Of Crests & Planets--The Threads of Fate
Darkness.
Everywhere.
No matter where he ran, there was no escape. No way to flee from the suffocating ocean of pitch blackness he was in. No hope of rescue or of salvation.
No Hope at all.
~~Surrender boy!~~
**Never! I won't let you win!**
~~Foolish child! I have already won! But you will not keep me from my prize much longer!~~
**I won't let you take me! I'd rather die first!**
~~Who said I was after you boy?!~~
He looked around, stunned by the revelation. All this time he thought it was him. But..if not....?
The darkness shifted and he found himself being lifted until coming face to face with a pair of blood red eyes set in the obsidian wall before him.
~~You can not stop me boy. You can not control me or give me pause. I am the Darkness you have feared all your life given shape and texture and form. Your every breath is mine. I know every hope and dream you possess; and control every nightmare and terror you hold at bay. And I /will/ devour you eventually boy.....~~
He blinked as a giant maw appeared in the wall before him. Massive fangs, coated with drool, approached as his world tilted and he began to fall into the jaws of the creature.
~~Just... like... this.....~~
As he fell into the dark pit, he screamed.
And screamed.
And screamed.
"Matt! Wake up!" came a plea from somewhere in the real world.
Still screaming at the top of his lungs, Matt jerked half-awake and in a fit of self-preservation, grabbed the figure that loomed over him as it tried to devour his soul. With a surge of terror-inspired strength, he slammed the figure against the wall knocking a picture off in the process. The glass and wood frame shattered on impact with the carpeted floor.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME! I WON'T LET YOU WIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!!??"
"Dammit Matt! WAKE UP!"
The sound of a hard 'slap' filled the room as Izzy's hand impacted against Matt's right cheek, stunning the taller of the pair long enough for Izzy to slip out of the shoulder hold and scamper out of reach of the distraught Matt Ishida.
The world slowly came into blurry focus as the pain reached Matt's awareness and forced the young man out of his nightmare and back into reality. Staggering slightly, he slumped into a chair and looked bleary-eyed at his friend.
"Iz..zy..?"
Nodding slowly, Izzy steadied himself as his own heart rate finally started to approach something close to normal and he took a measured step closer to his friend.
"Yes, Matt. Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
Lying through his teeth Matt forced a grin. "I'm fine Izzy. Just a bad dream. That's all." he mummered as he quickly tried to put his emotional shields back into place. Izzy had seen and heard too much as it was already.
"I would call that more than an understatement Matt, but I can't think of a synonym detailed at the moment. Suffice it to say it appeared to be a doozy.."
Matt blinked and looked at Izzy. "Did you just say..'doozy'?"
Shrugging his friend smiled. "So I used a colloquialism . It fits just as well as anything else right?"
Matt laughed softly. "I guess it does.."
"So do you want to.."
"No."
Izzy blinked as Matt's refusal to talk about the nightmare came even faster than anticipated. Still, he wasn't about to give up that easily.
"Matt, I'm your friend. And maybe just as important you shoved me into a wall; which by the way was quite hard considering the composition of the materials used in your apartments' construction. Those two facts, combined with keeping something like this inside won't do any good for your long term health, suggests you talk to someone about it--and since I'm already here...."
Sighing, Matt stood up and walked over to the 'frige. "What part of 'no' didn't you understand Izzy? I don't want to talk about it okay?" Opening the appliance door he looked inside and started to reach for a soda when something a bit stronger grabbed his attention and he withdrew a few seconds later, leaving the soda behind and popping the top on one of his dad's beers.
Raising an eyebrow, Izzy looked at his friend with more than a bit of shock. "I assume your dad is aware of your drinking?"
Taking a sip, Matt swallowed, savoring the taste and nodded to his friend. "As long as I don't drive my motorcycle afterwards or abuse it in general, Dad said he won't challenge me on it. He's not ecstatic over the whole thing, but at least I'm being honest about it instead of sneaking around behind his back. And I gave him my word I never would around T.K. so unless I really screw up he won't fight my decision."
Filing the information, Izzy nodded and decided to not press the issue. As long as T.K. was part of Matt's restrictions he felt comfortable that the elder of the Ishida brothers would be okay. Matt would never do anything to hurt T.K. so the younger brother was in fact protecting Matt even if he didn't know of the situation at present.
A hint of motion pulled Izzy from his thoughts and back towards Matt who sat down beside him.
"Listen..Izzy. I'm sorry about snapping at you before..and I'm really sorry about the whole wall thing. I just..I know you--and the others-- are there if I need you, but right now I want to do this on my own. This nightmare is something I have to face down myself."
Sighing, Izzy expected /that/ argument as well but decided ..for now at any rate..to let Matt do this on his own.
"Okay Matt. This stays between you and me. But on one condition."
Blinking, Matt looked over. "And that would be...?" he asked slowly.
"If this dream, whatever it might happen to entail, gets worse and I hear about it I will be back and I'll bring everyone with me."
Sputtering, he glared at his friend. "You wouldn't dare..."
Izzy smiled back. "Try me.." he said in a tone that almost dared his friend to think otherwise. "And just for something to think about Matt; try telling Kari, Yolei, Sora, and Mimi that you don't want any help despite what you appear to be going through and see what happens."
As Matt's eyes widened to a near impossible degree, Izzy took a small bit of satisfaction at what /that/ mental image was doing to Matt's bluster and let the matter drop.
Shaking off the mental image that popped into his head, Matt sipped the beer and leaned back sighing. "Well, /that's/ a pleasant thought Izzy.." he muttered before looking over. "Did you come by to torment me or was there another reason....wait a second..."
"Humm?"
Matt paused and looked over. "How the heck did you get in here anyway??"
At that Izzy laughed. "I was on my way up the stairs when I ran into your dad on his way back to the station from a late lunch. He let me in and I was about to leave a note for you when you got up but...."
"Oh..yea. Wait..late lunch? It's only around noon, right?"
"Try quarter of three."
Matt blinked once, then twice, as he shot up and grabbed his watch off the coffee table. "Man, how long was I asleep??"
"I would say since you and your dad got back here around seven this morning."
"Seven? But I was just on your balcony..."
"And you fell asleep there Matt. Most everyone left around the same time. Your mom found you when my mom opened the curtains and the last I saw of you was your dad carrying you down the stairs and to the car.."
Blushing as red as a stop sign, Matt glared over at his friend. "I didn't need to hear that thank you!"
