The next morning and Darcy was the first to wake. She was aware of something pressed against her back. 'Bloom...' she thought tiredly. Her eyes wandered to her boarded up window, and a small sliver of sunlight that glimered through, indicating morning.

Darcy groaned lightly, before she litteraly fell out of bed. The resulting thud woke Bloom. "Darcy?" She slurred, still waking up.

Darcy popped up from the floor, a bit too chipper for this hour of the day. "I'm fine. I'll be downstairs." She left the room quickly before Bloom saw her blush.

It took a few minutes for Bloom to get up before she met the two of them in the kitchen. Icy looked at Bloom with a look of half concern and half happiness. "How are you this morning?"

Bloom yawned. "Tired... but I'm okay." She smiled. "Thanks for letting me stay the night."

Darcy nodded, stirring a bright red drink that Bloom could only assume was blood. "We have some more training to do. We don't have much to eat here, so feel free to go get breakfast." Darcy began to drink and Bloom had to look away. Even after 2 weeks she still was not comfortable watching Darcy drink blood. She quickly left the house in search of her own food.

`-`-`-`-`-`-ANOTHER 2 WEEKS LATER`-`-`-`-`-

"Hey, Icy, shouldn't Stormy be back by now?" Darcy asked the demoness. The two were sitting in Icy's room, sorting through some old books Icy brought out of storage to give to Bloom. By this point in her training, Bloom could use her powers quite avidly. She practically lived in the house after the fight with her parents. Bloom was currently out of the house, using the time her parents weren't home to get some of her things.

"She should be back today. You know she always comes back on time." Icy said, flipping through a particularly dusty book. Just then they heard a noise downstairs. The two ran to the balcony to see Stormy standing in the main room, looking up at them.

"I come back and you guys look at me like I'm a serial killer? Get down here!" Stormy smiled, covered in one month's worth of filth. The two jumped down from the balcony and greeted their dirt covered friend.

"We have the best news!" Icy smiled, pulling away from Stormy.

"I want to take a shower first, so tell me after I'm clean?" The two nodded and Stormy left to take a shower. Darcy and Icy returned upstairs to continue sorting.

It wasn't long before Bloom came back with a duffel bag under her arm. "I'm back guys!" Bloom called.

Darcy came out on the balcony and jumped down to meet her. "Parents weren't there?" Darcy asked as they walked to Blooms room, which was the one she first used when she stayed over. Just as she threw the bag in on the bed, Stormy came out in a towel from her shower. Her eyes quickly met Bloom, and scowled.

"Who is this?" She demanded, walking over to her with angry eyes.

"I... I'm Bloom." She said, taken by Stormy's direct nature and her naked state.

"This is Bloom. She's the big news! She has the Dragonfire! She can free us!"

Stormy walked over to Bloom and sniffed curiously before scoffing and turning away. "Who said I ever wanted to be free?" She sneered to the other two.

Icy and Darcy looked at eachother, then Darcy turned to Bloom. "Can you take care of this list of errands? It won't take you too long." Darcy said, handing Bloom a list. Bloom nodded, and left.

When the door shut, Icy began. "We've gone over this time and time again, Stormy."

"Yeah, well there's been a change of plans." Stormy snapped back. Darcy and Icy crossed their arms, waiting for an explanation. "The members of my pack have filed with the elders for me to own this space. If we're allowed freedom, if I'm allowed freedom, the news will spread to wolves of surrounding territories. That means that others will challenge me for this area for rule!"

"You can take them, we know you're strong enough." Icy said a bit hopefully.

"You don't know anything about it!" The two were taken back. "You don't know anything about how strong I am, you think I'm this, all powerful wolf but I'm not! I can't take on the wolves out there! There are big city wolves that would challenge me for this space, and I'm barely the strongest out of these country wolves!" Stormy bellowed. At this, the towel that was once covering her form fell to the floor with a silent thud. Icy sighed and went upstairs to get her some clothes.

Bloom looked at the list, and saw that it said for her to come back inside in 2 minutes. Bloom shrugged and waited inside her truck for a couple minutes, before walking back towards the door.

"Why can't you understand I need this? Your conceited vampire pride blinds you to what I need as a wolf!" Stormy pointed angrily.

