I know it's a bit long, but I had to make up for the shortness of my last chapter. Minor cussing, plz don't get thy knickers in a wad since it will happen from time to time. Hope you enjoy :)

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Mara could only stare as the man had stepped from the shadows. Skin a palish gray, dark hair slicked back, and eyes the glowed golden with a hunger that frightened her. Her skipped a beat in its race a fear when she realized why he looked familiar. This was the man from her nightmare so long ago, the one who's face she couldn't remember but who's shadowy figure was etched into her mind. "Who are you?" she whispered as she watched him carefully. Everything about him reminded her off a black panther stalking it's prey. "My dear girl, I'm the Boogeyman." he smiled slyly, showing her pointed teeth. An odd expression crossed Mara's face before she started giggling slightly. "And what's seems to be so funny?" Pitch's face darkened as he approached the cage. *Oh shit.* her eyes went wide. She cleared her throat nervously while twiddling her fingers, "Well you see, just last night when I was drawing a picture, well you picture actually, though I didn't know it at the time, I was trying to figure out who I was drawing, since I didn't know it was you, and I thought to myself "What is he is the Boogeyman." and I laughed at first cause I thought it was a silly thought, but now that I do see you, and you said you were the Boogeyman, I was laughing cause it seemed ironic, ya know?"

Pitch had been approaching her cage slowly, are thickening around them with malice as she stuttered and rushed. He stopped just in front of her cage as she finished, hands splayed in a helpless manner and an expression that hoped to whatever gods that she had just saved her hide. The pale girl bite her lip slightly as he started at her. His expression changed as he realized what she just said. "How were you drawing a picture.. of me? I have not recollection of causing you nightmares, or of you even seeing me." The tension in the room eased as he looked at her questioningly. Was she perhaps mistaking her for someone else? Or could she be, by chance, on of the children who helped the Guardians all those years ago? Of course, if she was one of those children, she would have at least remembered what he looked like. Right? Mara sighed slightly in relief once the overwhelming pressure in the air disappeared. "Well, all I've had to go off of was some nightmares I had when I was little. I don't remember much but.." She stopped and looked for her bag. If she sowed him some of her drawing, he might believe her. It wasn't anywhere in the cage with her, quickly she went to the edge of her prison and searched the ground.

Pitch watched her cautiously, racking his memory. A nineteen year old girl remembered him from nightmares years ago. He moved slightly away from her as she started frantically looking for something. *Who is this child? I haven't been able to scare a child for thirteen years. Could she truly remember me from some nightmare that long ago.* She interrupted his thoughts as she pointed urgently to globe. "There, the black bag on the ground. There's a black book full of pictures, check it if you don't believe me." Golden eyes glanced at her suspiciously as he went to the bag and picked it up. He opened it slowly as if expecting it to be a trap. When nothing happened he peered inside. Several black books and bags of pencils greeted him. He looked up at her slightly annoyed, "Everything in here is black." He then noticed that everything on the girl was black as well. "It seems your not fond of color." he stated in a dry tone. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance, "It's the thickest one in there." she replies in an annoyed tone while completely ignoring his last sentence. *Why does everyone say that?!* she raged to herself as he fished said book out of her bag and promptly dropped. "Hey!" Mara's indignant cry was ignored as he flipped through the book.

Pitch shifted from the shadows on the floor to those on top of a cage near the black haired girl, crossing his legs and idly flipping pages as she watched him through the bars. The girl was indeed telling truth, several pages where filled with sketches of him and his nightmares. While his sketches were devoid of any facial features, he could tell they were definitely of him. His nightmare on the other hand were very detailed. *So the child did get a visit from me. Seems to have a bit of an obsession.* He paused at the detailed drawing of his riding a nightmare during a storm. "You do have quite a talent." he remarked as his finger brushed along a lightning bolt. Mara smiled slightly, she couldn't help being nervous as he went through the book. She never showed it to anyone, since the people who did go through it called her a freak. She bite her lip anxiously when his face darkened again. Pitch stared angrily at the picture of Jack Frost, resisting the urge to tear it out. He continued his way through the book to see if she had encountered any of the other guardians. There were several more of Jack, quite a few of Sandman, though he was always at a distance. There was a small amount of North, she had clearly never seen him face to face. The Easter Bunny was completely missing, and it seems she mistaken one of the mini Toothy fairies as the actual one.

