When Jenny woke up to an empty bed, she wasn't surprised. Julian usually liked to spoil her a bit too much the night before going off on a game, which he had done thoroughly yesterday. What did surprise her, however, was the body of water surrounding her bed. She sat up to take it all in, having to grasp the sheets to cover herself, and found that her bed was practically in the middle of a lake. Exquisitely done with tall willow trees looming over, giving just a glimpse of a midnight blue sky, flower petals drifting in the water, and the sweet scent of lavender drifting in the air. Only little specks and beams of light were allowed in, just enough for Jenny to see. It wasn't a large lake, nor small. Big enough that Jenny could not jump to the sight of land, but not too far to swim to, either. Not that she needed to. Once she looked behind her at the shushing of water, she found a layer of stones perched in a trail for her to follow. The strip of land it led to was covered by the thick curtain of vines in the distance.

It was passionate and mysterious at the same time, as Julian had mastered to be. After three years Jenny was still enchanted by it. Thus she didn't get up right away. She laid there for a few minutes longer, and now that she thought about it she did feel a gentle lull in her sleep, which she realized now was due to the slight rock of the bed from the water. There was a light mist resting in a layer above the water, almost like fog, that Jenny let her fingers dance in. The water was cold. It was a pleasant wake up call.

Rolling over, Jenny closed her eyes, rested her hand on top of the pillow like Julian had taught her, and pictured what she wanted. She wasn't that hungry yet, so she imagined a simple orange. When she removed the pillow, the fruit lay in waiting.

After she took her time peeling it, she rolled back onto her stomach and scooted a bit closer to the edge of the bed until her upper half was leaning over the water. Her reflection almost startled her. Her messy blond hair hanging over her shoulders were like streams of gold, which had actually gotten quite long. Her cypress green eyes were bright and amused, while her skin-God, she was practically glowing. She always wondered what kind of physical mark it left on the soul to live between the dimensions as she did. She didn't feel any physical changes; she wasn't sprouting a third eye or any animal parts yet, but she was….happy.

It was while she was eating and letting her fingers play in the water that she thought of it. Usually Julian always provided her a mirror to do this, but perhaps with the reflection of the water….

Intrigued, Jenny traced the symbol on the very surface of the water, activated it by saying aloud, and sure enough countless bubbles began to rise from underneath. The small section of water under hand began to swirl and boil until lights formed out of nowhere, with colors and shapes, and the images began to take form. Soon Jenny was watching Summer playing with her little brother at home.

Julian had shown her countless things over the years, including how to evoke magic without a blood indication. Even though she was human, her arms still held a shred of Shadow Man power, gained from when Julian had healed her arms three years ago during the chase with his Ancestors. Jenny didn't think much of it then, but now, after what he's shown her-She was almost capable of anything.

Inducing magic from your fingertips effortlessly was enchanting enough. But Jenny's favorite part thus far had been being able to summon the Creeper and the Lurker on her own.

But now she simply brought open the view onto Earth, spying on the well-being of her friends. It had been a while since she had last visited them. It took a long time to get the Prince of Darkness on a square deal with her jumping back and forth, and he still wasn't as fair as Jenny would like him to be, but he was always willing to bargain.

With a simple graze over the water, the ripples would change the image underneath. She saw Audrey trying to curl her hair while she talked on the phone. She saw Dee getting in her car to go off to school. Zach was passed out in his new studio, brush in hand and paint practically everywhere but the canvas. Her parents were eating breakfast together. She even saw Tom, who was helping coach a child's football team.

They all seemed happy.

Eventually Jenny got up. After finishing the orange, she covered herself with one of the sheets, feeling the familiar twinge in her lower back from a long passionate night, and carefully hopped from the bed to the first stone. It was stable, oddly enough. A part of her was expecting at least one of the stones to slip or disappear, a little prank the Prince of Shadow always tended to leave behind. And yet she was able to hop from stone to stone without falling. It was almost relaxing in a sense, waking up in such a place with her only means to explore and touch and see. Julian always loved to watch her roam about.

