Reveal the Darkness Within

by Shirley Ann Burton

When Angela Jacobs is kidnapped by a scientist who has dangerous intentions for her magical powers, will she have to resort to something dangerous to survive, especially since she is all alone with none of her friends close by?

6. Flight of Fear

Reveal the DARKNESS Within
The Conclusion: Flight of Fear

Angela Jacobs ran for her life through the streets of the big city, but not Electro City. After being kidnapped by the noted scientist Dr. Gregory Collins, she had unleashed all her hidden feelings of anger and pain on him, almost killing him with a small but very intense cyclone.
Ace and Vega had managed to find her just before she could make the tornado stronger.
When she discovered what they had seen, she had blasted her way through with her magic and simply ran away. She was very frightened to even face her friends because of her buried anger. "I…have…to…get away…from him," she said in desperation. Still in her own crimefighting costume, she continued running as her cape flowed in the breeze.
What she did not know was that a certain snowy owl was tailing her from a safe distance, trying to make sure she did not get herself hurt more than she already had been. I have to stay on her tail. Ace knows I'm following her, but she doesn't know I'm here or where she herself is. I must make certain she does not harm herself. She believes in her heart she no longer has friends. I know this is not true, and so do her friends…Well, we're going to end this flight of fear tonight.
Angie, still running, made a left turn at the corner of 17th Street and Constitution Avenue and discovered something unbelievable. "What the…" She noticed a tall off-white structure standing a good 500 feet high and shaped like an obelisk. "Oh, my God," she whispered. "That's the…Washington Monument? No, I couldn't be." She then started getting a feeling in her mind. "No…he's trying to find me. I can't let him find me!"
She then ran into an alley on 17th Street and sat down on the ground. "I have to block him out completely. I must keep him from finding me." She closed her eyes and placed her hands to the temples of her head. "Must…not…let him…find me." She started concentrating hard to keep Ace from being able to locate her.
Ace and Vega ran down Virginia Avenue hoping to find Angie before she did more damage to herself.
Vega lost his breath. "Ace, stop. I can't keep up with you. I'm not that young, you know."
"Derek, we have to catch up with Angie."
"Try to track her by thought."
Closing his eyes to concentrate, Ace was only able to see black. "She's…trying to prevent me from discovering where she is. She won't allow me to track her down."
"She's that scared right now?"
"Yes, she is. In her heart she doesn't believe she is worthy of our friendship anymore. I do sense she knows she is in Washington now. She has seen the Washington Monument."
"That helps somewhat. It's just, how do we find her at this point?"
"I have to keep trying to use the bond between us. She'll be straining herself badly because she hasn't eaten anything in three days."
"Speaking of that, we don't have an emergency food supply kit with us."
"Oh, yes, we do." Quickly moving his cape with his left hand, he made an emergency kit appear in his right hand. "I always keep it with me just in case it gets late when we find her."
"You mean if we find her."
"No, Derek…we will find her…somehow."
As for Angie herself, she heard her darker shadow speak again. Angela, why are you running from your friends? Don't you know they're worried about you?
"Why should they worry about me anymore?" she said with tears in her eyes. "I…don't deserve their friendship. They've seen my darker self. I'll never have their trust or their love ever again! I've lost everything!"
How do you know that?
"Just leave me alone! I could never face them again!"
What about your bond with Ace? You know it can't be broken unless one or the other dies…No, Angela, you wouldn't dare! I won't let you even contemplate that option!
"No…I'm not considering it. I'm just going to keep running alone…like I deserve to be."
She continued crying until she heard a very soft hissing noise. "Wha-what is that? Who's there?" She looked up at the street lamp and noticed a snowy owl. "Huh? A…a snowy owl here in Washington? I—no, it's you!" The female magician jumped up in fear and started running down 17th Street towards Independence Avenue. "Go away!" she screamed. "Leave me alone!"
The owl was determined to stay with her. No, Angela. I will not leave you alone, not until Ace finds you safely. I know you are blocking him out temporarily, but I can trace you until the Magician can catch up. You can't stop me from finding or protecting you. Owls like the dark and the hunt, and I am no exception.
Ace and Vega came to the corner of Virginia and Constitution when Ace suddenly felt a surge in Angie's psychic signal. "I can sense her again." Focusing on her mind, he saw an image of her scrambling. "She's running due south and about to turn west."
