209: Rash Choices -Crystal-

Guilt. No matter how far you run, it's always there. I killed someone today and it wasn't an accident. I went there wanting him gone, and left before they could put him in a body bag. I didn't feel bad that he was gone. It was like a large zit had been removed from the side of the planet, but I did feel bad that I had been the one to do it. I had erased someone's life with my own hands.

According to Saba, she had stopped Ben from killing because she didn't want him to become a monster, so what was I? I looked at my hands, wet from the rain that hid my tears of guilt. Was this how life was supposed to be? Only a year ago I was sitting in my bedroom playing with Malibu Barbie, my biggest worry being whether or not Ken would be on time for their date. Now my hands were stained with the invisible mark of a cold-blooded killer.

I put my hands under the run-off from a nearby gutter. Maybe I was trying to remove the past few hours; the past few hours that I barely remembered but knew the outcome of.

"Nothing can remove what you're feeling." A voice spoke up from behind me, "Well . . . almost nothing."

I turned to see a girl with black hair smiling at me, "Who are you?"

"My name is Indigo, the Goddess of Guilt and you look like you need to relax." She reached out and touched my wrist.

The guilt and pain faded away instantly. I felt good, I'd done what was needed and it turned out okay. I'm not sure how or what I did, but it sure made me happy. I smiled at the girl and then she let go.

I fell to my knees as sickness overtook me. The guilt flooded back as if a dam had been removed. I wretched on the ground as the memories came crashing back. I shakily pulled myself to my feet.

"What if-" Indigo stared at me, "What if I could get rid of your guilt? You certainly have a lot and much of it involves an old nemesis of mine, as well as a good friend. I think it's safe to say that you have more burdens than a young girl as yourself should hold."

She touched my hair and put her hand on my shoulder, "I can remove it all. Erase all the guilt. If you want."

Tears burst forth, "I didn't mean to. He killed my Daddy and I was just so angry. I was very, very angry. I wouldn't have ever done it. Oh God, I killed him."

She wrapped her arms around me and held me close, "Lucky you found me then. Just say the word and it's gone."

I looked into her eyes, hypnotized by the depth of them.

"What do I have to do? Please help me.", and the world went black.

I woke up a while later wrapped in a blanket and staring at Nick's face.

"Crystal? Talk to me."

"Nick. Nick, I feel funny."

"What?"

Then I leaned in and kissed him. A deep, long, guilt-free kiss.

204: Her Scent -Sara-

"Nick, did you see her face? I've never seen her like that." The shorter one pulled himself from the floor.

"What do you expect? That bastard Patrick killed her father. When I get my hands on him . . . " The tall one was already standing. I could feel energy flowing off him, massive amounts not normal for a human.

"We can't worry about that right now. We have to find Crystal before she does something that will get her killed. We don't know how long we've been out, so she could be any-", he stopped talking as he stared at the television behind the counter.

"We interrupt our scheduled programming for an important announcement," The television blared, "Millionaire Patrick Bernauw was killed about an hour ago in a horrible terrorist attack that left 2 guards injured and 7 in a coma. A small explosive was detonated in the bathroom while Patrick was showering, and as of right now the police have no leads."

"Ben, why do I get the feeling this has something to do with Crystal?" The tall one was very pale.

"Shit. We have to get to her now." Ben thought for a second and then pointed up, "You go get Will and Kelly. We'll need the Taxi. I'm going to keep watching to see if they turn up anything. Once you get back down, we'll find her."

The tall one ran for the stairs and I stepped forward. The closer I got to these people, the stronger her scent. It was the smell of completion and I wanted it more than anything. I stepped up to the short one called Ben.

"Uh, Sir?" I tugged at his shirt, "Sir, do you know a Crystal Ferguson?"

He looked down at me surprised, "Yes, have you seen her?"

I smiled my sweetest smile, "No sir, but I want to really bad. I miss her so much."

He watched me cautiously. What had this person been through that made it difficult for him to trust a child? It didn't matter. If he got in the way then he'd die like the others.

"How do you know her?"

I grasped the corners of my dress and curtsied, "I'm her sister. Nice to meet you." I had said it just as several people, including the tall one, came down the stairs. All of the people around wore shocked faces as I looked into Ben's face.

"She . . . uhm . . . " Ben glanced at the tall one as if asking for help, "She never told us about you. She's . . . not here right now, but we're going to get her. Would you mind waiting for us in our hotel room? Where're your parents?"

"My parents went to get me lunch. They told me to find her room and wait there."

Ben turned toward one of the other people; the one with the beard, "Will, take her up to the room. We'll be waiting for you in the car."

"Ben her story doesn't add u-"

"Leave her with Saba to keep an eye on her. We don't have a lot of time." I couldn't help but notice the way he emphasized Saba. I hadn't fooled them, but I would see Crystal eventually and if this Saba person was any trouble, then I'd have no trouble killing her.

"Hey, there. My name is Will, please come with me." I took his hand and we headed up the stairs together. I could tell he was tense. He didn't trust me at all. In fact, by the way he kept glancing at me, I could tell he was trying to figure out what was going on.

We passed a soda machine as we traveled down the hallway and he looked at me, "Would you like a drink?"

"No thank you, mister. I just want to be complete again."

198: Daddy? -Ben-

"I'm sorry sir, you've been declined." The clerk looked upset and confused.

I forced down the rising frustration, "Okay, I had plenty of money on there to pay for the rooms just earlier today. You must be doing something wrong."

"Sir, I've tried it three times. Maybe you should give the bank a call?" She looked at me timidly.

"I think I will." I turned to see Nick and Crystal walking through the hotel doors.

"What's going on?", Nick jogged up, "Is there a problem?"

"They're telling me I have no money. I just checked the balance earlier today."

"No problem, let me see if I can help." Nick handed his card to the clerk and in a few moments it was returned with the same explanation.