When Jenny got to the end, the ground under the vines was solid with soft soil covered in leaves. She had to pull the vines aside in order to get passed them, only to reveal a mystical path filled with dangling branches and more vines. There was little light here, but it was as if there were sparkles in the air, hints of magic floating here and there that kept Jenny's gaze darting around. Various clothes began to expose themselves through the thin layer of sheen. They hung from the branches and vines purposely on display; shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, even various types of shoes. Different colors, different styles, as Julian always provided. It was rattling to search through a forest of clothes, way more enchanting than any closet. Jenny chose a very flowing emerald green dress, with some matching undergarments, before finding the end of the trail.

The next wall of vines led to a waterfall, outlined in a rock wall of flowers and ivy, and a small pool at the end. The rocks were smooth all around, making it easy to climb into. Unlike the other part, this place was brightly lit, in a golden spotlight of sunshine. Even butterflies were flying in the distance.

Jenny set the clothes on a nearby boulder before dropping her sheet and walking under the waterfall. The stream wasn't too rough and just the right temperature. The water felt good as she rinsed herself off of any remainders of the previous night, where she found three hickies and at least two love bites. Of course, all on places that were hard to hide. Julian truly did enjoy showing her off.

But the slight irritation Jenny got from their discoveries easily washed away. She was very content-satisfied wasn't sufficient enough. Hell, she was bathing in a waterfall with anything she wanted at her fingertips. A part of her was still a bit shy about it, she wasn't the type to gloat, and yet…

She relished in the water streaming down her skin, on the suckle-sweet smells surrounding her. No one else got this. No one.

She was lost in her own thoughts for a while, standing there, waist-deep in the pool of water, letting the waterfall pour down her back, head tilted back, eyes closed. She was wondering where Julian was. She wondered how her friends were beyond what she just saw. She wondered if her parents had gotten her messages. She wondered if any of them hated her. Not like she could really fix that…

Something brushed Jenny's leg, making her glance down to try and find it in the milky water. Then she was tackled.

Something swung her around by her waist, causing her to scream before she was dropped into the water almost to the point of going under. And yet she was gently laid upon the sandy shore that resided behind the mouth of the waterfall. She was gasping-when really she shouldn't have-when she realized it was Julian as he laid himself on top of her.

"Oh, you jerk!" She splashed at him which he only laughed at. She tried to fight him, but when he pulled her against him, pressing his bare body to hers, there was no denying the delighted flutter in her gut. She sighed, relaxing onto the shore with just enough water to cover her. Julian immediately ran his fingers through her wet hair, letting the strands drift into the water, glistening in a honey-glow on the surface. Again, Jenny noticed its length. Maybe she should get a hair-cut with Audrey next time she visits Earth.

Before she or Julian could say anything, he bent his head down and laid the gentlest kiss on her collar. Then her neck, behind her ear. He peppered her with slow, warm kisses that threatened to put Jenny under the water.

Jenny prevented that the best she could by asking, "What was it this time?"

He answered her without removing his lips from her skin, going down her throat in a rhythmic motion. "A couple lost in the woods."

A part of Jenny cringed. It was always odd talking about Julian's work. But then again there was cruelty all over the world. Just because Jenny didn't see in its harshest forms, just because she kissed it every day, didn't mean there wasn't peace elsewhere.

So she asked, "Did you win?"

Julian lifted his head then, and stared at her with eyes as deep as cobalt. His smile was as vile as death itself. "Not yet," he chided.

Jenny had to look away. She watched her hands trail down his bare chest, how pale it was, with the lights reflecting off the water dancing upon it. "Then what are you doing here?"

It was asked in a tease, and Julian answered in the exact same way. "Making sure you don't run away."

Jenny rolled her eyes and finally pushed him off. She got up carefully and rinsed off the sand sticking to the back of her shoulders. "Come on. It's only fair since you're away. "

"Oh, don't go on about that. I merely hate not having you in my grasp. Fairness doesn't work like that."

Jenny was rinsing her hair out one last time, clearing it of any possible sand, when he appeared behind her, hands gently on her hips, lips on her ear-whispering-praising. "You're truly like a flame, you know that? Withering from the breeze when I'm away, but snuffed out if I contain you completely."

Jenny accepted the shiver of delight from that. She faced him, unable to hide her smile. "When will the game be over?"

Julian seemed to study her for a moment. "In Earth's time, about…sunrise."