"From 17th to Independence Avenue. She's in the Mall."
Ace looked at Vega strangely. "Derek, she's not in stable enough condition to go shopping!"
"Not a shopping mall! The National Mall, the park here in Washington!"
"Oh, um, sorry. I forgot the park here was called 'The Mall.'"
"Never mind. Now, let me think. On Independence Avenue going west, the only three things there are the famous Reflecting Pool, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial."
"How do you know what's here in Washington?"
"When I was just starting out in law enforcement, I wanted to be an FBI agent, so when I passed the initial examinations, I was invited to come here for a tour of the city. I didn't get passed the second round, though, because I suffered a broken ankle on the training course."
"I see. I guess to get into the FBI, it takes much tougher standards."
"Exactly. Ace, listen, I'm completely out of breath. I'm not in as good shape as you are. I'll tell you where to go. Keep going east here on Constitution, then make a right onto 17th. Stay that way until you see a fork. Take the one on the right and you'll be on Independence. Just make sure she doesn't reach the Arlington Memorial Bridge. You can't miss it."
"Thanks, Derek. What are you going to do?"
"Commandeer a taxi and get to FBI headquarters. By now Dan has Ferrio, Jameson, and Collins in custody."
"Right. I'll keep looking for Angie."
"Ace, please find her before she gets herself hurt even more."
"Count on it." Ace then ran using the directions Vega had given. He stayed on Constitution and then made the right on 17th Street.
Angie had been using up so much energy running, she desperately needed rest. She came upon a reflection pool with a wedge of about 19 soldiers. She then sat down on a nearby bench. "Whew, that's better…and it looks like I've lost that pesky owl. No offense, but I can't let anybody find me at this point." She then felt Ace's psychic signal. "Oh, no. He's tracking me again." Breathing heavily, she concentrated with all she had to block him again. "No, I'm sorry, Ace, but I won't let you know where I am."
In the process of trying to block him out, she suddenly heard another male voice in her mind, a memory of the evening she had told him about her parents. Angie, I love you. I know you're going through emotional turmoil right now, but there is nothing on this planet that would make me stop loving you…
"Oh, Victor…I don't deserve your love. I don't deserve anyone's love."
She heard that frightening hiss again, this time from the top of one of the soldiers on the Korean War Memorial. When she saw the snowy owl had still followed her, she freaked out and ran from the bench, hoping just to get away from that owl.
About an hour later, she noticed another familiar landmark. "The…Lincoln Memorial," she whispered. "I've got to rest. I'm so tired…and so hungry."
Despite this, though, she tried to run for the landmark, the owl silent behind and above her. When she was getting close to the memorial, she accidentally tripped herself on a bump and fell down, scraping her left knee. "Ow," she cried. Noticing the tear in her tights and the bleeding on her knee, she quickly took her cape and bit into it, tearing a piece off to wrap the wound. Quickly enclosing the scraped area in a square knot, she started running as fast as she could, despite the pain in her knee. "I…can't let him…find me," she said in panting breath. "He's seen my darker self. He'll…never be my friend anymore. I'll never…have friends anymore."
The owl flew above her and saw her get hurt. The butterfly is injured. She will still try to block her heart brother away. I can't stop that, but I can prevent her leaving the Memorial…I'm not going to let her do this again.
She finally came to the Lincoln Memorial and slowly took the stairs up to the monument. "I can't go on, not with this knee. I have to sit down and rest."
The female magician finally sat down on the back side of the memorial so she could get some much needed respite from all the running. "I'm so…tired, so hungry. I can't move on. I have to keep trying…to block Ace." Clutching her head and closing her eyes, she concentrated with all her might to stop Ace from being able to track her down.

Thousands of miles away in Electro City, it was lunch time for Cosmo and Zina, but they had little appetite mainly because they were very worried about Ace and Angie. They had not heard anything from either magician since Ace notified them about his arriving in Washington the night before.
"I hope they're all right," said a worried Cosmo. "Washington's a really big city. In Angie's present condition, Ace is probably having a lot of trouble finding her."
Zina did not comment; she was already quite aware of the problem…and completely capable of resolving it. Mysteriously, she began to glow in a light-blue aura, matching Angie's aura.
Cosmo choked on the milk he was drinking when he saw her glowing. "Zina? Whoa, what's going on?"