"We have no money. Who could be doing this?", Nick looked exasperated.

"We can't even pay for a way back."

"I might be able to help.", Crystal spoke up, her voice shaky and unsure. "I could call my Daddy."

I'm sure that Nick and I had the same surprised look on our face. Crystal had chosen not to talk to her father, because there was no way she could explain this.

"You don't have to. We'll find another way to pay.", I stated.

"No. After losing Vincent," she looked at the floor, "I don't want to lose anyone else. I'm going to have to find a way to tell him."

She walked to the hotel phone and dialed the number.

192: My Power, My Downfall -Bob-

I lifted the girl up by her neck. I'd never seen a more powerful Warlock. Her power was nearly undetectable and very lethal. In fact, it wasn't even the type of power I thought that I'd find. As a human she was quite the specimen. I squeezed her neck, watching her eyes widen as she struggled for breath.

"What is wrong with you humans? Here I am squeezing the life out of you and I sense no fear. I'm going to kill you, and you look at me as though I'm pathetic and not worth your time." I glanced back at the other two as they pulled themselves to their feet.

"Is there something wrong with you people? Do you lack the capacity to fear or something?", I tightened my grip, "No matter how hard I squeeze she still doesn't want to be afraid. Learn your place humans."

The unusually strong human laughed, "You really think you've got us by holding her hostage? Do you know what she's done to us? She nearly killed some of our closest friends, and she's just as twisted as you. Go ahead, crush her throat."

I could tell he was bluffing, at least partially. So why say it? He was gaining nothing, except time. Time for her to run out of breath. Time for her to wish it would end. The thought came to me at the last second and I had no time to get out of the way as the pillar flew at me. Time to get her attack prepared.

The impact caused my grip to release and threw me across the room. I felt ribs break as I smashed into the wall. She had used her abilities to lift a pillar and wield it as a weapon, and I'd never seen that before. What were these people?

"That's it. Enough games! Time to di-" The strong one's fist hit me in the face before I could finish. A knee to my chest did more than just confirm the broken ribs, it fractured them. I felt his fingers in my hair as he taught me how his knee felt on my face. I tasted the blood on my lips. Me. I was bleeding, by a mere human, which is something I would never had expected. Then again, nothing has happened as expected. All I had to do was kill the anomaly and instead I meet an entire army of them. I could feel his fists hitting me but I was lost in thought.

Humans are not capable of this kind of power. We ruled over them for thousands of years with out a single incident. Had they been building this power over that entire time? All three of these filthy humans demonstrated abilities beyond that of the norm. There was no way I could allow this to continue.

His next fist never connected; intercepted by my hand and followed by a swift series of jabs to his chest. I watched his stamina fall as I turned his chest and stomach into a bruised mess. He went limp shortly, still conscious but unable to move. I lifted him up so that we were face to face.

"See what you get?", I spat my blood in his face, "All it took was a few hits and now you can be put aside for later."

I should have seen it. These humans were smart. Their fighting prowess was like a seasoned warrior. They'd seen battle before and definitely fought things above their ability to defeat. I should have known that they'd work together to make this difficult, but I never expected them to work so well.

"So, who next?" I tossed him aside and looked up to see the Warlock releasing a fireball lined with razor sharp blades that had been collected by the girl. I felt my skin burn as it collided with me. I was helplessly thrown back into the wall. The pain was excruciating, flowing through my entire body. I could hear my screams as though they were from a distance.

This was too much. These people were relentless, they'd never stop. I'd made a mistake. I was going to die, right here, right now, to the hands of humans; the people I'd hunted for sport. These three had taken every hit, and retaliated like demons. There was no way I could win. Too much, just too much.

Then I felt it. Fear, so much fear. I felt my confidence return as the fear grew. I had been wrong, I would win. The humans revealed their fear too early, so early. I reached out with my power and grasped on to that fear.

It was the sweetest kind, a surprising fear. Something unexpected but so strong and so deep, like a nightmare come true. I had to incapacitate one of these foolish humans in order to have a chance. I called upon everything I had and forced them into their horror, where they'd live until I killed them. I felt them give in to my power and then everything faded away.

I found myself standing in a room.

"What? What's going on?"

"You are completely foolish. You've made a horrible mistake." That was Mardockt's voice. I felt a deep dread as he stepped out of the shadows.

"I was winning! I was going to win!"

"NO! You FOOL! You never had a chance! Do you know why you're here? I didn't bring you here, YOU DID!" He was angry, and that made me more scared than I'd ever been. The things he could do to me . . . the thing he would do to me.

"How did I do that? I have no access to this place."

"You think you're really with me?", he laughed, "No. All of this is in your mind, and I must say . . . I'm very flattered."

What he was saying finally hit me. I had made a mistake.

"Oh you see it now, I can see the fear in your face. Yes, Bob. You wasted all your energy putting yourself into your own deepest, darkest fear."

"Eventually I'll get my strength back!", I was all ready shivering as he walked over to me, "I'll escape once I'm in control again."

"Bob.", he knelt and looked me straight in the face with a smile that was full of some much pleasure, "You're going to use up all your strength surviving me."

"No.", I felt the tears come, "NO! I'M SORRY! NO! LET ME OUT! HELP! HELP!"

He stood and pulled a pair of razor-sharp tongs out of his pocket, "Bob?"

My voice was a whisper, the fear was so strong and just getting stronger with time. I kept imagining what Mardockt would do to me with out being able to stop thinking it, "Please. Please don't. I don't want this, I never wanted this. You need to stop. Why would you do this to me? Please. No no no no no no no no."

"BOB!"

"What?", I was whimpering uncontrollably as I tried to think of a way out, but all I could think about is how many ways he could make me scream.

He smiled a smile so evil that it brought me to screams before he even touched me.

"This is going to be fun." And he began.