Laughing, Izzy shrugged. "Oh well, if you didn't hear it from me you would have eventually seen the photo Kari took."
"Kari took a photo of my dad carrying me to the car??"
Izzy nodded, enjoying this /much/ more than he should for Matt's liking.
Giving up on having any 'coolness' left, Matt sat back down. "Any other wonderful news I should be aware of or do I need to go ahead and book my one way ticket to Alaska to live out the rest of my days?"
The sound of Izzy's laughter filled the room. "Maybe you should hold off on making those preparations Matt; at least until after the movie tonight!" and with a simple flourish he pulled two tickets from his shirt pocket.
Jerking around, Matt looked at Izzy, then at the tickets, then back to the young man.
"You got them?"
"Juuban MetroPlex. Third row, center. The exact spot for optimal acoustical enjoyment; based on a analysis of the all the theaters in the area and their speaker systems. I cross-referenced that versus the brand they use..."
"Never mind that Izzy! Do you know how hard these are to get??"
"As a matter of fact I do."
Nodding, Matt looked at the tickets again. "How much do I owe you?"
Izzy considered the alternatives. "Well. they cost me $20.00 each to get them so you can pay half or..."
Pausing as he started to reach for his wallet, Matt blinked. "Or..?"
"Tell me about the nightmare so I can help."
Matt fished out his wallet and slipped two tens into Izzy's hand without a word.
Resisting the urge to press deeper, Izzy pocketed the money and stood. As he did so, he handed both tickets to Matt prompting a confused look from the still sitting young man.
"Uhm...?"
"That's part of the other reason I stopped by. Yolei called my house a little while ago. Her comp-SCI class's final got moved to tomorrow instead of next Saturday since her professor's getting married."
Wincing in sympathy, Matt nodded. "So she called for some last minute tutoring? Can't say as I blame her. Yolei's good with computers, but I remember the fits that class gave you."
Making a face Izzy nodded. "Please don't remind me. Mr. Matsumoto is a genius but impossible to understand once he gets on theoretical computer applications."
"Didn't you make a 'C' on that part of his...?"
"It was a 'B' thank you very much!" miffed Izzy before he started laughing along with Matt. A few seconds later they composed themselves.
"So the tickets are in case you run late?"
"Exactly. Since the theater is in Juuban I might be running a few minutes behind, but I will be there before the movie starts. But if you have the tickets you can hold my place so there shouldn't be any problems. And in case I can't make it at all, you can at least go ahead."
"In case you can't make it? Izzy, aren't you same guy who said you wouldn't miss this if the world lost it's gravitational factor and you had to get to the theater with lead weights on?"
"Yes, I did. But there isn't a reason to have a contingency plan in place just in case."
"Well...okay. If you insist. Meet you there at eight?"
Grabbing the laptop he left by the door, Izzy nodded in agreement. "I'll be there by 8:30 at the latest. Don't sell my ticket.." he warned jokingly as the door opened.
"Don't tempt me. Oh..Izzy..?"
Halfway out the door he turned back. "Yea?"
"Thanks for..you know..being concerned."
Blinking, Izzy smiled softly and nodded. "Not a problem Matt. What are friends for? I'll see you later."
Tossing a hand up, Matt smiled as Izzy waved back and was gone, the door slowly creaking back into place. Walking over he locked it and set his drink down on a coaster, making sure to not get the tickets wet. Stretching, he made his way to the bathroom to take care of business but paused as a note on his bedroom door caught his attention.
'Son--I'm going to work and don't expect to be home until very late. Gabumon asked me to drop him at the abandoned lot just up the road; something about it being a good meeting place for the Digimon since it was so overgrown and not being developed yet. He says don't wait up for him since they might camp out. I left a few free pizza coupons on the table for dinner. Will see you tonight.--Dad'
Smiling, took the note down and went into the bathroom, setting the paper on the counter as he reached for his toothpaste and brush. Doing all the basics for good tooth care, Matt brushed for a few moments and leaned over to spit.
Finishing, he looked up into the mirror and his heart stopped.
The Face was behind him.
~~I told you I would devour you boy! And I shall when you least expect it!~~ snarled the voice from his nightmare, the threat echoing in his mind as the vision bore down upon him, trying to swallow him whole.
"NO! NOOOO!"
Shivering, Matt clutched his arms around his chest, eyes closed in mortal terror, as he awaited the moment when he would finally be consumed by the darkness.
It never came.
After a few moments of nothing, Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the empty bathroom. There was no sign of any presence other than himself; and as Matt slowly began to realize that perhaps there never was.
Shaking slightly, he grabbed the sides of the countertop to steady himself and fixated his gaze on his reflection in the mirror.
"Am I going crazy?" he whispered to his opposite image, but the duplicate held no answers.
Deep inside Matt, the Darkness simply smiled.
Although small in terms of sheer acreage, Juuban Community College boasted an impressive number of students. Like most two year institutions, JCC was designed to help both the student needing more time to prepare for the work load that four year institutions required and assisted in letting the student body get their core classes out of the way so upon transferring they could focus on whatever major they selected.
But, unlike most other colleges of its level, JCC invited retired professors from around the world to teach in the attempt to provide its students with a more diverse learning base.
And right now, one of those visiting professors sat at his desk and wondered what to do about a rather..unique..student he possessed at this point in time.
Lethbridge-Stewert stood and out of habit forced by more than 50 years serving in Her Majesty's service, tugged at the crisp white shirt to remove even the slightest wrinkle. Straightening his tie and slipping on the brown-checked sport jacket that had been resting on the back of his chair, the almost 75 year old former commander of a United Nations Intelligence Taskforce and current 'A' level math teacher, walked over the tile floor then up the carpeted steps to the top right corner of the auditorium that served as his lecture hall. His wrinkled face was neutral as he ascended the steps, brown eyes focused on his target. Running a hand to fix any potential loose threads of his snow white hair, the elder gentleman assumed a slightly authoritative tone not used for many years.
"Miss Mizuno..?"
There was no reply from the blue haired young woman as she slept quietly, her head resting on the desk.
Sighing, Lethbridge-Stewert deepened his voice and decided to get back to basics.
"Miss Mizuno! Ten-Hut!"
The sharp command, tinted by the heavy British accent, was enough to permeate the haze of sleep that surrounded Amy Mizuno's mind and the young woman jerked awake. In the process her papers scattered to the floor.
