw -Nick-

My introduction in to magic started when I was 17. I had gotten bored with all the mundane sleight of hand tricks, so I decided to look for the real thing. I wanted to make rabbits really pop out of my hat.

My search kept bringing up the same name. Bernauw. The name could be found with a toe in any kind of magic happenings. I knew then that if I was to learn of magic, I'd have to find them. So I searched.

The more I searched, the more I learned about the magic world. By the time I was standing in front of their sweeping mansion, I all ready had some impressive spells under my belt. I had planned to impress them with my skills and then have them teach me more.

I could feel the magic flow off of the house, and it didn't surprise me when the door opened of its own accord as I approached. What's more, I could barely feel the magic that caused it.

I barely stepped three feet into the door when I was met by a young woman. She was about 25 and had an Arabic look to her. Dark, black hair, olive colored skin, and she held herself with a look of royalty.

"You must be Nick Brown. I admit I have followed your search for quite some time. You are an impressive person." She seemed excited to have me in her house. It was quite a surprise.

"I am. And you are?"

"Oh, forgive me! Sometimes I just lose track of my manners. My name is Saba Bernauw. I am a spirit Persuader; class 12."

"Spirit Persuader? Class 12? I'm sorry, I've never come across those terms before."

"I should say not, I am one of a kind. I can speak directly to spirits and control ones of a lower class. It's a very limited type of magic, though it does not give off much in the way of a magical signature."

"And Class 12?"

"It means that I've honed my craft to the highest I can."

"Ah." She had led me into a large chamber where a young man sat writing on a tablet. She motioned to a chair and then left the room quickly. I realized almost immediately that this man was her husband. I swiftly sat and remained quiet.

"So, you are Nick? You look quite scrawny and give off the aura of an old woman." The man talked while he wrote.

"I'm so-"

"How ever, you have done some amazing spells for someone of your . . . age and intelligence. Therefore, I've decided to hire you. You will assist my wife on her outings and be paid accordingly. I will teach you what I know after you've proven you're worthy. That is all."

"Her outings?"

The man sighed, "Yes, outings. She loves ancient relics and some of them are fairly dangerous. Normally she could do this stuff on her own but since she became pregnant, I have decided that she needs some help. Now, no more questions; it's time for you to go."

So now I had the job I would learn to hate, just as I would learn to hate their son.

Flashback Entry 91: New Line of Work -Nick-

A rock to my left exploded, sending me into the air. Chanted words filled my ears, making my vision blurry and my thoughts slow. Time seemed to slow down as I drifted through the air toward a very hard looking wall. This was my last job. From now on, Saba would be on her own. No more crazy adventures, no more suspicious foods, and definitely no more angry warlocks whose power closely resembles that of a God.

"Nick! Now!"

Yeah Saba, I’d love to help; but right now my trajectory tells me that I have a meeting with some rather unfriendly stone. You are going to have to do this yourself. Of course, I couldn't tell her this, because my thoughts never had time to reach my mouth.

"Nick! Hurry!"

Nick, I need your help. Nick, it's just a stupid warlock. Nick, you can take him. Why do I listen? We haven't been friends that long.

As I slammed in to the rock I thought; I'm only 20. I should be worrying about college, not trying to steal ancient mythical artifacts from warlocks older than America. I need a new line of work.

Entry 90: The Way To Nick -Crystal-

What am I doing? I'm a seven year-old young woman with memories that aren't her own, and I'm sitting in a car next to a crazy lady, whose made it very clear that the only part of me she wants to see are my insides. Then again, Saba was the only person who would be able to lead me to Nick.

Actually, I'm kind of proud of me for figuring it out. Basically, if Saba died some 17 or 18 years ago and was resurrected at that time, she'd be in her late 30's, because she would have come back as an 18 year old. She clearly was not any where near 30 which means that she was brought back recently. See why I'm proud of myself? All I have to do is tell her to go to the person that she was last with, and the only person I know that can bring people back to life is Nick.