191: Running Out Of Time -Carl-

One second Bob had been right in front of me, working hard to keep his ground while we attacked. The next he caught Saba in the chest with a palm, sending her flying into a wall.

He spun and planted his foot on the side of my leg with just enough force to knock me off my feet. The world spun as I flipped to the floor. Another kick to my gut and I was slamming into the wall as well. The pain was unbelievable. I'd never been hit so hard in my entire life, and that's saying something.

Bob was an entirely different level of God than what I'd been facing all this time. His body moved smoothly and with deadly precision, every movement made toward his benefit.

Bob sidestepped two fireballs as he closed the distance between him and Nick. The first swing Nick deflected with a flash of bright light, but the second caught him across the face. Bob swept back his fist and delivered two quick jabs to Nick's gut.

He wasn't knocking Nick aside, he was going for the kill. I fought the pain as I pushed myself to my feet. Bob had all ready killed one of my friends. I wasn't going to let him take Nick as well. As he swung back his fist I brought my arm underneath his, and used my weight as leverage to toss him the way I'd come. Bob's face was filled with surprise as he collided with a pillar.

Nick fell to his knee as he pulled himself together. I could see the pain on his face, and judging by where those hits had landed, I'm sure there was a few broken bones.

"Are you alright?"

"I should be fine. Saba?"

"She hasn't gotten up. She may be really hurt."

"Everyone else?"

"Everyone but Ben is outside. Ben is trying to find a way to send this guy back where he came from."

"Enough!", Bob's elbow slammed into my back, followed by a swift fist to my side. The pain surprised me as it shot up my side and back. I felt a blast of searing heat as I fell and heard Bob yelp. Nick's close quarters flame had unexpectedly caught him in the chest.

Bob jumped back, a circle of burnt flesh on his chest, "Argh, I hate warlocks!"

My hands found his feet during his distraction, and with a yank he had his back on the floor. Out of nowhere Saba's foot swung. A loud cracking sound filled the room as her foot treated Bob's head like a football.

Bob rolled away as I pulled myself to my feet again. I glanced at Saba, and found it difficult to decipher who was in control right now. Her actions were like her dark side, but her eyes were more caring. Something had changed with her, something big.

"So you think you're strong? Just because some bitch says you are?", Bob wiped the blood from his mouth, though it didn't help. He looked liked he been in a car accident, "You're nothing. Do you know why you humans were made? You were made to serve us. Made to be our personal slaves."


He laughed, "It would have stayed that way too, but the council took pity on you. They decided that the old legends meant you for a different purpose. Do you know what I think?"


"I thin-", a fireball narrowly missed his face, bringing him to silence.


"I don't care what you think.", Nick readied another spell, "The only important thing right now is that you came to a peaceful place intending to hurt people. You decided that we were weak. You decided that we needed to be destroyed. So here we are, destroy us, or let us destroy you. Either way . . . "


Nick hurled the largest fireball I'd ever seen toward Bob, " . . . SHUT UP!"


Bob ran to the left only to find Saba waiting. She waved her hand and three swords lifted up from a nearby exhibit as Nick's fireball smashed into the wall and exploded. Shards of hot rock flew everywhere, one catching Bob in the back of the head and sending him sprawling to the floor.


Saba was on him in seconds, her blades whistling as Bob rolled to avoid them. He flipped to his feet and spun. His foot caught her on the chin and her concentration was lost, making the swords fall to the floor around her. He didn't have a second to continue with her because I moved in to take her place.


Face, gut, groin, neck, waist; my swings were blocked easily as if I were a child. A quick amount of pressure from his palm hit my chest, shooting me backwards into Nick.


We had to figure out his weakness fast, or we were going to lose.

Bob smiled darkly and began walking toward Saba, who lay unmoving on the ground.

"Well, I guess your first to die then." He laughed.

This wasn't going well.

190: Change Of Heart -Crystal-

A fireball narrowly missed my head as Nick, Saba and Carl began their battle with Bob. Saba played defense, deflecting weapons and holding Bob's power back as best she could. Nick pulled long distance with his fireballs, which gave off so much heat they melted an entire set of plate armor to the ground. Carl stayed inside with close quarters combat. Even with all this, Bob still held his ground. He avoided the fireballs with grace while blocking Carl's attacks and still getting some attacks in, even though most of them never hit. Saba would levitate an item in the way of them.

I heard a young girl scream as she was nearly burnt to a crisp by one of Nick's stray flames. I rushed over and pulled her away as the fight moved in her direction, "Are you alright?"

The girl clinged to me as her eyes watered with tears. These people had been through so much for no reason; no reason at all. I felt more hatred toward the thing that had killed my closest friend, putting people through so much for such a petty reason.

"Here, let me take her. You go get the rest. If we don't get them out of here . . . ", I turned to hand the girl to a man.

"Yeah, let's just get these guys outside." I turned to go help some more children trapped under the dead bodies of teachers and fellow students.

"My name's Andrew." He rushed to bring the girl outside and as he turned away, I could swear there were tears in his eyes.

The fighting continued as Andrew and I worked to get the children outside, but with only the two of us it was slow.

"BEN! Ben, where are you?" What if he didn't make it?

"I'm at the Door of the Dead!", his voice made me breathe a sigh of relief, "He came from the door, maybe there's a way to send him back. Keep getting the people out! Get Will to help."

Will! I searched, only to spot him trying to pull someone out of a pile of the dead, "Will! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Kelly's in here! I guess she came inside when she saw what happened at the door." I watched him pull the young Taxi driver from the pile of bodies.

Andrew walked over to him and Will's face went white as a sheet, "But . . . you died."

"Yeah, I was dead for a long time, but I'm alive now. Let's get these people out of here."

We all nodded in unison and rushed off to help others as Saba was slammed into the wall so hard that the ground shook.

Bob was winning.

163: Emotional Instability -Crystal-

The creature's tongue slowly pushed me down, deeper in to the darkness as my lungs screamed for air. The muscled throat kept me from struggling as my body methodically slid down its gullet.

