A/N: Hi there. This is Sam. I'd thought it would be best to leave a note here explaining a few things to people who might remember this fic when it first came out. I abandoned it because as it turned out I hadn't really put much thought into what I was going to do with Balance. Yeah, that's a huge mistake for any author. So I've gone ahead and rewritten the entire story as well as mapped out where I'm going to go with it. Hopefully it'll be a lot less cringe worthy this time!

CHAPTER 1

As an adult, years after everything had happened and everything had drawn to a close, Danielle Solomon would come to affectionately refer to the day her life changed forever as Garbage Day. It was a silly little name, but it fit just as well, and that was all that mattered to her in the end.

Danielle, or "Danny" as her family and friends called her, had been playing with her dolls in the living room when it all started. She was just six years old at the time, and was in the middle of a tea party. It wasn't long before she heard the patter of footfalls against the thick carpet, and out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of her brother, Matt, edging his way towards the front door. He still hadn't changed out of his baseball uniform, and the black stripes stood out against the bland, cream-coloured walls.

'Matt,' came their mother's voice from the kitchen, calm yet firm all at the same time. 'Where are you going?'

Matt started to gnaw his lower lip. He'd been caught. Danny's mouth tightened as she supressed a giggle. Mothers knew everything – that's what she'd been told by her teachers at school – in fact she was fairly sure just thinking about sneaking off could catch her mother's attention. She watched and waited, ready to see what excuse Matt had for going out this time. 'Oh,' he said. 'I'm just going to go and meet my friends at the park, that's all.'

There was the sound of more footsteps as their mother made her way into the corridor. She was a dumpy woman with her dark hair tied into a bun and she'd been baking again – Danny could tell because she was wearing her sparkly silver apron. She smiled, watching as the apron glittered as it caught the light. It was thanks to this apron that she had a love of glittery things, in fact it one of two common themes in her clothes. The other theme being that everything had to be pink, right down to her dainty little sandals.

Her mother folded her arms and began tapping her foot. 'Are you?' she asked and glanced over at Danny. 'If that's the case, then would you be a dear and take Danny with you?'

Matt's posture stiffened. 'Do I have to?'

Their mother nodded. 'If you want to go out and play, then yes.'

Matt swallowed blatantly as his little sister got to her feet. She dusted her sparkly dress off and stepped carefully over the dolls – she'd have to finish the tea party at some other point. Matt shot her a glare when their mother wasn't looking, but Danny ignored him – it was worth putting up with his scorn if it meant playing at the park for a while.

'Wait here,' their mother ordered and returned to the kitchen. She was back a few seconds later with a small brown paper bag in her hands. 'I baked some croissants today,' she said, handing the bag to Danny. 'There's enough in there for the both of you.'

Danny took the bag in one hand and smiled before pocketing it. 'Thanks, mom.'

Matt kept his line of sight on the door. 'Yeah, thanks.'

'And make sure you're home before dinner.' Their mother called as they left the flat and headed for the elevator. 'I want your father to come home to his family waiting for him at the table for once.'

. . .

To Danny, there was no place better in the world than New Castelia. The streets of Band B were always buzzing with activity and when the sun was high enough the white skyscrapers almost looked like they were glowing. They looked their best at night though. The yellowy lights from buildings twinkled like brilliant stars and the neon lights on the high street reminded Danny of a carnival.

Today was particularly busy – it was a Friday afternoon, and the adults were just beginning to get off work. Even though it was getting to the point where it was nearing closing time, the shops were as busy as ever. People came in and out of stores in almost a militaristic fashion, some holding bags with the respective shop logos, others completely empty handed.

Danny gulped as she watched people walking down the streets – she could easily get lost amongst such a large crowd. This didn't bother Matt however – he'd been walking the streets of Band B on his own for a while now. Of course he'd know them better than Danny did, he wouldn't let her get separated from him, right?

Her brother took her by the hand and led her through the crowds. 'Come on,' he said, tugging firmly.

