~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I think we should get out of here," Kara said, an odd feeling settling in her bones. Glancing
around, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the hair on the back of her neck was
standing on end. Something was going to happen and she didn't want to be there when it did.
"I agree. Do you have the feeling we're being watched?" Jade asked, glancing at her
surroundings. As her gaze fell across the walls, she had the nagging feeling that someone was
there and they were just biding their time for now. Jade breathed out, her breath freezing in the
cooling air as she shivered and pulled her jacket tighter.
Kara nodded in reply. She too felt as though there was something there that was watching their
every move. She gently rubbed her arms. "It's getting cold in here." Kara said.
Jade glanced at her then something caught her attention. "What was that?" she said, walking
toward the wall.
"What was what?" Kara asked, following her. Glancing behind her, she left nothing to chance as
she made sure the door was still standing wide open as they had left it.
"It was strange, as though . . ."Jade said, lifting her hand slowly. Reaching out, she touched the
surface of an iridescent membrane shimmering against the soft light.
"I don't like this," Kara said, taking a step back. "Your curiosity always leads us to trouble," she
added, peering toward the ceiling. Kara gasped as the whole thing mutated before her eyes,
changing from the innocence of a child's room into something more diabolical.
"I don't either," Jade replied, her hand brushing the surface for a split second. Suddenly, Jade
found her hand held in a deathly cold iron tight grasp. She let out a gasp as yet another pale hand
shot out and latched onto her arm.
"Our first catch," a voice cackled, making Jade look up. She was met with a pair of blazing red
eyes that seemed to bore into her soul, and the cruelest smile she had ever encountered. Even
Jareth could not compare to this . . . thing.
Kara stared up at the ceiling, the cold dark brown eyes looking back at her so evil and calculating
that she couldn't break her gaze away. All she could think of was how warm it would be if she
gave in to the simple twist of fate and surrendered herself to him. She could hear her name being
whispered so softly and she wanted to remain in her dream. She dreaded waking. As her mind
slowly numbed to what was happening, Kara smiled softly. Her eyes lost focus and she felt the
calm before the storm.
"Kara!" Jade screamed, struggling with all her might against the hands that were slowly pulling
her toward that evil being.
Jade's scream snapped Kara back to where she was and she was ashamed that she could be taken
in so easily. Shaking the last remaining bits of fog from her mind, Kara lunged toward her friend
and latched on, using all her weight to detach her from the hands. "What is it?" she shouted.
"Pull!" she screamed, tugging with all her might and hoping they had enough strength to pull free.
Kara held on tight, pulling as hard as she could, but they didn't seem to be making any headway.
Before she had a chance to react, another pale arm shot out and latched onto her shoulder, pulling
her along too.
"Ah, bonus," the voice cackled again. "They are too easy."
Kara looked to see another being staring back at her with a thirst in its eyes. She pulled
ferociously, but to no avail. She felt them slide forward, their sneakers squealing against the
surface of the floor.
"Where are they when we need them?" Jade asked, knowing they would hear her easily. In a
matter of moments, Jade and Kara flew backwards as a strange light fell between them and the
attackers.
"Get out!" a familiar voice shouted.
They didn't need to be told twice. Kara jumped to her feet, dragging Jade along with her and
running for the door, only to have it slam shut in front of them. Kara threw herself against it,
frantically trying to force it open. "It's locked!" Kara shouted. They both immediately began
searching for another way out. The enemy was closing in on them with each tick of the clock.
"Reverse it!" Jade shouted, feeling the walls for a release switch while watching the foe advancing
inch by inch.
"Where is that damn thing?" Kara mumbled as she dropped to the floor, looking intently for the
button she had stepped on when she first walked in. "Help me out here, George." She could feel
their advancement without looking up, but it didn't divert her from her task. Suddenly something
told her to look toward the far wall.
"Kara! There!" Jade shouted, at the same time Kara had spotted the lever that sat patiently
waiting for attention.
Kara jumped up and sprinted toward the lever but was thrown backwards, hitting the wall. The
wind knocked out of her, she tried getting to her feet shakily, but knew she wouldn't be of any
help now. "Jade, be careful! Duck!" She screamed, watching as a metal post flew through the air
toward her friend's back.
Jade dove to the floor just in time to avoid the post as it flew by. With a small breath of relief, she
was up again with Kara watching her back. Another shout from Kara and Jade avoided a piece of
the train track. Glancing back at Kara, she got to her feet again only to be stopped by another
piece of flying debris, this time the train itself.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jade finally reached the lever and yanked it down, sending
everything back to the way it was before they entered. Jade turned around to see everything still
lying on the floor where it had fallen after missing her.
"It can't be that easy," she breathed, walking over to Kara. Offering her hand, she pulled Kara up
to stand beside her. "What do you think?" Jade asked, still trying to catch her breath.