I was a horrible person for treating Nick like that, and now all he would know was how much I'd hated him. No chance to apologize; no chance to be friends.

Maybe I deserved this. I was supposed to be dead so many times but I kept being brought back, but for what? I was worthless and powerless. I led with my emotions and what I thought was right, with out ever caring about the people I might be hurting in my pursuit of justice.

First it was Peter, destroyed by my inability to just let him have what he wanted. He was one of the many zombie children that had fallen to my hand. Then, Saba had been dragged in to my madness and we'd both nearly been killed. It didn't end there though; because of my stupid actions, everyone was stuck inside this building where they could be captured, injured, or worse.

Perhaps, this was all I was here for. Only here to make everyone else around me fall apart. My own Dad. I'd never reunited with my Dad. I felt the tears come and I opened my mouth to scream, only to be soundless because of the lack of air. This whole time I'd kept away and tried to go on, scared of being shunned. I'd never thought about how my Father could be taking the loss of both his wife and his daughter.

"You bastard!" Nick's voice was so close that it took me by surprise.

Just give up Nick. Just leave me here to rot away. Go help the others.

"Give," I felt the creature shake, "her," another shake and an intense heat, "BACK!!"

Heat, like nothing I'd ever felt before surrounded me, and I could feel air rush past me as the beast screamed in pain.

Why? Why keep fighting for me? I'm not worth all this. Everyone else is more important. Why would you want a monster like me?

"Crystal!" I felt a hand grasp my ankle and my body slide backwards back toward its mouth, "Don't you die! We aren't done arguing yet!"

The world exploded in to light as I was met by a surreal vision. Nick had one foot between the teeth of the creatures bottom jaw and his hand pushing the mouth open. Behind him I could see several people looking on in surprise, including Will.

Nick smiled at me as he lifted me out of the mouth and pulled me close, "Crystal, are you okay?"

Wiping tears and saliva away from my eyes, I turned to look at the creature that had grabbed me. Lying on the floor was a massive beast resembling a cross between a lamp shade and a T-rex. Its skin was sizzling and burned so bad that it hung in places.

I turned to Nick, "I'm sorry."

I felt his arms wrap around me and I started to cry.

162: Instant Inverse -Crystal-

Even though it was still the middle of the day, the skies above the museum were so overcast that the street below was covered in dark. As the cab approached I could see the clouds flowing outward from the sky above the ancient building.

The short female driver turned and looked at us as she pulled up, "Are you sure you want to stop here?"

"This is the place, Kelly. Thanks."

"I've heard some weird stuff over the waves, Will.", Kelly motioned toward the radio, "Don't get over your head."

"Already am." We all slid out of the cab.

"Well, I'll be out here as long I can. I owe you for that thing." Kelly smiled a cute smile and then pulled her head back inside.

Nick walked up to the doors and gave them a yank, with out any success, "Something is very wrong here . . . I can feel it in the air."

"Of course you would." I muttered, hoping Will wouldn't hear.

Nick turned toward me in anger, "Is it that hard for you to see that I'm only trying to help?!?"

"You are a sneaky, deceitful bastard! How am I supposed to know that you didn't cause all this?!? You just appear out of no where and expect us all to welcome you in, but I know what you did!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Will shake his head as he went off to look for another way in.

"You think it's easy?!? I can't remember who I was before only a week ago! I don't know what I did, who I hurt, or sins I committed! Living with out really knowing who you are is something you'll never understand!"

I felt the rage build up and I swung my hand out; connecting with his cheek, "My life was completely stolen from me! Every single thing I've known is gone and the only thing I have now are my friends!", I walked up to the door and slammed my fist against it, "You were the cause of everything, my life ripped away in an instant just so you could show off your power!"

Nick was speechless.

"Every time you speak. Every time you look at me. Every time I see you.", I emphasized my sentences with a pound on the door, "I know that deep inside you're full of lies and darkness; I know that one day you'll turn on us and tear us all to shre-"

At that moment the door behind me shattered. I was thrown violently forward, only to feel something catch me at my midriff and yank me backward. I flew back in to the darkness, the only visible thing being the rectangle of light with Nick’s silhouette. I couldn't see his face but I knew it was one of triumph. The pest was gone, nothing stood in the way of his plans.

A light flared behind me revealing anger on Nick’s face as he jumped in after me. Anger surprised me, I had just humiliated him and he was coming in after me. I watched as fireballs flew from his hands, landing far behind me.

Was I wrong? Was my distrust unfounded? I smelled the hot stink of rotten meat grow as I got closer to what ever it was that held me captive. The further I got, the more determined Nick looked, and the more ashamed I felt for making him out to be a monster. I watched myself fly past the teeth inside the gaping maw of the beast and as they closed all I could think was . . .

I'm sorry.

Entry 159: Truth About Lies -Crystal-

Will stood and looked out the doors, "They aren't going anywhere. Come on, I have an idea."

We followed Will as he traveled to the front desk. He grabbed the phone from a very surprised desk clerk and dialed a number.

"Hello, Kelly? Yeah, it's me, Will."

Nick turned to me, "I don't know what I did that scared you so much. Why don't you just tell me so we can get this over with?"

I hesitated, "Back when I was a child, you were not a very nice person. What kind of guy would threaten a child in to fighting? You told me to fight or I would never see Vincent again."

"Why don't I remember that?! How can you say I've done something I've never did? You treat me like an enemy for something I didn't do!" I could see the fear in his eyes as he said that to me. It was the same fear I have because of my resurrection.

"Because you did it!"

"Would you two just shut-up?!?!", Will interrupted our argument.

Out of surprise we both went quiet.

"I can't stand people like you two! Right now, people are in serious danger and the only thing you two can talk about is how much lack of trust is between you two. Suck it up and move on. Crystal, he clearly doesn't remember. Nick, she was hurt by someone who she thought was you. Apologize and move on, or get the fuck out of my way!"