The panther rumbled softly, as though Ace were there in the room with her, as though he had just stroked her fur, before she stopped glowing and continued to eat her meal with renewed enjoyment. Cosmo shrugged, assumed that this was a good thing, and decided to ask Ace when the magicians returned.

As Angie sat resting at the back end of the Lincoln Memorial, she noticed a bridge not too far from her. "Hmm, if I can get past that bridge, maybe I can finally get away from everyone."
The owl landed on the top of the memorial, but decided not to hiss and scare her again. It is best I try to help her from here, at least until Ace can come. It then made mental contact with the female magician. Why do you run, Butterfly?>
Angie knew the voice all too well. "What do you want with me?" she asked in fear. "Just leave me alone!"
Angela, why do you fear the darkness inside you?>
"I…I don't want anyone to see this side of me." She started shedding tears.
Why?>
"B-because it hurts people! And I—"
Butterfly, do you recall when your shadow said, "From the dark which you fear comes your rescue"?>
"Yes, I do. What difference does that make?"
Your heart brother must also rely on his own darkness to do his jobs, both of them.>
"What are you talking about?"
Think back, Angela. His darkness comes from his past as a teenage criminal. He is able to use the knowledge from that darkness to bring the truth to light. And knowing what people fear and desire, he is a much better magician.>
"He…does? He…is?"
Yes, he does and is. And for the record, almost every time you and he made psychic contact, it took place at night. The only exception was the morning of your parents' funeral. However, that funeral was two hours ahead of Electro City, which made it early in the morning when he sensed your pain. Besides, look around you…can you see stars in the daylight?>
"So, the darkness doesn't have to be so…bad all the time?"
No, Angela. Believe it or not, your shadowed self really was trying to protect you from harm by that scientist. What you do not know is that it knew just how ill you were from the drugs and lack of food and water. You thought your only hope was to rely solely on the light, but to escape from Dr. Collins's twisted little scenario, you needed to acknowledge and trust the shadows. Since you refused, the consequence was that it took you over.>
"I…think I—no, that doesn't make any sense. I'm getting out of here!" She tried to get up to run again, but standing on her left knee caused more pain. "Ow!" she screamed.
You are too far hurt to walk, much less run, on that knee in your current condition. Call me crazy, but I hate cleaning infections…the square knot's slipping since you decided to move too fast and that's what will happen. I suggest you wait here for now.>
"I can't wait too long. Otherwise, Ace'll find me. I don't want him to find me."
As the sun started setting in Washington, Ace ran west on Independence Avenue when he tried again to concentrate to locate the female magician but with no luck. "Please, Angie, let me find you." He shook his head as he saw nothing but darkness in his mind.
Just then, he felt an unusual presence within himself. He felt a different person—rather, being—touching his mind. "Zina," he gasped. "She's trying to help me locate Angie." He felt himself becoming one with his panther partner. Zina, I know you want to help me. Find her scent and focus an image into my mind.
The Magician and Zina melded their two minds together in the hopes they could both see where Angie was.
In a matter of seconds, Ace could see just where she was. "The Lincoln Memorial! She's taken refuge there…and she's hurt. I've got to reach her before she tries to get away again." Thank you, Zina. You'll get a big reward from me when I return with Angie. He heard a soft growl within his mind, knowing it was a growl of appreciation. Ace then ran past the Korean War Veterans Memorial at top speed.
He then made contact with Vega via the wrist communicator. "Angie's at the Lincoln Memorial. Meet me there ASAP."
"Madam President, Dan, and I are on the way. Just make sure she doesn't leave."
Feeling her presence stronger than ever and guided by Zina, Ace finally reached his goal.
Angie was in deep thought when she heard sudden footsteps approaching. She also sensed Ace's presence suddenly becoming stronger. "I have to get out of here!" Despite the pain in her left knee…and the owl's warning about the knot slipping, she started running towards the bridge. "It's my only chance…to escape for good."
Ace came around the corner and saw the flowing and slightly torn cape created by her dash. "Angie, wait, please!" Knowing she would not listen out of pure terror, he closed his eyes and focused on his own power. Angie, I'm sorry to have to do this, but you've left me no choice. He then began to glow in his own violet aura and slowly put his hands toward the air. "Angie," he started softly but made his voice louder with every word after, "you…will…stop!" His hands extended outward, and upon opening his eyes, they glowed in violet as well.
