Ha. Another story. Take that, you dimwitted Douglas Zettles. Heh. Yeah, another one. Im also working on a sequel to Talika's story, which, I'm sorry to say, im probably going to start all over again.

Yeah…

Talika: so… let me get this strait. You're going to delete us, and then remake us.

Me:not really paying attention: m-hm.

Talika: lovely.

Anyways, this takes place after the Beka Cooper series. Yes, I am a Rosto-Bekka shipper. Get over it.

Today- America- Mr. K.'s math class

"Miss Danni, please, wake up. I can't have you falling asleep in my class." Danni's head shot up from her desk where she had been previously dozing.

"Sorry Mr.K. I didn't get much sleep last night." He nodded in understanding, and then went back to teaching his math. The day went on like that until the end of school.

"Danni, you have serious bags under your eye." That was her friend, Melissa, always worried about Danni. She shook her head.

"Just tired, didn't get much sleep." She explained. Melissa frowned and walked off, shooting a glance behind her shoulder. Danni walked home in silence. She was walking through a rather large field when she heard the meteor.

A sound exploded above her, and a strong wind knocked her down. She looked up in time to see a meteor 2 yards in front of her before it hit.

251- Tortal- the cesspool

Dillon patrolled his route with his dogs, bekka cooper and ersken. It was his first night on duty.

"Remember when we were puppies, ersken?" bekka asked.

"Yeah. We thought the dogs were gonna throw us in the river." Dillon's eyes went wide. Ersken laughed. "Don't worry, puppy, we can't throw you in without permission. Plus, we're too nice for that."

"Puppy," bekka addressed him. "What do you see?" Dillon looked around. Some poor mot was about to have a cut purse. Dillon pointed it out. "Very good." The cutpurse cut the purse. "Puppy, fetch."

Dillon took off. He caught up with the cove and jumped on him. He took the purse from his hands and bound his wrist with rope. His dogs came over with the lookout that Dillon had avoided.

"Let me go, I didn't do anything!" the lookout cried.

"Save it for the cage dogs, rat," ersken spat. "Puppy fetch that to the kind mot who owns it."

"Yes guardsman." And he ran off.

Ten minutes saw him back in the jane street kennel with his dogs and the rats.

251-Carthak-random alley

Danni woke up in an alley. She sat up.

"Am I dead?" she wondered aloud. Two broad shouldered men were coming towards her. They had deadly looking knives in their hands. "Apparently not." She looked around for some sort of weapon. She was scared half out of her wits. Oddly enough, a dagger the length of her forearm was lying next to her. It was decorated with beautiful runes. She picked it up.

"Don't worry, pretty. We wont hurt you if you come with us." Danni quickly assessed her chances. They weren't good. She sighed and put her dagger away. There was no point in wasting her energy. That's when something strange happened.

The first mans hand began to glow with an odd red glow. She could only think of one word before she blacked out. Magic.

251-Tortal

Rosto the piper walked into bekka cooper's room. Pounce was sitting on her bed.

Bekka is dead. He said. He looked pitiful. Rosto roared with anger as it set in.

Two years later… 253- Carthak- illegal brothel

The men beat her, and then called for a healer. That's how it always worked. Then they would either rape her, or leave her alone. If they raped her, they called for another healer. She still had the dagger she found in that alley. After that incident, she had learned a bit about this strange place over the two years she had been here. She was in a place called Carthak. There were two other major lands around Carthak. Tortal, and Scanra. From what she had heard, she would rather be in Tortal.

She sighed as her recent tormentor came into the room. She looked desperately at the keys on the other side of the room that could so easily free her. She knew it was hopeless.

253- Tortal-jane street kennel

"puppy." Guardswoman Goodwin walked up to Dillon. He looked up.

"Yes, Goodwin?" Dillon looked up at her from the floor startled.

"Get your things packed. I owe a favor to a lady knight, and volunteered you to help."

"I don't get it."

"You'll be spending a week in an illegal brothel in Carthak. The king thinks there's something in there that can help us win this war with the Scanrans'." His eyes grew wide. He went to pack.

