At the sound of Jack's angry voice, she instinctively turned her head. She gawked at what she saw. The woman called "Wuya" had a raspy voice, deep and condescending. "Oh, hello, Jack. I see you've already replaced me."

"Kiss my ass, Wuya."

"Wuya" had to be one of the thinnest women on earth, her arms and legs looking like toned toothpicks. Her brown flesh, hairless and fine, was stretched over skeleton so tightly Anastasia couldn't understand how the woman could move. Her black and purple gown was ragged at the bottom, leaving her shins out in the open. She was barefoot, as well. Wuya's face was long and triangular, and for some reason, lined with black makeup. Her slanted, green eyes were heavily made up by mascara and eyeliner, and her thick lips were painted a dull red. Her hair was just as crazy. It was extremely long crinkly, and orange.

Anastasia had never seen someone so beautiful and repulsive at the same time. Well, maybe in a Vogue magazine.

Jack snarled, "What the flying fuck did you do to my mom and my bots?"

The thin woman turned her head to the side and sighed as though extremely bored and justified, "Don't you worry about mommy dearest, Jack. She's fine. I made a phone call and now she's sprinting across the ocean to meet up with an opera singer in New York. As for your toys," she gave him a piercing glare, and Anastasia quirked her eyebrows up. "You know I can never resist destruction."

Jack rolled his red eyes and groaned. Anastasia was confused, baffled, perplexed. Who was this woman that seemed to have it out for Jack? A bot sped by her, beeping uncontrollably. It passed into the next room as Jack stalked over to Wuya and jabbed a finger into her collar bone. "Listen here, you haggard old witch, if you ever lay one wrinkly, bony finger on my property again, I will-"

Wuya cut him off with a hard chuckle, and it nonplussed Anastasia even more that Wuya's lungs had the capacity to endure such a long standing laugh. Jack's face scrunched up in rage and his cheeks turned red. When Wuya calmed down, she asked, "You'll do what? Tell Chase? Or the monks? Or that silly little crew you rounded up? You think Tubbimura or that little bimbo Fatnappe could ever touch me?"

Fuming, Jack stepped off and turned his head away somewhat dramatically. "Can you just tell me why you're here, Wuya?" He crossed his arms and rubbed his forehead stressfully.

"Finally see you've been disciplined, boy," the older woman cooed pompously. She locked eyes with Anastasia and the younger woman froze, hoping she wouldn't choke on the fear that'd jumped into her throat. "I wonder if this little bird had anything to do with it?"

As he fumbled his gloved fingers through his whitish-blonde locks in frustration, the Spicer heir roared, "I asked you a question you old bitch!"

Anastasia flinched and it was visible to Wuya. The old woman slinked over and smiled big enough to show off her dazzling fangs. "Why, Jack, I practically raised you. I can't believe you'd speak to me in such a way, after I came here for your help!" She blinked her long, black lashes a couple of times, but it fooled no one.

"Or double cross me," Jack retorted. Then he stood in front his cousin and warned, "Stay away from Anna. She has nothing to do with us."

"Us?" Anastasia echoed, poking her head around Jack's leather encased arm. "She raised you? Is there some sort of Oedipal Complex going on here?"

"Only if Chase Young was the father," Jack muttered under his breath. Wuya snorted as though it were some sort of hilarious inside joke.

Pushing Jack away from her personal space, Anastasia cried, "What on earth is going on? I've only been in China for ten minutes and I'm already hearing hundreds of names and mentions of incest and gangs and monks. Am I in a comic book?"

Her older counterpart sighed, "Anna...remember when I told you about the two dragons thing?" He sighed again and gestured to Wuya with his middle finger. "This old bat is Wuya, one of the dragon's forgotten sneeze rags."

Wuya growled, crossing her scrawny arms over her chest. Anastasia raised an eyebrow, eyeing the woman again before turning to Jack and asking, "What would a dragon want with a sneeze rag?"

