Phantom of Inferno

Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or Requiem for the Phantom. All original characters do not belong to me and all credit goes toward their rightful owners.

A/N: I'm on spring break so I decided to get a head start on this chapter just to see where it takes me. I know it's probably overkill to post two chapters short of one another in just a few days but I can't help but want to continue this. I will do public replies for my reviewers at the end of the chapter so look out for it if I mention your name!

Synopsis: Waking up in an abandoned room with no recollection of his former self, Troy Bolton vows to find out who he is—even if that knowledge kills him. What he discovers is more than he ever bargained for as he is thrown into a world full of drugs, sex, and death. How will he ever escape when 'escaping' is nowhere close to being an option?

Rated T for the moment but will be M rated in later chapters for drug use, suggestive language, violence, and sexually explicit content.


Chapter Two: Training

"I hear Scythe has found a new toy." Sharpay Evans, CEO and leading lady of Inferno commented nonchalantly, her platinum blonde hair bouncing jubilantly behind her as she made her way to her office. That morning, she had decided to don a magenta blazer over a creamy white silk shirt that hung dangerously low in the front along with a matching skirt that had a slit that ran up the side of her right thigh. Her shirt hid nothing to the imagination as her voluptuous assets threatened to spill over at any given moment. She wore nude pumps that accentuated her long, smooth legs as she moved with grace and elegance around the corporal building.

Alongside her, Taylor McKessie scoffed in annoyance, causing her to smirk at her lifelong friend's verbal disapproval. The two of them were considered high up among their colleagues in the organization; although Taylor was merely Sharpay's bodyguard. She wore a black, button up blazer over a simple white top with matching black dress pants with low ankle boots. She wore her hair in a stylish pixie cut that had been slicked down in the back and subtly spiked on top.

"What's wrong, Taylor? I thought you long since approved of Scythe and his views of our future Utopia?" Sharpay asked, her voice mocking as she nudged Taylor with her shoulder playfully. The woman beside her scowled and shook her head but returned the gesture wholeheartedly as the two made their way to Sharpay's office, which thankfully had been vacated since they were last there.

"Shar, you know I don't trust that man. He's a sadistic little snake, using our Phantom as some kind of puppet." Taylor stated bluntly. For years, she had been trying to get Sharpay to leave the organization with her so they could start anew but each and every time, Sharpay had declined.

"That sadistic little snake you speak of is my boss, you know." She replied absentmindedly as she unlocked the door to her office and walked in, setting the folders she held down on her desk before sitting down with a huff in her chair.

Taylor closed the door behind them and walked over to the window that over looked the city of Miami, Florida. The streets were busier than ever due to the morning rush hour as taxis and buses horns blared throughout the town, their drivers growing impatient at the stalled traffic. Vendors and pedestrians crowded the equally busy sidewalks, all ranging from children to adults as they hurried along to make it to where they were going.

Running a fine manicured hand through her loose curls, Sharpay looked at the file that had been sent to her office a few days before. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the document that contained Inferno's new recruit's identity. Everything ranging from his birth certificate to his high school diploma had been crammed into a manila folder that had been marked with a single dash.

He's gorgeous, she thought as her eyes roamed over his state identification card. Glancing over at his name, she began to develop a plan in her head. She closed her eyes and smiled a little, humming as she put the manila folder and its contents into her briefcase. It would only be a matter of time before she met him. Everything needed to be perfect.

"Until then, Troy Bolton."


The musty, dark room obstructed Troy's senses as he moved around cautiously, trying to avoid anything that would make too much of a ruckus. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead and cheeks as he raised his blade and hid behind a corner, ready to surprise his pursuer. He spun around the corner and was instantly met with a fierce slap that sent him sprawling on the floor, holding his stinging cheek as he looked up at his attacker. Ein stood over him, her knife poised and ready to strike. She looked at him coldly before dropping her arm, allowing it to swing weightlessly by her side.