"Then I promise I'll be back in your grasp by then." She ended then with a gentle peck on his lips, then ducked under the waterfall to return to the pool of water. Yet, she couldn't refrain from sending a small splash back at the Shadow Man on her way out.

His voice followed her. "I could finish the game earlier, you know."

"But you won't." Jenny spoke as she climbed back over the line of rocks to her clothes where she took her time ringing out her hair and getting dressed. "You only rush when you have to. You love to take your time."

"This would be a matter to rush on."

"Oh, just go finish your game and we can play our own when we get back."

"How about I just kill them now and we can play our own game here-right now. I'll show you what tricks I have up my sleeve."

Jenny laughed even though the slight stir arose in her stomach, almost like a burn. "Don't you dare. I found your little marks from last night, by the way." She peeked over her shoulder as she fixed her straps. "You knew I was going to Earth, didn't you?"

Julian was out of the water, wearing only a sleek pair of black jeans. His chest was still bare, and he slicked back his hair with a single stroke, those white bangs gleaming a dangerous silver. With the wet gleam of his skin and those vicious blue eyes, he was the pure image of seduction. "I've told you, Jenny." He approached her with a sudden intensity that Jenny was prepared to start a chase if he attempted to grab her. "We see everything."

Jenny had begun to say something snappy in response, when abruptly her stomach sank in disgust. There was a moment of panic as her body suddenly wretched on itself, then the sickness was coming up-

Jenny dove for the trees before she could even understand what was happening, and then she was puking. On her knees, holding back her hair, she vomited quickly-disgustingly.

Julian was there in an instant, supporting all her weight. His usual playful expression was now replaced with pure confusion, outlined in concern. Just as quick as it had come, it passed. Jenny had to take a moment to get her breathing back, and she grimaced at the foul taste leftover in her mouth. Julian was handing her a glass of water before she could even ask for one. He placed her on the other side of the tree, away from the mess. He checked her temperature with a simple hand across her forehead.

She had been sick once before. Jenny couldn't remember when, or even how, but immediately Julian had her in a bed in a room with no doors, covered in blankets with a heater on. He never left her side and gave her half a dozen different things to taste or drink. She was fine after two days, but the unease the Shadow Man had-Jenny saw it again now.

"You should have told me if you were feeling ill."

"I-I wasn't," she answered a bit breathlessly. "Sorry, that was….gross." She laughed and felt a wave of relief wash over her when Julian ran his finger through her hair. She took a minute to get her breath back and to spit the nasty taste out of her mouth. When she finally returned her gaze to the Shadow Man's, she was met with two stormy concerned blue eyes. "I'm fine. Really. Maybe I was in the water for too long."

"Don't go to Earth."

"Julian-"

"I'll end the game. Stay with me today." Jenny was going to argue further, until the back of his fingers gently ran down her cheek. Even after three years his touch made Jenny come undone. He gazed at her-not into her, but at her, like someone admiring a piece of art work-the most stunning but fragile piece of work. "I don't know what I'll do with you passing out without me there to catch you."

It was nice, yes, but Jenny willed away the disgust in her stomach. She didn't feel sick anymore. She actually felt better. She just needed to eat something, besides a piece of fruit, that was it. And she had just spent the whole night with Julian. Now that he was working, this was her only chance in God-knows how long for her to visit her friends. And for that, she pulled Julian's hand away.

"I'm fine. I'll take it easy, I promise. Go finish your game, and tomorrow you can give me a full check-up. Okay?"

But Julian remained posted above her, unchanged.

"What, do you want to take me to a doctor?"

Julian finally scoffed, allowing Jenny to chuckle. "Seriously, go. I'll feel better when you win that game. Can't have you starting a losing streak."

"Oh, please."

Julian then scooped her into his arms and lifted her easily. In the same motion, the world around them wavered for just a moment, then disappeared all together. Jenny blinked and their mystical outdoor wonderland was now replaced by a simple dining room. Julian placed her down on the cushioned white couch, feeling as soft and weightless as clouds underneath her. There was a door across from them, an eloquent table and chandelier to the left, and archway to the right-probably to a kitchen.