"I honestly have no clue at the moment, but I know I don't want to stay in here any longer," she
mentioned, heading toward the door. Pulling it open she screamed suddenly.
"Calm yourself, young one," the man on the other side said, a small smile creasing his thin lips.
"Why are you not in your room?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"We were just looking around. What does it matter to you? I think you should quarantine this
room until you figure out what's in there," she muttered angrily, pushing past him and knocking
him into the door frame.
"Excuse us," Jade said softly, following her friend down the hall, not looking back.
Talking between themselves all the way back to their room, they could feel the shadows following
behind them as though they wanted to swallow them up whole. Pushing the door open, Kara
flipped on the light while Jade opened the blinds.
"Everything seems to be fine in here," Jade said, glancing around then smiling. "Except an angry
muse that just woke up."
"What the bleedin' hell are you doing?" Gemma asked, unthrilled with being woken up way
before she wanted. It was still dark out!
"Nothing. Go back to sleep, Gemma," Jade replied, giving the room one last look.
Gemma looked from one to the other. Not wanting to question their odd looks, she settled back
down to try to go back to sleep. Closing her eyes, she listened as they talked some more, hearing
odd things she'd never considered before meeting those two. Now she was glad she took it in her
own hands to pick her roomies.
"Do you think it was an isolated incident?" Jade asked, sitting down on her bed and flopping a
book in front of her.
"I don't know. I've never come up against anything like that before," Kara replied, sitting across
from her. "What are you looking for?"
"The answers we need to keep us safe," she murmured softly, flipping through the pages.
"What about the others?" Kara whispered, trying not to rouse Gemma too much. "Should we
warn them to stay out of there?"
"I don't think its contained to just that room, Kara. I'm thinking this whole place is. . ." Jade
trailed off, her eyes scanning the words on the pages.
"I know," Kara said, not needing her to finish her sentence.
"I have an idea," Jade smiled. "We need your dad."
When Jade and Kara finally settled down to rest, Gemma had already fallen asleep. Tomorrow
was another day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selah and Mai had fallen asleep as the surf air gently blew through the window. Not a sound
filled the room since they had shut the window. As shadows from the moonlight carressed the
walls, Lies lay wide awake and staring into nothingness.
She needed noise.
Getting to her feet, she pulled on her robe and glanced at the others who were sleeping peacefully.
With a sigh, she walked softly to the door and left. Walking down the hallway, she glanced at the
paintings. Pushing another door open, she found herself in a large spacious room full of mirrors
and books. With a smile, she walked over and read a few of the titles.
Behind her, a shadow took form, slowly manifesting and taking shape. With a wicked smile, he
watched her with a certain knowledge that soon, he would be alive again. Pointing his finger, a
thump rose in front of Lies causing her to jump backwards.
With a smile, iron hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her backwards and against the mirror.
Clamping a hand over her mouth, he silenced her scream immediately. It was only a matter of
moments now.
Lies felt cold unlike any other in the few seconds she remained pinned against the mirror. Strong
hands held tight as they seemed to permeate her skin. All at once, her body collapsed, falling to
the ground in a lifeless heap as she stood there staring in horror.
Her eyes lifted from her shell to see a man looking back at her. Fear gripped her as she witnessed
her body rising from the floor, turning to stare back at her. Her own eyes looking into the mirror
to see her soul wafting through space, a cruel smile on her lips.
"Thank you," fell from her lips. Her own voice now haunted her mind as she watched herself turn
and walk away toward the door.
"NO!" she screamed, watching the other turn around, pausing slightly in their strides long enough
to shake their head. Lies beat her fist against the mirror, wanting to break it to pieces, but it never
budged. She was helpless.
"Scream all you like. Nobody will hear you," she remarked, running a hand down her side to
settle it on her hip. "I was hoping for a man, but. . . this will do," she muttered, walking from the
room leaving Lies trapped with no escape.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How could you let them escape?" a voice asked, irritation lacing his tone.
"It wasn't my fault!" another shot back, pleading with his leader.
"Wes, it's never your fault, is it?" he asked, staring the other down.
"It wasn't, Gavin! If Gabe hadn't toyed with the red head, we would have had them," he replied
angrily.
"Yes, well, I blame both of you," Gavin answered swiftly. "They will be expecting something
now. We will have to speed things up."
"One down, and I'm the lucky one," came a voice as Lies sauntered into the room. Leaning
against the counter, she smiled. "Hello, fellas."
"Ben?" Gabe asked, his eyes wide in shock.
"You got it," he replied, no longer using Lies's voice. "How did we get all women, Gavin?"
"You can't play with chance, Ben. If all we have to chose from is women, then they will work.