Darcy sighed. "I know that as the head of a pack as big as yours you need your own land to secure the packs feelings of you as a leader. Don't bring the fact that I'm a vampire into this." The two were only focused on eachother, and did not notice Bloom sneak in and hide out of sight in the dorway.

"Bullshit! Like I'm going to keep that out, this is why we're having this fight in the first place! I don't care if you want to be free, I want to stay here!" Stormy roared.

"And I don't care that you want to stay a prisoner here and rule this land! Icy and I want to go out, and be free! You are so afraid of loosing the respect of your pack that you're willing to keep your sisters away from the freedom we've so justly waited for!" Darcy snapped back.

"Thats it, I don't have to deal with you! I'm going to prove my power once again to you, like I did back then..." Stormy growled. Bloom watched from the entryway as Stormy began to change. Her curly purple hair sucked into her head somewhat and it covered her naked body as it grew. Her legs cracked and bent at odd angles, while her upper half became muscular and more rigid. She grew in height as well, topping off at about 6.7 feet with a mighty howl.

At that, Icy burst foreward from Stormys bedroom, and watched over the railing as wolf-Stormy cornered in on Darcy. Stormy lashed a claw at Darcy with a snarl. She spun to dodge, but not before Stormy's claw tore the back of Darcy's shirt off, giving clear view to four slanted clawmark scars on her back.

"You keep... forgetting... how poweful I am... to you!" Stormy charged at Darcy, who dodged again just as she slammed into a chair. Howling, she charged over and over, with Darcy dodging each time.

Bloom looked on in horror. 'This is Stormy? This is a werewolf! What are those marks on Darcy's back? Whats happening?' she frantically thought.

Meanwhile, Icy watched the scene from above in horror when something cought her eye. Somewhat hidden by the moth-eaten coats that hung on the wall was a familliar bright red head of hair. "Bloom..." She murmured so softly she almost didn't hear herself. She looked back to the fight, where Stormy was out of furniture to destroy, and had Darcy cornered.

A low growl came from Icy's throat. "Empectum Varceptra!" She cried, casting her hands out. A light blue glow harnesed Darcy and wolf-Stormy for a moment, before they both fell out cold onto the ground; Stormy changing back into a human just after she fell.

Icy floated down from the balcony, and landed next to them, making sure neither was bleeding. Once she was sure of that, she walked over to where Bloom had unconciously walked out when the two fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, while her mouth was slightly agape.

"Bloom, sweetie, are you okay?" She watched Blooms eyes tremble like the rest of her body. "Sweetie? Say something, please." Icy grabbed her shoulders gently.

Finnaly, her eyes focused on Icy at last, and she began to cry. Icy quickly held her. "Okay honey. Okay." She held her tight, feeling her tremble. She easily floated them upstairs to her bedroom, where she held Bloom as she sat down on the bed.

"Th-They were..." Bloom started.

"I know. They'll be okay." She pulled Bloom off her long enough to look in her eyes. "You're scared. I can tell that right now. You need to calm down sweetie." She stroked her hair.

Bloom scowled. "Y-you just want me to calm down so I won't blow this place sky high!" She said.

"No, no. I want to know you'll be okay so I can take care of those two and we can sort this whole mess out, okay?" Icy gently stroked her cheek.

Bloom looked up with red eyes, hiccuped, then nodded. "Okay. You stay right here, I'll be back in a minute." Icy said, stroking her hair. Bloom nodded again as Icy left.

Outside, Icy picked up Stormy first, and brought her upstairs into her bedroom. She did the same with Darcy. But when she pushed the covers up to her chin, Darcy stirred. "Bloom... is she..."

"Shh. Yes. She's fine, I'm taking care of her. Come over when you feel up to it." Icy calmed her before she shut her eyes. Icy left the room and went back to her own.

Upon entering, she shut the door and sat next to Bloom on the bed, who was hugging one of Icy's pillows to her chest. "You have questions, I'm sure. Go ahead and ask." Icy said, looking blankly at the ground.

Bloom thought for a while. Sure she was curious about werewolves, since Icy and Darcy had told her about Demons and Vampires respectively. But something else piqued her curiosity. "Stormy said... that she had proved her power to Darcy before. Wh...what happend that time?"

Icy took in a deep breath, recalling the events of that time.

FLASHBACK

Darcy smirked to Stormy as she flung a large armchair aside. "What did you say?" Stormy snarled, getting railed up.