She kept running as fast as she could until she suddenly found herself completely frozen and unable to move. "Wha—no, no, no!" she yelled in sheer horror. "Let me go! Let me go! Please, just let me go!"
Ace felt the enormous pain within her soul as she began floating backwards towards him. "Angie," he whispered sadly. "All the pain, the anger, the guilt, the self-torture, the agony…all confined within your being for so long and then suddenly let loose all at once. I vow to help you get through this, a promise I make with all my heart."
Angie struggled despairingly to free herself from Ace's power. "Just let me go, please! I'm no good to you anymore!"
His heart plummeted at her words. "No, Angie. I don't believe that, and I never will believe that."
When she finally reached him, Ace held her arms to keep her from running away again.
"Just leave me alone, Ace," she cried. "I'm no good to you. I'm not even worthy of this costume anymore."
Ace looked straight in her eyes and said, "Not worthy of the costume, or not worthy…of love?"
She put her face down in complete shame as tears fell freely.
"Angie, I know what was happening to you. You feared your darker self so much that you believed you would lose your friends forever if it ever surfaced. I'm going to tell you right now that it's not true. Remember the night I saved Vega's life in the explosion? When he knew of my own powers, I thought he wouldn't be my friend anymore. It didn't happen, though. He stuck by me every step of the way."
"But Ace…I almost killed someone. Someone nearly died because of me."
Holding her for comfort and solace, he whispered, "It wasn't completely your fault. Dr. Collins wanted to use your powers as a weapon, which in itself made you very upset. In addition, you have not eaten in three days, you were becoming very delirious, and you were more frightened than before because of that darker voice telling you to trust it."
Wiping her eyes, she looked at Ace and said, "I do remember my shadow telling me it wanted to save my life, but I never thought it would come to this, me nearly taking someone's life."
"It was purely self-defense. I couldn't locate you telepathically because you were over 3000 miles away, and you knew your parents couldn't help you physically. Your darkness really was your only hope of escape."
"What about my emotions, though? What happened to make my powers go so crazy?"
"Angie, it's like this. Even though your heart does guide your magical power, your emotions literally tap into that power. When you're in a good mood, the magic is calm and gentle. Battle-ready, your completely focused, allowing you to tap the deeper power. With anger, fear, and guilt overtaking you, however, your power can become as violent and destructive as that tornado you created on Collins."
"I know some parts of your past, including your own darkness, and the fact you couldn't control your magic when you first figured things out. My question is, how did you get so good with the Magic Force?"
"Years of practice, meditation, patience, and willpower. To fully understand what I could do, I had to calm myself down and focus the energy. I control the Magic Force from within my mind. Your Magic Force is powered by the heart, far more vulnerable than the mind. Since you are an emotionally sensitive person, it's tougher for you to be in complete control. After your parents' deaths, you were able to control and literally bury the power by absorbing the fear into your love of studying. Even then, you found it difficult to love and trust yourself."
Angie nodded, miserable.
"When your parents passed away so suddenly, you believed the love and trust within yourself had died, too. They didn't die; they just became lost somewhere deep inside your being. You felt you had betrayed both when you weren't with your parents that night. You don't feel worthy of love because you feel you never really deserved it after your parents died."
Angie's eyes welled up with tears once more. "You're right, Ace. I'm afraid to love and trust myself. Even after the Party Carnival, I still wasn't convincing myself. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
Holding her in a warm embrace, Ace calmly said, "I know, Angie. Being able to love and trust yourself after such a trauma is very hard to do, and it will take a lot of time. I promise, though, you won't lose your home or your friends because your darker self surfaced."
She still shivered in Ace's arms when there was a feeling of instant sun and the blink of golden eyes. She gasped and stepped back involuntarily as a young man, wrapped in a cloak of owl feathers, appeared from the night itself. She belatedly recalled the snowy owl that followed her closely since she had run away from Collins's home.
"Hello again, Angie." The tenor voice was a reassurance, but the eyes were not. Golden eyes…the eyes of an owl. Gwydion Bright Owl, heart shifter of the Circle, was not one with whom any could dare to be especially close, except Marshall.
Angie found envy stirring at the thought of the pair's closeness.
Owl smiled, feeling amused. "Good. Much better than I'd hoped…"
"What do you mean?" she asked with high anxiety.
