Title: "To Move Out of the Shadows"
Author: Pirates Sparrow & Turner
Rating: R due to violence
Spoilers: Only for Pirate Sparrow's "Shadowed Love" and Pirate Turner's "Shadowed Love".
Summary: When Jedda runs away from home, it's left up to Mandrake to find her and bring her back in the sequel to Pirate Sparrow's and Pirate Turner's "Shadowed Love" stories.
Disclaimer: Jedda, Mandrake, Keesa, Rick Gordon, Phantom, the Defenders of the Earth, and all other characters mentioned within are © & TM their respective owners and are used without permission. All songs and lyrics are © & TM their respective owners and are used without permission. Everything else is © & TM Pirates Sparrow and Turner. The authors make absolutely no profit from this story.

Chapter One

Mandrake woke up to the sound of birds singing just outside his window. They sounded as though they were the happiest little fellows in the whole world, and he found that he himself was in a happy mood. Flash would be home today, and he'd get a chance to talk to him and maybe find a solution to his problem. He walked over to the corner in his room where he had his exercise equipment and worked his way through a complete program of exercises that continued a hundred push-ups before stepping into his shower and washing the sweat off. Working himself vigorously with the towel, he hummed a little tune, not recognizing it for what it was. He dressed quickly, glanced at his watch, and realized that Jedda was not in the house but at school already. Maybe he should check in with Phantom and see how he was doing, and he could get a report on Jedda while he was talking to Phantom?

He sat down in the dining room and waited while Dynak created his breakfast. He thought he'd fortify himself before he had a talk with Phantom. He heard some one enter. He looked up and saw it was Phantom. "Good morning, my friend!" Mandrake called to him. "Are you joining me for breakfast?"

Phantom looked at Mandrake. "I had my breakfast hours ago. I'm waiting for brunch now, so I guess I'll be joining you."

Dynak created a complete breakfast for Mandrake and then gave Phantom coffee and what appeared to be some kind of gruel that Mandrake did not want any of. "So what's on the agenda for today, Phantom?"

"Nothing much unless some emergency happens until tonight. Rick's in a race tonight. It's one of the more important races."

"Oh," Mandrake said. "I had almost forgot about that. Is Flash returning today?" he asked Phantom.

"Probably this afternoon," Phantom said.

"If you see him before I do, tell him I'd like to talk to him about something important."

"Sure thing," Phantom said before he finished up and left. "I'll do that," he said as the door closed behind him.

Mandrake finished breakfast but continued reading his newspaper. He wanted to be up on the world events. He found himself sneaking over to a section that he never read -- Dear Abby -- and found a letter from some guy that was proclaiming love for some woman that didn't know he existed. Abby's advice was for him to confront her privately and explain his feelings. "That's a bunch of crap," Mandrake said as he threw it back on the table. "If I took that advice, I'd get laughed out of here. Jedda would probably run screaming from the room. What shall I work on today, Dynak?"

Dynak's reply: "Your heart."

"Not you too, Dynak! How was Jedda this morning?"

"Upset about something that she would not tell me. Moody. Apparently, it's her moon cycle."

"Moon cycle?"

"You can't be that dense, Mandrake. You know what it is."

"Oh."

"Rick and LJ were doing fine," Dynak told him although he had not asked.

To Be Continued . . .