Will went toward the back of the hotel, "I've called a friend at Hartman’s Taxies, she's meeting us at the back. I'm not waiting for you two."

We followed behind him in silence.

Entry 145: Fame and Fear -Nick-

"We need to get these people out of the way!"

It turns out that just getting to the museum would take a lot of time. The second the three of them had stepped out of the building they had been surrounded by news reporters and large groups of people.

"Can't you just make us invisible or something?", Will yelled over the crowds of people.

When Crystal and I ran out of the room, Will had been close behind. Even though he wasn't my favorite person, he was very persistent and had somehow gotten more information than any of the reporters here. I quickly waved to Crystal to head back in to the hotel. With great effort we shut the doors behind us, and fell to the floor in exhaustion.

"I am not the most experienced of Warlocks. I only know a few spells and I'm not even good at them."

Will raised an eyebrow and frowned, "So, you're useless to the group then?", his gaze shifted to Crystal, "Why is he even here?"

I really didn't like this guy, he's very condescending and annoying. I almost missed the response Crystal gave because I was running through my head as to how to get to the museum.

"Eventually he'll be stronger, and that's what scares me." Crystal’s voice was very low and she kept looking in another direction from mine.

My thoughts halted, I stared at her in surprise, "You're scared of me? What did I ever do to scare you?"

"For one, you killed that man on the plane."

"He was a serious threat. If I had left him like that, he would have killed us all. I was protecting my friends, and I don't regret doing that. I wish that maybe we could have helped him but we had no time, and he was too strong." Truthfully, I regretted taking the man’s life even if he was dangerous, but I had to weigh the choices. Either I regret killing a man, or I regret letting him kill so many people; including my friends.

Looking at the way Crystal was avoiding looking at me, I could tell there was more, but before I could ask Will interrupted, "So, I might have missed something, but why do we need to get to the museum if we were told to stay here?"

"The Door Of The Dead is a dangerous mythical object of ancient Egypt. It's supposed to allow a person to speak to the dead, but that isn't what it does. Basically, it reaches out and finds someone’s worst fear, then it changes reality to make it true."

Will looked puzzled but to my surprise quickly accepted what I had said, "So, why hasn't it been activated until now, and how could the ancient Egyptians have mistaken it for a way to speak to the dead?"

"All I know is that it mimics the voices of dead people you know to lure you close. I can't remember anything else. Everything is foggy since I blacked out. Like there's memories that are hiding away."

I didn't mistake the fear in Crystal’s eyes.

Entry 144: Merlin's Power -Nick-

"How could you have someone check my background?!" Yeah, I guess I was yelling, but I felt betrayed.

"I don't trust you!", Crystal stood up and pointed to the door.

"Everything that's happened since I was a zombie has somehow had something to do with you. You threatened me, brought me back to life, and killed a man in cold blood. You don't explain to us why. You just do!"

Will raised his hand in the air, "Okay, maybe it's because I'm new to this; but in the realm of sanity it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead, and it's often well accepted that being a zombie is permanent."

"This is of no concern to y-", I felt something hit my chest and I was lifted off my feet. The world around me grew dark and a very old man was standing there looking down at me. Pulling myself to my feet I looked around for Crystal and Will, only to find no one except me and this old man.

"It's been quite a long time, and you haven't aged a bit my friend." The old man bowed his head.

"Who are you? What did you do to the people I was with?", I pulled myself to my feet.

The old man looked confused for a moment and then smiled wildly, "You unbelievable child! You did it. You really did it!"

He walked over to me and began squinting at me and tilting his head to angles that would normally be impossible.

"Did what? What are you going on about?", I stepped away from him.

"Right, you wouldn't know. Maybe I can explain it to you, because it's rather simple. See, I am a very old man and I am also a powerful wizard much like yourself."

"I wouldn't say powerful."

He rapped me on the head with more force than would be expected from someone so frail. "Don't put your magic down, not many people can battle me and survive. Now, while I am very powerful, my magic has been slowly degrading over time. I used to be able to change the Earth’s rotation around the sun, and now all I can do is rotate the Earth on its own axis."

It slowly dawned on me that I was on a completely different level of power than this old man; moving planets through space was something I hadn't even conceived yet. "That's not what I would call losing power."

The old man smiled, "You used to think so. You promised me that one day, you'd find a way to live long with out losing power and you've done it. You've found a way to bring yourself back to when you were at your peak."

"I am not following you."

"I don't have anymore time to explain except to say that you are one of the most unique wizards I'd ever met, so I have decided to give you a gift. I am going to transfer my magical energy to you. Maybe you can find a better use for it."

"Why would you do that?"

"A young girl has murdered me, though I admit she was very bad at it. Anyway, it gave me an excuse to go and do some exploring in other realms. While I'm gone, I need someone to hold on to my abilities and you are as good a candidate as any."

"Umm . . . if she murdered yo-", I was shut up by another smack across the head.

"You know as well as I do that death can be a difficult achievement even for a wizard with very little knowledge. I need you to listen, I don't have much more time. My magic is going to conflict with yours, so you may find yourself having memories that were supposed to be erased."

The space around me began to brighten.

"Wait, who are you?"

"Merlin, of course. Kids these days!" He raised his hands above his head and I was laying on the floor, looking at the faces of Will and Crystal.

Bits and pieces of long forgotten memory came flying back at me, but only one small part stood out from among the rest.

I sat straight up, "We have to go help Ben!"

Christmas Special: Future -Ben-

(Well, I haven't posted anything in a while but I was busy with a few other things. Until a couple of days ago when I realized what day was fast approaching. So, in honor of Christmas I am going to give everyone a little sneak peek into the future of all the characters in the blog. So I present what could happen . . . if . . .)

"I miss John."