"You aren't holding back. The very strange thing about this mess is that the less you acknowledged the darker self, the more control you gave it. In order to Heal, to be in control, you must love that self."
"How do I do that!? Marshall told me I fear love!"
"And so you do. You feel unworthy of it because you have not earned it…Heart-sister of Ace, do you remember that love is a gift, freely given? And that Love itself exceeds all boundary and reason? Worth doesn't matter, only the fact you exist." His eyes danced. "It will not be an easy thing to do—accept Love's gift, but it can be done. Time and patience are your allies, and so is my heart-sib, for she has done this, too…both of us, actually."
Angie became truly surprised. "When? How?"
"Later, we will tell you," came the youth's promise.
His right hand then reached out, brushing Angie's arm with his pale, strong fingers.
Both magicians were stunned to see Angie's scrape and her aches and bruises disappear. The scrape glowed brightly through the piece of cape she used to stop the bleeding earlier, which as the boy had noted before, was coming loose.
Angie then used her own magic to mend the tear in her tights and put her cape back together.
"So," started Ace curiously, "where do we start?"
"Where every quest begins and ends…within. Consider it a second, more intimate apprenticeship…"
"Intimate?" Angie questioned. "You mean something like…"
"No, Angie, not that idea of intimate. You already share that with Raven's brother. This intimate apprenticeship will involve how you are able to express yourself to those closest to you."
"But…what if I fail, or I'm not worthy?"
"Who sets the standard, Angie? You do. I challenge you that when you get angry or upset you acknowledge and express your emotions openly instead of locking them away. After your outbursts, thank yourself for the gift of free expression."
"That sounds very foolish," the female magician said dubiously.
"Yes, it is, but please, for yourself, do it anyway."
He started to walk away when Angie said, "Gwydion, wait. How did you know I would be here?"
"I was requested by the Council…and Marshall…to follow you." With one last smile the shifter was back in owl form, leaving the two magicians alone in the night.
Angie then heard Owl's voice in her mind. If you need me, Angela, I am as easy to reach as my heart-sib. Think of me.>
As she continued staring at the sky, Ace looked at her. "Will you be okay?"
"I don't know. I buried my darker half away for almost eight years. It'll probably take that long to love and trust myself again, maybe longer."
"Maybe…but you have three important allies: time, patience, and most of all, friends at your side when you need help."
"That sure…helps…ohhhhh…" She suddenly fainted into Ace's arms.
Ace knew what had happened. "Hang on, Angie." He quickly made the emergency food kit appear and grabbed some dried fruit. "Here. Eat this."
Angie opened her mouth and slowly chewed on the dried orange. "Mmmm…mmmm…mmmm…more."
"Okay, how about this chocolate chip granola bar?"
"Th-thank you."
Ace fed her one bite at a time like a little baby, but considering what she had been through, doing this did not really bother him. He then gave her some bottled water to make the food go down. "It's okay, Angie. Go slowly."
After taking some food in, she fell asleep.
Just then, Simons, Vega, and Madam President all showed up in Simons's car.
They all ran up to the two magicians.
Vega looked concerned almost immediately. "Good Lord…Angie!"
Ace picked her up and carried her in his arms. "Her adrenaline of fear finally wore down, and now she's extremely hungry. I've given her some dried fruit, a granola bar, and some water."
Simons looked at her face, which was slightly going pale. "Not only is she hungry, she seems dehydrated. The only water she's had was in the little cell and then here just now with you. She needs to get to a hospital."
President Donovan said, "We'll take her to the Voluntary Hospital of America. We can get there much faster if we take the Potomac River Freeway going north."
"Good idea," said Vega. "The sooner we get there, the faster Angie can get treated."
The group went back into Simons's car and quickly took off for the hospital.
Less than 15 minutes later, they all arrived at the hospital, with Angie being placed in intensive care.
In the waiting room, all four people who brought her were very anxious.
The doctor-on-call came into the waiting room with a smile on his face. "I have some good news. Your friend Angie is responding to the intravenous fluids we put into her. We're also working on getting what's left of the tranquilizer drugs out of her system by detoxification."
Ace breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."
"It was surprising she wasn't worse than she really could have been, because the drug the kidnappers used on her was amazingly heavy on water, which kept her from getting dehydrated. After they stopped injecting her with it, she started losing the water and actually had some withdrawal symptoms."