Jack grinned maliciously as Wuya threw her head back with an annoyed grunt, "Oh, so we have two comedians now. Wonderful."

"The dragon is a fifteen hundred plus year old warlord named Chase Young," the Goth boy further explained.

His female counterpart scoffed disbelievingly. "Oh come on. I think that's an exaggeration, right? This whole thing isn't real! You," she stabbed a finger in Wuya's direction, "You are not a real witch. Jack was insulting you. And this 'Chase Young' guy might be covered in wrinkles and look ancient but I bet you he's barely a centenarian." She glared at Jack. "You and your stupid friends must all be cosplaying this dumb anime show no one ever saw. That must be it." She slapped her forehead with her palm. "My mother really has been duped."

Jack narrowed his eyes and rumbled, "Magic is real. Chase Young is a real warlord from ancient China and Wuya here really is a bitter witch. You want proof? Show her something, you hag." He nodded at said hag.

Wuya sneered, rolled her eyes, and twisted her wrist in the air for a moment. Anastasia watched in awe as a purple-black wisp mimicked the movements Wuya made. Then the magic fizzled and disappeared. Anastasia gawked at Wuya for a moment before accusingly shouting, "That was a hologram wasn't it?!"

She heard Jack groan, "I give up." He turned to Wuya and asked exasperatedly, "Seriously, what are you here for? And how did you become human again? How many times do I have to kill you before you get the message?"

Anastasia listened with both frustration and confusion. Could they really take this cosplay/roleplaying thing that seriously?

"Chase kicked you out again? Well, it's no wonder. You're always eating his food and backstabbing him and overall being a colossal bitch," Jack spoke nonchalantly.

Wuya grunted and growled, as if steam was escaping her ears. "If anyone is being a colossal bitch it's his new plaything, that 'Shadow' girl. Do you think it's got something to do with her accent?"

The Goth nodded affirmative, knowingly. "Definitely. No one can resist British accents. How do you think they took over like, 80% of the world?"

"No matter. Shadow must be eliminated. She's poisoned Chase and is only out for his power."

"Sounds like someone I know," Jack reminded teasingly, giving Wuya a poke in her bony shoulder.

"Oh shut up, Jack. We need to think of a plan. We will overthrow Shadow and win our Chase back." Wuya made fists and pumped them.

"Our Chase?" Jack repeated, looking perplexed.

"Yes. Ours. You had a crush on him when you were 14, didn't you?" The witch placed a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to her right foot, shaking her head.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, watching a bot short-circuit a few feet away. "Um, a fan crush? When I was 14. That was six years ago! I'm 20 years old now, Wuya. While I'm all for the Heylin takeover of the world, I'd rather not get involved in this."

"Would you rather Chase take over the world or Shadow?"

"...Chase."

"Exactly. Now what we need to do is get rid of that blue-haired, obnoxious, manipulative-"

"Asinine as she may be, it won't be that simple to have Chase remove her. He knows she's powerful and will want her around. He's sick of you so he won't let you back in. And he's tried me and a lot of others so many times he must feel confused with his sexuality. Uhm...what we need is someone new. Someone fresh to pique his interest," the heir stated, rubbing his stubbly chin.

"Yes," Wuya droned, scratching her forehead. They both slowly smiled in realization and shifted their gaze to the fearful albino girl standing in the shadows.

Anastasia knew then, what her mother, Jack, Wuya, and the Fates wanted from her. She was to be Chase Young's doormat.

"Ooooh, no. No. NO! I don't even know who this man is and you want me to impress him enough to take over the world? No. NO!" She shouted, backing away from a slowly approaching Jack. The leather-clad cousin clasped his hands together and promised, "I will personally teach you everything you need to know about the Heylin and Xiaolin struggles. Every detail. You're super smart, you'll get it!"

Wuya shoved past him and invaded Anastasia's personal space. Anastasia could now see every curl on her head, every wrinkle and pore and yellowed fang. "And I will teach you the ways of the witch. You need magic for this fight. Unless your Jack, because he's useless."