"What were you trying to do?" She asked her icy tone sending a shiver down his spine as he rubbed his cheek and stood up. She cocked her head to the side slightly, making her ponytail swing behind her.

"Were you trying to greet me? Maybe even embrace me? Do you not realize that what you were doing was the fastest way to getting your throat cut?" She gestured with her wielded hand causing Troy to take a step back. He shook his head and muttered an apology.

It had been a month since Inferno had taken him under their wing—or rather took him against his will. After hearing he had the potential to become one of Inferno's greatest assassins alongside the organization's well known Phantom, he resisted—at first. That was until Ein had promised him if he refused to work, she would finish what they both had started and finish him off right there.

After little thought, Troy complied and was instantly thrown into grueling workouts that had him teetering on the brink of exhaustion. It hadn't taken long to break his spirit much to the surprise of Ein. Every night he would stay up, his eyes glazed over and unblinking as he stared at a random spot in the room. And each day he would become more distant from himself, speaking even less than he had the day before.

Troy never imagined his training would have been this brutal, not in a million years. The long, sleepless nights and ruthless daily workouts had him on edge, his sanity and morality both wearing thin. Sleep deprivation along with growing muscle pains kept him from performing his tasks to their fullest extent; Ein let him know of this each and every time. He wore the same outfit every day —a black wife beater, black pants, and black combat boots. On his hands he wore fingerless gloves that he used for his combat training, along with knee and elbow pads that hung to him a little too tightly.

Ein had given him this outfit the day after they had begun his training. He recalled looking at her as she turned her back to him, motioning for him to get dressed. Her voice was hard as she casted a glance behind her.

"Wear those. From this point on, I will be with you everywhere you go. You will do as I say and nothing less, you got that?"

She had said it with such force Troy knew he couldn't have objected even if he wanted to. There was no such thing as a yes or no question here; he had no choice. The days were hot and unrelenting, the Miami heat unwavering as he did a series of core training along with intense cardio workouts. As the days progressed, Troy's demeanor had been broken down to virtually nothing as his training became even more difficult. She watched as he struggled with his endurance training, his breathing coming out in ragged gasps as he collapsed in front of her. Their previous conversations kept echoing in his head as he laid there, his sweat pouring down only to quickly evaporate as they hit the hard concrete.

"Why are we doing this?"

"You can only get better if you train."

"How will I train?"

"Every morning at the break of dawn, you will be out here training until I say stop. Close combat, marksmanship, endurance—you name it. All are needed in order to become a well-disciplined assassin."

Placing a blindfold over his eyes, she informed him of his next task.

"It's to test your balance." She stated simply as she guided him over to a well that had long since been dried up. Helping him onto it, she instructed him to raise one of his legs up and keep it in the air for as long as he possibly could. As she expected, he didn't last long as he fell face first onto the ground, holding his shoulder in pain. Shaking her head, she gave a disheartened sigh before helping him onto his feet.

"Keeping steady is vital at times where you're going to be given a sniping assignment. If your aim is off, even by an inch, you could compromise your mission and alert your target of your presence." Removing the blindfold from his eyes, she gave him a stern look before brushing his hair away from his dirt streaked face.

"When you're out pursuing your contract it is not about just going in and getting the kill. The key to a successful mission lies in your approach, the style in which you eliminate your target, and the amount of time it takes you to do so."

Troy simply nodded as she began to check his shoulder, making sure he hadn't dislocated it in any way. Her cool fingers tentatively brushed over his dampened skin as she poked around for anything that felt out of place. Her hair had been hastily pulled up into a messy bun and strands that didn't want to stay put fell in a wavy craze around her face and Troy again found himself resisting the urge to brush her hair away.

"Good, you're not seriously injured." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she took a step back. "It's just some minor bruising, you'll be fine. Now, let's go. We need to work on your shooting."