Our time is running out and this is our last chance," Gavin mentioned, the urgency seeping into his
words. "We have two trouble makers on the loose, though. Steer clear of them, do you hear me?
They can't put the puzzle together before it's too late."
"But, Gavin, if we leave them be they will warn the others," Wes replied quickly.
"They won't have a chance by then," Gavin smiled wickedly, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Now go. Ben, you help the others. You are one of them now."
Laughter echoed through the air as the men dispersed. They had a plan, and now was the time to
carry out their dastardly deed. One by one they disappeared, becoming one with the house and
one with Evil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daisy walked through the hall admiring the portraits. The beauty of this place astounded her and
she was always ready to check out anything new. Her footsteps sounded on the hard wooden
floor as she made her way down toward the kitchen.
With a smile, she pushed the door open and stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
intrude," she said, taking a step back.
"Oh, but you'll like it here," Wes said, stepping closer.
Daisy took another step back only to be stopped suddenly. Turning around slowly, she came face
to face with another man, his eyes glinting mischievously in the fading light. Grabbed from
behind, Daisy fought against her captor while lashing out with her feet.
"Oh, feisty," the other commented with a sneer. "I like that in a woman."
"Just get on with it, Nick," Wes stated, holding her tightly against his chest.
"Let me go!" she screamed, bringing her foot up at Nick. Terror shook her as her foot passed
right through him, causing his smile to widen.
"Oh I like the rough stuff, sweetie," he murmured, moving closer.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"What does anyone ever want?" he retorted, dragging a thin finger down her cheek. He leaned in
close to whisper in her ear. "Life."
Daisy felt the cold of death lingering just in front of her. Shivering from the unknown, she
breathed her final breath as Nick advanced, pushing himself into her and shoving her soul out into
the coldness of space.
"Oh, this feels so nice," he commented, running his hands across his newly acquired body. "Hey,
fellas, she really kept in shape," he commented, a smile pursing his new lips.
"What's going on?" Daisy could hear her voice echoing but they seemed to pay her no mind.
Instead, she felt herself pushed back further from existence. Suddenly she found herself in an
desolate place, wanting nothing more than to have things back the way they were before.
"You, too?" a voice broke Daisy's concentration.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"They're taking advantage of us, that's for sure. I'm Lies. This is the first one of these I ve been
to, and I bet I reconsider the next one."
"Same here," Daisy commented. "Is there anything we can do to maybe warn the others so they
don't suffer the same fate as we have already?"
"I don't know, but we have complete freedom for the most part. Though they keep us hidden
behind walls, mirrors and such." Lies mentioned, pointing to Gavin she continued. "He's the
leader. And judging by how pissed off he was earlier, I'm thinking they must have messed up
somewhere. Maybe they have loose ends or something? I'm just grasping at any idea here, but
it's better than doing nothing."
Daisy nodded in agreement as she followed Lies through the catacombs of darkness that filled the
space behind the walls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Essy lay in a dreamless sleep, the night creeping over her body. A small sigh of contentment
escaped her lips as she rolled over onto her back.
A pasty white hand snaked up from her covers, slowly drawing closer to her. Another pair of
hands rose by her legs, and yet she remained still. More still rose from her bed, surrounding her
sleeping body. Without a sound, the seven hands moved in closer, waiting for the perfect time to
strike. All at once, they snapped. As each hand grabbed a leg, an arm, her stomach, Essy woke
up instantly, startled as the last hand clamped down over her mouth prohibiting her from
screaming and waking up her roomies.
Struggling in the dark against the unknown, Essy slowly lost her battle. As her soul was ripped
viciously from her body, she was forced to watch as another took control. The anger that filled
her was no match for the evil that held her body as its own. When they smiled back at her, that
smile of hers so chilling, Essy was lost.
Watching as they moved through the room to another, Essy screamed for her friends to wake up.
Her voice was deadened on her shimmering lips. There was nothing she could do.
"Take this one next," Essy's voice said softly.
"Why this one, Eric?" a voice asked.
"Because she's closest and the other one is a lighter sleeper. Look. . . " Essy's voice mentioned,
pointing to Leelee's body squirming beneath her covers.
Essy watched helplessly as Spidey was torn from her peaceful slumber. No scream was heard as
Essy noted they didn't even give her time to react. Leelee was last to be taken and Essy could
only hope that her apprentice would wake up and get out.
Spidey stared wide eyed at herself as her body rose from it's resting place. Shock filled her senses
and she screamed as realized that she wasn't dreaming. Looking around, she saw Essy's
shimmering soul floating not far off, and she wanted to break down and cry. She was too young
for something like this to happen. Why?
"Spidey, we have to help Leelee. There isn't anything we can do now for ourselves," Essy
muttered angrily, as she watched them advancing on her apprentice. "Damn Jareth for taking my
crossbow!" she screamed.