Before Jenny could question it, Julian was kissing her. She tried to shove him off because after just throwing up she probably tasted horrible. But Julian was kissing her anyway, with light, tingling slow kisses that reminded Jenny of their very first game together-the very first time he kissed her this way, until her lips were numb and knees trembling. Like always it completely stole Jenny's lack of time, making everything else in all the nine worlds fade away, until Julian surprisingly pulled away with a frustrated groan.

"What?"

"One of them is trying to cheat…." He mumbled, gaze cast off to the side, seeing through the dimensions, to the game he controlled so easily somewhere else.

A part of Jenny tensed, then relaxed. She immediately pitied whatever idiot was trying to trick the master of cruelty and fear. And yet, she was also grateful. There was no way Julian was going to let that slip without the severest of punishments. Which meant Jenny was free until sunrise.

When Julian finally returned her gaze, there was a bit of frustration behind them that Jenny welcomed. Years ago, when they had first met-first played together-a moment like this seemed almost impossible. However now, Jenny was cupping his face in her hands, feeling his skin as smooth as marble under her palms, going into his silky hair and grazing those devilish black horns. They were bigger, growing out at an acute angle with a twist, and Jenny always minded the points.

Before he could try and argue with her, put up a bargain, Jenny gave his hair the slightest pull, just enough to demand his attention. "Make them regret it."

Oh it was dark, but it was sweet-Dangerously sweet. So easily Jenny had become addicted to it, living-breathing off it. Julian always provided such danger and darkness. Even now, hearing such a twisted thing coming from her soft lips, made Julian's curl into one of the wickedest smiles he ever had. He kissed her hard-fast-then he was gone.

Jenny was used to it. Sometimes it felt like Julian had merely stepped into the other room and Jenny could go an get him at any time, except for the times when Jenny's surroundings had no rooms, or walls, or floors.

But this one did. So Jenny kept her promise and ventured into the other room for some real food. For a moment she rubbed her stomach, curious if she was getting sick. Maybe Julian could give her a remedy, just in case. Well, that could wait until tomorrow. Because as soon as Jenny was finished eating, she was going to Earth.

…-

Dee was exhausted. College was tough. Why did every teacher have to cram the biggest assignments with the hardest tests all so close together? It made her mind feel like it was on an overload. Oh, but she could do it. She wasn't going to throw away two hard-working years for a very unfair and unruly Psychology final.

She was one of the last out of the class after being dismissed, trudging into the hallway in some torn jeans and a white tank top with the words, "Mind Over Matter," etched in black cursive. Her hair had grown out over the years, but she had kept it slim. Its shallow length was currently in a bun of braided dreadlocks, with some tribal pins that Aba had passed on to her, in celebration for her school efforts. She was digging through her bag, searching for her water bottle, when the voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"My God. Don't tell me the finals are getting the best of you."

She whirled around in a flash where the blond-her good friend-was leaning against the hallway in waiting. Jenny was wearing a flowing green dress that made her hair stand out fabulously, and a gorgeous pair of sandals with an emerald on her ankle. She was leaning against the lockers, arms crossed, and so pleased to have caught the warrior by surprise. She smiled from ear to ear when their gazes met.

"You…dangerous beauty-Come here!"

They embraced quickly with strong smiles and hearty laughs. It felt good. Jenny loved this-She would always need this. When Dee released her, she held Jenny at arm's length, looking her over. "Well, you look stunning. As always."

Jenny couldn't stop smiling. "And you look like hell."

Dee started to give a groan, but she let it pass and gave a scoff instead, as if she was passing with flying colors. "Please. I got this."

"I know you do." She allowed Dee to swing an arm over her shoulder as they walked down the hall. "But don't push yourself. God knows when the next time I'll visit is. I don't want to come back to find you in the hospital."

"Which," Dee stressed carefully, "is completely unfair, by the way. Three months is way too long, Jenny. He really does like to keep you caged up there, doesn't he?"

"Well, I wouldn't say caged…" The words trailed off as Jenny's mind went to far, exotic places that stretched farther than the eye could see-Pure extraordinary freedom that she got to explore.

"The man needs to learn to share," Dee added with a tired huff. "How long are you here for now?"

Jenny wanted to bite her lip as they turned a corner. "Only until tomorrow."