The others will miss me and may come looking but with out Saba, they wouldn't be able to find me. That will keep them out of harms way while I go get myself fixed. It's not like I'm not being cautious. I brought something with me to protect myself. I reached in to my pocket and felt the page I had ripped from Ben's book. I'd have a surprise for her if she decides to do me in when we find him.

We turned on a driveway that led up to a huge mansion. This didn't look like a place for a child. Something felt wrong. I didn't know what this place was. Saba was out of the car before I could open my door, and leaned down to a small speaker.

"Hello, It's Saba Zahid."

"Come in."

That was definitely not Nick’s voice.

Entry 89: For A Reason. -Ben-

Finally I was alone again. A quick sweep of the house told me no one was there. The steps creaked as I made my way up to my room. I slumped down on the bed and let out a great sigh of relief. John had really gotten on my last nerve, and it felt good to have him out of the house.

I reached over and grasped for my book, only to find it missing. I sat up fast and began looking around. I had put it right on the bed when I left. Crystal was the only person in here and I doubt she would have taken it. This was not good, but when has my life ever been good since finding that damn book?

Still, the book has saved me and the guys from plenty of situations. I had to find it.

I stood and walked over to my book case. Had I put it here?

"Where is it?!"

"Right here." A female voice I didn't recognize came from behind me.

There she stood, slightly taller than me with some curl to her black hair. She had an air of power about her.

"Hi.", she bowed, "My name is Melissa Long and I'll be your thieving-assassin this evening."

Entry 88: Everything Happens . . . -Carl-

"So, let me get this straight.", I said, ignoring the stares of people passing in the street, "This guy Nick brought you back to protect Crystal, so that you could be redeemed for your sins?"

"That's what I said. I don't understand it myself."

Vincent was resting on my shoulder watching the people we passed give me strange looks, because I was talking to a Teddy Bear. It also didn't help that when ever one of them looked, he pretended to be a normal bear.

"Would you mind stopping that?"

"I think it's fun. Those people think you're crazy."

I gritted my teeth and continued in silence. We just had to find Crystal.

"How do you know where she is anyway?", I was careful to say this when we were on an empty street.

"I'm not sure. I guess that Nick guy gave me this ability. I just know where she is and where she's heading."

"From what you told me, that doesn't seem like Nick’s style. It has to be something else."

As I finished this, I realized the bear was pretending to be normal again, and glancing around I noticed a mother nearby. She was pulling at her child and whispering warnings about not getting to close to the "crazy man."

I hate this bear.

Flashback Entry 87: Against My MO -Vincent-

The straps tightened around my arms, legs, and head. I couldn't move from my seat and even if I did, there were two heavily armed guards just waiting for a reason to take me down. I wouldn't though. I deserved this.

I couldn't hear exactly what the priest was saying, but that's probably because the warden paid him to mumble. The warden knows how religious I am. Maybe I shouldn't have let my fist rid him of his front teeth on my first day here.

Finally I heard the words, "Vincent Smith, I hereby sentence you to death for mass murder of Lily Smith, Denise Smith, George Smith, and Andrew Berthiaume."

The name filled my body with pain at the memory. It wasn't as painful as the thousands of volts of electricity that went scorching through me next. As my brain melted, everything went black. I felt as though I was floating in space.

It was a surprise; I was expecting the flames of Hell.

"Vincent Smith. You were wrong." Oh, how I hate voices from nowhere. Luckily the voice was matched to a young man floating nearby. He was wearing a suit and smiling. I instantly hated him.

"I was wrong?"

"You spent your entire life believing that there is a God when there isn't. I hate to be the one to tell you."

"Then who are you?"

"I am a morality agent. My name is Nick Brown."

"What's a morality agent?"

"I'm the person who decides whether you deserve a second chance. You, are lucky enough to have earned it."

"I've earned nothing. Do you know what I did? I killed my family and a friend. I killed them with my bare hands. I killed them INTENTIONALLY. I watched them take their last breaths. Even if God isn't real, I'm sure who ever runs this place thinks that I deserve to burn for all eternity."

"That is why you'll have to earn back your life."

"How do I do that?"

"You'll be sent back in a temporary vessel to protect someone. When you've done enough, I'll return you to your former body."