Leelee slowly opened her eyes. Was that Essy she just heard? Wiping the sleep from her eyes,
she glanced over to see a group of strange beings closing in on her and her heart skipped a beat.
Whipping the covers from her body, Leelee was up on her feet in no time.
"Get her!" Spidey's voice called out. "Eric, she's getting away!"
"You could do something other than just stand there, Danny!" Eric shot back, running after
Leelee.
"I just got in this body, don't want to mess it up yet," Danny muttered, running a hand through the
blonde hair.
Leelee was out the door quicker than Jareth gets out of his tights. Running down the hallway, she
screamed for anyone to help her. She could hear them right behind her, their evil laughter
haunting her, daring her to look back. Cold. . . she felt a chilling bitterness closing in on her,
stifling her senses. Trying door after door, she couldn't help but look. Behind her were her fallen
friends and those wicked beings that wanted to do her harm. The deadly looks that stared back
chilled her to the bone. Leelee was barely aware of anything but the fright that controlled her at
that instant. The sound of her own heart beating frantically filled her ears and her mind cried out
in terror. Her thoughts ran wild, filling her body with so much fear that she was shaking at the
thought of losing herself to those behind her. Yes, behind her. She had to keep running, she had
to keep them back there away from her to remain safe.
They were getting closer, she could feel it. It was as though she was knocking on death's door
and any second he would answer only to take her life. What was she doing? Why were they
doing this? All these questions she wanted answers to and yet she was too scared to think of
what response she'd get. In the end, she knew it was a matter of life and death. Survival of the
fittest, only she was lucky enough to be awakened. Her thoughts went to Essy and Spidey
knowing they hadn't stood a chance.
Running around the corner, she found herself boxed in. "NO!" she screamed, trying the doors she
could reach. "Leave me alone! I don't want to die!" she shrieked, grasping the knob of the
nearest door and turning it. She pushed the door open briskly to find Jade, Kara and Gemma.
Closing the door, she leaned on it with all her weight.
"What's wrong, Lisee?" Jade asked, seeing her pale face and eyes full of fright.
"They got them," she answered, shaking at almost having been a statistic herself.
"Calm down, Leelee. Who?" Kara asked, walking up beside Jade.
"Essy. . . Spidey. . . they got em!" she shrieked, shaking her head in an attempt to clear her
thoughts. A thump on the door, Leelee screamed and jumped away from it, scared out of her wits
that they would still come after her even now. "Don't let them get me, Jade," she pleaded.
"Calm down, Lisee. Nobody's going to get you," Jade assured her, walking toward the door.
Setting her hand on the knob, Jade glanced back at Kara as she lifted her hand. "Feel it?" she
asked.
"Yeah," Kara replied. "Don't open that door."
"What's going on?" Gemma asked, looking at the looks between them.
"How are we supposed to know?" Jade asked, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't buy that," Gemma retorted, moving to lock the door.
"Kara, we still need your dad," Jade mentioned.
"I'm working on it," Kara muttered, knowing her dad was just ignoring her to teach her a lesson.
Just like Jareth. "Do you have a plan?" Kara asked softly.
"Not yet, but I'm thinking of one," Jade replied, walking back over to sit down on the bed. "How
many do you think there are?"
"There were at least seven in my room. That's counting Essy and Spidey," Lisa offered, calming
slightly.
"I think there is more than that," Kara mentioned, looking toward the window.
"I agree," Jade added, going back to her book.
"We have to do something!" Leelee shrieked.
"We will, Lisee. All in good time," Jade replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn. Can't you do anything right?" Gavin asked, running his fingers across the portrait in front
of him. "This was supposed to be easy, and all you have done is screwed it up!" he bit out,
turning to face his assembly.
"We're doing our best, Gavin," Eric muttered, putting a hand on his hip. Oh how he liked having
Essy's body.
"Your best isn't good enough. How many are held up in that room now?" he asked, glancing over
followers.
"Four," Wes stated softly.
"Four? Only four? That's too many!" Gavin roared. "And what of their leader? Anyone seen
him hanging about?"
"No, sir," another replied.
"We must prepare for his arrival," Gavin stated, smiling wickedly. "He will be my greatest
conquest. Abby, you know what to do. Now go and round up the last of them. Those last four
will suffer for the trouble they've caused." Gavin ended, waving the rest of them away.
Leaning against the mantle, Gavin was not happy. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe how
botched the simple plan was. "It was too easy. Those fools!" Gavin muttered angrily, banging his
fist against the hard mantle. Lifting his hand, he examined the damage. The age old hand,
deadened by years of service was finally worn out. The time had come to move on, and he was
surrounded by a bunch of fools.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I think we should get out of here," Kara said, an odd feeling settling in her bones. Glancing
around, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the hair on the back of her neck was
standing on end. Something was going to happen and she didn't want to be there when it did.