"The kidnappers had her drugged continuously for two days," said Vega.
Ace then asked, "How long does she need to be here?"
"I want her to stay tonight and tomorrow night for precautionary observation. If everything holds up, she'll be released the day after tomorrow. Is that all right with you, Mr. Cooper?"
"Yes, that'll be fine. Can…I see her?"
"I suggest you do so. She is not familiar with Washington, and this has been a bit overwhelming for her, after what you all told me. It'll be good for her to be surrounded by people she does know."
Simons looked at Ace and Vega. "I wish I could stay, but President Donovan and I have a press conference to prepare."
"Yes, we do," agreed Madam President. "I think the country will be very relieved to hear Angie's safe…which reminds me, Ace. I think you better call your friends back in Electro City and give them the good news first."
"I'll take care of that after I see Angie."
Ace and Vega went to Angie's hospital room while Simons and the President left the hospital to return to the White House and get the press conference ready for the morning.
Angie slept soundly in the bed until she heard a warm voice touching her mind. Angie, wake up. It's us. We're here.
Squinting her eyes in the light, her vision was slightly blurred. After a few seconds, she was able to see clearly again. She turned to her left and saw the little tuft of white hair. "Ace," she said slowly, "you're here."
"Yes, and so is Vega."
She then moved her head to the right. "Hello, Vega."
"Hi. Are you feeling okay?"
"Physically, I'm getting better. Emotionally…I am a wreck."
"I can understand that. You should've seen Ace the morning after he saved my life."
"I…already did."
"How?"
Ace interjected, "Remember that Japan trip I took?"
"Oh, yeah, that's right."
Angie looked at the lieutenant. "Um, Vega, will…I be in some kind of trouble?"
"In trouble? What do you mean?"
"I almost killed Dr. Collins. Won't I…have to face some kind of charge?"
Vega looked at her in complete surprise. "Angie, no. You're not being charged with anything. You didn't do anything wrong."
"But—"
"Angie, he's right," interrupted Ace. "Dr. Collins, Ferrio, and Jameson are the real ones in trouble with the law. What you did was pure survival and out of self-defense. Simons already knows that."
"Who?"
Vega explained about the help he and Ace received from Simons and the President. "Dan and I go way back. President Donovan was also very caring about this situation."
"The President helped, too? I didn't know she was worried about me."
"Angie, the whole country was worried about you. When Dan announces you're safe tomorrow morning, everybody will be breathing a sigh of relief."
She then faced Ace. "So, how long am I going to be here?"
"Probably until Friday. The doctor wants to keep you here a couple of nights as a precaution. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine. I could use the rest anyhow." She then let out a long yawn.
"We'll let you get some rest. You've been through enough of a nightmare."
"Thanks, Ace. Thanks…for being a friend."
He embraced her with a warm smile. "You'll always have friends, Angie. You deserve friends."
Ace and Vega left the room and turned out the light to allow her to sleep.
During the night, Angie took a journey inside herself for a purpose.
She walked through a dark forest looking for someone. "Shadow self? Can I talk to you, please? It's important I speak with you."
The shadowed darker self walked forward with a surprised look on its face. "You…actually want speak to me…on you own free will?"
"Yes. I feel I must talk with you now, so I can at least start to understand myself better."
The shadow smiled and nodded its head. "Okay. Let's sit on this bench and chat."
When the two took their seats, Angie went straight forward. "The first thing I want to say to you is…I'm sorry. I never meant to bury you the way I did, and I'll completely understand if you don't want to forgive me." She then turned her face away in shame. "I left Iowa altogether because all I wanted to do was put away the past…along with my bitter feelings of losing Mom and Dad and being constantly picked on in school. I basically spent my college years alone in a dorm room for fear of living alone with my powers with Ashley and Ace for comfort."
Her shadow took her hand and said, "Angie, I don't condone what you did to me, burying me away for all those years, and I'm still a bit miffed by it. On the other hand, I know what you did was…unintentional."
Angie faced the shadow with surprise. "You…you understand?"
"Of course I do. It wasn't on purpose. You didn't do it to make your image better or anything. You were frightened. You were that scared of showing your feelings of anger—all right, hatred. You hid me away, hoping you would be able to deal with these feelings all alone. You believed for so long that if anyone saw you become very upset or angry, you would lose whatever friendship you had built. Look what happened, though, when you did allow me freedom. Instead of losing your friends, two of them took the long journey across the country to find you and try to help you while the others showed their concern for your safety. You have friends now, you won't lose them."