"What?" Dee stopped her in an instant. "Oh, he's so selfish!"

"I'm working on that," Jenny clarified with a soft smile.

Dee accepted that, as she always did, but then something crossed her face and she began to drag Jenny towards the double doors by her wrist. "All right then! Let's get the group together and party until the break of dawn!"

As much as the thought made Jenny smile so earnestly, she pulled against Dee's grip. "Hold on. What about your classes?'

"I'm done for the day."

"No, you're not."

Dee's smile dropped, and her leg cocked to the side as she put her hands on her hips, still a fierce stance even after all these years. "Good Lord, you do spy on us from up there."

"I make sure everyone's ok," Jenny explained. "And I'm not going to let you skip class for me."

Dee finally let her exhaustion take over, by dropping her head back and groaning-So unlike the headstrong warrior Jenny knew. Her education really was her weakness. It made Jenny smile, knowing her friend was tackling her biggest challenge.

"Go, please," Jenny asked. "Tom's football team is just down the block. I'll say hi to him while you're in class, then we can all get together. Ok?"

Dee sighed and fixed one of the loose locks that had fallen from her bun. "Fine. But I'm calling everyone and telling them you're here so that we're all ready when I finish with History Hell."

Jenny could only laugh and pull her friend back inside, towards her classroom, saying, "By all means."

…-

The door shut behind Jenny, revealing the room to be very poorly lit. All the room contained was a large window that made-up most of the back wall, numerous plaques and newspaper clippings all over the walls, and a large wooden desk. It rested right before the window, along with its over-cushioned chair. The outline of a woman, obviously the Dean, stood before the window, her back to Jenny.

A bit of confusion hit Jenny, like a nauseating wave of déjà vu, but for the life of her she couldn't explain why. "You wanted to see me, Ma'am?"

When the Dean spoke, the voice was like electricity, a shock to the senses. It was the kind of voice that caught everyone's attention during an avalanche. "Yes, I did, Jenny. Thank you so much for seeing me."

The woman turned, and Jenny felt the blood drain to her toes.

She was gorgeous.

She had flowing red hair, a strikingly vibrant red noticeably from miles, that draped down her back in luscious waves. She had a heart-shaped face, with features so sharp it was impossibly to decipher one as better over the other. Her body-perfect-was that hourglass shape, with hips that swayed like Jessica Rabbit's. She wasn't dressed as a Dean should-clothes two sizes too small. The white button up shirt was missing the first few buttons, revealing such distracting cleavage. The black pants were so sleek and tight that it captured the curves in her legs like trophies on display. The heels she wore were partially boots, the straps wrapping up her ankles in a devilish way.

She looked brazen. She looked sexy.

Jenny immediately felt her world shift. Something was wrong.

The woman walked around the desk, the thin line of skin peeking out from her shirt distracting even Jenny. "I've been keeping a special eye on you lately. Tell me, what are your plans?"

The way she spoke…It was very undermining. It made Jenny feel like she was being tricked. "I…Uh…School plans, right?" The woman watched Jenny for a moment, then nodded. Jenny found it increasingly harder and harder to keep eye contact with her. Not with eyes as eccentric those, such a piercing green. They contrasted so greatly with her hair, it was entirely mesmerizing. "Uh, well, I'll be honest with you. School is…hard to commit to right now-Am I in trouble or something?"

"You tell me." She punctuated this with such a playful shrug and put her back to Jenny. "One should be very careful when jumping back and forth like that. You could break some rules." Her red hair whipped around so fast it was like a splash of blood, and that smile-Jenny knew that smile. Nothing human could smile like that.

The hairs on the back of Jenny's neck prickled in an instant. "Who are you?"

"Who do you think I am? The Dean?" She gave a laugh-which sounded like the tips of knives dropping on tile-as she walked and stopped at the side of the desk, picking up one of the pencils by the eraser and doing small circles on the wood. She slowly bent over, arching her back just enough to raise her hips, posing very seductively as she tilted her head back and thought. "Hm, I suppose you could call me Hel. I always liked that realm best. Ah, but there's nothing quite like Earth, is there? Always living in its shadow, always there but never touching-"

"You're a Shadow Man," Jenny blurted out. She really didn't mean to, but shock had its hold on her. "Or a…Shadow Woman…"

"But of course. You didn't think that only men could control such darkness, did you?" When Jenny didn't answer, Hel gave a very haughty laugh and took a seat on top of the desk, crossing her legs and leaning slightly forward toward the still-shocked Jenny. "Oh Jenny, Jenny, Jenny! So foolish! I mean, I figured after 3 games and living with a Shadow Man, you'd get the jist of things by now."