"I agree. Do you have the feeling we're being watched?" Jade asked, glancing at her
surroundings. As her gaze fell across the walls, she had the nagging feeling that someone was
there and they were just biding their time for now. Jade breathed out, her breath freezing in the
cooling air as she shivered and pulled her jacket tighter.
Kara nodded in reply. She too felt as though there was something there that was watching their
every move. She gently rubbed her arms. "It's getting cold in here." Kara said.
Jade glanced at her then something caught her attention. "What was that?" she said, walking
toward the wall.
"What was what?" Kara asked, following her. Glancing behind her, she left nothing to chance as
she made sure the door was still standing wide open as they had left it.
"It was strange, as though . . ."Jade said, lifting her hand slowly. Reaching out, she touched the
surface of an iridescent membrane shimmering against the soft light.
"I don't like this," Kara said, taking a step back. "Your curiosity always leads us to trouble," she
added, peering toward the ceiling. Kara gasped as the whole thing mutated before her eyes,
changing from the innocence of a child's room into something more diabolical.
"I don't either," Jade replied, her hand brushing the surface for a split second. Suddenly, Jade
found her hand held in a deathly cold iron tight grasp. She let out a gasp as yet another pale hand
shot out and latched onto her arm.
"Our first catch," a voice cackled, making Jade look up. She was met with a pair of blazing red
eyes that seemed to bore into her soul, and the cruelest smile she had ever encountered. Even
Jareth could not compare to this . . . thing.
Kara stared up at the ceiling, the cold dark brown eyes looking back at her so evil and calculating
that she couldn't break her gaze away. All she could think of was how warm it would be if she
gave in to the simple twist of fate and surrendered herself to him. She could hear her name being
whispered so softly and she wanted to remain in her dream. She dreaded waking. As her mind
slowly numbed to what was happening, Kara smiled softly. Her eyes lost focus and she felt the
calm before the storm.
"Kara!" Jade screamed, struggling with all her might against the hands that were slowly pulling
her toward that evil being.
Jade's scream snapped Kara back to where she was and she was ashamed that she could be taken
in so easily. Shaking the last remaining bits of fog from her mind, Kara lunged toward her friend
and latched on, using all her weight to detach her from the hands. "What is it?" she shouted.
"Pull!" she screamed, tugging with all her might and hoping they had enough strength to pull free.
Kara held on tight, pulling as hard as she could, but they didn't seem to be making any headway.
Before she had a chance to react, another pale arm shot out and latched onto her shoulder, pulling
her along too.
"Ah, bonus," the voice cackled again. "They are too easy."
Kara looked to see another being staring back at her with a thirst in its eyes. She pulled
ferociously, but to no avail. She felt them slide forward, their sneakers squealing against the
surface of the floor.
"Where are they when we need them?" Jade asked, knowing they would hear her easily. In a
matter of moments, Jade and Kara flew backwards as a strange light fell between them and the
attackers.
"Get out!" a familiar voice shouted.
They didn't need to be told twice. Kara jumped to her feet, dragging Jade along with her and
running for the door, only to have it slam shut in front of them. Kara threw herself against it,
frantically trying to force it open. "It's locked!" Kara shouted. They both immediately began
searching for another way out. The enemy was closing in on them with each tick of the clock.
"Reverse it!" Jade shouted, feeling the walls for a release switch while watching the foe advancing
inch by inch.
"Where is that damn thing?" Kara mumbled as she dropped to the floor, looking intently for the
button she had stepped on when she first walked in. "Help me out here, George." She could feel
their advancement without looking up, but it didn't divert her from her task. Suddenly something
told her to look toward the far wall.
"Kara! There!" Jade shouted, at the same time Kara had spotted the lever that sat patiently
waiting for attention.
Kara jumped up and sprinted toward the lever but was thrown backwards, hitting the wall. The
wind knocked out of her, she tried getting to her feet shakily, but knew she wouldn't be of any
help now. "Jade, be careful! Duck!" She screamed, watching as a metal post flew through the air
toward her friend's back.
Jade dove to the floor just in time to avoid the post as it flew by. With a small breath of relief, she
was up again with Kara watching her back. Another shout from Kara and Jade avoided a piece of
the train track. Glancing back at Kara, she got to her feet again only to be stopped by another
piece of flying debris, this time the train itself.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jade finally reached the lever and yanked it down, sending
everything back to the way it was before they entered. Jade turned around to see everything still
lying on the floor where it had fallen after missing her.
"It can't be that easy," she breathed, walking over to Kara. Offering her hand, she pulled Kara up
to stand beside her. "What do you think?" Jade asked, still trying to catch her breath.