The magician shook her head, still uncertain. The shadow grinned ruefully and drew her into a strangely comforting embrace.
"Angela, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being angry or upset. It is a part of the human nature. Even people who are always nice to others can get angry at times about something, but it doesn't make you unworthy of anything. Just remember, if you feel upset about something, don't be afraid to show it. There's no law that says you can't be angry with something or someone. Remember Paparazzo?"
"Yeah, I do. That was a wild one."
The shadow calmly said, "Well, take that as a model. We'll work things out together in here, while Ace can help you with your magic."
"It's a deal. But, there's one thing I'm a little concerned about."
"Oh." Her shadow self released their hug. "What are you worried about?"
"It's like this. If I don't get angry, then I start the whole cycle of burying you all over again, and I certainly don't want to go through that a second time. If I get too angry, I could lose control of my powers again."
"Hmm, that is a good point to consider. Why not talk to Ace? He understands this situation probably better than anyone."
"Okay, I think I will. Thanks for the suggestion. And…thank you for saving my life."
"We saved each other, Angela. We saved each other…or more properly, you saved yourself."
Angie stared, uncomprehending as the shadow seemed to fade into her dream-self, like a ghostly mirror-image dissipating slowly at sunrise.
I saved myself…
With that pleasant thought, Angie was able to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long time.

The next morning, Ace and Vega came into the room with the nurse and some food.
"Good morning, Angie," said the nurse.
"Hi. Ace, Vega, hi, guys."
Vega smiled and said, "Morning, Angie. Want to see the news? Dan is holding the press conference right now."
"Sure. I'll turn it on." She grabbed the bed controls and turned on the television.
On the screen, Simons was on the podium and speaking into the microphone as he was surrounded by hundreds of reporters. "Ladies and gentlemen, we at the FBI are pleased to announce that the missing female magician Angela Jacobs has been found, and I am happy to report she is doing all right. She is recovering nicely in a local hospital."
One of the reporters then asked, "We know you have Joey Ferrio and Larry Jameson in custody, but who was behind the abduction?"
He took a deep breath and replied, "The man behind Miss Jacobs's abduction was Dr. Gregory Collins."
"The winner of this year's World Science Award?"
"Yes. The World Science Council has been notified and has stripped Collins of the award. They will be giving the award instead to Professor Jonathan Surge out in Electro City, California."
"Why did Dr. Collins want to kidnap Miss Jacobs?" asked another reporter.
"He wanted to try to make her magic into a dangerous weapon. Obviously, he had planned on doing this for a long period of time. We confiscated video disks that went back at least three years. However, his twisted scheme was foiled by the teamwork of the FBI, Lieutenant Derek Vega of the Electro City Police Department, and Ace Cooper, the Magician."
Angie smiled. "He's right. It was a team effort."
Ace sat next to her. "You and your shadow self are starting to get along?"
"Yeah, but it's only a start right now. I still have a long way to go in the Healing process."
"Don't worry, Angie. You've got the love of your friends and family at your side always."
Angie then gasped. "Ace, I just remembered something. Collins said that I was able to help you escape from that water torture chamber the first time you tried the water immersion world record. How could I have done it?"
"Good question. Give me your hands, Angie. We'll figure it out together."
The two glowed in their auras of light, allowing them to see each other's thoughts.
"Let's go back to that very night, and see what happened."
Their minds went back to Ace's first attempt at the water immersion world record, the one that went wrong when Cosmo released it two seconds too early, nearly killing Ace.
Ace, seeing Angie's thoughts in his mind, noticed something. "When you saw the laser hit the rod too early, you started praying for me not to get hurt. Then, you…started glowing?"
Angie looked at Ace's thoughts and also discovered something peculiar. "I can see you glowing just before the rod comes down into the chamber. Then, you disappeared?"
The two magicians looked at each other in astonishment.
"You did help me get out in time," said Ace in surprise.
"Oh, my God," Angie whispered. "How?"
"We'll figure that out when we come home, which according to the doctor, will be tomorrow afternoon."
Vega then came up and said, "Dan's giving us a special flight non-stop from here to Electro City, and it leaves at 10:00 in the morning."
"Good," Angie said with a smile. "I want to go home."