"Hey!"

"But you, my darling, have potential. And you're gorgeous. Chase will be all over you like a whale on krill," Wuya cackled, grinning evilly,and drinking Anastasia with her emerald eyes.

The young woman didn't like this one bit. "Somehow I don't find that reassuring." She slinked away from the witch and had every intention for diving to the front door but her cousin beat her to it.

Jack clenched her forearms and gave her the saddest red eyes she'd ever seen. "Please," he begged, "this could really work. Just trust me."

Anastasia looked deeply into his ruby irises, trying to find the malice, mistrust, idiocy in them. But he was serious. Genuine. Needy, even. She closed her eyes and sighed, relenting. "OK. BUT I need real proof that this is all really happening, that I'm not dreaming." She glared in Wuya's direction. "I don't think I trust her."

"Hrm!" Wuya plopped on a couch and crossed her bony ankles. "Says the little shrimp who's going to learn magic from me."

Anastasia heard Jack fuss with his leather jacket and watched him pull out an expensive looking cell phone. As he tapped at the screen, Wuya asked, "Who are you talking to you?"

Vaguely noting that she did sound like his mother, Anastasia echoed, "Who are you talking to?"

As Jack held the phone up to his ear, he smiled and answered, "An old friend. Someone who'll put this into perspective for you."

Jack's basement was an...intriguing place, to say the least. The walls were painted black, the floor had pale white tile stained with blotches of dark brown and black-presumably ink and oil. Dimmed lights hung over them, just barely attached to the ceiling. A work table, wide and covered with stacks of blueprints and other significant documents. Pieces of Jack's bots lay scattered everywhere. There were shelves and shelves filled with vials, tools, and strange metallic trinkets. A huge, blank screen was attached to one wall. It was at least ten feet tall and seven feet wide, Anastasia figured.

Wuya walked past all of these things, only to lean against her cousin's work table and say, "Welcome to Frankenstein's laboratory."

"Where all the magic happens," the Goth continued proudly. Anastasia tried to grin in approval but she honestly did not care for this place. It was dank and creepy and looked like Dexter's murdering sanctuary. "This is where you make your bots?" She asked.

Jack shrugged, "I make most of my creations here. Bikes, bots, boats, you name it. Hell, I even produce TV screens for Sony."

Wuya gaped. "So that's where you got all that extra cash from. You little shit, I asked for some dough and you said your parents were being stingy with your trust fund!"

Anastasia snickered, "Ah the joys of having money."

Her cousin gave her a high-five and turned to Wuya. "Calm down, you old coot. I'm saving that money for later."

The witch pouted and harrumphed. Jack sighed and ran his fingers down to metallic table. "Remember when we met, Wuya? It was at this very spot."

Anastasia looked to the witch, who was blinking dreamily, nostalgically. "Ah, yes," she murmured. "Where this all began." then she shot a look at Jack, adding, "For you at least. I had already been marauding across China with my minions, taking over villages, gaining my dues, all that. It was that blasted Dashi who sealed me up in that box. People don't think I'd actually died. It was a magical process but I was essentially dead."

Anastasia gawked. "So you're a reanimated corpse?"

Jack chortled, "She didn't have a body to reanimate. It's weird, seeing her come to life. Flesh, bones, clothing; it's like she never died."

"Hm," Anastasia muttered to herself. All this talk of magic, witches, and boxes that killed had her thinking maybe she should've written her mother an apology letter. She felt terrible now. All the months she'd spent denying her mother the privilege of magic because of her "reasonable" lifestyle.

Things grew quiet for a moment before the floorboards upstairs could be heard creaking. Jack lifted his head and smirked, noting, "She's here." As someone descended the stairs, footsteps getting louder and louder, Anastasia braced herself for whomever Jack invited. Was she another witch? This Shadow woman? Or some other girl Jack and Wuya hadn't already discussed in her presence.