"I just said I don't think you're strong enough to lead a pack of your own." She shrugged and smirked. "Thats all."

"Darcy quit teasing her!" Icy said as she heard Darcy's sarcastic response.

"Don't stand up for me!" Stormy shouted to Icy, who did not respond in any manner, but kept working on a potion in the kitchen. This was a typical retort from Stormy. "I'm going to prove my power to you, one hair at a time!" She roared and transformed into her wolf form, making Darcy's eyes go wide. This was the first time she'd ever seen Stormy in her wolf form.

Icy turned and saw Stormy rearing to strike. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Icy grabbed Darcy and turned her around to try and get her out of Stormy's reach. She underestimated the length of Stormy's claws, and could not stop her as her claws bored into Darcy's back.

Stormy transformed back into a human. "And you'll do damn right to remember that!" Stormy shouted, before heading upstairs.

END FLASHBACK

"That's how Darcy has those scars on her back. She's been careful not to show you because she didn't want you to worry about Stormy." Icy said calmly.

Bloom had released Icys pillow, and now played with the corner as it rested on her lap. "Darcy still cares for Stormy." Icy continued. "She and I hoped that Stormy would be more apt for freedom. With this new installment, it may not be so easy for her to go along with us until the wolf council decides wether or not to grant Stormy ownership over this land."

Just then the door creaked open, and Stormy was leaning against the doorframe. "It could take a few weeks before that's decided." She said as though Bloom was not there.

"Alright then, let us know what the council decides when you hear." Icy said flatly.

Stormy nodded and walked over to them, and kneeled in front of Bloom, and looked up at her tear-stained face. "She dosen't look like she could keep the Dragonfire." Bloom swallowed. Stormy met her eyes for a minute, conveying no bad intentions. She pulled the pillow off Blooms arms and grabbed them in her hands. She looked solemnly, then moved her gaze down to her palms, where she held Bloom's soft and relaxed hands open. Stormy was then silent for a while as her eyes looked over the lines on her palms. "Your hands don't lie. You do possess the Dragonfire." Stormy released her hands and stood, Icy watching her every move. "I don't know exctly when I'll hear from the council, but I will be sure to tell you as soon as I do." Stormy left just as Darcy was comming in.

Darcy did not meet Stormy's eyes as she passed, but continued foreward with a small smile. "Hey sweetie." She crouched in front of her as Stormy had moments ago. "How are you doing?" She asked, holding her hands.

"I-I'm okay." She said softly. Darcy frowned a little and stood to embrace her. Over Blooms shoulder, Icy nodded, and Dacry did too. "Lets go unpack your bag huh?" Darcy said, pulling Bloom to her feet. Bloom stood shakily and nodded before walking behind Darcy.

When they got to her room downstairs, Bloom spoke. "Icy told me... about what happened... about your scars."

Darcy sighed. "I should have told you, I realize that. But I had my reasons for keeping things secret from you."

"I... I haven't told you some things either." Darcy looked at Bloom, who was looking vacantly at the floor. She sighed and walked over to her, and put her arms over Blooms shoulders in a light embrace. Bloom moved her arms to Darcy's sides and rested her head on Darcy's shoulder. "I don't... Things... between you and your sisters... they're... they're more tense then you've been showing me." Bloom said.

Darcy sighed. "Before you came, they were." she admitted. "Icy and I fought constantly, about whatever little issue we could find. When Stormy was home, things got worse. Much worse." She paused and pressed her nose into Blooms hair. "The scars on my back... Stormy did that just after I fought with Icy about coming home a bit late."

Bloom was silent and breathed in Darcy's scent. She knew how intimate this contact was, she didn't care. It felt good. "Do you... Are you still angry at eachother?"

Darcy shook her head. "No. The reason we were agressive with eachother was because we didn't know how long we had to be stuck with eachother, but we knew we had to. Since you came, Icy's been nice, and when you aren't around, we were getting along with eachother."

Bloom was quiet again. "So the only thing that's keeping you from killing eachother... is me? That I'll free you?" Now it was Darcy's turn to be silent. Darcy knew this was true, but she didn't want to admit it. Bloom pulled away from Darcy's light arms. "You guys are sisters. I know you all have been together longer than most people have been alive, but you're still sisters at the end of the day." Bloom paused, and watched Darcy as she looked at the floor. "I have never had a sister, or a brother, but I know that sisters shouldn't be at eachothers throats, only to stop when someone comes along that can end their pain." Bloom's voice steadily rose.