The young woman looked around, and even in the latter stages of waking, her instincts told her something was wrong. A quick glance at the now empty lecture hall confirmed those instincts; not to mention the clock on the wall showing the time to be MUCH later than she remembered it last saying.
"Did you have a nice nap, Miss Mizuno?"
Paling to a degree Lethbridge-Stewert would have thought would have been a symptom of massive blood loss, Amy looked at her professor with a face that shouted she was looking for a nice large rock to crawl under.
"I'm sorry Sir! I won't let it happen again! I promise!" she quickly shouted, much louder than planned. Embarrassed by her stupid mistake, Amy silently cursed herself as she leaned over and tried to gather her papers while avoiding eye contact with her professor.
Hesitantly at first, he put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder, shocking the young woman back to an upright position.
"Normally I would take someone to task over this kind of behavior Miss Mizuno, but perhaps if I knew /why/ you found my class so unchallenging then I could be persuaded to overlook it this time.."
Wincing slightly, Amy shook her head. "It's nothing you've done Sir. I just..dozed off. I won't let it happen again." she said firmly.
Noting how she somewhat sidestepped the request rather well, Lethbridge-Stewert tried a different route.
"Miss Mizuno..may I call you Amy?"
Blinking, Amy nodded as it was the first time she could recall him calling any of his students by their first name.
"Amy..what are you doing here?"
Pausing, she began to speak but was cut off.
"And by 'here' I mean this institution. I've read your file. You are one of the brightest students I have ever seen; never before have I saw such commendations from your previous teachers and principals."
Blushing, Amy nodded. "Thank you Sir. But..why I am here is something of a rather long story and I wouldn't want to..."
"While I appreciate the offer, if that reason is what is causing you to fall asleep in my class then I believe I should take the time to find out what it is. Don't you agree?"
Wincing internally at the tone, Amy nodded knowing that further discussion could not be avoided now.
Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, the young woman exhaled slightly and began to explain. "After I graduated from high school Sir, I was given the choice of scholarships to several medical colleges both here at home and overseas."
"So you want to be a doctor?"
"I do Sir. Ever since I was nine that's all I've ever wanted to be."
"That's very young to be so sure of something that important."
Smiling, Amy shook her head. "Actually Sir, looking back I wonder what took me so long to decided in the first place."
Nodding, he repressed a grin. "I see. So you received all of these scholarships, but...?"
"The problem was each place offered one advantage over the other. Each school was very proficient in a certain area that I wanted to learn, but if I chose any one school then I would have disadvantaged myself in my studies."
"Ah, I'm beginning to see the problem. But why a community college?"
"Well Sir, I talked to the admissions officers at some of the schools and most of them are implementing programs in the next one to two years that will be more like the ones at other schools.."
"And then you'll have a better idea of who can offer you the most for your education?"
"Exactly Sir. I can meet all my basic requirements here, and when I transfer I can take all the courses I need to get my medical degree. I've been told that my scholarships will still be valid so if I can wait for the better assortment of classes why not do so?"
"Well, that explains the 'why', but not the reason you fell asleep. Unless..." Lethbridge-Stewert paused and glanced down at a few of the papers and blinked at the sheer completeness of the assignments. Even with a casual look he could tell that several of the problems were worked out to steps the class wouldn't be covering for weeks; perhaps months.
"Your bored." came the sudden observation.
Sighing, Amy nodded ever-so slightly. "I'm sorry Sir. I try to make it interesting, but.." she trailed off, not sure what else to say that wouldn't offend her teacher.
"I see. How far ahead are you with the 'in-book' assignments from my syllabus?"
Amy paused and looked away. "Only a little Sir."
"How much is 'only a little..'? "
"I'm..done."
At that moment you could have knocked Lethbridge-Stewert over with a feather. "Done?" he ask incredulously.
Sheepishly, Amy nodded
Digesting this bit of information, he nodded. "And since the work is not challenging enough, you find yourself falling asleep because of whatever is keeping you from sleeping at night. Am I correct?"
Amy didn't reply. That was more of a statement than an question anyway.
Weighing if he should press further, Lethbridge-Stewert smiled to himself and asked when /didn't/ he press an issue. "Well, have you considered going to a doctor?"
Amy shook her head. "No Sir. I know there's nothing medically wrong. I'm just not sleeping. Besides, if I do need some medical advice, my mother is a doctor and I know several others."
Smiling wistfully, he nodded. "As do I. Splendid fellows..all of him..."
Blinking, Amy looked at her teacher as the syntax of that statement didn't sound quite right. "Sir?"
Eyebrows arching at realizing the fact that he reminisced a bit louder than he planned. "Nothing Miss Mizuno. Suffice it to say that I better understand what you're going through now..." pausing for a moment, he gathered his thoughts. Nodding as one in particular seemed to make perfect sense, he turned his full gaze on his student "..but since I can't have you dozing off from being bored, the only thing to do is to make sure you stay challenged."
Taking a deep breath, Amy steadied herself for whatever was to come next.
"Starting on Monday Miss Mizuno, you will be my student assistant. You will grade half of the homework assignments for me every night, not to mention helping create lesson plans. Of course, since you've completed most of the requirements for my syllabus I will search for an alternative textbook for you to use for your personal homework. I believe Ms. Elizabeth Shaw has written a good text on theoretical mathematics which may be closer to your level. Will that prove enough of a challenge?"
Sitting there in shock, Amy slowly started to smile. "Yes Sir. Thank you!" as she, in a momentary lack of protocol, stood and gave her teacher a grateful hug before pulling away blushing.
Chuckling softly, he pulled back actually tinted ever so slightly. "Ah..well..by the clock I see it's nearly sixteen-thirty. I'm sure that it being a Friday night you have plans you will want to attend to?"
At that, Amy looked down. "Not really Sir. I was going to go to the library and work on my English paper that's due in a few months but other than that..."
Blinking, Lethbridge-Stewert considered this for a moment then smiled. "Oh? They why does it appear that young lady with the strange looking hairstyle has been trying to get your attention for the past several minutes by jumping up and down outside the lower window?"
As a pair, both teacher and student turned and looked directly at the blond haired young woman in the pink top and white shorts.
Lethbridge-Stewert simply nodded a neutral 'hello'.
Amy fixated her best friend with a glare that could met ice at 20 paces.
