Hello! OK, the suspense is over, here's where ML stuff comes into the picture!

Thank you for being so patient!

*************************************************************************************

As soon as Mr. B. left the room the class was abuzz with whispers.

"What do you think happened?"

"Bet ya anything that she was drunk."

"Naw... I don't take suckers bets!"

"He's right though, she probably caused the accident herself!"

"Did she drink?"

"Ya! I happen to know for a fact that she'd chug back at least three bottles a night!"

"How do you know that?"

"She lived next door to me! I saw the empty bottles in her Recycling Bin! Besides, I'd probably drink a lot too if I had Clara as a niece!"

"CLARA is er... was her niece?! Are you serious?"

"Yup."

"No way! Well, if Clara was her niece it probably wasn't an accident!"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on! I know that if I were related to Clara in anyway, I'd kill myself! I think it was suicide."

*Laughter*

"Yeah, you're probably right!"

Clara sat there, stunned as she listened to the cruel things her classmates were saying. Her body trembled with a rage that she could barely suppress as memories of her aunt flooded through her mind. She remembered the kind woman who had gently cleaned and bandaged her cuts, who had kissed all her bruises better. Monica had never known who had given her those cuts and bruises, Clara had always said that she had gotten them while playing. Clara still didn't know why her father had gotten so mad when he found out who it was who had been helping her, all that she knew was that before she was permitted to leave the house, and suddenly she wasn't. Her father didn't even want her to go to school, but he knew that keeping her locked up at home would only draw attention to himself, and with his past attention was definitely NOT a good idea. So instead he permitted her to go to school, but she was never allowed to visit her aunt again. Clara had thought that she would never see her aunt again and was very happy to enter her new class for grade 8 to discover that her aunt would be her teacher for her last year before moving on to High School. This school year had been the best year of her life because her aunt had always stopped the teasing as soon as she entered the room. Clara would always treasure the memory of seeing the looks on her classmate's faces whenever her aunt punished someone for teasing her. It was with those memories in mind when she did something she would never have done were the situation any different.

She stood up, and defended her aunt.

"You're wrong! My aunt NEVER drank! And she would have never even thought about killing herself! My aunt was the kindest, most caring woman in the world! She loved me! She cared for me!"

Clara said, panting with rage. She didn't even realize that she was now standing, she was so angry.

The classroom suddenly became very quiet. Greg was the first to get over his shock.

"Well what do you know, the slut's taking a stand! Your aunt was nothing but a worthless drunk and a slut! Just like you!"

The rest of the class had overcome their surprise and now joined in the teasing.

"Yeah, slut!"

*Class laughs*

Clara was struggling to control her anger, inside she felt something trying to break out. Clara didn't know what it was but somehow she knew that if she lost control of that... thing, something bad would happen. She didn't understand what exactly, all she knew was that she could not allow herself to lose control.

Greg chose that moment to step forward.

"Yeah you're nothing but a slut, just like your mother."

"Slut, slut, you're a mutt! Slut, slut, you're a mutt!" Her classmates started chanting.

That was all it took for Clara to lose what little control she had over the darkness inside of her. Inside her, the wall that had stood between her and the darkness broke. Her vision went red and then black as she let the darkness take control. Around her objects had begun to fly around the room, but Clara couldn't see. She didn't see it when the windows shattered, didn't see the desks start slamming into the corner where the students, who had been tormenting her only moments before were cowering. She didn't know that the shards of broken glass were flying at the students, cutting their skin. All she knew was the screaming. :What's happening?: :What's going on?: :What did we do to deserve this?: :Please God, don't let me die!: :MOMMY!: Clara was scared, she didn't know what was happening to her or around her, but somehow she knew that those thoughts were NOT coming from her. She felt herself getting weaker as the darkness continued to have its way. :I have to stop this.: She thought as the screams around her started to get cut off. She struggled to regain control as she felt her body continue to run out of energy. Around her the screams had stopped and she no longer heard other peoples thoughts. The darkness seemed to sense that there was no one left to be angry with, so it withdrew its control over Clara, leaving her feeling exhausted and completely drained.

Clara lay on the floor, trying to catch her breath. Slowly she got up, not daring to open her eyes cause a part of her knew that she did not want to know what had happened.

"Hey class, I'm back! Sorry I took so..."