The sun had begun to set as they both made their way around the back of the warehouse. Troy noticed there were old oil barrels that were scattered about a good one-hundred yards away from where they stood. Pulling her gun out of the holder strapped to her thigh, she flipped it around so the grip was facing Troy while the muzzle was held smugly in her hand. He took hold of the gun and was surprised it was heavier than he had previously thought. The steel felt warm to the touch and his eyes roamed over the slick design of the cylinder and barrel.

"Now raise the gun and get into position." He followed her orders as he positioned the gun in his right hand, cradling it with his left. "Your arms are stiff; you need to relax. Do not put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire. And don't focus on your shoulders or your arms; you need to focus on the fingers that hold the gun."

Ein moved closer to him, placing her hands over his as she corrected his positioning. She moved one of her hands to rest on his upper arm as she began to speak, directing his attention to the gun.

"This is the front sight; you aim by looking at the front sight through the notch in the rear sight." She moved her right hand under his right wrist as she moved it upward a little more. "Stretch your right arm out and then pull with your left arm when you are stabilized. And even then, you should focus on your hands, not your arms. Your arms are the stabilizers; they do not determine whether you get the shot off or not." She removed her hands from his arms and took a step back.

Troy felt his hands begin to quiver as he moved his forefinger over the trigger. Readying his stance, he followed Ein's directions and took aim at the bricks that were positioned upright on top of the old oil barrels.

"Stay calm and squeeze the trigger. Do not rush it, Zwei." A gentle breeze had picked up, making her soft voice seem miles away. Troy readied his stance, his breath hitching in his throat as he cleared his mind of all thought.

"Now fire."

Hit the target.

Troy obediently squeezed the trigger and the gun in his hands roared to life as one, two, three shots rang out. The bricks fell back as they were pummeled with bullets, some breaking apart while others simply fell backward. His shots were slow and imprecise and his hands trembled as they became unsteady once again. He emptied the cylinder and lowered his gun, looking over at Ein who had been staring at him intently while he practiced. She reached over and removed the gun from his limp hand and gave him a small nod of approval.

"At this distance, you shouldn't miss a shot. After we work on your precision, we will work on your speed." She flipped the cylinder release switch and allowed the empty shells to fall to the ground. Replacing the cylinder with a new round of bullets, she took dead aim and fired at expert speed. Troy watched in astonishment as the bricks broke apart one by one, the bullets never missing their intended target.

What the—

"Your goal is six shots in four seconds. Focus on hitting your targets every time." She handed him the gun and went back to her spot. "Do it again."

Do it again.

That was all he knew how to do. Perform, fail, repeat; the routine hadn't seemed to tire itself out yet. He stayed in that same spot for hours, the incoming storm not halting his attempts to obtain perfection. The rain poured heavily, drenching him and Ein to the bone. But he still refused to stop. Empty shells clattered to the ground and slowly began to pile at his feet as he continued to train himself, focusing on nothing but his hands and the gun he held in them.

"You're still too slow," Ein spoke suddenly, causing him to halt. "You can hit the targets now but you'll be dead before you empty the chamber. You need to speed up. Remember, six shots—four seconds."

He cast her a glance before averting his attention back to his sights.

"Do it again."


Sharpay's silver Lamborghini rolled into the parking lot and skidded to a stop as she and Taylor arrived at their boss's apartment. The night air was humid and thick as the two ladies stepped out of the car and made their way into the high rise apartment complex. Sharpay rolled her eyes as they approached Scythe's door and knocked once to signal that they were there.

"The door is open." A faint voice called from the other side. Opening the door, Sharpay wasn't surprised to see Scythe at his desk, typing away at the keyboard feverishly as he worked on the details of their Phantom's next assignment.

"What was so important that you had us both rushing over here at this hour?" Sharpay asked as she flicked a piece of hair over her shoulder and glared at her brother. He turned in his seat and grinned at her coolly, not making a move to answer her question as he went to retrieve a couple of wine glasses. Offering one to Taylor, who not so politely refused, he chuckled and set down the two he held in his hand, filling them with Chardonnay. Handing one over to Sharpay, he sat down on his couch, sipping his wine delectably.