Blinking and feeling very, very sheepish, Serena waved a little wave and faster than most would have thought possible disappeared from the window leaving an amused professor and embarrassed Amy.
"I take it she's a friend?"
"On most days Sir yes. Days like this I am still debating on that subject."
Standing, he nodded and walked back down to his desk. "I have had days, and friends, such as that Miss Muzino. I think you will find the good outweighs the bad."
Smiling, Amy gathered her belongings and walked over to the door and had just opened it before her teacher's voice caught her attention one last time.
"I hope you have a good weekend Miss Mizuno and that you are..well rested..for Monday."
Nodding at the not-so-slightly subtle hint, Amy smiled. "I will Sir. Thank you!" and with a polite wave she left the lecture hall and slipped into the bright evening sunshine leaving a smiling Lethbridge-Stewert to gather his own belongings.
Putting everything in place, he closed his briefcase and locked it and ascended back up the steps and across the faculty parking lot to his car. Pausing at a corner, he stared at a telephone booth for a long moment as another wistful smile eased across his lips. As the final car passed, the elder gentleman broke out of his reprieve and walked to his car for the drive home.
Her sky blue dress fluttering in the wind, Amy gently scampered across the road that separated the campus from the surrounding homes and began the walk home when an all-too familiar shadow fell over her.
"Uhm..am I dead Amy?"
Grinning ever so slightly the young woman glanced over her shoulder. "Not this time Serena, but please don't do that again. It was somewhat embarrassing to have a well-respected teacher see my best friend jumping up and down like..."
"Like someone who just got tickets to the hottest movie in town?" Serena suggested as a possible answer, grinning evilly as she did so.
Stumbling slightly, Amy looked over at her friend with eyes wide. "You..got them??.."
"Yep! Andrew sent them to my house and they arrived today when I was home for lunch!"
Amy was torn between remaining composed or jumping for joy (in a dignified manner of course) and simply settled for giving Serena a hug. "That's great Serena! How much do I owe you?"
"That's the best part Ames!" giggled the younger woman as she used Amy's old nickname. "They were free!"
"Free? But they were going for almost twenty dollars apiece!"
"That's right, but Andrew said that since I had put so many quarters into his old arcade that I should get some return on my investment.."
Laughing softly, Amy nodded. "Well, I'm not sure what to say but thanks! What time is it for?"
Pausing, Serena mentally scanned the tickets. "I think it was for the nine o'clock show."
Amy sighed. "I was hoping for an earlier show but still..."
"Why not Amy? This way we'll have a nice night and by the time you get home you'll be nice and tired so you can get some sleep finally and..."
Serena's voice trailed off as Amy's soft gaze turned a bit harder.
Sighing, Amy looked at her friend. "How did you know Serena..?"
Kicking herself mentally for doing the exact thing she didn't want to do, Serena shrugged and looked at her friend sheepishly. "Uhm..a little cat told me?"
Resisting the urge to sigh louder, Amy gave up ever trying to keep any secrets. "Which one...?" she tiredly asked.
"Does it matter?"
Shaking her head, Amy sat down on a bus stop bench. "Not really. I guess I should ask 'how' they found out though."
"Kinda hard to miss at four in the morning when your sitting at the window looking like you've lost your best friend."
"So now I suppose your going to ask me if I want to talk about it, and how you can help right?"
Placing her hand on her hips, Serena's face took on a /rare/ sign of annoyance. "Nope. I figured you'd come to me or Rei or someone when your ready to talk."
Feeling like a total heel, Amy looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry Serena. I should have told you but..."
"It's something you would like to work out on your own, right?"
Blinking at the sudden insight Serena found, Amy simply nodded. "If I could.."
Serena nodded and Amy suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a powerful hug and eventually felt a lot better about the whole conversation.
"When you're ready to talk Amy, we'll all be there. No matter what."
Smiling, Amy nodded. "Thanks Serena."
Grinning, the blond nodded just as her watch alarm went off startling both young ladies.
"Important study session?" ventured Amy.
"Nope. Lasagna night! Don't wanna be late! Hey..why don't you come over and we'll go together to the theater?"
Shaking her head, Amy laughed. "I wish I could Serena but I need to do a few things before we hit the theater. See you there about eight thirty?"
"You got it Amy! See you then!" and with another quick hug the blond was off down the street, her two long ponytails whipping in the wind as she turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
Slowly the smile faded as Amy started her walk home again, her mind running through random thoughts as the shadows began to get longer as day slowly transformed into evening.
**Things to do like take a nap or I'll be out like a light halfway through the movie. At least the professor wasn't too upset with me at dozing off in his class. And he gave me that great assistant position so that should help keep me occupied.**
**Occupied enough to not think about what's really bothering you humm?**
Amy frowned as that little voice of her conscience piped up again, much like it had been doing over the past several days.
**I'm just...**
**Lonely?**
**BORED.** Amy mentally shot back.
Choosing to not respond, Amy's inner voice was quiet the rest of the walk home as it's point had been made.
Finally reaching her house, Amy made her way inside and locked the door. Pausing, she debated between getting a light snack or just going straight to the couch for the nap. Deciding she could always eat later, Amy gently sat her stuff down in a corner and set the alarm on her own watch for seven o'clock.
Within a few minutes was out like a light dreaming of a nice, quite /normal/ evening with her friend.
Fate, however, had other plans for Miss Amy Mizuno and Mr. Matt Ishida.
As both would all-too-soon find out.
(To be continued...)
Authors Notes:
1) Yes, the Brigadier is who your thinking it is. For those of you who don't know, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewert is from the incredible British Sci-FI show Doctor Who. In one of his last appearances in the show, the Brig was a math professor at a private university (episode Maudwryn Undead from Peter Davidson's era as the Doctor) and it seemed that he could easily been a touring professor so I though I would use him here. His joke 'Splendid fellows..all of him..' was a joke about his knowing the Doctor through several incarnations as his stint as Brigadier.
2) 'The Movie' is just that..'The Movie'. I haven't decided what it will be but when I do I might run a contest to see who can guess what popular Japanese or American (or both!) animated show I'm referring too. The first person who says so in their review could win a short story done by me based on any of their favorite characters or situations. Keep an eye open for possible hints!
3) One favor if I could ask? IF you've figured out already who Amy is, please don't say in your review if you leave one. I want it to be as much a surprise as possible. THANKS!! F_M
Darkness.
Everywhere.