"I honestly have no clue at the moment, but I know I don't want to stay in here any longer," she
mentioned, heading toward the door. Pulling it open she screamed suddenly.
"Calm yourself, young one," the man on the other side said, a small smile creasing his thin lips.
"Why are you not in your room?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"We were just looking around. What does it matter to you? I think you should quarantine this
room until you figure out what's in there," she muttered angrily, pushing past him and knocking
him into the door frame.
"Excuse us," Jade said softly, following her friend down the hall, not looking back.
Talking between themselves all the way back to their room, they could feel the shadows following
behind them as though they wanted to swallow them up whole. Pushing the door open, Kara
flipped on the light while Jade opened the blinds.
"Everything seems to be fine in here," Jade said, glancing around then smiling. "Except an angry
muse that just woke up."
"What the bleedin' hell are you doing?" Gemma asked, unthrilled with being woken up way
before she wanted. It was still dark out!
"Nothing. Go back to sleep, Gemma," Jade replied, giving the room one last look.
Gemma looked from one to the other. Not wanting to question their odd looks, she settled back
down to try to go back to sleep. Closing her eyes, she listened as they talked some more, hearing
odd things she'd never considered before meeting those two. Now she was glad she took it in her
own hands to pick her roomies.
"Do you think it was an isolated incident?" Jade asked, sitting down on her bed and flopping a
book in front of her.
"I don't know. I've never come up against anything like that before," Kara replied, sitting across
from her. "What are you looking for?"
"The answers we need to keep us safe," she murmured softly, flipping through the pages.
"What about the others?" Kara whispered, trying not to rouse Gemma too much. "Should we
warn them to stay out of there?"
"I don't think its contained to just that room, Kara. I'm thinking this whole place is. . ." Jade
trailed off, her eyes scanning the words on the pages.
"I know," Kara said, not needing her to finish her sentence.
"I have an idea," Jade smiled. "We need your dad."
When Jade and Kara finally settled down to rest, Gemma had already fallen asleep. Tomorrow
was another day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selah and Mai had fallen asleep as the surf air gently blew through the window. Not a sound
filled the room since they had shut the window. As shadows from the moonlight carressed the
walls, Lies lay wide awake and staring into nothingness.
She needed noise.
Getting to her feet, she pulled on her robe and glanced at the others who were sleeping peacefully.
With a sigh, she walked softly to the door and left. Walking down the hallway, she glanced at the
paintings. Pushing another door open, she found herself in a large spacious room full of mirrors
and books. With a smile, she walked over and read a few of the titles.
Behind her, a shadow took form, slowly manifesting and taking shape. With a wicked smile, he
watched her with a certain knowledge that soon, he would be alive again. Pointing his finger, a
thump rose in front of Lies causing her to jump backwards.
With a smile, iron hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her backwards and against the mirror.
Clamping a hand over her mouth, he silenced her scream immediately. It was only a matter of
moments now.
Lies felt cold unlike any other in the few seconds she remained pinned against the mirror. Strong
hands held tight as they seemed to permeate her skin. All at once, her body collapsed, falling to
the ground in a lifeless heap as she stood there staring in horror.
Her eyes lifted from her shell to see a man looking back at her. Fear gripped her as she witnessed
her body rising from the floor, turning to stare back at her. Her own eyes looking into the mirror
to see her soul wafting through space, a cruel smile on her lips.
"Thank you," fell from her lips. Her own voice now haunted her mind as she watched herself turn
and walk away toward the door.
"NO!" she screamed, watching the other turn around, pausing slightly in their strides long enough
to shake their head. Lies beat her fist against the mirror, wanting to break it to pieces, but it never
budged. She was helpless.
"Scream all you like. Nobody will hear you," she remarked, running a hand down her side to
settle it on her hip. "I was hoping for a man, but. . . this will do," she muttered, walking from the
room leaving Lies trapped with no escape.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How could you let them escape?" a voice asked, irritation lacing his tone.
"It wasn't my fault!" another shot back, pleading with his leader.
"Wes, it's never your fault, is it?" he asked, staring the other down.
"It wasn't, Gavin! If Gabe hadn't toyed with the red head, we would have had them," he replied
angrily.
"Yes, well, I blame both of you," Gavin answered swiftly. "They will be expecting something
now. We will have to speed things up."
"One down, and I'm the lucky one," came a voice as Lies sauntered into the room. Leaning
against the counter, she smiled. "Hello, fellas."
"Ben?" Gabe asked, his eyes wide in shock.
"You got it," he replied, no longer using Lies's voice. "How did we get all women, Gavin?"
"You can't play with chance, Ben. If all we have to chose from is women, then they will work.