"I don't get a 'Hi,' or even a 'How are you doing?' Ms. Evans, I'm quite hurt." His mocking tone earned him another glare from Sharpay as she set her glass down and put her hands on her hips.

"Spare me the jokes. Tell me why you wanted me here."

Scythe gave a heavy sigh before letting his façade drop and put his glass down, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned his head against the back of the couch.

"It appears that our Zwei is progressing through training as planned. He hasn't once made a fuss. The boy is obedient." He said, his expression unreadable. He cast a glance over towards Taylor before looking back at his colleague, taking note that her stance had somewhat relaxed.

"Well, if one trains that hard every day, I would imagine forming any kind of thought would be difficult." Sharpay responded casually.

"Yes," he agreed, flashing a small smile. "That is precisely how you tame someone. You won't be disappointed in the results, I promise you that." He picked up her glass and handed it to her as he made his way to the other side of the room to his desk.

Smirking like a Cheshire cat, Sharpay took a sip of her wine, marveling at its sweet taste as it lingered on her tongue.

"Do I seem too eager?" She questioned as she followed him and watched as he began typing out the Phantom's new contracted assignment.

"My pawn is your pawn is my pawn, madame." Scythe said somewhat jokingly as he continued typing. "But, as we both know, everything is an offering to our dear Inferno."

Taylor leaned her back against the wall and crossed her arms, silently muttering a small sound of disapproval as she listened to the conversation intently, not once taking her eyes off of Scythe as he fingered a manila folder that lay on the desk adjacent to him. Narrowing her eyes, she glanced over at Sharpay and took note of the small scowl that she held on her face.


Troy squinted as the morning sun shone brightly into his eyes as he drove towards he and Ein's training grounds for the day. For some reason, Ein stated they needed to be there even earlier than usual while she dragged him out of bed and promptly pushed him in the direction of their bathroom. She had already showered and dressed in her usual tight black tank top and black low rise pants and combat boots. Her usual wild curly hair had been straightened to perfection and hung low, brushing against the well-defined dimples on her lower back. She gave Troy a look of indifference as they made their way out of their apartment and towards the car that had been assigned to them for the time being.

Throwing him the keys, she stated she wanted him to drive to see how good he was on the road.

"In times of desperation when we need to make a quick getaway, the law and its restrictions do not apply to us. You need to know how to control the vehicle you're driving and learn how to weave your way through traffic, no matter how packed it is."

Speeding along the highway, Troy heard violent honks blaring behind him as he sped along, ripping and weaving through the lanes at lightning speed. Making his way alongside an 18-wheeler that was trying to merge into their lane, Troy stepped on the accelerator, narrowly avoiding colliding with the side of the truck as he passed. Looking in the rearview mirror, Troy was surprised he hadn't caused an accident as he let up the pressure he was putting on the gas pedal to slow the car down so they could pull off the highway and onto the familiar dirt road.

As they pulled up, Troy was surprised to see another car waiting for them in front of the warehouse. He parked alongside it warily, feeling uneasy as he turned the car off and exited the car with Ein. She immediately walked over to the car as its passenger stepped out and greeted him with a formal bow.

"Why, hello, Zwei. Good morning." Scythe greeted, flashing a small smirk his way before diverting his attention to the bowing girl before him. Troy simply stood there, staring as Ein stiffly corrected her posture before calling over her shoulder to him.

"I'm going out for the day. Keep up with the same training routine, I don't know when I'll be back." She stated before making her way over to the passenger door.

"Wait—hold on. Where are you going?" Troy asked.

With her hand on the door handle, Ein stopped as she cast him a short glance over her shoulder. "I have work to do." She responded simply.

Troy didn't need a hint to know what she meant.

"Let's go, Phantom." Scythe demanded calmly as he watched Troy from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, master."