"Do I have a choice?" I didn't want redemption. I didn't deserve to be saved. It was my fault that I was even here.

"If you choose not to do this, I will send you back to when you did that awful deed, and make you watch it over and over again. I'm not going to ask twice."

"FINE! But this is completely against my MO.", I was furious. This little jerk had spit my beliefs at me and is keeping me from my punishment. I don't deserve a second chance.

"Good."

My body began to move rapidly toward a bright light. In the middle of which sat a young child. I felt my body merge with hers and the pain was unbearable.

To my left I heard that annoying voice again, "Great Father Salarcthus, capture this soul within the ritualistic vessel!"

I saw the girl disappear and a teddy bear take her place, "AWW FU-!"

Entry 86: Disguise -Nick-

I couldn't see any other way out of this. Everything must go. I chuckled a bit as I tossed the dust into the semi-circle of runes and symbols.

I would miss the children, but that wouldn't last long. The spell would soon wipe even that memory clean. I would have to learn everything again; start from scratch. I smiled to myself as I remembered back when I had been nineteen. I enjoyed those times. It'd be good to live them again. This time I could do some good; make some different decisions.

Nineteen. I had just started learning real magic. Not the normal parlor tricks, but real supernatural magic. It'd be hard but I could help them still. Maybe avert the coming crisis. I couldn't do that if I was dead, and I had all ready prepared a protector for Crystal by botching up that resurrection spell. That was an intuitive way to use failure.

Using spells in unusual but effective ways was what I was known for. Something I'd been proud of all my life. My name instilled fear in to peoples hearts, but not for long. Soon I'd be ordinary Nicholas Brown.

I placed my hand into the dust and felt the magic flow in to me. This would keep my memories alive long enough for me to escape with my life. After that, I'd be gone.

Entry 85: New Digs -Jay-

"Here is where we keep the darker magic.", Patrick smiled as he emphasized darker.

The room looked like a mix between a Library and a pawn shop. Tall bookcases lined the walls and tables of ingredients stood in the center of the massive room.

"So is that all? Is the tour done?"

Patrick turned, "That's about it."

"Will I have access to this room when ever I please?"

"That depends. If you do your job well, then yes."

Finally we were getting to the good part, "So what's my job?"

"First thing I want you to do is go here.", He tosses me a slip of paper, "I want you to find a man named Nick Brown."

"What do I do when I find him?"

"Kill him."

As I headed back to my room I thought of my friends. They probably didn't even realize I was missing yet. Didn't matter. I had a job to do and I'd do it to get some answers. If Pat wanted this Nick guy dead then he'd die; warlock or not. At least my friends wouldn't get hurt this time.

Entry 84: Getting tired of this -Ben-

"So when were you going to tell us about the note?"

John looked at me like I was stupid.

"What note?"

Crystal had been very worried about John; scared that he'd go after Nick Brown all by himself. The fact that John could act like he has no idea what I'm talking about told me that he didn't want others to know. A team couldn't function with these kinds of secrets. Jay proved that quite well.

"Crystal told me you got a note."

"She lied."

"Why would she do that? She's got no reason. You, how ever, have plenty of reason. Alex was your friend and he died rather unfairly. If that had happened to me I would have wanted him back."

John stood and looked me in the eye, "So you think that I'm going to risk everyone's life just like Jay? Are you stupid? I understand why Alex did what he did. If I had received a note telling me that I could bring Alex back don't you think I would have shown you?"

He'd slipped up and I wasn't about to let that pass, "How did you know what was on the note? I never said that."

John sat down and stared at me for a few moments, "Okay. I did get a note. Truthfully, I got two. One before the Jay incident and the last one when I was with Crystal. I kept them to myself. I didn't see the harm."

"Crystal came to me tonight about it. John, you can't keep things like this from the group. Lately things have been getting more dangerous and any kind of slip up could have someone killed."

"I'll do what I want. I wouldn't have let someone get killed."

"You wouldn't have been able to stop it. Sometimes, things happen with out you noticing and when it does, people get hurt!"

"You're not the boss of me so stop yelling.", John stood up again.