Our time is running out and this is our last chance," Gavin mentioned, the urgency seeping into his
words. "We have two trouble makers on the loose, though. Steer clear of them, do you hear me?
They can't put the puzzle together before it's too late."
"But, Gavin, if we leave them be they will warn the others," Wes replied quickly.
"They won't have a chance by then," Gavin smiled wickedly, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Now go. Ben, you help the others. You are one of them now."
Laughter echoed through the air as the men dispersed. They had a plan, and now was the time to
carry out their dastardly deed. One by one they disappeared, becoming one with the house and
one with Evil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Daisy walked through the hall admiring the portraits. The beauty of this place astounded her and
she was always ready to check out anything new. Her footsteps sounded on the hard wooden
floor as she made her way down toward the kitchen.
With a smile, she pushed the door open and stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
intrude," she said, taking a step back.
"Oh, but you'll like it here," Wes said, stepping closer.
Daisy took another step back only to be stopped suddenly. Turning around slowly, she came face
to face with another man, his eyes glinting mischievously in the fading light. Grabbed from
behind, Daisy fought against her captor while lashing out with her feet.
"Oh, feisty," the other commented with a sneer. "I like that in a woman."
"Just get on with it, Nick," Wes stated, holding her tightly against his chest.
"Let me go!" she screamed, bringing her foot up at Nick. Terror shook her as her foot passed
right through him, causing his smile to widen.
"Oh I like the rough stuff, sweetie," he murmured, moving closer.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"What does anyone ever want?" he retorted, dragging a thin finger down her cheek. He leaned in
close to whisper in her ear. "Life."
Daisy felt the cold of death lingering just in front of her. Shivering from the unknown, she
breathed her final breath as Nick advanced, pushing himself into her and shoving her soul out into
the coldness of space.
"Oh, this feels so nice," he commented, running his hands across his newly acquired body. "Hey,
fellas, she really kept in shape," he commented, a smile pursing his new lips.
"What's going on?" Daisy could hear her voice echoing but they seemed to pay her no mind.
Instead, she felt herself pushed back further from existence. Suddenly she found herself in an
desolate place, wanting nothing more than to have things back the way they were before.
"You, too?" a voice broke Daisy's concentration.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"They're taking advantage of us, that's for sure. I'm Lies. This is the first one of these I ve been
to, and I bet I reconsider the next one."
"Same here," Daisy commented. "Is there anything we can do to maybe warn the others so they
don't suffer the same fate as we have already?"
"I don't know, but we have complete freedom for the most part. Though they keep us hidden
behind walls, mirrors and such." Lies mentioned, pointing to Gavin she continued. "He's the
leader. And judging by how pissed off he was earlier, I'm thinking they must have messed up
somewhere. Maybe they have loose ends or something? I'm just grasping at any idea here, but
it's better than doing nothing."
Daisy nodded in agreement as she followed Lies through the catacombs of darkness that filled the
space behind the walls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Essy lay in a dreamless sleep, the night creeping over her body. A small sigh of contentment
escaped her lips as she rolled over onto her back.
A pasty white hand snaked up from her covers, slowly drawing closer to her. Another pair of
hands rose by her legs, and yet she remained still. More still rose from her bed, surrounding her
sleeping body. Without a sound, the seven hands moved in closer, waiting for the perfect time to
strike. All at once, they snapped. As each hand grabbed a leg, an arm, her stomach, Essy woke
up instantly, startled as the last hand clamped down over her mouth prohibiting her from
screaming and waking up her roomies.
Struggling in the dark against the unknown, Essy slowly lost her battle. As her soul was ripped
viciously from her body, she was forced to watch as another took control. The anger that filled
her was no match for the evil that held her body as its own. When they smiled back at her, that
smile of hers so chilling, Essy was lost.
Watching as they moved through the room to another, Essy screamed for her friends to wake up.
Her voice was deadened on her shimmering lips. There was nothing she could do.
"Take this one next," Essy's voice said softly.
"Why this one, Eric?" a voice asked.
"Because she's closest and the other one is a lighter sleeper. Look. . . " Essy's voice mentioned,
pointing to Leelee's body squirming beneath her covers.
Essy watched helplessly as Spidey was torn from her peaceful slumber. No scream was heard as
Essy noted they didn't even give her time to react. Leelee was last to be taken and Essy could
only hope that her apprentice would wake up and get out.
Spidey stared wide eyed at herself as her body rose from it's resting place. Shock filled her senses
and she screamed as realized that she wasn't dreaming. Looking around, she saw Essy's
shimmering soul floating not far off, and she wanted to break down and cry. She was too young
for something like this to happen. Why?
"Spidey, we have to help Leelee. There isn't anything we can do now for ourselves," Essy
muttered angrily, as she watched them advancing on her apprentice. "Damn Jareth for taking my
crossbow!" she screamed.
