Gargoyles:

New Beginnings

1000 years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness, it was a world of fear, it was the age of gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night. We were betrayed by the humans we swore to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for 1000 years. Now here in Manhattan, the spell is broken and we live again!! We are defenders of the night, we are Gargoyles!!

"Can't you guys give me a break?!" I shouted as the paparazzi snapped their cameras and shoved the microphones in my face.

I was trying to sneak out the back door of my dressing room and wouldn't you know it, the paparazzi was there (it was at the front door too)! I slammed the door in their faces' and ran to the window and looked out. They wouldn't suspect me going out the window, I thought, cunningly. I lifted the latch and climbed out. I dropped heavily on the other side and thought I was home free until... "There she is!!"

I bolted away from the studio and down the block, all the while, paparazzi right on my heels. I turned the corner and then I saw the answer to my problem. The Police station. They'd never think to look for me there, I thought happily and turned into the door. The door slammed on my back and I hid below the window. I heard the footsteps recede into the distance and I poked my head out to look outside the window and there was nothing. I leaned against the door and sighed with relief. "Elisa, I thought you were taking the night off?" a voice said from behind a desk.

"Shhhhhh!" I shushed.

A woman poked her head out from behind the desk and quirked her eyebrow at me. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," the woman said suddenly realizing her mistake.

"S'all right," I said.

I was still wearing the Kendra wig and I guess she noticed the resemblance. Kendra is my pop star identity and as far as everyone knew there was no one else under her, but I know there is another girl under the rock star and that girl is Nia. That's me, my name is Nia or, when I'm in the spotlight, Kendra. I live on Manhattan Island, which is good. I have short blonde hair, when I'm Kendra I have long, silky, black hair. My eyes are a beautiful blue-green, and I'm 15.

"Kendra, what are you doing here?" the woman asked.

"Hiding," I said then mouthed paparazzi. The police chief nodded her head and turned back to her papers. "Mind if I hide out here for a while?" I asked.

The chief nodded again tossing one of her papers aside. I was used to the police station by now, but I never got a chance to explore it. I walked around it and all I found was the interrogation rooms and various desks of various officers. And then the janitors' closet and then a door I never seemed to notice. I tried the knob and found it was unlocked. I walked into the room and turned my head to my left and saw a staircase. I knew that the clock tower was right above the police station, but I never thought there was a way to get up there.

"Wow!" I whispered when I reached the clock's mechanism.

It was just like a regular clock's mechanism, except it was very big. There was a chair and a TV in the center and a fridge right next to where I stood and a table near the chair. It basically looked like someone lived there. I looked around for beds or some source of sleep cushioning, but found none. But I did find lot posters of me (Kendra) in various poses, but all with that shy smile and eyes that seemed to say "you can trust me". "Somebody here likes Kendra," I said a little nervous.

I turned to the fridge and searched through its contents and finally found a cherry soda to chug down. "Not my grocery bill," I said as I took a swig.

I walked around for a while then went to the clock's face and found a nice convient door. I pushed it open and gasped. On the rim of the balcony was one of the most mid-evil constructions I ever saw. Gargoyles that were in various poses, all were trying to be very frightening. Except one who looked like he was deep in thought. This one had a beak-like mouth, horns, and long hair. I tried to imagine him in flesh, what color would his skin be and his hair.

I turned to the next one and this one was a bit on the round side. He looked like he was running, and he had fish ears (you know, the ones that look like fins) and his wings were spread. I turned to another one. This one was also on the round side and he looked like he was some sort of warrior. He had a beard and unlike most of them, he had a top part to his clothing. He also had some form of sword in his hand and his wings were also spread.

I walked to the next one. This one had wings that were connected to his wrists and ankles. He looked like he was going to pounce on something. He was bald and he had pointed ears. The next one was a bit of a shock to see. It was an intimidating beautiful young female. She had long hair tied in three sections and she was crouching and looking off in the distance as if she was waiting for something that would show itself on the horizon.

Turned to another one and gasped. This one was big, not by round stature, but in muscle! He looked like he was shouting a threat to no one in particular. He had long hair and he was muscled. I looked away from him and down slightly, and found I have missed one. It looked like a dog, except in gargoyle form and it had no wings.

These were very peculiar gargoyles. They looked slightly human, while others looked like shrunken, devil-like figures. I sat on the balcony railing next to the horned one. I looked into his face and sighed deeply. "What would you be thinking about right now, if you were flesh instead of stone?" I asked him, as if he could talk.

I walked to the front of him, which was kind of hard, considering the roof was slippery. Once I was staring into his stony eyes, I took the time to admire his beautifully sculpted body. I put my hands on his upper arms and squeezed slightly. I drew away slightly, what did I expect stone turn flesh? I put my hands back. If he was flesh, the muscles would've been stable, maybe even strong. OOne hand was now stroking his beak, and then both were. I moved my hands to his shoulders and ran them down his chest. It was smooth, stable, strong, like a brick wall (which is partially correct). I felt every part of him; until I was sure he wouldn't change.