Scythe stared at Troy for a second longer before getting in and slamming the door shut. The car sped off, leaving him in its dust. Blinking in confusion, Troy thought over what he had just witnessed as he made his way into the large building behind him, taking no notice to the silver Lamborghini that was casually parked next to the warehouse, obscured from view by the overcast of the building's shadow.

She called him master.

Placing the manila folder in his passenger's lap, Scythe's fingers lingered over the document as he cast a glance in Ein's direction. She sat in perfect posture, her eyes unblinking as they stared out towards the open road. Her hair blew around her still frame carelessly from the wind that blew in through the open window. His kept his fingers there as he began to trace patterns on the folder that lie in her lap, not noticing how the girl stiffened slightly at his actions.

"This will be your first sniping assignment in a while," he spoke, a smile evident in his voice. "But I'm sure that will be no problem for you. Seven-hundred yards to the target; I have a .308 caliber Remington waiting for you. Be aware that the weather at your location will be cloudy with a slight breeze and should remain that way until tomorrow morning. Everything you need to know is in the envelope." He removed his hand from her lap and caressed her cheek briefly before taking his hand away entirely.

"Do you have any questions?"

"No, sir."

"Good. By the way, how is Zwei doing?"

"The initial training phase is complete. He will be starting a new regimen tomorrow."

Smirking, Scythe leaned his head back as the car came to a stop.

"I'm thinking of running a skills test for him soon. We'll see how good he really is."

幻影

Troy decided since he didn't know when Ein would be coming back he would take the liberty to cleaning their guns like Ein had shown him a couple of weeks ago. The clicks and clacks of gun cartridges being disassembled could be heard throughout the tiny room as Troy worked diligently. He was so absorbed in his work he didn't notice another presence in the room until the last second as he froze and looked behind him. The blonde vixen flashed him a small smile as she stepped inside of the room, her heels clicking softly on the dusty linoleum floor.

"Oh don't mind me. Continue what you're doing." She said playfully as she made her way over to him and leaned back on the desk, her eyes shielded by the aviators she wore on her heart shaped face. Troy found himself gulping as he noticed her chest was barely concealed by her blouse as she leaned over. "I should start off with hello; my name is Sharpay Evans."

He shook his head and returned his focus down to the semi-automatic he held in his hand as he resumed polishing its barrel. Sharpay frowned a little before putting on another smile.

"Aren't you curious to know more than just my name?" She inquired, making herself comfortable as she watched him as he rubbed the gun down with a cotton cloth, his moves slow and deliberate.

"No." He deadpanned as he put down the gun and moved on to the one beside it. Whoever this woman was, she was keeping him from his work. He needed to finish and train.

"Surely you've got to have some questions about the organization that took you in—Inferno." She laid her hand over the grip of the gun he was holding and waited for him to look up at her. His eyes were stone cold as he spared her a glance before gently pushing her hand aside as he began to rub down where she touched. She chuckled coolly.

"I'm taking your lack of response as an affirmative. Inferno is—," she paused briefly, trying to get her words just right. "Well, in a world of no legal order, it is a group that aspires to the creation of a different kind of order. Try this: if we were to compare gangs and mafia families to countries then Inferno would be somewhat like the United Nations. Our goal is to unify the underground world, although, such an idealistic goal would have been laughable if not condemnable a couple of years ago. But we now have something that will make all of this possible."

She leaned in to whisper in his ear and grinned when he noticeably stiffened at her closeness.

"I mean Phantom." She breathed huskily in his ear. He froze and looked at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. "Yes, your faithful instructor. The power of Phantom is…absolute." She leaned in even closer, the tip of her nose tickling Troy's as she gave him a playful grin before backing away. "She performs all of her tasks without fail. Her mere existence gives Inferno the confidence we need to fulfill our goal. It's the fear, the tremendous fear organizations have of her that keeps them from defying Inferno. She is truly the most powerful assassin in the world and a well-trained one at that."