Danny looked up as they weaved their way through the herd of adults. A lot of them were dressed in black, and many of them were chattering away while pressing weird, rectangle-shaped objects to their ears (her dad had told her that they were called mobile phones, but why they didn't move on their own was a complete mystery to her). Other people were simply making their way down the street. It was a lovely sunny day, so quite a few people were sitting outside at café tables. Danny watched a few of them as they went by – some eating, others drinking. Just watching them made her lick her lips.

There were guards out on patrol today too, as they usually were in Band B. People, mostly men, clad head to toe in grey armour that reminded Danny of the brave knights in the bedtime stories mom would read to her. They were the first people to go to if something bad was happening. One of them caught her eye and smiled, baring his white teeth to her, waving in a friendly manner. Danny waved back, smiling just as wide. The guards were always good to kids like her.

Then at last the park met Danny's line of sight. Her grip on her brother's hand tightened. The swing set was vacant and there was a seat with her name on it. But then something else caught her attention – something that she knew she hadn't seen before. Positioned in the middle of the park was a statue, and even from a distance it looked huge compared to the adults that towered over Danny and her brother.

Matt didn't have to tug this time. They crossed the road without a hitch and met the grass that acted as the borders to the park. Danny's brother finally let go of her hand and her fingers met cool air almost immediately. The grass had been trimmed very recently and the fresh scent perfumed the air. The swings beckoned, but Danny felt drawn to the statue too. She just wanted a small look, and it would only take a second of her time.

The person carved into the blotchy beige marble looked young – not young enough to be a teenager, but at the same time not old enough to be a fully grown adult, either. He was wearing a baseball cap that did nothing to hide his abnormally long, flowing hair. Some text had been carved into the circular platform that elevated the man, and while Danny could only understand a handful of words without help from her family, she could understand what each letter looked like. There was a T, then H followed by E and soon the letters formed a phrase in Danny's mind:

THE SAVIOUR OF UNOVA – N. HARMONIA GROPIUS

Danny stood there for a little while, rolling the words over and over in her head as best she could while Matt sat at the base of the statue, staring off into the distance absentmindedly. But eventually the allure of the swings demanded her attention. And yet, as she swung to and fro, and later on skidded down the slide, she couldn't help but wonder who the man was, and what wonderful deed he'd done to get a statue of himself in New Castelia.

After a while Danny noticed that her brother wasn't sitting alone anymore. Another boy had joined him, dressed in the same baseball uniform. He was a lanky boy, being a little bit taller than Matt (and much, much taller than Danny) with fine, pointed features. There was a smart-looking watch on his wrist that glinted wickedly when it reflected the light and it looked like it had probably cost a lot of money. The boy didn't say hello, or even glance in her direction when she stopped playing to come and investigate what they were planning.

Matt huffed when he finally noticed his little sister. 'Here she comes, Greg,' he muttered.

'Just say what I told you to say,' Greg whispered. 'She'll play along.'

Danny shot a glare in Greg's direction. 'What are you two doing?'

'Oh,' Matt said. 'We were just thinking about heading over to the junkyard in Band C, that's all.'

Danny froze. 'Band C?'

Matt nodded curtly. 'Yeah,' he said. 'The borders aren't too far from here.' His brow furrowed when he noticed that his sister was starting to bite her nails. 'We won't get hurt – the only real difference in Band C is less guards. There's nothing to worry about unless we were stupid enough to go to Band D or E.'

'But Matt,' Danny said, suddenly grabbing her brother's arm. 'You're gonna get in trouble!'

Matt frowned and swatted her hand away. 'We will if you tell on us,' he said, a sudden sharpness edging his tone. Danny's abdomen shuddered – she didn't like it when he used that voice. 'And if you do, you'll get punished as well.'

She gulped and slowly stepped back, putting some distance between herself and her brother. She lowered her gaze and muttered: 'I'll be quiet now,' through her quivering lips.

'Good,' Matt said, the harsh tone still haunting his voice. Within a heartbeat his frown changed into an eager smile and he turned back to Greg. 'So, Greg – usual route?'

. . .

It was a lot less lively in Band C. That being said, it wasn't hard to see why. Band B boasted many historical sites, as well as a high-street amongst other things. It naturally drew the crowds and tourists like flies to honey. But even here there was life – the kids passed the odd person or two as they wandered across the pavements and people were still coming in and out of shops (though the packaging wasn't nearly as gaudy or grand). Some of the pavement slabs had cracked at some point, producing jagged lines that ran across the concrete like veins.