Crystal looked out from my porch at the snow covered lawn. Nick stood behind her, his arms protecting her from the cold. Nick smiled gently and kissed the back of her head.

"I do too. He was a great man. He gave a lot for us all. So did Ben."

Crystal smiled and turned, "You did too. I'm just glad you weren't taken away from me like they were."

She leaned in and just as they were about to kiss, a light flashed over them. Turning, Crystal and Nick looked out at the approaching car.

"Patrick is here!"

Crystal slipped out of Nick’s arms and smiled widely as she bounded down the steps.

"Patrick! You made it!"

The car slowly came to a stop. Nick turned to the door and called in, "Johnathon! Benjamin! Patrick is here!"

Down the steps the children leaped, running out to the car and in to the arms of Patrick as he got out of the car. Behind them came Saba, who stopped in the door and smiled at Nick, "You interrupted our game of Soul Caliber. I was winning."

"I guess you'll have to win another time.", Patrick said as he carried the two boys over his shoulders in to the house. In all the time that had past Patrick hadn't aged, not at all. He still had this presence about him, except it had long since become more benevolent.

Patrick set the children down and looked at Nick, "Are you ready?"

Crystal walked up to Nick and grasped his hand, "Do you have to? You go every Christmas."

Nick smiled and leaned in to kiss her, "I have to. One day he'll come out of it. I just know it."

Crystal returned the kiss and then pulled away, "Patrick, have you heard from Carl or Vincent?"

"They said they would be here for dinner, so I'd expect them to be here very soon."

"And Will?"

"What about me?" Through the door he walked, a large smile on his face and two massive presents under his arms. He set the presents down and hugged both Saba and Crystal.

"Boy, do I have tales for you guys."

That was Will, always telling tales and catching every one’s attention. He and Patrick had decided to bury the hatchet, especially after he found out the truth.

Will turned to Patrick and shook his hand, "Have a good drive. Give him my regards."

And with that, Patrick and Nick slipped in to the car and drove off.

A few hours had passed when they finally pulled in to the driveway of The Bernauw Mental Institution. Nick and Patrick walked up to the doors, waving at an orderly as they passed. The two didn't talk much, this was very hard for both of them. No one enjoyed seeing John like this.

Possessed, only his will holding it inside. Protecting us all.

They could hear John's rants as they approached the door. The door they never opened, just listened through.

After seven years, the rants hadn't changed.

"They tell me things, then I eat them. O' Dorothy, Dorothy!"

"Merry Christmas, John.", Nick whispered.

I looked through the window at him and wished I'd taken his place. He'd have been better dead. Like me.

142: Lies, Lies, Lies -Crystal-

I watched him as he sat on the Hotel bed eating and watching television. This was a disaster and I didn't have to be Ben to see that.

"Why'd you tell him he could go with us?", Ben was not happy.

This seemed to be something constant with me. Going to the wrong person for help and getting everyone in more trouble. First it was Saba, and now Will.

"It was payment. I told him he could go with us if he did me a favor."

Nick looked at me, "What favor?"

"Nick, right?", Will suddenly spoke, "She wanted me to look you up. Dig in to your past to figure out how dangerous you are."

I suddenly wished I'd found a reporter with a bit more tact, or at least some restraint. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I sat there.

I was about to try to explain when Will spoke again, "Fact is, she's right. You are a very dangerous man, Nick. Seventeen years ago you decimated an entire village of 100 people, and based on the eye-witness accounts, it only took you 13 minutes to do it. On top of that, you were committed in an old folks home at the same time this happened. You also were reported dead a few weeks ago."

Ben glanced at Nick and then me, "How is this possible?"

"Oh that's easy.", Will shut off the television and pointed at Nick, "He is a fake, a sham, a liar, and judging by his lack of skill in covering it up he's also a noob."

Nick put his hand in front of him, "Whoa now, just hold on a secon-"

"Now I don't know why he would use the alias of an obviously dangerous man, maybe he's just dumb, but I couldn't find any record of him except for footage of him walking out of the home that the real Nick Brown had been admitted to."

Nick sounded exasperated, "I woke up there. I-"

"See, she was right to call me and have me check up on him. If she hadn't, he'd have been still learning all there was to learn about all of your secrets."

Ben frowned at Will, "Just like what you're going to be doing."

"At least I'm honest about it. Tell me, has Nick done anything that sticks out, something so glaringly wrong that it's the first thing that you think of when you talk to him?"

I watched Ben's face and knew he was thinking about the man that had been murdered on the plane. Nick had just burned him to a crisp, with out even flinching. We should have at least attempted to rid him of the possession.

"Fine, seeing as there are many secrets going on between the three of you, all of you will stay here while Carl and I examine this case."

"That wasn't the deal."

"Your deal was with her, and she's staying here."

I should have told Ben my suspicions before I acted on them. Now I'm going to be stuck in the Hotel room with an angry warlock, and an annoying reporter.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.

Flashback Entry 141: News Worthy -Crystal-

"I'm supposed to believe these far fetched stories? Do you know what happened to me the last time I went on a wild goose chase after something this bizarre?"

My mind was still reeling after Nick showed up at the door. Something about Nick made me uneasy, which led to this phone call.

"I know. I read all about it. You tried to take on OCS industries over that mass murder that happened a few years back. You claimed to the world you had the evidence to expose them, and then when the day came you backed down, saying it was a lie. Before the incident you were famous for your exuberant attitude; your unafraid, and unrelenting search for the next big thing. From what I read you always had a joke to say, but afterward . . . afterward you pulled back, got quiet and kept your head down."

The silence on the other end of the phone lasted for a while.

"I lost everything because of that. My job, my family, all of my friends; all gone because I didn't know when to back down."

This wasn't why I'd called. The only reason I cared about his past was because I knew it could get him to do what I needed. I don't usually do things that are so underhanded, but my friends were at stake. Nick Brown was dangerous.

