Explanation time, oh goodie.

"So start from the beginning." Dee said, taking another bite out of a slice of pizza, before tossing it back onto the paper plate next to her. "And do not skip out on any of the details."

Julie nodded, flicking a strand of white from her eyes before turning back to face the group of, Jenny, Dee, Audrey, Summer, Michael, and Zach. After she explained to Jenny about how she knew what she did, Jenny demanded that she explain everything and in front of everyone.

"From the beginning," Julie started stopping and turning to face everyone. "About twenty years ago my father met Jenny's grandfather in a store that sold magic crafts and charms of all kinds. They had started talking and her grandfather told him that he could show my father the most amazing things, more amazing then anything that he could imagine. Over a short period of time they became really close and he told my dad everything and how he had to keep it from his own family and respected that my father did the same." She sighed and placed her hands at her temples trying to back track her thoughts. "At the time he only had a wife and a daughter."

"I thought you said that you had a brother." Jenny interrupted earning an are you kidding me? Look from both Dee and Julie.

"I lied okay?" Julie admitted. "I had too, if I just walked up to you and said, oh, hey Jen what's up? Did you know your grandfather knew my dad, like before he disappeared? And I know about the shadow world too? No." Julie rolled her uniquely colored eyes. "So, one day your grandfather disappears and when he goes over to your house, he sees that he isn't alone and that you're scraped up and bloody, that's when he knew what sacrifice he had made.

So my dad started writing all his discovers in this little journal of his, everything he knew about the shadow world and some stuff from your grandfathers journal too, and he even watched over Jenny a bit to make sure that no shadows came out and grabbed her. Little did he know that one was already following her." Julie filled through the thick brown book shed been crushing in her grip since she walked into the living room.

"'There's one of them following her.'" She quoted. "'All the signs are there, but he doesn't try to inflict any harm or led her back to the world shed escaped, he just hovers.' So my dad kept an eye on you until finally he'd had enough and wanted to go tell you what he thought was going on, but," Julie cut off, looking away from the group and biting her lip when she looked back; there were tears in her eyes. "He was tricked by Julian I think, he took me to your grandfather's house, me and my sister because we didn't want to be left behind. He heard screams coming from the basement, at first he thought it was one of us but when he ran down there all he could see was this little tuff of blonde hair." She paused grabbing her mouth, and looking back up at them with obvious agony. "I was right there, sitting by the couch playing hide and seek with Emily, and I saw him come in, run in. I wanted to yell Daddy but I just sat there and watched as he pulled open the door.

It was so cold." Julie whispered. "Below freezing, it made my arms hurt and I stared at my father as he was pulled through the doorway. I couldn't speak, just watch as he was dragged away, the last thing he saw might have been me. Because when I blinked he had tears in his eyes and was smiling a little, maybe knowing that I would be alright." When the door closed I screamed and ran to it, trying to beat it open but it was locked, and finally Emily found me and called my Mom who picked us up and thought that my dad had left.

Years later I found his journal, it was in the back of his closet, and I read through it over and over and understood it all." Julie looked over at Jenny. "I had to find you, and tell you that you weren't alone, and that I knew how you felt, but I couldn't for a while, until I saw you disappear into the more games store." Julie sighed and leaned against the wall for support. "I banged against the wall, until those two guys came and chased me away, but I still waited for you to return and when you finally did, I knew I was already too late.

I wanted to follow you, but the box scared me, because I knew it was from one of them. But finally I followed you home, and watched as you all said the oath and talked about the shadow man and his minions, then realized that there was nothing I could do now. Afterwards I read about these two guys breaking into someone's house and someone disappearing, my mind nagged at me to read it and when I finally did I realized that you had gotten out alive or most of you anyway." Julie eyes Summer sadly.

"I followed you around town, keeping my eyes on you at school, and at home to make sure that Julian didn't try anything and after awhile he didn't I heard about that kid, who died in a hunting accident too, so I knew I had to be careful for a snake and a wolf lurking in the shadows, and finally I heard about you and Audrey heading out to prom so I decided why not go too."

"How'd you get into prom?" Audrey asked and all eyes turned to her as she delicately shrugged. "It's just a thought; prom isn't exactly easy to crash."

"When it's a masquerade and you wear five inch heels it is." Julie said with a grin. "I was just another senior girl, and when I walked in I also realized finding you and Jenny was going to be pretty hard. At least until I saw a plash of gold from the corner of my eyes and followed it out to the balcony where you stood arms around someone with odd white hair."

Jenny flinched at Julian's description but Julie hadn't even gotten to the worst stuff yet.

"I saw him lift away his mask, and those eyes." Julie shuddered. "I couldn't imagine what secrets they held, I heard you talk to each other and how you agreed to a new game, but before I could act upon it, he disappeared and then, I wasn't any where near you, I was outside in the parking lot." She shrugged. "I knew he wouldn't let me help you guys so I had to wait, because I knew that eventually you would beat him, and in a month or so, you came back to the school and I knew next year it would be time to ask questions. Julie sighed and raised her hands then let them fall back to her sides. "That's it. Any questions?"

"Does your mom know you're here?" Jenny asked.

Julie shook her head. "Of course not, I disappeared from Pennsylvania and came here."

"Is Julie your real name?" Michael asked raising a thick brown eye brow.

"Of course." Julie said with a sigh. "Anything else?"

"What do you know about the shadow men noises?" Dee asked. "Like the hissing noise Jenny and I heard in gym class and saw you in the corner whispering something."

Julie's eyes widened. "What hissing noise?"

"You know," Jenny replied with a tense shrug. "It was this low hiss, like a snake and then we saw you mumbling something."

"Are you talking about what happened Thursday?" At jenny's nod Julie continued. "I was listening to music that day in gym, I had my head phones in the entire time and I was mouthing the lyrics, I didn't hear any hissing noises."

And in that moment, Jenny learned a terrifying truth that they weren't alone, and that even at this moment, the shadow men were back and watching over them, waiting to strike and that maybe Julian was waiting with them.

Kk so is everyone all caught up now? We all know who Julie is and we know what happen to her, we also know that the shadow men are lurking and creeping in the shadows. Review?