"I know!" Darcy unintentionally snapped, then sighed. "I know." She said softer. "I realize that. And you are right, we've been living together longer than people's lifespans. Put yourself in my shoes. You have two other sisters for company, and no one else. Nobody comes to visit, nobody to talk to outside the house. The only hideaway for one is her books. The other sister has a small group of others like her that she spends months at a time with. Me? I'm left with gallons of frozen blood in the freezer downstairs, and nobody to talk to... Nothing to distract me." Tears stung at her eyes, and she fought to keep them from falling. "Then, a girl comes into the house, and tries to shoot me with her cell phone." she laughed lightly as a few traiterous tears streaked down her face. "Then I find out shes the one who can get us out, and into the world." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I don't want to be free to get me away from my sisters. No, I still love them deep inside." More tears fell. "But to meet other people... To see the world, how it has changed since we settled here... The prospect has made Icy and I happy... Please Bloom, don't take Icy's and my happiness the wrong way."

Bloom just looked at Darcy as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She knew Darcy meant well toward her sisters, but what she was saying seemed a bit heartless. 'And what was that about me being her distraction? Is that supposed to mean something?' She mused. "I understand." She said. "I'll help you, no matter what." She smiled to Darcy.

Darcy looked up, tears streaking down from hopeful eyes, and hugged her again. "Thank you so much, I'm glad you understand." She smiled widely. Bloom smiled too, and returned the embrace.

"Inmate 123294, Brandon Esmel, come foreward." The officer at the window called.

He stood, complete in his bright orange prison jumpsuit, and holding a bag of his possesions.

"You get to go free today. Try to stay out of here, alright?" The officer joked as he cut the wristband off Brandons wrist. The same one he'd been given on day one at the prison, acting like an ID.

Brandon smirked. "Can't make any promises, but I'll try officer." With that, Brandon left the prison with only one thing on his mind: Revenge.

Brandon walked to his house, where he was met with a warm welcome home by his single father and Chocolate lab Aaron. "Good to see you again son!" His father smiled, embracing him.

"Good to see you too pop." They released and he crouched down to pet the dog.

"Is it done?" His father asked solemnly.

Brandon looked up at him, then frowned. "No. Cops got to me before I could stop her."

"You know where she is now, right?" His father snapped. Brandon shook his head and backed up a bit. "She's with THEM. If we let them escape, the world will be corrupted with those... creatures! Kill her. Keep everyone safe." He said.

Brandon stood and nodded. His father walked towards the basement stairs, and Brandon followed him down.

The basement was a small, concrete area, with only a few small windows at the very top to let in natural light. Brandon turned on the one yellowed lightbulb so they could see.

The walls and floors were lined with guns, knives, and ammo.

That night went like any other, though with Stormy at the dinner table it was a bit awkward. Icy and Darcy didn't want to talk to her, as they didn't want to offend her somehow and make her mad. Bloom was still a bit unsure of her, so she did her best to keep her distance.

The night's menu had been the usual for them. Icy had a salad that Bloom had picked up for her, along with her own sandwich and soda. Darcy was drinking blood out of a glass that wasn't see through, to Bloom's relief. Stormy had gone into the basement freezer and was eating 2 several thawed raw steaks, accompanied by a glass of water.

Dinner finished without much noise, and Icy and Darcy went up to Icy's room to discuss some things in private. Stormy went out into the back yard, wich was only about 10 feet away from the edge of the thick woods. As the sun began to set, Bloom decided to press her luck and joined Stormy outside.

"Do you mind if I keep you company out here?" She asked when Stormy saw her coming around the side of the house.

"I guess not." Stormy shrugged, and Bloom joined her on the grass. The two sat in silence for what felt like ages, but was only a few minutes. "What do you want?" Stormy asked.

Bloom turned to look at her. "Oh, I just... I guess I was just curious about you. Icy and Darcy didn't talk about you too much, they just said that you liked spending time with your pack." Bloom admitted.

Stormy sighed. "Why are you curious about me? Once your purpose is fulfilled here you're just going to go back to your old life of high school and whatever else you did."