No matter where he ran, there was no escape. No way to flee from the suffocating ocean of pitch blackness he was in. No hope of rescue or of salvation.
No Hope at all.
~~Surrender boy!~~
**Never! I won't let you win!**
~~Foolish child! I have already won! But you will not keep me from my prize much longer!~~
**I won't let you take me! I'd rather die first!**
~~Who said I was after you boy?!~~
He looked around, stunned by the revelation. All this time he thought it was him. But..if not....?
The darkness shifted and he found himself being lifted until coming face to face with a pair of blood red eyes set in the obsidian wall before him.
~~You can not stop me boy. You can not control me or give me pause. I am the Darkness you have feared all your life given shape and texture and form. Your every breath is mine. I know every hope and dream you possess; and control every nightmare and terror you hold at bay. And I /will/ devour you eventually boy.....~~
He blinked as a giant maw appeared in the wall before him. Massive fangs, coated with drool, approached as his world tilted and he began to fall into the jaws of the creature.
~~Just... like... this.....~~
As he fell into the dark pit, he screamed.
And screamed.
And screamed.
"Matt! Wake up!" came a plea from somewhere in the real world.
Still screaming at the top of his lungs, Matt jerked half-awake and in a fit of self-preservation, grabbed the figure that loomed over him as it tried to devour his soul. With a surge of terror-inspired strength, he slammed the figure against the wall knocking a picture off in the process. The glass and wood frame shattered on impact with the carpeted floor.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME! I WON'T LET YOU WIN! DO YOU HEAR ME!!??"
"Dammit Matt! WAKE UP!"
The sound of a hard 'slap' filled the room as Izzy's hand impacted against Matt's right cheek, stunning the taller of the pair long enough for Izzy to slip out of the shoulder hold and scamper out of reach of the distraught Matt Ishida.
The world slowly came into blurry focus as the pain reached Matt's awareness and forced the young man out of his nightmare and back into reality. Staggering slightly, he slumped into a chair and looked bleary-eyed at his friend.
"Iz..zy..?"
Nodding slowly, Izzy steadied himself as his own heart rate finally started to approach something close to normal and he took a measured step closer to his friend.
"Yes, Matt. Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
Lying through his teeth Matt forced a grin. "I'm fine Izzy. Just a bad dream. That's all." he mummered as he quickly tried to put his emotional shields back into place. Izzy had seen and heard too much as it was already.
"I would call that more than an understatement Matt, but I can't think of a synonym detailed at the moment. Suffice it to say it appeared to be a doozy.."
Matt blinked and looked at Izzy. "Did you just say..'doozy'?"
Shrugging his friend smiled. "So I used a colloquialism . It fits just as well as anything else right?"
Matt laughed softly. "I guess it does.."
"So do you want to.."
"No."
Izzy blinked as Matt's refusal to talk about the nightmare came even faster than anticipated. Still, he wasn't about to give up that easily.
"Matt, I'm your friend. And maybe just as important you shoved me into a wall; which by the way was quite hard considering the composition of the materials used in your apartments' construction. Those two facts, combined with keeping something like this inside won't do any good for your long term health, suggests you talk to someone about it--and since I'm already here...."
Sighing, Matt stood up and walked over to the 'frige. "What part of 'no' didn't you understand Izzy? I don't want to talk about it okay?" Opening the appliance door he looked inside and started to reach for a soda when something a bit stronger grabbed his attention and he withdrew a few seconds later, leaving the soda behind and popping the top on one of his dad's beers.
Raising an eyebrow, Izzy looked at his friend with more than a bit of shock. "I assume your dad is aware of your drinking?"
Taking a sip, Matt swallowed, savoring the taste and nodded to his friend. "As long as I don't drive my motorcycle afterwards or abuse it in general, Dad said he won't challenge me on it. He's not ecstatic over the whole thing, but at least I'm being honest about it instead of sneaking around behind his back. And I gave him my word I never would around T.K. so unless I really screw up he won't fight my decision."
Filing the information, Izzy nodded and decided to not press the issue. As long as T.K. was part of Matt's restrictions he felt comfortable that the elder of the Ishida brothers would be okay. Matt would never do anything to hurt T.K. so the younger brother was in fact protecting Matt even if he didn't know of the situation at present.
A hint of motion pulled Izzy from his thoughts and back towards Matt who sat down beside him.
"Listen..Izzy. I'm sorry about snapping at you before..and I'm really sorry about the whole wall thing. I just..I know you--and the others-- are there if I need you, but right now I want to do this on my own. This nightmare is something I have to face down myself."
Sighing, Izzy expected /that/ argument as well but decided ..for now at any rate..to let Matt do this on his own.
"Okay Matt. This stays between you and me. But on one condition."
Blinking, Matt looked over. "And that would be...?" he asked slowly.
"If this dream, whatever it might happen to entail, gets worse and I hear about it I will be back and I'll bring everyone with me."
Sputtering, he glared at his friend. "You wouldn't dare..."
Izzy smiled back. "Try me.." he said in a tone that almost dared his friend to think otherwise. "And just for something to think about Matt; try telling Kari, Yolei, Sora, and Mimi that you don't want any help despite what you appear to be going through and see what happens."
As Matt's eyes widened to a near impossible degree, Izzy took a small bit of satisfaction at what /that/ mental image was doing to Matt's bluster and let the matter drop.
Shaking off the mental image that popped into his head, Matt sipped the beer and leaned back sighing. "Well, /that's/ a pleasant thought Izzy.." he muttered before looking over. "Did you come by to torment me or was there another reason....wait a second..."
"Humm?"
Matt paused and looked over. "How the heck did you get in here anyway??"
At that Izzy laughed. "I was on my way up the stairs when I ran into your dad on his way back to the station from a late lunch. He let me in and I was about to leave a note for you when you got up but...."
"Oh..yea. Wait..late lunch? It's only around noon, right?"
"Try quarter of three."
Matt blinked once, then twice, as he shot up and grabbed his watch off the coffee table. "Man, how long was I asleep??"
"I would say since you and your dad got back here around seven this morning."
"Seven? But I was just on your balcony..."
"And you fell asleep there Matt. Most everyone left around the same time. Your mom found you when my mom opened the curtains and the last I saw of you was your dad carrying you down the stairs and to the car.."
Blushing as red as a stop sign, Matt glared over at his friend. "I didn't need to hear that thank you!"