Leelee slowly opened her eyes. Was that Essy she just heard? Wiping the sleep from her eyes,
she glanced over to see a group of strange beings closing in on her and her heart skipped a beat.
Whipping the covers from her body, Leelee was up on her feet in no time.
"Get her!" Spidey's voice called out. "Eric, she's getting away!"
"You could do something other than just stand there, Danny!" Eric shot back, running after
Leelee.
"I just got in this body, don't want to mess it up yet," Danny muttered, running a hand through the
blonde hair.
Leelee was out the door quicker than Jareth gets out of his tights. Running down the hallway, she
screamed for anyone to help her. She could hear them right behind her, their evil laughter
haunting her, daring her to look back. Cold. . . she felt a chilling bitterness closing in on her,
stifling her senses. Trying door after door, she couldn't help but look. Behind her were her fallen
friends and those wicked beings that wanted to do her harm. The deadly looks that stared back
chilled her to the bone. Leelee was barely aware of anything but the fright that controlled her at
that instant. The sound of her own heart beating frantically filled her ears and her mind cried out
in terror. Her thoughts ran wild, filling her body with so much fear that she was shaking at the
thought of losing herself to those behind her. Yes, behind her. She had to keep running, she had
to keep them back there away from her to remain safe.
They were getting closer, she could feel it. It was as though she was knocking on death's door
and any second he would answer only to take her life. What was she doing? Why were they
doing this? All these questions she wanted answers to and yet she was too scared to think of
what response she'd get. In the end, she knew it was a matter of life and death. Survival of the
fittest, only she was lucky enough to be awakened. Her thoughts went to Essy and Spidey
knowing they hadn't stood a chance.
Running around the corner, she found herself boxed in. "NO!" she screamed, trying the doors she
could reach. "Leave me alone! I don't want to die!" she shrieked, grasping the knob of the
nearest door and turning it. She pushed the door open briskly to find Jade, Kara and Gemma.
Closing the door, she leaned on it with all her weight.
"What's wrong, Lisee?" Jade asked, seeing her pale face and eyes full of fright.
"They got them," she answered, shaking at almost having been a statistic herself.
"Calm down, Leelee. Who?" Kara asked, walking up beside Jade.
"Essy. . . Spidey. . . they got em!" she shrieked, shaking her head in an attempt to clear her
thoughts. A thump on the door, Leelee screamed and jumped away from it, scared out of her wits
that they would still come after her even now. "Don't let them get me, Jade," she pleaded.
"Calm down, Lisee. Nobody's going to get you," Jade assured her, walking toward the door.
Setting her hand on the knob, Jade glanced back at Kara as she lifted her hand. "Feel it?" she
asked.
"Yeah," Kara replied. "Don't open that door."
"What's going on?" Gemma asked, looking at the looks between them.
"How are we supposed to know?" Jade asked, shrugging her shoulders.
"I don't buy that," Gemma retorted, moving to lock the door.
"Kara, we still need your dad," Jade mentioned.
"I'm working on it," Kara muttered, knowing her dad was just ignoring her to teach her a lesson.
Just like Jareth. "Do you have a plan?" Kara asked softly.
"Not yet, but I'm thinking of one," Jade replied, walking back over to sit down on the bed. "How
many do you think there are?"
"There were at least seven in my room. That's counting Essy and Spidey," Lisa offered, calming
slightly.
"I think there is more than that," Kara mentioned, looking toward the window.
"I agree," Jade added, going back to her book.
"We have to do something!" Leelee shrieked.
"We will, Lisee. All in good time," Jade replied.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn. Can't you do anything right?" Gavin asked, running his fingers across the portrait in front
of him. "This was supposed to be easy, and all you have done is screwed it up!" he bit out,
turning to face his assembly.
"We're doing our best, Gavin," Eric muttered, putting a hand on his hip. Oh how he liked having
Essy's body.
"Your best isn't good enough. How many are held up in that room now?" he asked, glancing over
followers.
"Four," Wes stated softly.
"Four? Only four? That's too many!" Gavin roared. "And what of their leader? Anyone seen
him hanging about?"
"No, sir," another replied.
"We must prepare for his arrival," Gavin stated, smiling wickedly. "He will be my greatest
conquest. Abby, you know what to do. Now go and round up the last of them. Those last four
will suffer for the trouble they've caused." Gavin ended, waving the rest of them away.
Leaning against the mantle, Gavin was not happy. Shaking his head, he couldn't believe how
botched the simple plan was. "It was too easy. Those fools!" Gavin muttered angrily, banging his
fist against the hard mantle. Lifting his hand, he examined the damage. The age old hand,
deadened by years of service was finally worn out. The time had come to move on, and he was
surrounded by a bunch of fools.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~