Bloom shook her head and smirked. "No way. With all that Icy and Darcy have tought me about these powers, I don't think I could ever go back to my old life."

"They didn't tell you then." Bloom blinked and looked to Stormy. "When you free us... if you free us... the Dragonfire will mostly leave you. You'll probably have enough to do stupid little things like stir your couffee or turn a page in a book." Stormy looked at her. "I can't believe they didn't tell you that."

Bloom looked down. "Well... I'll still remember you all, right? I mean, you are all really amazing people..."

Stormy sighed again and fell back onto the grass. "Probably. Why do you think we're all amazing? Because of our powers?" Stormy quipped.

Bloom shook her head and hugged her knees to her chest. "No. I guess it's because, even though you all probably couldn't be more different, you are all still sisters, and somewhere inside you all still love eachother. You've been together for a long time, and I'd probably flip out if I had to live with my best friends as long as you have. The fact that you're all alive and not trying to kill eachother daily is amazing." Then she smiled. "And your powers are pretty cool too."

Stormy looked over to her. "I've got something to ask you." She said, looking up at the sky. "With all that you've seen me do, you still come out here to talk with me by yourself. Why?"

"When I saw you fighting Darcy earlier, I knew that if you truley hated me, and really didn't want me around, you would have killed me when you had the chance. I didn't think you would if I went out and talked to you." She smiled lightly, before lying down on the grass and watching the sun set.

Stormy was quiet for a minute, then she spoke. "Come on, I want to show you something." Stormy got up easily. Bloom staggered to her feet, and followed her back inside.

They went upstairs to her room, and Stormy went to the closet, leaving Bloom to identfy the space. A single matress with no sheets on it had several springs sticking out under a crumpled up blanket and pillow. The walls were strewn with clawmarks, as was the rest of the furniture, which consisted of a bookcase, and a vanity with a shattered mirror. A closet door was on the other side, also with several clawmarks on it.

"Here." Stormy emerged with a large dusty book in her armms. "This used to be my diary. I haven't even shared this with the others, but I think you need to know this." She set the book on her bed, and the two kneeled in front of it. Stormy began to flip through the pages. "I'm showing you this because I heard about what happened to you when you first came here. Some Brandon guy kicked the snot out of you, right?" Bloom nodded. "One of my pack told me. A doctor in town I guess. Anyway, I have reason to believe that this Brandon guy might be the son of this guy, Carsile Esmel." She stopped at a page and pointed to a drawing of a man. He looked to be in his late 30's, with light colored hair and a goatee, wearing traditional attire for the time it was drawn in.

"That's Brandon's dad!" Bloom exclaimed.

Stormy nodded. "Thought so. Grab the other two, I want them knowing what I'm telling you." Bloom did as she was told, and quickly got the other two.

"What is it Stormy?" Icy said, before she saw the large book open on the bed.

"It's my diary, not one of your spellbooks. You two know this story, but I want you to hear what I have to say." Stormy looked to Bloom. "When Icy, Darcy and I first settled here, we were not alone. There was a man who shared the house, and occupied the same bedroom that you do."

"He was my boyfried." Icy admitted.

Stormy nodded. "Yes, and he lived with us and helped us build this house. Darcy and I didn't much like him, we thought something was weird about him.

"And we were right." Darcy murmured.

"Yes. Icy told him that we weren't exactly normal. That day he told us he was an Arch-Bishop, one sent from England to keep us on the right paths. When he was informend of our abilities, he imprisoned us all to a certain area, the area that equates to about 1/4 of the city. He said he did not wanting our "illnesses" to infect the town." Stormy paused. "That man is this guy right here. You know him as the Father of who I assume is now your ex."

Bloom thought for a long moment about this. "Okay. So what does this have to do with Brandon beating me up a while ago?"

"You remember his excuse, right? That you'd cought him cheating on someone, and that you yourself were cheating on someone, is that right?" Icy recalled. Bloom nodded.

"That was not the case at all." Darcy turned to her sisters. "His father must have found out by one of her friends that she'd come here."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Bloom said. "Why is his father still part of this? How is the guy even alive?"

"I guess I skipped that part." Stormy shrugged. "When he put the curse on us, he used a hidden power he did not know he possesed. When he used such a large ammount of it so suddenly, he kinda... glitched I guess."