Laughing, Izzy shrugged. "Oh well, if you didn't hear it from me you would have eventually seen the photo Kari took."
"Kari took a photo of my dad carrying me to the car??"
Izzy nodded, enjoying this /much/ more than he should for Matt's liking.
Giving up on having any 'coolness' left, Matt sat back down. "Any other wonderful news I should be aware of or do I need to go ahead and book my one way ticket to Alaska to live out the rest of my days?"
The sound of Izzy's laughter filled the room. "Maybe you should hold off on making those preparations Matt; at least until after the movie tonight!" and with a simple flourish he pulled two tickets from his shirt pocket.
Jerking around, Matt looked at Izzy, then at the tickets, then back to the young man.
"You got them?"
"Juuban MetroPlex. Third row, center. The exact spot for optimal acoustical enjoyment; based on a analysis of the all the theaters in the area and their speaker systems. I cross-referenced that versus the brand they use..."
"Never mind that Izzy! Do you know how hard these are to get??"
"As a matter of fact I do."
Nodding, Matt looked at the tickets again. "How much do I owe you?"
Izzy considered the alternatives. "Well. they cost me $20.00 each to get them so you can pay half or..."
Pausing as he started to reach for his wallet, Matt blinked. "Or..?"
"Tell me about the nightmare so I can help."
Matt fished out his wallet and slipped two tens into Izzy's hand without a word.
Resisting the urge to press deeper, Izzy pocketed the money and stood. As he did so, he handed both tickets to Matt prompting a confused look from the still sitting young man.
"Uhm...?"
"That's part of the other reason I stopped by. Yolei called my house a little while ago. Her comp-SCI class's final got moved to tomorrow instead of next Saturday since her professor's getting married."
Wincing in sympathy, Matt nodded. "So she called for some last minute tutoring? Can't say as I blame her. Yolei's good with computers, but I remember the fits that class gave you."
Making a face Izzy nodded. "Please don't remind me. Mr. Matsumoto is a genius but impossible to understand once he gets on theoretical computer applications."
"Didn't you make a 'C' on that part of his...?"
"It was a 'B' thank you very much!" miffed Izzy before he started laughing along with Matt. A few seconds later they composed themselves.
"So the tickets are in case you run late?"
"Exactly. Since the theater is in Juuban I might be running a few minutes behind, but I will be there before the movie starts. But if you have the tickets you can hold my place so there shouldn't be any problems. And in case I can't make it at all, you can at least go ahead."
"In case you can't make it? Izzy, aren't you same guy who said you wouldn't miss this if the world lost it's gravitational factor and you had to get to the theater with lead weights on?"
"Yes, I did. But there isn't a reason to have a contingency plan in place just in case."
"Well...okay. If you insist. Meet you there at eight?"
Grabbing the laptop he left by the door, Izzy nodded in agreement. "I'll be there by 8:30 at the latest. Don't sell my ticket.." he warned jokingly as the door opened.
"Don't tempt me. Oh..Izzy..?"
Halfway out the door he turned back. "Yea?"
"Thanks for..you know..being concerned."
Blinking, Izzy smiled softly and nodded. "Not a problem Matt. What are friends for? I'll see you later."
Tossing a hand up, Matt smiled as Izzy waved back and was gone, the door slowly creaking back into place. Walking over he locked it and set his drink down on a coaster, making sure to not get the tickets wet. Stretching, he made his way to the bathroom to take care of business but paused as a note on his bedroom door caught his attention.
'Son--I'm going to work and don't expect to be home until very late. Gabumon asked me to drop him at the abandoned lot just up the road; something about it being a good meeting place for the Digimon since it was so overgrown and not being developed yet. He says don't wait up for him since they might camp out. I left a few free pizza coupons on the table for dinner. Will see you tonight.--Dad'
Smiling, took the note down and went into the bathroom, setting the paper on the counter as he reached for his toothpaste and brush. Doing all the basics for good tooth care, Matt brushed for a few moments and leaned over to spit.
Finishing, he looked up into the mirror and his heart stopped.
The Face was behind him.
~~I told you I would devour you boy! And I shall when you least expect it!~~ snarled the voice from his nightmare, the threat echoing in his mind as the vision bore down upon him, trying to swallow him whole.
"NO! NOOOO!"
Shivering, Matt clutched his arms around his chest, eyes closed in mortal terror, as he awaited the moment when he would finally be consumed by the darkness.
It never came.
After a few moments of nothing, Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the empty bathroom. There was no sign of any presence other than himself; and as Matt slowly began to realize that perhaps there never was.
Shaking slightly, he grabbed the sides of the countertop to steady himself and fixated his gaze on his reflection in the mirror.
"Am I going crazy?" he whispered to his opposite image, but the duplicate held no answers.
Deep inside Matt, the Darkness simply smiled.
Although small in terms of sheer acreage, Juuban Community College boasted an impressive number of students. Like most two year institutions, JCC was designed to help both the student needing more time to prepare for the work load that four year institutions required and assisted in letting the student body get their core classes out of the way so upon transferring they could focus on whatever major they selected.
But, unlike most other colleges of its level, JCC invited retired professors from around the world to teach in the attempt to provide its students with a more diverse learning base.
And right now, one of those visiting professors sat at his desk and wondered what to do about a rather..unique..student he possessed at this point in time.
Lethbridge-Stewert stood and out of habit forced by more than 50 years serving in Her Majesty's service, tugged at the crisp white shirt to remove even the slightest wrinkle. Straightening his tie and slipping on the brown-checked sport jacket that had been resting on the back of his chair, the almost 75 year old former commander of a United Nations Intelligence Taskforce and current 'A' level math teacher, walked over the tile floor then up the carpeted steps to the top right corner of the auditorium that served as his lecture hall. His wrinkled face was neutral as he ascended the steps, brown eyes focused on his target. Running a hand to fix any potential loose threads of his snow white hair, the elder gentleman assumed a slightly authoritative tone not used for many years.
"Miss Mizuno..?"
There was no reply from the blue haired young woman as she slept quietly, her head resting on the desk.
Sighing, Lethbridge-Stewert deepened his voice and decided to get back to basics.
"Miss Mizuno! Ten-Hut!"
The sharp command, tinted by the heavy British accent, was enough to permeate the haze of sleep that surrounded Amy Mizuno's mind and the young woman jerked awake. In the process her papers scattered to the floor.
