I must say, I REALLY like the way this chapter came out. It's one of the first chapters to explore some of the other points of the story. R&R and enjoy:

Erica and Chase appeared to be in a silent, unofficial starring contest. Neither broke eye contact as they hovered over either side of his bed.

Finally Erica sighed. "Do I really have to?"

"Do I have to keep explaining it to you?" Chase asked irritated.

"Uh…yes."

This time it was Chase's turn to sigh. "You've already said you can't sleep on the floor or on a chair. Thus you have to sleep in a bed. My bed is the only one in this room."

"What about other rooms?"

"The only other rooms are the guest rooms. And it would be impossible to drag those beds in here. They're nailed down!"

Erica blinked in confusion. "Why on Earth are they nailed down?"

"Because when they weren't they were always escaping and flying out the windows." He said it like it was something normal.

"I…I am sorry, but, what?" Erica said stunned.

"The beds fly…and move…" Chase said, realizing that normal beds aren't like that. "So we pinned them all to the floor."

"Oh okay…but…er…why can I not just sleep in those rooms? That way we will not have to un-nail them." Erica suggested.

"Also can't be done. You are a guest, in a manner of speaking, and have already been assigned a guest room. If you try and enter another guest room the door knob will promptly tell you that you are entering someone else's room and scream at you until you go away."

"The door knob will scream?"

"…Yes…"

I am starting to wonder if he's making this up. But then, my map talks in a way as well. "You live in a very odd place, Mr. Young. I feel like I have been transported to into the book of Alice and Wonderland."

Chase nodded unenthusiastically.

Erica wrapped her arms around herself in a comforting hug. "It seems to have a weird affect on people's minds to. It seems that I can not focus on anything important…and the only things I see in my path are frivolous, meaningless tasks." I have forgotten so much about home…

"It seems to have a different affect on everyone…" Chase agreed. "It is late. I am going to bed. If you want to stay up and stand around, be my guest. But the doors to these quarters will lock soon and won't re-open until I wake up. So if you're thinking of walking anywhere, you can't."

"I guess I will just go to sleep now…uh…y-yeah…I-I will d-d-do tha-that…" Erica started to stutter again. Chase was already comfy under the covers watching her.

Awkwardly, she pulled the blanket off slightly and slid in underneath the covers….Far on her side. Though she felt odd climbing into a bed with a man, she did not feel weird about that man being Chase. For reasons she couldn't understand, she felt safe around him, yet, did not trust him.

The lights instantly shut off as she eased her way in. Chase's bed was silky and warm and Erica could feel herself starting to drift into dream land the moment she laid down on them. She turned so that she was on her side on the very edge of the bed. If someone poked her she would have rolled right off.

Erica heard movement, and the subtle shift of the blanket. Chase had turned to his side to, as if to watch her, she could tell.

"You are very uncomfortable around men. Why?" He asked.

"And you are very forward with women. Why?" Erica boldly mimicked him.

"My sincerest Apologies, miss Valetciay, but I do not talk much with other people. Excuse me if my questions are direct."

Erica turned so she was facing him now. "How does everybody here know my full name?"

"We have our ways, Erica. We have our ways."

"Your ways are very vague." She said boldly again, rolling back to her side.

Chase snorted. "Really Erica, tell me; why are you so uncomfortable around men? Or, is it just me?"

Erica sighed deeply, opened her mouth as if to answer, then sighed again. "It is not just you…It is…" She sighed. "Must I tell you?" She asked softly.

"No…but I appreciate having my questions answered." He said. So do I, but I do not see my questions being answered.

"I have just…I…it…was…I…er…I just had a bad experience is all." She answered small tears flowing to her eyes.

"It left you scarred." Chase noted.

"No, no, I do not have any scars."

"I meant emotionally."

"Oh…I suppose it has…"

The blankets shifted again as Chase sat up. The lights flickered on.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No!" She answered not a half second later after he asked.

"Fine." Chase mumbled a laid back down. The lights turned off once more.

Erica shot up. The lights turned on.

"Why do you suddenly care so much about my life?" She asked looking over at him. His eyes were closed. He lifted one eye lid.

"I didn't say I did."

She sighed.

"Lights, dim." Chase ordered and they did. But an eerie blue glow existed from Erica's direction.

Chase sat up and looked into Erica's eyes. "I didn't know it glowed." He looked down at the amulet of fantasies.

"It glows when I want it to glow." Erica said, her voice almost filled with the sound of venom. The amulet grew brighter. "And I do not like the dark."

"Well I do."

Erica glared at Chase, and the light from the amulet become more powerful, illuminating the entire room.

Chase chuckled as he lay back down again.

"Something amuse you?" Erica asked angrily, a new edge forming in her voice. I new edge she couldn't explain. And didn't like. And couldn't control.

Chase chucked again. "You don't want to give up the amulet because your mother told you not to. You don't want to give it up because you like the power."

The amulet dimmed to it's usually shine and Erica laid back in the bed, starting to break out into a cold sweat.

"That has never happened before…" She said, her voice back to being shaking, timid, and scared. Never once in her life had she spoke with such authority. Never in her life had she exerted that much power over the amulet.

Chase sensed the freight in her voice. "Erica, is everything-"

"Please…" She whispered into her pillow. "Do not talk anymore…please…"

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