"I am allowing you people to be here! I have final say to what goes on in my house, nothing should happen with out going through me first! When you got those notes you should have come to me!"

"I never said I wanted to be here. We're here because my brother thought you might need help! I could easily find a better place to stay!"

Infuriated I slammed my hand on the tabletop, "Since you came here, I've been possessed by a ghost and attacked by zombies. The only thing I've asked out of you is that you be honest with me; but no. You're too worried about your dead friend to even think about the person whose house you're staying at."

"You may want to watch your tongue when you talk about Alex." John got much quieter.

"Why? Everything that's happened, except the haunted house, has happened because you and your friends can't get over the fact that your friend is dead.", I slammed my hand on the table again as John took a step forward, "Alex isn't coming back, John. Just get over it all ready."

His fist on the side of my face made me sit down. John grabbed his coat and walked out, "I'm going to see how Jay is doing, is that okay with you?"

Entry 83: Gone -Carl-

6:00 A.M. The time I was woken up by the noise of Ben and John arguing. I didn't bother yelling at them, because I knew that I would be pulled into the yelling and it'd put me in a bad mood.

On my way to the kitchen I noticed that the basement door was wide open. I guessed Crystal was bringing food to our new guest, until I noticed the lack of breakfast smell. For the few days she's been here, Crystal had been making us breakfast, lunch and dinner. How did a seven year old learn to cook so well I'll never guess, but I was always looking forward to breakfast.

Something was going on. Something that Ben and John failed to notice in they're marital bickering. I had descended half way down the stairs when I saw the open cage. Panic filled my mind. Saba has escaped, and Crystal is nowhere to be found. Shit.

A thump on my back made me go sprawling down the stairs. My head hit the floor and my vision blurred. When I turned to see who had pushed me, I figured my eyes were playing tricks on me.

"Vincent?“, Crystal's teddy stood at the top of the stairs, its eyes filled with a milky blue light. I glanced around for a person.

There was none.

Vincent smiled, "Crystal; where is she?"

Entry 82: Alliance Forged -Saba-

Why hasn't Ben come to see me? I've been down here for hours and this cage is getting cramped. What if there are spiders? The darkness of the basement was absolute.

Slowly, a feeling of dread filled my heart. What if they forgot about me down here? I'd be stuck to live the rest of my days inside this cage. Alone and forgotten.

Just as I was thinking about how I would survive, I heard the door open and light filled the room. Even before my eyes had adjusted I knew who was standing in the doorway. The feeling of power was overwhelming, it made me want to kill it. I hated that power; that stink.

"I need answers. You and I both are flawed, and I know the only person who could help us."

"You'd better get to the point before I get tired of your babbling, or Ben's gonna have a mess to clean up down here."

"Nicholas Brown. I need you to help me find him."

"Then let me out."

Crystal opened the cage slowly, "Maybe when we find him he can help us."

I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse as I got out, "Ah, that's better."

This girl had another thing coming. This Nick guy has something to do with me losing control. He can fix it and that means goodbye me. She was going for help, but I was going for blood. After she wore out her usefulness, I would wear her skin.

Entry 81: Unusual memory gain -Crystal-

Ben had left his book on his bed as he went to go look for John. I had told him everything about Nick and about the note that John had gotten.

His book rested inches from my hand; an irresistible temptation. Closing the door, I picked up the book and began flipping through the pages. The person who wrote this had not been sane, that was obvious. Despite that, the book seemed to be full of all kinds of knowledge. I suddenly got very excited and began to look for some information on resurrection spells.

Finding the page was not an easy task, as there was hundreds of pages to go through, but I did. I read the page until I got to, "unusual memory gain", and stopped.

My resurrection had failed? I was having unusual memory gain. I knew things that I shouldn't. I was very confused about my life now, but I thought that was normal. This was bad. What other side effects could have taken place? What if I was just like Saba?

Ben had told me of her resurrection, but he didn't go into detail. Still, multiple soul residence sounds awfully similar to crazy psycho living in the same body.

What was I going to do? I had to find Nick. I had to find him fast, before other side effects began making their appearance.