Everything was fuzzy. Jenny felt like her mind was prickling on the outside, choked up on fog and sand on the inside. It was numbing. It was discombobulating.

"Ho-How did you get here?"

"You mean how did you get here."

Jenny went to respond, until it hit her. The realization. The fact that she remembered walking onto Earth this morning, seeing Dee, then walking into this office. How did she get here?

She looked to the closed door behind her. "You tricked me. Before I came in, you-"

"Oh, please." Hel hopped off the desk with a dull roll of her eyes, waving the pencil at her as if to dismiss her from the room. "I knocked you out a long time ago. It was very easy actually…" She stopped abruptly, her back to Jenny once again, the pencil being twisted playfully between her hands. "Without Julian around."

And that realization came like a bullet to the gut.

Immediately Jenny turned for the door, but the handle shocked her-a burn of power-the second she touched it, making her reel back. The laugh behind her was bone-chilling. So soft, but so cold. Cruelty in its finest form.

Jenny faced the Shadow Woman, but she wasn't scared. Worried, flustered, yes, but she'd be damned if she showed fear for this witch. She had to collect herself, ignore the throbbing in her palm, and keep her chin held high.

Calm down, she told herself. You're still on Earth. You have to be. She said she knocked you out. This is just a trick, like a dream. She can't hurt you.

"Where's Julian?"

"You're the first, you know. To be kept, I mean." The demon began to circle the desk, the click of her heels echoing like perfectly timed eruptions in the air. She looked out the window as she did, speaking very calmly. "We Shadow Men like to linger with our pray, torture them for centuries, yes. But. We never keep them. Like pets. It was fascinating, really. To watch you. To see how he kept you, how he played with you. We've been watching, you know. Everything." She met Jenny's gaze directly now, those pale green irises snatching her attention instantly. "You are an animal in the sheets-"

"Shut up."

"Ah, but that's love for you, isn't it?" She turned away from Jenny once more, bringing the pencil under her chin, twisting it this way and that. "And if a Shadow man can feel love…Then we can feel jealousy." Her eyes flickered back to Jenny on the last word, and Jenny immediately knew what an antelope felt like when locking eyes with a lion. The temperature in the room had dropped dangerously low, and the shadows seemed to envelope the whole room, shrinking the room, thinning the air.

When she turned to face Jenny head-on, Jenny went stiff in a second.

"And how jealous we are, Jenny. To see him please you. Whisking you away to far off and exotic places. How he feeds you, dresses you-How he parades this kindness toward you as games-IT'S DISGUSTING!"

She erupted on the last word, smacking the desk as she screamed, causing Jenny to flinch. The sweet, gentleness to her face was long gone-replaced by a harsh scowl, a face of power gone mad. Her hair frayed with the shout, resembling furious flames in a fire.

"We're sick of it, Jenny. So I decided to play along." It was entirely unnerving how she could say one sentence as vicious and poisonous as a Viper, then say the next so sweet and lighthearted.

Jenny refused to back down. "You have no right to-"

"Oh, but I do! I took it."

"Where's Julian?"

Again, the Shadow Woman laughed. "Oh, Jenny. Don't you know we can turn on each other? Oh, wait. Of course you do. You practically killed our eldest ancestor and let the rest of us finish him off. Well, I'm finishing Julian off-"

She had turned away from Jenny amid her charade, and the last line drew the straw with Jenny. She charged at her, grabbed her by the shoulder and whirled her around, spitting something she would probably regret. But in the same motion, Hel turned and snatched Jenny's wrist, pinning it to the desk. In the next second, the pain went straight through Jenny's hand. Quick, sharp, and intense like a thousand suns-It burned-It hurt. Jenny screamed.