The gun in his hand clicked as he reloaded its cartridge with a new set of ammunition.

"Hold on." He said suddenly, causing Sharpay to freeze as she looked at him questioningly.

So, he can speak after all.

"She's just someone like me that's being used for your people then, am I right?" His voice was dull and lifeless as he examined the semi-automatic pistol in his hand, making sure everything was aligned correctly before placing it down in front of him. "That means she and I have no choice but to live like slaves."

Sharpay removed her sunglasses and placed them on the desk next to Troy's arm as she stood and walked over to the window adjacent to the desk, her arms crossed over her chest. He began to think he may have crossed the line and was about to open his mouth to apologize when she spoke first.

"It's true that we're forcing the both of you to live this way," she admitted softly as she sent him an apologetic half smile. "But, you are not slaves. You have freedoms of which you're not aware. Like speed."

"How so?" He pressed; his attention fully on her as he turned in his seat.

"Though your path may be set, you can gain as much speed down that path as you'd like. You just need the desire to progress. And if you're fast enough, you may even be able to reach the top." She stared at her hand absentmindedly as Troy waited for her to go on. "What you do to get to the top, however, is your choice and yours alone. I cannot make that choice for you."

Where have I heard that before? Troy thought somewhat bitterly as he recounted the encounter with Ein the first night he woke up here.

She smiled once more as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and approached him again until she was hovering just over his chair, moving her hands to each of his shoulders as she gripped them gently.

"Now don't ever think of yourself as a slave again, okay? The way you present yourself colors how other people view you. Act like a slave and you will surely be treated like one." She placed a light kiss on his cheek before standing up abruptly.

"I'd like to stay and chat but I have business to attend to downtown. You think about what I said, Zwei." She put her glasses back on as she walked out of the room, waving behind her as she disappeared down the hallway. "I'll see you later."

Troy blinked as he sat back in chair, wondering exactly what she meant. Had she been implying that maybe he wasn't under Inferno's influence like he thought he was?

And if that's the case, why did she come out all this way just to tell me that?

幻影

Troy lay in his bed holding the gun he'd been polishing earlier that day in his hand, aiming it upward at the ceiling as the day's events ran through his head. Sharpay Evans, who he learned after she left, had actually been the CEO of Inferno. He still could not figure out why she came to meet him that morning of all times, of all places. Steadying his hands, he took dead aim at a random spot on the ceiling and held it there.

"Though your path may be set, you can gain as much speed down that path as you'd like. You just need the desire to progress."

Desire, he thought as he closed his eyes. I'd forgotten the meaning of that word until now.

What did he really desire? He knew he wanted out but he didn't know how. He wanted to forget this entire experience like one forgets a dream as soon as they wake up. That's all this experience felt like anyway; just one, long, horrific dream.

The door to the bedroom opened and Troy's eyes scanned the room until they landed on Ein. She stood there silently, her eyes downcast as she lugged in a weird shaped case and put it off to the corner of the room. Her hair had been swept up into a high ponytail and her shirt had been pushed up, exposing her smooth, flat stomach. She didn't even look at Troy as she began to undress, kicking off her boots first then moving to her hand gear and clothes. Troy felt himself blush and look away, feeling suddenly intrusive as she casually stripped in front of him. When he looked back, she was clad in nothing more than a black sports bra and black tanga panties as she climbed into bed, her knees folded up to her chest as her back rested against the headboard.

"Ein?"

"Yes?"

"On your job…did you…kill someone?" He whispered the last part as he tried hard to hide his growing anxiety, knowing what her answer would be. He saw her shift around slightly but she still didn't look at him as she rested her head on top of her folded arms. She made a sound in the back of her throat that Troy took as an affirmative.

"How did you get this way?" He motioned to nothing in particular as he sat up and stared at her, wanting to know what drove her to feeling so apathetic about what she did on a weekly basis. "Why do you do it?"

