I know I know, shun the author! Please forgive me for taking so long. . . Again. I have Originalitis, which is the disease in which an author can write only in his or her original works.

I have managed to force myself to work on this, for one chapter. I can't be sure how soon you'll be getting an update, but the more you review the faster I should get a new chapter written!

Erik sat in his lair playing his tiny keyboard, and wishing he could be at the rehearsal.

He hummed along to what he was playing, Think of Me, and had just began singing along, when the door opened.

He paused, and heard footsteps.

"Who's in here?"

He froze. That was not Katie! That voice sounded older, more matured. His breath came a bit more quickly, and he glanced around for a place to hide.

"I heard music, a keyboard, who's in here? You realize you're not supposed to be in here right? It's time for lunch."

The footsteps came nearer, and nearer.

"I may have just been hearing things." The voice sounded doubtful.

She doesn't really think she was just hearing things. If she thought that she wouldn't be coming nearer, and nearer to me.

The woman stepped out in front of him, and before he could think straight he slipped his Punjab around her neck, and pulled her close.

"You will say nothing of this, you will leave and not come back."

It was the kind looking lady that had been there at the rehearsal.

Gasping the woman raised her hands up to her throat and tried to pull the rope off from around her neck.

"I will call the police!"

"You will not leave then."

The lady was young, and she stared at him in shock, before she began laughing.

"Oh Ty, it's you. You had me worried for a second! Now let me go, and get on to lunch."

She smiled at him kindly, and he almost wished he was Ty!

He shook his head.

"I'm afraid I have to tie you up and gag you ma'am. I'm sorry."

It hurt when the woman looked at him with so much shock in her eyes, so he ended up blindfolding her too.

He heard the door creaking open, and froze. What it still wasn't Katie?

"Erik? Are you here? I've got something for you, we had chocolate cake!" It was Katie.

Erik sighed in relief. "Why are you telling me that you had chocolate cake?" He stepped away from the kind lady hoping Katie wouldn't see her, and force him to let her go.

"Because, I don't eat chocolate cake. Or brownies. I've been told that makes me somehow not a girl, but I still eat normal chocolate and go crazy about actors and singers, so I'm pretty sure I'm still a girl!"

She laughed, and handed him a styrofoam plate. On the plate was a large piece of cake.

"I figured you'd like it though."

She smiled up at him, so trusting, and he knew he couldn't do this! He sat the plate on the floor, and put himself on the floor next to it, covering his face.

"Erik?"

"I'm a terrible human being!" He spat out.

"No you're not! You've never done anything terrible to me anyway!"

Erik looked up at her, "I nearly strangled you, twice, I've nearly gotten you in trouble, and here I am endangering you, and making it to where you might have to leave the camp, simply for sneaking me a piece of cake. And the worst," He laughed bitterly, "The worst is yet to come."

He pointed her in the direction of the kind lady, and she followed it.

He heard her gasp, and knew she had seen the lady.

"Erik, why do you have Mrs. Mayfield tied up?"

Sniffing Erik gave a truthful response, "Because, she came in, and she wasn't you, and I got scared. I was sure she would turn me into the police, or make me take off my mask."

His shoulders slumped. He'd probably just ruined his friendship with Katie for forever.

"Well, we have to let her go." She gave him a disapproving look.

He nodded and untied Mrs. Mayfield, ungaged, and unblindfolded her.

"I'm sorry ma'am, just please, don't turn me into the police!"

"You're the intruder from a few days ago! You pretended to be Ty!" The lady reached into her pocket, and pulled out a cell phone.

Katie grabbed the lady's hand, "No no, Mrs. Mayfield, he came to watch, and you thought he was Ty. He was too scared to say he wasn't Ty, so he just went along with it. Please don't be mad at him, let him stay here, at least until camp is over, and don't tell anyone!"

Erik watched Mrs. Mayfield, as she thought it over.

"I want to see your face. I want to be sure that there isn't a known criminal here endangering my campers."

Erik covered his face and mask with both hands. He felt Katie's hand on his back, and heard her whisper,

"Don't worry Erik, I'll talk to her."

Erik lifted his head, and watched as Katie walked back over to Mrs Mayfield.

"Mrs. Mayfield, please, come over this way."

Mrs. Mayfield followed Katie to a corner, and Erik couldn't hear what they were saying. Finally, Mrs. Mayfield nodded, and the two females came back toward him.

"Erik, it's okay to take your mask off. We both know that you're not a criminal, and Mrs. Mayfield promised not to freak out." Katie came and stood next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

With a reluctant sigh, he removed the mask, showing Mrs. Mayfield his face, disfigured, and unlovable. Would she still let him stay? Or throw him out simply because of his face!

If you didn't hate me then, you hate me now.