"Thats a good word for it. See, he wasn't ready to die when his powers ran dry, so he gained immortality, and lost his powers." Darcy said.

"Okay. So what does Brandon's dad want with you anyway?" Bloom asked.

"He found out about the Dragonfire around the same time we did, so since then it has been a race to see who could get to it first. He had a son, that he sent out to find you, and make sure you never entered this house." Stormy said.

"And when he found out that I came here, he sent his kid to kill me the next morning." Bloom connected. The others nodded.

"Now he's determined to kill you. He can't kill us, we're immortal as he is. If he kills you, we will never leave." Darcy said a bit somberly.

"How are we supposed to stop him if he's immortal?" Bloom asked.

"We've figured out some things about our own immortality over time, and have devised ways to destroy him." Darcy said.

Icy's turn to talk. "I found a spell that can remove someone's immortaility. We haven't been able to use it on him because his house is just outside of where we can go. We've figured out that to kill him, we need to lure him in here, and get him inside a circle, much like the one I put you in when you got here. Thing is, he won't come here willingly."

"Brandon." Icy raised an eyebrow. "He's super proud of Brandon, always saying he has such a big future ahead of him. He'd never let him be left in here for too long." Bloom paused and thought. "He's probably been released from prison by now, maybe I should text him and tell him to meet me here." Just then the door slammed open. Bloom was about to scream, but Darcy was quick to cover her mouth.

"Bloom? It's me Brandon. I'm sorry about what happened a month ago, can we talk? I know you're here, I saw your truck out front." Just then, they heard the distinct clacking of a gun braced to fire.

"Visorus..." Icy mouthed. She shut her eyes, and saw Brandon on the first floor. He had on a bright blue polo shirt with khaki shorts and flip flops. On his back were two guns, and a black leather belt around his waist held several knives. In his hands was an AK-47, locked and loaded. Icy stopped the vision, and nodded, confirming their fears.

Stormy raised an eyebrow to her, asking if she could go wolf without speaking. Icy shook her head, and held 1 finger in front of her, then pointed to Bloom. Bloom gulped. 'He'll kill me!' she thought frantically.

As though she read her mind, Icy shook her head, and mouthed "Play dumb." Bloom got it, nodded, and went outside.

"Brandon! My god, you scared me." She said, coming out to the balcony.

"Don't play dumb I know what you've been told." Brandon said, clutching the gun.

"Been... told?" Acting class was so paying off, "I don't know what you mean."

"The others! Where are they! The wolf, the bloodsucker, the witch!" He shouted.

"Calm down! I don't know what you've heard, but there is nothing living here besides me. Maybe a few moths and vermin." she added.

"Liar!" he pointed the gun at her.

"Brandon! Don't, please, I swear I don't know anything!" She shrieked. "I don't care that you cheated on me, thats okay, really, I don't care. I just... I don't think we should see eachother now, what with you getting out of prison and all... But we can still be friends!" She said.

"Cut. The. CRAP!" Just as he fired, Darcy jumped out of Stormy's room and took Bloom down to the ground while only getting grazed by the bullet. "I knew you were lying!" Brandon smiled.

"Good for you. Wanna cookie?" He looked over to the other side of the balcony, where Stormy sat, fully werewolf, on the railing and smiling down on Brendan. Brendan aimed and just as he was about to shoot, a blue aura surrounded his gun as it floated out of his hands.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Icy said, holding the gun. "I don't think a toy like this is fit for a kid as insane as you." She smiled. She quickly removed all of his other weapons as he reached for them. "Stormy, restrain him! Keep him alive, we need him for bait."

"You're hurt!" Bloom said, looking at Darcy's arm. "Don't worry about it. I can't die, I'll be fine."

A few minutes later, and Bloom had bandaged Darcy's arm, while Icy and Stormy tied up Brendan, and was glad to see he had his cellphone on him. "Bloom!" Icy called. Brandon was sitting in a small, empty closet, bound to a chair by a metal bar that Stormy bent with her wolf-strength. His mouth was covered with duct tape, keeping him kind of quiet.

Bloom scurried over from her seat next to Darcy on the couch. "What is it Icy?" Bloom asked.

"Take this thing. He should have his dad's number right? Find it, text him and tell him we have Brandon, and that if he wants him back alive he has to come here alone at midnight." Bloom nodded, having managed to keep up with Icy's demands on the text pad.