Greg led the two siblings onwards. Only about fifteen minutes had passed since they'd left Band B, but to Danny it felt like hours had trawled by. She often glanced up at the looming buildings before clenching her fists. Why did everything have to look a lot bigger when she felt nervous?

The three eventually came to a halt in front of a chain-link fence, and beyond that was an entirely different terrain from the modest houses and neglected pavements. Mountains of garbage had been piled up to form hills. Danny noted the gleam in her brother's eyes and the grin plastered ear-to-ear across his face. To him it probably looked like adventure. To her, it looked icky, scary and very, very dangerous.

Greg grabbed a part of the fence that had become bent and twisted and pulled, lifting it up high enough so that all three of them could pass through without a hitch. Danny watched her brother duck underneath the fence and beckon to her to follow. 'Move it, sis!'

She couldn't – her legs suddenly felt too heavy to lift, like they were stuck in pools of cement. Danny brought her hands to her chest and shook her head. 'But we're not supposed to be here.'

'You can wait out here if you want,' Greg said calmly, sneering at Danny. 'But I guess that means we'll have to tell everyone at school that you were scared shitless by a junkyard.'

Danny's cheeks flushed, burning an intense shade of pink. 'I'm not scared!'

Greg gestured to the gaping hole in the fence. 'Then prove it.'

Bowing her head, Danny slipped under the fence and hid her eyes from sight. She wasn't going to give the boys the satisfaction of seeing her trembling lip. She'd just leave them alone until they were done exploring and then she could go home.

Most of the time was spent by the boys messing around with things strewn about in the junkyard. Swinging on metal bars, sword fighting with pipes and splintered bits of wood, it was all boy stuff that was no interest to Danny – and only made her long for safety back in Band B even more. She sat on the ground with her knees to her chest for most of the time they spend there, waiting for the two to finally get bored.

The laughter and amusement finally began to fade, and by then the sun was almost about to set. The boys eventually stopped playing about with discarded bits of metal and trash. 'Okay,' Matt said as he dusted his uniform off. 'I've gotta take my sister back soon – otherwise mom will kill me.'

Danny's heart swelled and so did her chest. She was going home at last!

'Hold on,' Greg said. He dashed beyond one of the trash piles, shouting: 'I've just gotta go piss, be back in a minute!'

Danny got to her feet and held her hands. Oh, she couldn't wait to get home and play with her dolls a bit more. And then dad would come home and they could have a meal together just like her mother wanted them to. All that had to happen now was for Greg to stride back from doing his business and she could forget about this horrible, nasty place.

But that's not what happened.

There was another shout and both Danny and Matt whipped around to see Greg barrelling towards them. 'Matt!' he called. 'Matt, I've found something pretty cool back here!'

Whatever it was, it had clearly impressed Greg to the point that he'd forgotten to pull his fly up. Danny clamped down on her teeth to stop herself from sniggering. That would teach him for being so rude to her.

Matt tilted his head. 'Really?'

Greg nodded. 'Really.'

Danny continued to grind her teeth, but this time for a different reason. She'd let them have that little bit more fun for now. But it would be getting dark soon. A chill ran down Danny's spine. All sorts of things lived in the dark – like big, scary monsters that could eat her whole in one bite. Or it could be so dark that neither one of them could see the way back home and they'd never see their families again.

Greg led them around the trash heap and pointed. 'Over there.'

What lay before the three kids were several raised air vents, all carefully placed in a row. A metal grate covered each one, stopping anybody from accidentally plummeting to their doom. Only one had no metal grate to protect it, and it happened to be the closest one to the kids.

An impish grin spread across Greg's face. 'They forgot to close one of the disposal units today.'

Danny stared at the vent blankly. What was so exciting about a hole in the ground?

Matt shrugged. 'So?'

Greg dug into his pockets and pulled out a green piece of paper. 'I bet you five bucks that you can't keep your balance on the edge of that vent.'