"We all do, Angie, we all do."

On that Friday, Ace, Angie, and Vega were given access to the same private jet used in the men's trip from Amarillo to Washington.
That afternoon, a large crowd was on hand to see Angie's safe return after being away for nearly five days.
The police had to hold the crowd back, as Ace, Angie, and Vega entered the terminal.
Kendra Rayler was first to ask. "Miss Jacobs, how does it feel to be back in Electro City?"
"I'm so glad to be home, in the comfort of my closest friends. The next thing I want to do now is set foot in the Magic Express!"
As they left, Rayler then said, "Well, that's it. The incredible drama of Angela Jacobs's abduction has come to a happy ending. She is home, safe and sound, and we pray that something this horrible will never happen again."
When they arrived at the Magic, Angie was greeted to a surprise party given by Mona and Cosmo. "Oh, you shouldn't have."
"Yes, we should," said Mona. "Now, you need to eat some food. Get yourself fattened up again."
Angie easily ate three buffalo wings, two mozzarella sticks, grilled shrimp, a half rack of ribs, some wild rice and plenty of water to get all that food down. "Mmm, thanks, Mona. This is absolutely delicious!"
About an hour later, near eight in the evening, Angie went to Ace with a request. "Um, can I go to the House Sanctuary? There are a couple of people I need to see."
"I understand. Go on."
When Angie left, Cosmo came into the living room. "Um, dude, can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What?"
"Well, the other day, when I was trying to keep track of where you were in trying to find Angie, um, Zina…started glowing in Angie's color aura. What happened?"
"That? Oh, let's just say there's been a little rapport between us for years. Don't tell Angie yet, though. She doesn't know that's how I managed to find her."
"Whatever you say, dude."
Angie arrived at the House Sanctuary and immediately noticed a silver falcon on its perch in the garden. "Hi, Marshall."
The falcon whirred into its human form, spectacles and all. "Hello, Angie. Welcome back."
"Thanks. Marshall, I want to…thank you for helping me. I have been fearing love, but I was too stubborn to admit it."
"No, you weren't stubborn. You were just plain scared. Love wasn't easy for you all these years after you lost the two you loved most."
"Yeah…your tactics have been shrewd and rather frightening, but sometimes it takes doing things harshly to get someone to understand."
Marshall and Angie embraced each other, with Marshall feeling Angie's first step in healing.
"So, you have finally acknowledged your own darkness?"
"I've started to accept the darkness within me, but I have a long and difficult journey ahead."
"I'll help where I can. I've been on one for a while, remember?"
"True. I can't believe Gwydion never lost track of me in this mess."
"You know how we both are as heart guardians. If you need him, me, or both of us, for any reason—"
"I know what to do now, Marshall. Um, is Victor here?"
"Yes. He's been waiting for you on that balcony." She waved to the figure. "Father Gregor's idea of a sun perch—er, porch."
Angie ran up the stairs to the second floor balcony. "Victor?"
He turned and smiled with joy. "Angie!"
They ran to each other and hugged very tightly.
"Angie…I didn't think I'd see you again, not after what happened to you."
"Neither did I. I was too scared to trust…but I got out alive."
"I'm glad. Michael said the Council had sent someone to help find you…and so they did."
The two touched lips in the soft moonlight and held their kiss for about 20 seconds, which felt like forever to them.
When they let themselves stand apart for a few minutes, Victor saw in her eyes that Angie was much more calm and relaxed than she had been in months, possibly years. Whatever had happened in Washington had changed Angela Jacobs yet again, and it was very good to see and to feel.
"See anything interesting on your imposed vacation?"
"A few memorials. But someone asked me 'can you see stars in the daylight?'"
"Sure, but not clearly. You only see them really well just about now…Care to watch the show?"
Then both turned their attention to the night sky, watching in complete contented silence until the sunrise.

THE END

Angela Jacobs has finally accepted her shadowed darker self's existence within her soul. The fear of becoming emotional was a key factor in her burying her painful and sad feelings for so long. She now understands it's all right to become angry and upset. She is slightly concerned about how to control her emotions and her magic, though. Fortunately, Ace will help her get started in the emotional control factor soon enough. For now, though, her soul is finally obtaining inner peace, and Angie has allowed the darkness to coexist with the light.

I dedicate this story with love and respect to those affected by the events of September 11, 2001. We will never forget.