The young woman looked around, and even in the latter stages of waking, her instincts told her something was wrong. A quick glance at the now empty lecture hall confirmed those instincts; not to mention the clock on the wall showing the time to be MUCH later than she remembered it last saying.
"Did you have a nice nap, Miss Mizuno?"
Paling to a degree Lethbridge-Stewert would have thought would have been a symptom of massive blood loss, Amy looked at her professor with a face that shouted she was looking for a nice large rock to crawl under.
"I'm sorry Sir! I won't let it happen again! I promise!" she quickly shouted, much louder than planned. Embarrassed by her stupid mistake, Amy silently cursed herself as she leaned over and tried to gather her papers while avoiding eye contact with her professor.
Hesitantly at first, he put a reassuring hand on Amy's shoulder, shocking the young woman back to an upright position.
"Normally I would take someone to task over this kind of behavior Miss Mizuno, but perhaps if I knew /why/ you found my class so unchallenging then I could be persuaded to overlook it this time.."
Wincing slightly, Amy shook her head. "It's nothing you've done Sir. I just..dozed off. I won't let it happen again." she said firmly.
Noting how she somewhat sidestepped the request rather well, Lethbridge-Stewert tried a different route.
"Miss Mizuno..may I call you Amy?"
Blinking, Amy nodded as it was the first time she could recall him calling any of his students by their first name.
"Amy..what are you doing here?"
Pausing, she began to speak but was cut off.
"And by 'here' I mean this institution. I've read your file. You are one of the brightest students I have ever seen; never before have I saw such commendations from your previous teachers and principals."
Blushing, Amy nodded. "Thank you Sir. But..why I am here is something of a rather long story and I wouldn't want to..."
"While I appreciate the offer, if that reason is what is causing you to fall asleep in my class then I believe I should take the time to find out what it is. Don't you agree?"
Wincing internally at the tone, Amy nodded knowing that further discussion could not be avoided now.
Pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts, the young woman exhaled slightly and began to explain. "After I graduated from high school Sir, I was given the choice of scholarships to several medical colleges both here at home and overseas."
"So you want to be a doctor?"
"I do Sir. Ever since I was nine that's all I've ever wanted to be."
"That's very young to be so sure of something that important."
Smiling, Amy shook her head. "Actually Sir, looking back I wonder what took me so long to decided in the first place."
Nodding, he repressed a grin. "I see. So you received all of these scholarships, but...?"
"The problem was each place offered one advantage over the other. Each school was very proficient in a certain area that I wanted to learn, but if I chose any one school then I would have disadvantaged myself in my studies."
"Ah, I'm beginning to see the problem. But why a community college?"
"Well Sir, I talked to the admissions officers at some of the schools and most of them are implementing programs in the next one to two years that will be more like the ones at other schools.."
"And then you'll have a better idea of who can offer you the most for your education?"
"Exactly Sir. I can meet all my basic requirements here, and when I transfer I can take all the courses I need to get my medical degree. I've been told that my scholarships will still be valid so if I can wait for the better assortment of classes why not do so?"
"Well, that explains the 'why', but not the reason you fell asleep. Unless..." Lethbridge-Stewert paused and glanced down at a few of the papers and blinked at the sheer completeness of the assignments. Even with a casual look he could tell that several of the problems were worked out to steps the class wouldn't be covering for weeks; perhaps months.
"Your bored." came the sudden observation.
Sighing, Amy nodded ever-so slightly. "I'm sorry Sir. I try to make it interesting, but.." she trailed off, not sure what else to say that wouldn't offend her teacher.
"I see. How far ahead are you with the 'in-book' assignments from my syllabus?"
Amy paused and looked away. "Only a little Sir."
"How much is 'only a little..'? "
"I'm..done."
At that moment you could have knocked Lethbridge-Stewert over with a feather. "Done?" he ask incredulously.
Sheepishly, Amy nodded
Digesting this bit of information, he nodded. "And since the work is not challenging enough, you find yourself falling asleep because of whatever is keeping you from sleeping at night. Am I correct?"
Amy didn't reply. That was more of a statement than an question anyway.
Weighing if he should press further, Lethbridge-Stewert smiled to himself and asked when /didn't/ he press an issue. "Well, have you considered going to a doctor?"
Amy shook her head. "No Sir. I know there's nothing medically wrong. I'm just not sleeping. Besides, if I do need some medical advice, my mother is a doctor and I know several others."
Smiling wistfully, he nodded. "As do I. Splendid fellows..all of him..."
Blinking, Amy looked at her teacher as the syntax of that statement didn't sound quite right. "Sir?"
Eyebrows arching at realizing the fact that he reminisced a bit louder than he planned. "Nothing Miss Mizuno. Suffice it to say that I better understand what you're going through now..." pausing for a moment, he gathered his thoughts. Nodding as one in particular seemed to make perfect sense, he turned his full gaze on his student "..but since I can't have you dozing off from being bored, the only thing to do is to make sure you stay challenged."
Taking a deep breath, Amy steadied herself for whatever was to come next.
"Starting on Monday Miss Mizuno, you will be my student assistant. You will grade half of the homework assignments for me every night, not to mention helping create lesson plans. Of course, since you've completed most of the requirements for my syllabus I will search for an alternative textbook for you to use for your personal homework. I believe Ms. Elizabeth Shaw has written a good text on theoretical mathematics which may be closer to your level. Will that prove enough of a challenge?"
Sitting there in shock, Amy slowly started to smile. "Yes Sir. Thank you!" as she, in a momentary lack of protocol, stood and gave her teacher a grateful hug before pulling away blushing.
Chuckling softly, he pulled back actually tinted ever so slightly. "Ah..well..by the clock I see it's nearly sixteen-thirty. I'm sure that it being a Friday night you have plans you will want to attend to?"
At that, Amy looked down. "Not really Sir. I was going to go to the library and work on my English paper that's due in a few months but other than that..."
Blinking, Lethbridge-Stewert considered this for a moment then smiled. "Oh? They why does it appear that young lady with the strange looking hairstyle has been trying to get your attention for the past several minutes by jumping up and down outside the lower window?"
As a pair, both teacher and student turned and looked directly at the blond haired young woman in the pink top and white shorts.
Lethbridge-Stewert simply nodded a neutral 'hello'.
Amy fixated her best friend with a glare that could met ice at 20 paces.