"What if I could get you proof of something bigger than that story? If I could give you a story like no one has ever seen, would you do some digging on someone?"

"I'm not a reporter anymore. Call the tabloids."

"My friends could be in danger. I need someone who would actually be able to help."

"I'm sorry."

I had only one more option. "Fine, we're going to be in your area tomorrow. If you want, you can tag along on the case we're working on. Once you see the things we get tangled in, then you might change your mind."

"If this is a wild goose chase then I'm going to charge you for my time. What's that guy’s name that you want me to check out?"

"Nick Brown."

139: Punchline -Nick-

Okay, so maybe Carl doesn't die. You have to admit, I had you totally fooled. The rest of the trip was pretty dull and mundane. Crystal got us all on the ground safely, and immediately the plane was swarmed with emergency vehicles, S.W.A.T., and news vans.

We had a difficult time explaining where the terrorist was, but somehow Ben got it across to them. We tried to deny our involvement but since many people on the plane knew what we did, it was difficult to keep a lid on it.

We were interviewed hundreds of times and met with city officials who commended us on our bravery. We were hailed as heroes, though I didn't feel much like one. I had taken that man’s life with out working a way to remove the malevolent presence. What I did was right, I know that. He would have kept fighting until one of us died, and we didn't have the supplies needed to be any help to him.

We'd just gotten back to our rooms that had been completely paid for by the city and Ben immediately began to rip in to me.

"What the hell was that?!", Ben sounded angry. Carl and Crystal ducked away to another room to open their bags.

"What do you mean what the hell was that?" Somehow I knew what he was talking about, maybe the decision weighed down on my conciseness.

"You killed someone up there, and your lucky I didn't just have you turned in."

"What was I supposed to do? He was going to kill one of us; all of us. You wanted me to just sit there and let him do that? It was us or him." I stared him in the eyes and honestly, Carl and Crystal avoid my gaze, but Ben has always looked fearlessly straight in to it. It was kind of frightening, and while I didn't understand the reaction of the others, I had expected the same from Ben.

"You don't have the right to deci-"

That's when several things happened at once. A loud crashing sound was heard coming from Carl's room. The closet door swung open spilling out a young man, and a small bear burst in the bedroom door, running as fast as he could.

"You rotten little bear! I'm gonna kill you!", Carl's voice could be heard through the walls. In moments he ran in to the room his entire upper torso soaked with black ink.

The man on the floor stood up fast and held out his hand toward Ben, eyeing the animated bear as it dodged Carl's attempts at capture.

"Hello, my name is William Melahn. I'm a reporter from IWTG News." He looked at Ben's confused face with a look of mischief.

"You were in my closet." Ben didn't shake his hand.

"When you got off that plane claiming to have dispatched the terrorist, I was skeptical. Just the fact that there was no body made me wonder what your real motive was. So I hid in your closet, waiting for any kind of information."

"And?"

"And I think that the News tomorrow is going to be very interesting."

There was a smile on Will's face as though he'd just won a game.

135: Well-Oiled Teamwork -Ben-

The man stared at Carl with a murderous look, "You still remember that after all this time? Quite the soldier."

Nick pulled himself to his feet and slowly walked toward the man’s back, a look of concentration on his face. I signaled him to wait and he stopped moving closer.

"Melissa, you are just one man and we are a team." Carl glared at the man intently.

"Carl, you're on the wrong side. I'm doing what's right and you are standing in my way." The man lifted his hand and swung it down. Carl lifted from the ground and flew backwards in to the cockpit. The plane tilted forward as a loud thump was heard.

"Carl! What are you doing? Bring it somewhere else!" The plane slowly leveled out as the man went toward the cockpit.

Despite the fact that I had no idea what was going on, I couldn't let more people get added to my body count. I signaled to Nick who ran toward the man’s back.

The man spun quickly, pushing forward with his palms toward Nick; who was thrown backwards in to the passenger cabin again. The man smiled as he stared at Nick.

"The warlock wants to tussle, huh?"

I yelled to Crystal, "Tell the passengers to go as far back in the plane as they can! This is getting ugly!"

"Is that all yo-", the man fell forward to his knees by Carl's swing to the back of his head. Carl's foot connected with the seat of his pants, sending him sprawling forward in to the emptying passenger cabin. Nick went to run up.

"Nick! Distance! Let Carl do the close work."

Nick stopped as Melissa pulled himself to his feet, "You guys are just so cute! I'd really hate to make your bodies go all splitty-splatty."

Nick swung his fingers toward Melissa, and he lifted off the ground. Melissa's body was jerked in to the wall, and then in to Carl's foot as he swung it in to Melissa’s side. The sound of cracking ribs could be heard as he fell to the ground. Carl stepped back and nodded at Nick.

"Warlocks are cheating.", Melissa pulled himself to his feet, "Humans aren't supposed to be so powerful. You should be drooling in caves."

"Still in control?", I yelled back to Crystal.

"I got this.", she sounded confident.

Nick’s fingers moved but he was too slow.

"No Cheating!" With a sweep of Melissa's hand, Nick went stiff and fell to the ground. Then Melissa turned to Carl who was making a move, sweeping his hand up and to the left. Carl flew to the left and slammed in to the door to the plane. Melissa wasn't done yet.

Melissa slammed him in to the door again, "You can't stop me, Carl. As long as my real body doesn't hear, my name has no effect. So I can just keep smacking you in to this door until one of two things happen. The door can open, or you can die."

"Crystal, go right!", I felt the plane turn as I yelled. The sharp tilt of the plane caused Melissa to lose his balance; and his control. Nick jumped up and grasped the man by the arm.

He swung his hand toward Melissa's back, connecting with a thump. Melissa looked up at him and laughed, "Is that it? Your leader-person was right, you should have kept a distance."

Nick smiled at him with a surprisingly friendly smile, "This was fun."