When she looked, the pencil was sticking out of her hand, pinning it to the desk. Blood pooled immediately until it caught her pained expression in it.

Hel's voice-so close-made her lift her head where she found the Shadow Woman mere inches from her face. "Listen to me, Jenny. I want to play a game with you. I'm going to take Julian for myself…and kill him. But first, I'm going to make him kill you, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

The pain intensified when Hel ground the pencil deeper, causing Jenny to scream. It was her laugh, a distraction from the pain, that gave Jenny enough strength to say, "Ankh."

The result was clear, like a slap to the face. Hel stumbled back, grabbing her chin in disbelief. Then she smiled-a smile Jenny thought only existed on Julian. She came back and ripped the pencil out of Jenny's hand in a quick burst of pain. Jenny jumped back, clutching her bloody hand, every nerve and tendon lighting up like a forest fire.

"That's just a reminder that I'm not joking."

"You're insane!"

"Am I?" To that, the Shadow Woman gave a very bellowing laugh, one that seemed to make the whole room tremble. "Tag. You're it."

Jenny felt the world leave her, rip out from under her, and she dropped straight into the darkness. She felt it, her weight plummeting through the air, gut sinking against gravity's pull, until time seemed to shift and she landed flat in a seat. It felt like all the nine worlds came slapping to her mind, throwing her back into her own body. Air rushed to her lungs in a desperate loud gasp and the pressure made her shoot forward. Her blood was racing, her whole body was sweating. She was in a classroom. An empty one, posted in one of the seats in the front row. Her frantic pants were echoing back to her, the burn in her lungs telling her that she was awake now.

A dream, she tried to tell herself. No, a nightmare. A terrible, terrible nightmare.

But then Jenny looked to her hand, where the hole in her hand remained. A dark circle, much like a burn mark, rested on her palm and on the back of her hand, where the pencil had been. Jenny had to stare at it a bit longer, to rub her eyes and blink and really look at it, but the mark remained. That….was all real.

It took her a minute, but Jenny jumped up from the seat, mind racing a mile a minute. A Shadow Woman. A Shadow Woman threatened her. She came into her mind and threatened her and Julian-

Julian.

Jenny ran over and snatched the pair of scissors from the desk in the corner. Then she ran to the nearest door, which was a supply closet, and began to carve the runes.

She needed to go back. She needed to tell Julian, to warn him. Whatever that woman was up to-Whatever she did-

But Jenny barely had the first two carved when the power snapped at her. Like something from within the door recoiled, smacking the scissors right out of Jenny's hand. It came so fast that she gasped. The laugh that echoed in the air was feminine and cold-so cold that it sent Jenny straight back to three years ago, to the laughs she would hear in the shadows when she was being chased. No, when her and her friends were being chased.

Okay, calm down. Calm down. Julian will come for you. He always does. Relax. This bitch isn't stronger than him.

But she had said he wasn't around….

No, don't think like that.

Jenny had to physically grab herself, to hug her arms, then run her fingers through her long hair until the mark on her hand stung with heat. Another game. Another game with another Shadow Man and this one was a freaking woman. Again she was in a fight for her life.

No, she said she was going to kill Julian. She was going to take their relationship, their life together, everything they all almost died for and completely twist it inside out until it shattered.

That realization made the fear disappear. She used the pain from her hand to fuel her fear into pure anger, where her head was clearer. She had already done this with the Ancient Shadow Man, the oldest, strongest demons that existed, and now this new girl was just going to stroll in and ruin it. Like hell that was happening.

Jenny had to believe that this new Shadow Woman must've just been created because clearly she didn't understand that Jenny didn't give in so easily, even in the hands of death. Or maybe she had seen that, and that was her reasoning for all of this. If so, Jenny was going to give her one hell of a game.

Because she wasn't going down without a fight.

Okay so here it is! Sorry it's a short intro but I'm just getting your guys' feet wet with this idea. Any thoughts? Is it dumb? Is it exciting? You guys got to tell me because if you hate it then let me know. But just to give you guys a peek into the future chapters there's a very delicious twist for the end that I have in mind ;) It won't be long, maybe like 5 or so chapters, but they will be longer than this (I swear) if you guys want me to continue.

Please review and let me know! Till my next update

ZVA