Danny's heart dropped into her churning stomach. She looked to her brother, who was staring wide-eyed at the five dollar bill that Greg was now waving in his face. Don't do it, she thought. Just turn around and say that we've got to go home.

The corners of Matt's mouth twitched – and so did Danny's heartbeat. Then his mouth grew into a smirk. 'You're on,' he said and ran over to the vent.

That's it. Danny had had enough, it didn't matter if they'd put her down, this was too far. 'Matt,' she said in a firm voice. 'Don't be stupid – you're gonna get hurt!'

Her brother scoffed and rolled his eyes. 'No I won't,' he said, swinging a leg up onto the edge of the vent. 'I'll be extra careful not to fall.'

Greg cupped his hands around his mouth. 'You gotta stay put on that thing for thirty seconds if you want the money.'

Matt furrowed his brow as he swung his other leg up. 'Piece of cake,' he scoffed, feet pressing firmly against the metal rim. Soon he was standing completely perfectly on top of the vent. 'Just keep an eye on the time.' He flung Greg a glare. 'And if you cheat, I'll kick your ass.'

Greg waved, still grinning like a toddler. 'Right back at you, Matt.' He looked at the watch on his wrist and started counting. 'One, two, three, four, five…'

Danny watched with baited breath. She could already see it happening in her mind's eye: Matt would lean back, then he'd start to teeter, his arms flailing as he struggled to keep balance.

'Six, seven eight, nine, ten…'

And then he'd fall, disappearing from view, with only his echoing screams telling her that he was still alive.

'Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…'

Halfway there. Matt still stood as firm and as still as the statue of the man in the park. It did nothing to soothe her racing pulse or her trembling hands.

'Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…'

Matt's hands stretched out and began to swerve.

'Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three…'

And then he teetered back.

Danny couldn't take it anymore. Her fears were drowned out as adrenaline pumped through her veins. 'Matt!' She screamed and sprinted towards the vent, charged with so much energy that she almost crashed into it. She didn't care that she had climbed onto the ledge, or that she was now teetering just like Matt was. All she wanted was for her brother to jump down onto the soft earth where he belonged.

'Whoa-ah!' Matt shouted. He pulled back and started leaning forward, feet breaking contact with the metal rim. He fell with a soft thud, landing on his back. There was a pause before Greg stomped his foot, frowning.

'Dammit,' he grumbled bitterly. He came over and tossed the bill at Matt, landing just a few inches away from his feet. 'Well, Matt, here you go.'

Matt laughed as he rolled over to get up. He swiped the bill with outstretched fingers and lifted it up into the air like it was a trophy. 'Yes!'

Danny's chest tightened once more and the burning shade of pink flooded back to her cheeks again, this time tinting her ears too. 'That wasn't funny!' she shouted, balling her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white. 'You could've fallen and gotten killed!'

Matt tutted and folded his arms. 'Chill, sis,' he said. 'I wasn't in any real danger.' Then he turned, beckoning to her with a finger. 'Now come on – we'll miss dinner if you don't hurry up!'

Danny's lips parted, ready to scorn her brother further. But she'd never get the chance to finish what she was about to say. At that moment a breeze rushed through the hills and valleys of garbage, jerking tin cans and other things forward so that they tumbled with an unmusical crash. The breeze turned into a gust, and as it clipped Danny's cheek she could've sworn she'd heard a voice whisper in her ear: 'Danielle…'

The wind roared and both Greg and Matt flinched. 'Why is it so cold?' Matt asked through gritted teeth. Danielle didn't know, but that didn't matter anymore. The strength of the wind grew and what had once felt like an icy pair of fingers brushing her cheeks became like a punch to her gut. Her knees buckled and she teetered back, struggling to keep her balance.

'Danny!' she heard her brother shout. But it was too late to do anything. Her feet broke contact with the rim and for a heartbeat all Danny could feel was the lack of support underneath her soles.

She glanced to her brother, who was rushing out to grab her, his eyes wide with horror. But he was too late. Danny's stomach flipped as she plummeted down into the depths of the disposal unit, screaming helplessly as she was pulled into the darkness. And those screams, coupled with the fading cries from her brother up top, stayed with her until her consciousness was finally overwhelmed by everything and blacked out.