"I don't know." She deadpanned. "They never told me about my life before this."

"Like me."

She nodded slowly, sparing him a glance as he moved over to sit beside her on the edge of her bed.

"That's right. I'm just like you. They erased all of my memories. Everything from my childhood to what I might have been doing before they found me. I don't even remember if I had parents or not. They made me a killer." Her voice shook a little as she allowed herself to think about everything she's missed out on since she became a part of Inferno. Clearing her throat, she shook her head to rid herself of the intruding thoughts. She couldn't let herself become so fragile over things she couldn't remember.

"But, who cares." She shrugged as she returned her gaze to the wall. Troy furrowed his brows as he listened to her. He felt his heart begin to pound painfully in his chest as he listened to her talk, knowing how hard it must have been for her when she first came.

She must have been as scared as I was.

"A killer doesn't have a past and doesn't have a future. They have nothing."

"But…this woman named Sharpay, she said—," Ein gave him a look and cut him off.

"You met her?"

"After you and Scythe left, she came by. She assured me that you and I aren't slaves to Inferno. She said that we're free." Even as he said it now, he knew that it was far from the truth. He chanced a look at her and saw that she had her eyes closed and her hands were gripping her bed sheets rather tightly. A look of annoyance crossed her soft features as she slowly unclenched her fists and rolled over onto her side, her back facing Troy.

"If you want to believe that, then go ahead." She said simply. "But, eventually you'll feel nothing just the same as me. To lift the weight of the burden on your shoulders, just turn it off. Someday, you'll be able to do that. You'll understand once you start killing people." She let her eyes drift closed and soon her breathing became shallow as she fell into a deep sleep.

Moving back to his bed, he returned his gaze to the ceiling, letting her chilling words linger in his mind as he listened to her even breathing.

Once I start killing people, I'll be just like her. Indifferent, detached, unafraid of anything; and the sad part about this is she didn't choose to be this way.

How long would it be until that happened?


A/N: 9 pages/5,588 words. I hope that this was long enough for everyone though I'm not quite pleased with how it turned out to be completely honest. I just wanted to get it posted and out of the way for the time being. But, good news! I'm going to be getting help on my stories from Beta Reader PrincessDracorex. I'm not sure how the whole thing works but from what I've learned, she'll hopefully be around to help me get this story out the way I envision it by reading over it and helping me with things I might be struggling on—which in this case is definitely character development and scene changes. They don't seem to flow together well enough for me and it's kind of frustrating. On a positive note, I got 6 reviews on my first chapter. I know that may not be much to gloat about but wow! Six is a lot to me, believe it or not and I'm so happy you guys took the time to read it.

On another note, I checked my e-mail last night and I noticed over 15 people have favorited me and/or this story along with adding it to their story alerts. That's great! That's really great and everything but...I would like it if you guys also reviewed. And the reason why I say that is because I need to know what you like and dislike. It'll help me tremendously and may even help me get my chapters out faster [wink, wink]. I don't mean to sound like a review grubber so forgive me for that but I really would like to hear everyone's opinions. They don't necessarily have to be nice, they could contain constructive criticism as well. If you do that for me, I will be forever grateful. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to PM me and let me know. I will gladly answer them.

Punmpkinking5: I'm glad you like it! Although, I can't answer all of your questions for fear that that would probably ruin the story but I'm impressed on how deeply you're thinking into this. I like when people ask questions about the story and actually think about the plot rather than just sending praise. I look to questions as future reference, so thank you again!

Hidden Fantasies: Thank you very much for reading and I appreciate your review. I hope you stay till the very end.

Anon: D'oh! I'm so sorry I knew it would be a bit confusing to some people. But to clear everything up, just know that I will be using Troy's real name throughout the story and he will only be called Zwei when others are addressing him. I'm sorry it's hard to follow but bear with me; I will definitely try to make it more clear in the following chapters.

Purplepeace: I am glad that you like it! Here's your update, hon.