253- Carthak- illegal brothel

Danni's previous torturer walked out of the room. For good. She was grateful. He had been the worst, beating her to near death so many times.

Unfortunately, luck was not with her. For a young man came in, but two hours after. He had thin ear length brown hair and was the type of guy the girls at her school would have swooned over. She didn't think he was hot, just disgusting for even stepping foot in this place.

The man looked around. He did not see her from his point of view. He sat down on the bed. That's when he noticed her.

253- Carthak- Dillon's temporary room

"Great Mithros!" Dillon whispered. Her eyes were gray with bright streaks of yellow. Not even pounces eyes were more startling. The gixie glared at him. She had the look of a mot who had been through tough times. To add to that, she was pure skin and bones.

"Aren't you here to beat me or rape me, or something?" she growled. Her voice was hoarse. Most likely from lack of water and lack of use. He stared at the girl.

"No." was his simple reply. He began to unpack. He came to a purse of biscuits somewhere along the way. He took them out and handed them to the gixie. "Eat these. You look like you could use all the food you can get." He studied her out of the corner of his eye. She was dressed in rags. Through the dirt in her hair, he could see it was bright orange, chopped off a bit below her shoulders. He decided to chance a conversation.

"How long have you been in this hell hole?" he asked quietly, not looking up at her. She paused as if she was thinking whether or not she could trust him. She finally spoke.

"Two years." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Are you from Tortal?" he prodded. She shook her head.

"I'm from a completely different world," she muttered darkly. Dillon started at that.

"You will meet the only person who can help us. I am sure of it. I have seen it. She is from a different world." That's what the king had told him. It had made him confused at first. The king had been all trance like and he had begun to wonder if the poor old cove had gone insane.

"What was that you said?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

"I'm from a planet called earth. Put me in a mental hospital if you must, but, it's the truth. Actually, I would prefer to be in a mental hospital rather than this place." She looked thoughtful. Dillon laughed.

"After ten minutes here, I found what I was looking for!" he cried. He was ecstatic, but he knew he had more work to do. That slightly dampened his spirits. She stared at him. "What's your name?" he asked. She frowned at him in confusion.

"Danielle. But, you can call me Danni." She frowned again. "You're odd." She remarked after a moment.

He smiled. "I get that a lot." She glared at him.

"I still don't trust you."

"And I don't expect you to." Somehow… somehow, he would gain her trust.

Ooo

Dillon woke in the middle of the night, his senses on full alert.

(A/n- I'll explain how she knows how to use the dagger later.)

He looked over at Danni's corner. What he saw startled him. Danni was twirling a dagger expertly in her fingers. He watched her perform numerous tricks before she felt his eyes on the back of her neck.

"You're very good with a dagger," he remarked.

She spun around and held out the dagger for him, her face expressionless. She knew that she had been caught red-handed and that he could easily take it from her if he very well wanted to.

He took the dagger from her hands and lifted it up for closer inspection. He dropped it in shock.

"That is an exact replica of beka coopers dagger," he muttered to himself. He looked at the confused girl. "I'll ask you how you came across that later, for now, I have work to do and I need your help." He stood, picked the dagger up off the ground, and handed it to her. She glared at him.

"Why on earth should I help you?" she asked. He smiled.

"If you really want to get out of her, you'll have to help me." She sighed.

"What must I do?" she asked, resigned. He looked her over.

"For now, sleep. You look like you haven't slept right in months." She sighed.

"Try two years." He smiled.

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, sir," came her sarcastic reply.

"Don't worry," he told her. I won't hurt you or anything. I don't even want to be here." He snorted. "I'm only here on Goodwin's orders."

"Goodwin?"

"Long story. Now go to sleep." She sighed, but still went the few feet to her corner. She curled up into a ball and immediately fell asleep.

Dillon sighed and lay back down. At least Danni remotely trusted him. She was going to have to. He was her only chance to escape.

Don't tell me it sucks. I know.

-Blackstep