Flames erupted from the man’s chest as Nick released his magic. I watched as the man’s body burned away from the inside.

"Carl, don't come after me! If you do, I'll kill all your little friends!" He yelled as his flaming body fell away to ash.

121: Define Wrong -Carl-

The people through out the plane had calmed down. They'd given in to their fate believing it to be a certainty. So many lives would be snuffed out if we failed. Then again, it's like that a lot lately.

Ever since I met Ben it's been one thing after another. Weird seemed to cling to him. I can't complain though. It's been crazy fun. Now that he'd taken to being leader, the group seemed to flow better. Several quick instructions and everything just fell in to place. Like how he wanted us to help these people.

Crystal and Nick took out the cameras quickly with a couple of Nick’s socks. They just covered them and then I waited. The terrorists would come soon, needing to know what had taken out the cameras.

The first one fell quick, one jab to the face. Then I grabbed his arm and used his weight to knock the one behind off balance. I felt that exhilarating rush as my fist made sure he wouldn't wake up for a few hours. The third guy was surprised enough; making any kind of movement to stop me. His weapon was in my hands and the butt of it in his face before he realized that the sad, pathetic people they'd destined to death weren't going down easy.

Fourth guy had experience, and swiftly brought his weapon up to block my fist. I swung my face forward taking him off guard with a head-butt. I felt his fist in my gut and his knee smash the bottom of my chin, telling me my head-butt had failed. I fell to the ground as his weapon came down, narrowly missing the back of my head. A quick scissor of my legs and down he fell. From there, it only took two swift elbows to the temple and he was down.

I pulled myself to my feet and wiped the blood from my mouth. The radio the man was wearing began to cackle.

"Davey? Hey! Davey? We're getting close to our destination, we can't have anything go wrong now."

I quickly scooped up the radio and laughed into it.

"Define . . . wrong."

120: The Build Up -Nick-

I'd love to say that we all got off that plane alive. I'd love to tell you a fairy tale and make his memory go on forever; to keep fabricating lies of valiant adventures with him at our side.

I was yelling to him to come with me, to get off while he could. I can still remember the face he gave me. He knew. He knew that the people wouldn't survive if he came with us. I had to leave him, leave him to be consumed by the flames.

If only I had a bit more experience behind me, then I could have helped him. What kind of person does that? What kind of person gives everything to help a few people?

By now you are wondering who did this act of heroism. Who helped us all survive unscathed? You're running the names of the only people it could be, using the clues that I've littered through out my words.

But he's a hero. He will never be forgotten. He fought to save the world from Gods, only to die at the hands of man. Who am I speaking about? It's useless to hide it.

This is the final tale of Carl Miller.

119: Tears and Relations -Crystal-

"Hello, Mom?"

A person nearby was talking in to a cell.

"Mom, I love you, okay?" His voice broke.

"No, no, I'm okay. I'm just calling to tell you that I never meant to upset you and I'm sorry. I'll never forget all that you taught me." He went silent, tears along his cheeks.

"Could you tell Dad that I miss him? Tell him that I know he was rough, but I understand that he was just looking out for me. No, I'm fine. Just . . . tell him I love him too. Please put some flowers on Charlene's grave for me?"

Sounds of crying and panic had flooded across the passengers quickly and I'll admit, I was scared too. This isn't something that happens to you every day. This couldn't be happening. My life had been too short, and the only people I could call were either here or . . .

My Dad. I could call him. He wouldn't recognize me, but I wanted to tell him I loved him. Tell him that I've never forgotten him. Say goodbye.

I sat there staring at my cell phone trying to get the nerve to call when I felt a tug on my sleeve. Glancing down I saw a young boy. He looked to be about 5 and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Lady?"

I kept silent and stared at the kid, seeing him put me on the verge of tears. Such a small child close to my age, losing his life so early.

"Lady? My Dad won't hear me! He's not listening!"

"Where is your daddy?"

The young boy pointed at a man who was embroiled in the panic, yelling about revolting against their captors. There was no way to get that guy listening.

"What did you need?"

"The bad men. They took the plane and I'm not gonna see my Mommy again.", he started crying loudly and fell to his knees, "I WANT MY MOMMY!"

Tears streamed down my face as I watched this child cry. A couple of seats away I heard people talking.

They were saying goodbye to their children. They could barely speak.

Slowly anger filled me, something I'm not accustomed to. I knelt down in front of the boy and patted his head.

"It's gonna be all right. Do you know your phone number?", I smiled.

"835-555-4930!", he said proudly.

I dialed the number and handed my phone to him. My Father would have to wait.

"Here, you tell your mother how much you love her, okay? Don't worry, I have a couple of friends who may be able to help."

"I'm sure we can come up with something."

I turned to see Ben walking up the aisle toward me, followed by Carl and Nick.

"So, what's the plan, boss?", I looked up at Ben.

"First, you stop calling me boss. Then we save these people."

Flashback Entry 115: Father -Nick-

"Friend to many, Father to one. He will be missed."

The coffin slipped silently in to the ground and my Mother started crying next to me. I would have stood to comfort her, but my legs had been rendered useless by my run in with the Bernauws.

So many people had shown up. People I didn't know, people my father didn't even like, and even my closest friends. My Father’s influence had stretched through out anyone that knew him, and they respected him for his intelligence, strength of will, and stubborn beliefs.

Out of all my family and friends, he was the only person I ever told about my abilities; my magic. He stood behind my path and even when I'd lost my legs he was there to help me cope. He found the realm of magic to be amazing and something to be utilized to its fullest. He found me most of the books I needed to continue my learning; I'd found the list on his desk the day after he'd past.

The doctors said that it was his heart, but I knew different. There were traces of magic everywhere when I found him, magic I'd felt before. The Bernauws knew I was alive, and had killed my Father as a message, "Don't stop us or more people will die."

They don't know what they just did.