I moved to the fat one and pressed my fingers to his cheek and drew away. I move to the old warrior felt the stone beard. I moved to the bat like one and stroked his back and cheek. I moved to the big one and reached up and stroked his jaw bone with the tips of my fingers. I took a few paces backward to look at them all on the railing, so different, yet so alike. The sun was starting to sink in the horizon and I knew my dad was going to kill me if I didn't get home before dark. "I'll have to leave you now my warriors," I said.

I walked to the horned one and kissed his beak, moved to the fat one and kissed his cheek, moved to the old warrior and kissed his cheek, moved to the bat one and kissed his cheek as well. I didn't know what to do with the big one and the girl, so I thought it best to just bow. I moved to the dog and patted his head and kissed its cheek.

I walked out of the door and down the stairs and out the police station door. If only I had stayed a bit longer, I would've known about them sooner, but fate is a cruel mistress as well as a demanding one.

Sunset and they are free. The stone cracked and split until it finally shattered off their bodies. Roars and yawns filled the air around the clock tower, as it did every night. But this was different, first Brooklyn put his hand to his beak and stroked the place where Nia had kissed it. Then his hands moved to his arms, shoulders, then down his chest. He could see Lexington stroking his cheek and back. Broadway was stroking his cheek and so was Hudson. But Angela and Goliath weren't doing anything, except watching everyone touching certain parts of their body.

"Why are you touching yourselves?" Angela asked.

"Yes, why?" Goliath said.

"We don't know," Broadway said "I just feel like someone's been touching me."

"Me too," Lexington inquired.

"Me three," Brooklyn said.

They all stared at each other with concerned looks. Who could've been up here, besides Elisa and the police station employees, no one knows of that door to the clock tower. "Who could've gotten up here, no one, except Elisa, knows the entrance to the clock tower," Lex said.

"And even if someone did find it, why touch us, unless it was someone who hasn't seen us," Broadway inquired.

"Hey guys, you'll never guess what I heard from the boss!" Elisa said.

Everyone turned to her and stared at her. "What is it, another crime spree?" Brook asked.

"No, even more unexpected," she said.

"Will you just spit it out before Brooklyn gets a migraine," Broadway said, stretching.

"Kendra, the pop star sensation, ran into the police station to hide from the paparazzi!" she said.

Brooklyn, Lexington, and Broadway were speechless, while Angela, Goliath, and Hudson looked bewildered. "Kendra, was here and probably found the door to the clock tower!?" Brooklyn exclaimed.

Elisa looked a little confused. "How do you know someone's been up here?" she asked.

They all looked at each other contemplating how they knew this except for the evidence that they already had. "We don't know," Brooklyn, Lex, and Broadway chorused.

"We just felt that someone touched us while we were sleeping," Broadway explained.

"Speaking of Kendra, doesn't she have a concert on TV tonight?" Lex asked.

Brook's and Broadway's eyes grew wide and they raced toward the door! Lex, Brook, and Broadway started scuffling, trying to get through the door to the TV first. "Get off my ear!"

"Stop stepping on my foot!"

"Will you guy's knock it off!"

Finally Brooklyn managed to squeeze through the door and push the power button just in time.

Just in time! I managed to reach the studio before dad found out; bad news was I had to get into costume in 5 minutes! First song was Let the Rain Fall and that costume involved a plain white dress that looked positively mid-evil. "Nia, it's almost show time!" my dad called.

"Coming!" I yelled back.

On stage, I was someone else, I could burst out my feelings without ever saying anything, I could become many colors and not just plain black and white, like Nia. Kendra could be understood, could be anything she wanted to be and no one would be able to change that! I heard the first chord of the song then I stepped on stage.

Of course during this number the fire sprinklers are going off, so I'm going to be soaking wet after it. I was just starting to twirl around when I saw the most gruesome sight in my life! David Xanatos and his loving family in a top box, especially the guy I had a not crush-crush on, Alexander Xanatos!

Reddish-blonde hair, with green eyes, and his father's smile, which is, by-the-by, a gleaming white, perfect (I'm talking, could put the angels to shame) smile! Now to explain the not crush-crush thing, I call it that when I have a crush on a guy I hate. Alexander is one of those guys, I didn't always hate him, it was when he started to get attractive is when I hated him.

See I have strict rules in my head; a guy can never be smart and beautiful. Alexander is both. Their hasn't been one girl in school who hasn't asked him out and been turned down (except for me). I keep on wondering if he's just waiting for me to crawl and beg for his love!

Once the number was over, I trotted off the stage in a fury. "Daddy!" I yelled over the applause.

"Right beside you sweetie," her dad said.

"What are the Xanatos' doing here?" I asked sternly.

"I invited them," he said calmly.

"Huh?!"

"Hun, David could do wonders for your career," he said desperately.

"Wonders!" I shrieked. "You mean like putting me in jail!!"

But he ignored me and turned back to the curtains. "They will come backstage soon, so please, make a good impression with them," he said.

I walked back on stage with a glum expression and an even glummer attitude. They were coming backstage, to see Kendra before the glama! I can't stand being in the same class with Alexander, let alone the same personal space. I walked off stage and came face to face with David Xanatos!