Anastasia wasn't anticipating a dainty, porcelain skinned girl with long jet black hair and glowing blue eyes. "Jack?" The girl asked, scanning Anastasia's face within a millisecond and then shifting over to the Goth boy.

Jack nodded at her, replying, "Hey, Kimi. Thanks for coming over."

"No biggy. Just be quick please, I don't want to freak out the boys."

"Yeah, yeah, I got you. Raimundo still pulling that assholery?" Jack asked, leaning in to wrap an arm around the girl.

She expertly peeled the leathered limb off and gently shoved him off. "Still an asshole. Still full of shit."

"Still. Bro makes hella good cookies."

Kimiko put a hand on her slim hip and chuckled, "That much is true." She gestured to Anastasia with a manicured nail. "Who's the chick?"

Wuya put a hand on the young woman's shoulder, making Anastasia recoil immediately. The witch's hand felt sharp and old and gross. Kimiko sneered at the old woman and warned, "You better not be thinking of attacking the Temple. It was already decimated by your little friends."

The ancient witch chuckled with a hand on her heart. "That wasn't me, dearie, and you know that. It was Chase Young and his whore Shadow. That's sort of why we need you."

Jack grinned at Anastasia and explained, "My clueless cousin from Moscow. Kimiko Tohomiko, meet Anastasia Petre. Anna, meet my old buddy Kimiko." He patted the Japanese girl's red-clad back. "We go way back."

Kimiko smiled kindly at Anastasia and gave her a peace sign. "Hi," she greeted briefly. Anastasia grinned back and replied, "Pleasure to meet you."

Her cousin stood in between them with a smirk and said, "Now that we're all acquainted, I need you, Kim, to show her cool magicky stuff. Like a cool fire move or something." He twiddled his fingers in the air.

The Japanese girl put a hand on her hip and retorted, "Really, Jack? Use one of your Wu!"

Jack pouted and stood in front of one shelf, the one with trinkets on it, "All of my Wu suck or are extremely dangerous. Not to mention you guys have the monkey staff." He pointed an accusing finger. "You know that's like, my favorite Wu ever."

"Ugh," Kimiko responded, throwing her hands in the air. "Fine. Since I'm already here."

Jack kissed her cheek sweetly, "Thanks, Kimi."

She lodged a finger into his cheek, growling, "Don't do that." Then she turned her bright blue gaze to Anastasia and said, "Step forward please."

Anastasia remained frozen in her spot for a moment, watching Jack's expression. The albino heir made ushering movements with his gloved hands. The young woman obediently stepped closer to Kimiko and held her breath tight. Kimiko reached for one of her hands, her right, and held it between her two tiny palms.

"You know," she said, "Since the Temple was destroyed and Master Fung disappeared, we've been trying to rebuild and recruit people to keep the old Xiaolin ways alive. Being one of the four Dragons of the Xiaolin Temple is a big responsibility. I've had to convince potential monks and nuns of my abilities to gain their trust. And I did it like this."

Anastasia couldn't feel anything at first. She glowered at her hand, at Kimiko, at Jack. What kind of sick joke was this? And then, something remarkable happened. Her skin, previously cold from the blaring air conditioner in Jack's home, started to heat up. Her whole body felt bubbly, like one does when sitting in front of a campfire. The warmth was cozy. And it intensified until Anastasia thought she would jump out of her skin. She wiped her brow drowsily and looked at Kimiko with half-lidded eyes. "What are you doing to me?"

Kimiko stepped away, bowed and said, "I'm the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire."

It took Anastasia a moment to process before she blinked and realized, "You could've cooked my organs! I could have spontaneously combusted!"

Jack spoke up, impatient. "Ya see?! She controls fire because it's magic. Her friends control the other elements because they're magic! It's all magic!"

The Dragon of Fire's pocket beeped three times and she fished out her cell phone. Her eyes widened. "Oh, shit, Jack, I gotta bounce."

Jack gave her a fist bump and called, "Later, Kimiko!" Then he focused on Anastasia and asked deviously, "You ready for some training?"