Blinking and feeling very, very sheepish, Serena waved a little wave and faster than most would have thought possible disappeared from the window leaving an amused professor and embarrassed Amy.
"I take it she's a friend?"
"On most days Sir yes. Days like this I am still debating on that subject."
Standing, he nodded and walked back down to his desk. "I have had days, and friends, such as that Miss Muzino. I think you will find the good outweighs the bad."
Smiling, Amy gathered her belongings and walked over to the door and had just opened it before her teacher's voice caught her attention one last time.
"I hope you have a good weekend Miss Mizuno and that you are..well rested..for Monday."
Nodding at the not-so-slightly subtle hint, Amy smiled. "I will Sir. Thank you!" and with a polite wave she left the lecture hall and slipped into the bright evening sunshine leaving a smiling Lethbridge-Stewert to gather his own belongings.
Putting everything in place, he closed his briefcase and locked it and ascended back up the steps and across the faculty parking lot to his car. Pausing at a corner, he stared at a telephone booth for a long moment as another wistful smile eased across his lips. As the final car passed, the elder gentleman broke out of his reprieve and walked to his car for the drive home.
Her sky blue dress fluttering in the wind, Amy gently scampered across the road that separated the campus from the surrounding homes and began the walk home when an all-too familiar shadow fell over her.
"Uhm..am I dead Amy?"
Grinning ever so slightly the young woman glanced over her shoulder. "Not this time Serena, but please don't do that again. It was somewhat embarrassing to have a well-respected teacher see my best friend jumping up and down like..."
"Like someone who just got tickets to the hottest movie in town?" Serena suggested as a possible answer, grinning evilly as she did so.
Stumbling slightly, Amy looked over at her friend with eyes wide. "You..got them??.."
"Yep! Andrew sent them to my house and they arrived today when I was home for lunch!"
Amy was torn between remaining composed or jumping for joy (in a dignified manner of course) and simply settled for giving Serena a hug. "That's great Serena! How much do I owe you?"
"That's the best part Ames!" giggled the younger woman as she used Amy's old nickname. "They were free!"
"Free? But they were going for almost twenty dollars apiece!"
"That's right, but Andrew said that since I had put so many quarters into his old arcade that I should get some return on my investment.."
Laughing softly, Amy nodded. "Well, I'm not sure what to say but thanks! What time is it for?"
Pausing, Serena mentally scanned the tickets. "I think it was for the nine o'clock show."
Amy sighed. "I was hoping for an earlier show but still..."
"Why not Amy? This way we'll have a nice night and by the time you get home you'll be nice and tired so you can get some sleep finally and..."
Serena's voice trailed off as Amy's soft gaze turned a bit harder.
Sighing, Amy looked at her friend. "How did you know Serena..?"
Kicking herself mentally for doing the exact thing she didn't want to do, Serena shrugged and looked at her friend sheepishly. "Uhm..a little cat told me?"
Resisting the urge to sigh louder, Amy gave up ever trying to keep any secrets. "Which one...?" she tiredly asked.
"Does it matter?"
Shaking her head, Amy sat down on a bus stop bench. "Not really. I guess I should ask 'how' they found out though."
"Kinda hard to miss at four in the morning when your sitting at the window looking like you've lost your best friend."
"So now I suppose your going to ask me if I want to talk about it, and how you can help right?"
Placing her hand on her hips, Serena's face took on a /rare/ sign of annoyance. "Nope. I figured you'd come to me or Rei or someone when your ready to talk."
Feeling like a total heel, Amy looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry Serena. I should have told you but..."
"It's something you would like to work out on your own, right?"
Blinking at the sudden insight Serena found, Amy simply nodded. "If I could.."
Serena nodded and Amy suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a powerful hug and eventually felt a lot better about the whole conversation.
"When you're ready to talk Amy, we'll all be there. No matter what."
Smiling, Amy nodded. "Thanks Serena."
Grinning, the blond nodded just as her watch alarm went off startling both young ladies.
"Important study session?" ventured Amy.
"Nope. Lasagna night! Don't wanna be late! Hey..why don't you come over and we'll go together to the theater?"
Shaking her head, Amy laughed. "I wish I could Serena but I need to do a few things before we hit the theater. See you there about eight thirty?"
"You got it Amy! See you then!" and with another quick hug the blond was off down the street, her two long ponytails whipping in the wind as she turned a corner and disappeared from sight.
Slowly the smile faded as Amy started her walk home again, her mind running through random thoughts as the shadows began to get longer as day slowly transformed into evening.
**Things to do like take a nap or I'll be out like a light halfway through the movie. At least the professor wasn't too upset with me at dozing off in his class. And he gave me that great assistant position so that should help keep me occupied.**
**Occupied enough to not think about what's really bothering you humm?**
Amy frowned as that little voice of her conscience piped up again, much like it had been doing over the past several days.
**I'm just...**
**Lonely?**
**BORED.** Amy mentally shot back.
Choosing to not respond, Amy's inner voice was quiet the rest of the walk home as it's point had been made.
Finally reaching her house, Amy made her way inside and locked the door. Pausing, she debated between getting a light snack or just going straight to the couch for the nap. Deciding she could always eat later, Amy gently sat her stuff down in a corner and set the alarm on her own watch for seven o'clock.
Within a few minutes was out like a light dreaming of a nice, quite /normal/ evening with her friend.
Fate, however, had other plans for Miss Amy Mizuno and Mr. Matt Ishida.
As both would all-too-soon find out.
(To be continued...)
Authors Notes:
1) Yes, the Brigadier is who your thinking it is. For those of you who don't know, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewert is from the incredible British Sci-FI show Doctor Who. In one of his last appearances in the show, the Brig was a math professor at a private university (episode Maudwryn Undead from Peter Davidson's era as the Doctor) and it seemed that he could easily been a touring professor so I though I would use him here. His joke 'Splendid fellows..all of him..' was a joke about his knowing the Doctor through several incarnations as his stint as Brigadier.
2) 'The Movie' is just that..'The Movie'. I haven't decided what it will be but when I do I might run a contest to see who can guess what popular Japanese or American (or both!) animated show I'm referring too. The first person who says so in their review could win a short story done by me based on any of their favorite characters or situations. Keep an eye open for possible hints!
3) One favor if I could ask? IF you've figured out already who Amy is, please don't say in your review if you leave one. I want it to be as much a surprise as possible. THANKS!! F_M