"Clearly you have never actually met the Guardians." Pitch returned to the ground and dropped the book onto the bag. *Which means she isn't one of those children.* he thought with smirk. "Who are the Guardians?"He turned to her smiling darkly as she asked. "Oh, the Guardians? Why, their the protects of children's beliefs." he explained with a mockingly happy tone as he circled her, "They make sure that children have nothing but happy thoughts and pleasant dreams. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman, and even Jack Frost make sure they do everything can to protect you... for me." He stopped so that he was face to face with the girl, face neutral and tone serious. "I, my dear, am the one who feeds of children's fears, who reveals in their disbelief. I am the one who would put this world in a second Dark Age that would dwarf the first, and have everything ruled by darkness and fear."
"Well there's no need to be a dick about it." Pitch looked back surprised and confused as the dark girl stared back with a bored expression. Rolling her eyes she flopped on to her back and stared blankly at the roof. "You monologue like every typical villain in a movie does." The Nightmare King bared his teeth in anger, "You insolent little.. Do you know who I am! What I can do!" he roared as a swirling mass of black sand surrounded them. Mara waved her hand at him pretending not to care, "Yeah yeah, your the Boogey Man and your gonna scare all the little kids. yada yada yada." Pitch's eyes darken with rage, "I should throw you into the abyss!" Clenching his fist the sand started to close in on her. "Oh would you shut UP!" Mara popped up and kicked the cage so hard it rattled. "Throwing a tantrum like that won't make me scare of you, it just makes you look like a kid." The sand pulled back slightly as she stared ack into black eyes, "Besides, how do you expect to get all powerful and crap if all you prey off of are kids?! You've got six people technically fighting over the same food source. If it's five against one, do you really think you could pull it off!" The gold started to come back to the Nightmare King's eyes. "Food source? I have never heard a human call children that in all my years." he eyed her curiously as the sand went back to circling them. "Yeah, well, that's technically what your doing isn't it?" Mara started to nervously play with her hair as her anger left.
"And I suppose you have a better idea?"
"Well.. Actually.. Yeah." The Nightmare King watched her intently, curiously, as she fidgeted.

"Well?"

"I'll only tell you, if you promise to let me out." He chuckled, "Darling, you can't make a deal if you have nothing of value to offer." Mara glared at his smug face, "It will work! I'll even prove it!" He got with inches of her so that all she saw were glowing eyes, "How?" Repressing a small shriek she backed up, "B-b-by helping you, do it. I'll tell you how you can get powerful, and then help you do it. But you have to let me go.." she paused to see if it would work. The Nightmare King thought for a moment, chuckling as her little heart beat. *Can't be too much harm. If it does prove useful I let her go and use her. If not I'll just keep her here till I bleed every ounce of fear out of her.* Mara fidgeted nervously as he stared at her with a sly grin and plotting eyes. "Go on, what does the little mouse have planned." She pouted for a moment before continuing. "Well kids really believe in anything you tell them. So naturally they would be live in the Guardians or even you. But as they get older, they lose that believe, or its taken from them by older kids or even adults. They're told that the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus aren't real. That's it's just their parent doing those things. And for those who believe in the Sandman or even Jack Frost are told that they are just an expression. But there is always one thing that everyone believes in no matter how old they are." Mara paused as she made full eye contact with the dark man. "Fear.." he finished her thought process, the gears of his own mind whirling. "Sure they might not believe in the Boogey Man any more, but there are still plenty of things to be afraid of. And plenty of people that jump when things go bump in the night." A small sadistic smile as she finished, "and if you scare them bad enough, you could make them believe in you. You get to grow from all the fear, and the Guardians would probably not even notice since it won't affect the kids."

There was a tense moment as Mara watched this man of fear contemplate her idea. slowly turning his back on her, he pretended to be lost in thought. "And how do you intend to help?" He could easily try this plan out for himself, but he enjoyed the thought of having a little thrall. "I could lead people near here. Spread stories, even set up traps." Pitch smiled widely, *And if all else fails I'll just bring you back here.* He chuckled darkly at the thought, it was a win-win for him. With a snap of his fingers the sand dispersed, he turned sharply and opened the cage with a flick of his hand. "Well dear child, I must say your idea is most impressive. All that's left to do is shake." He offered his hand with an evil grin. Hesitantly she took his hand, he pulled her out briskly and kept hold of her hand as she gained her footing. "What is your name my dear?"
"M-mara.. Do you have another name I can call you by?" Golden eyes glowed triumphantly, "Pitch dear child. You may call me Pitch." Mara's heart skipped another beat in it's small tap dance of fear, *Dear Lord, I just sold my soul to the Devil."