Bloom shut the phone. "Sent." She smiled.

"Good. We've got work to do."

He was not happy when he got the text from his son's phone. He threw his phone on the ground, where it shattered into pieces. Carsile let out an angry cry before descending the basement steps and gearing up.

He took anything that was left that he could carry. Three 15 inch short swords were strapped to his chest under his light blue collared working shirt. Accross his chest was an "X" of ammo, hooked into one of 4 guns: an automatic, a shotgun, an uzi, and the other AK-47. He threw 3 belts of throwing knives on his pant leg, and he was nothing short of a well oiled killing machine.

11:55, things were almost done. They moved Brandon right into the center foyer, and had carefully made a circle with salt, so he would not see it. They doused all the lights in the room, removed the furniture, and put black and red candles on any pedestals they could find. In the center of the salt circle was Brandon, head down, still bound to the chair by the bent metal. At the top of the circle was a burnt match. Deasil from the match was a piece of torn white cloth, then a small pile of sand, and followed by a drop of water on some wax paper. The circle was ready for the ritual. All four of them wore black robes that went to the floor with large hoods and golden rope belts, much like the ones Bloom saw in the dream she had a month ago. Around their foreheads were silver tiara-like headbands, Icys had a blue gewel, Stormys had a green one, Darcy had a yellow one and Bloom had a red one. They were ready. They knew what had to be done, all that was left to do was to wait for... The door opened and shut. He was here.

"Brandon!" Carsile called out. He ran to his son and tried to out bend the pipe. When that failed, he pulled the duct tape off his squirming son's mouth. "It's a trap!" He shouted. It was too late. Icy had run in behind him and closed the circle, and with her magic lit the candles.

"Stormy! Go!" Stormy jumped from the balcony and held Carsile down as best she could, while Darcy, Bloom and Icy began a mystic chant. Carsile struggled for a few moments before he saw the salt circle begin to glow green. It was then that he shoved Stormy off and began to shoot around the candle-lit room wildly at anything. Bloom and Darcy had to stop, while Icy kept herself safe with a shield.

"We have to keep him in the circle!" Darcy said, running over to Bloom.

"What do we do? We can't break the circle, it will destroy the rutual!" Bloom was frantic. Darcy ran to the corner of the room, where two of the guns Brandon had brought with him were loaded and ready to go. The two began to run around the circle, unintentionally blowing out some of the candles with their robes as they moved. They began to fire at Carsile, while Stormy tried to get the rest of the guns off of him and throw them out of the circle.

By now most of the candles were out, and the only way Carsile could tell were they were was by the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional flash of lightning from the midnight storm. Throughout this, Icy's chant kept making the circle glow brighter and brighter, and gradually the pentagram she'd drawn in began to glow green too. Brandon was panicking, and was unable to do anything.

It was Bloom's shot that killed Brandon though. She got him straight through the head while she'd been running around. It was inevitable to them all that he would die this night as well, so nobody stopped anything. Carsile's gun had grazed Darcy several times, but he had yet to hit Bloom. He had been hit his fair share of times, but he was immortal and it had no effect.

"Wench! Die!" He pulled his hidden weapon from the back of his leg: a grenade. He yanked the pin out and threw it up in the air, where it detonated, taking the roof of the building with it and exposing them all to the thunderstorm. The other three began to chime in with the chant, and the circle began to glow white. He dropped his gun and let out a pain filled cry, where a beam of white light erupted from his mouth and eyes, straight into the stormy skies above. Slowly white dots began to appear on his skin, and continued to form everywhere until he was covered. The light erupted straight up into the sky, and Carsile was gone. It his place was a pile of ashes, and the 3 short swords that had been against his chest.

Icy fell to the wet floorboards of the house, exhausted. Stormy fell as well, blood dripping onto the wet ground from where she'd been shot. Darcy stopped shooting, but she let her feet carry her a few more tired running steps before she fell to the ground. Bloom dropped the gun, and she too fell to the floor with exhaustion.

Then, Bloom began to laugh. Then Darcy began to cackle to herself. Stormy let out a loud roaring laugh, and Icy began to chuckle. They all lie on the wet floorboards of the house, staring up at the rainy sky as lightning crawled on the bottom of the clouds.