Mr. B. stood in the doorway, having just returned from the Principals office. He stood there, shocked as he looked around at what only minutes before had been a neat and tidy classroom. Now all the desks and chairs were all in one corner of the room. The windows were broken, blood was on the walls and there was a spreading pool of crimson on the floor. He carefully walked over to the pile of desks but stopped when he saw the bloody corpses that had been his students. Slowly he turned around and saw the student who had asked about Ms. Scopos well being earlier.

"What happened here?" He asked the shocked girl.

Slowly Clara opened her eyes. She looked around her and saw the blood, the windows, the pile of desks in the corner. She walked over to the desks, knowing that she most definitely did NOT want to know what else was over there but still needing to know. She stopped, sickened, when she saw what had become of her classmates. Some had been impaled on desks, others on chair legs. All of them had been pierced with glass, all were dead, and they all had the same look on their faces, the look of pure terror.

Mr. B. walked over to the girl, he grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"What happened?" He demanded.

Clara looked into the eyes of her new teacher. His face was white as snow, red lips pressed tightly together. His short black hair still looked neatly combed and his gray eyes were narrowed, as if somehow he knew that what had happened was her fault. :If it weren't for the short hair and those eyes, I'd swear I was looking at Snow White!: It was that surprising thought which allowed Clara to shake of her shock and answer him.

"I... I don't know what happened! It was an accident!" She choked out.

Mr. B. Looked released her, an expression of complete disbelief spreading over his face. Clara saw a way out of there and decided to take it. Quickly, before he could stop her she ran out the door and down the hallway. Behind her, she heard MR. B. chase after her, but she was in her element. All her life bullies had chased after her and she was now an expert at losing pursuers. She sped around a corner and push open the door to the stairs, then quickly spun around and darted into an empty classroom. She crouched down behind the door, which she left partially open. Keeping her ear near the crack she listened as Mr. B. ran around the corner and listened as he fell down the stairs in his haste to catch up with her. Repressing a chuckle, she waited a short while behind the door to make sure that the coast was clear. Carefully she opened the door and looked up and down the hallway, it was empty. Quickly and quietly she got up and sped down the hall, heading towards her old classroom, knowing from experience that that would be the last place where Mr. B. would think to look. When she reached the classroom she walked straight over to the window, carefully not looking around because she knew that if she did, she'd be too sick to get away. She leaned out the window and carefully planned out her jump. The class was on the second floor, but there was a gentle slope leading away from the school so she'd be able to roll when she landed. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and jumped. She landed with her knees bent to help absorb the impact and rolled down the hill to dispel her momentum. When she stopped rolling, she slowly checked her body for injuries as she caught her breath. When she had made certain that she was unhurt, she got up and ran to her house.

When she reached her house she quickly unlocked the door and ran up the stairs to her room. When she entered the closet that served as her bedroom, she grabbed her mothers old back pack and started stuffing it with clothes. Under things and other unmentionables went in first, followed by the few shirts and jeans she owned. As she packed the clothes she fought hard not to cry. It had been her aunt who had bought her those, her father had never once bought her anything in her life. All the clothing she owned fit into the pack and there was still plenty of room. She grabbed a small bear from her bed, another gift from her aunt, and put that in the pack also. Following that went her brush, a small journal which had her poetry written in it, a few pens, a lighter and her small collection of scented candles. As an afterthought she also added a tiny photo album full of pictures her, her mother and her aunt. Leaving the pack, she went over to her fathers room and grabbed the jar he kept that was full of money. :Ugh, it's heavy.: she thought as she tried, and failed to lift it. She tipped the jar over onto its side and rolled it into her room. She screwed off the lid and dumped the money out onto the floor, noticing with dismay that the jar was way too heavy and too big for her to carry in her pack. She looked at the pile of coins on the floor in front of her :figures, no bills.: and tried to think of a way to carry it all without it being noticed.

Her eye's strayed back over to her fathers room and she remembered the bag that her father used to hold his condoms, it had a zipper and would be perfect. Trying not to think about how many times she had watched, horrified, as he had opened that bag, she went back to his room and fetched the bag, leaving the condoms on his bed. When she returned to her room she filled the bag with her fathers money and put it into her pack. Certain that she had all that she needed from her room, she stuffed her small pillow in to her pack and took it downstairs. She took her moms old sleeping bag from the closet and went over to the kitchen to see if there was any food she could bring with her. Unfortunately all that was available was a loaf of bread, a small jar of peanut butter and a bottle of milk. She sighed but still considered herself lucky to even have this available to her, since her father usually ordered pizza for meals. Clara wondered briefly what those pizzas had tasted like since all she had been given to eat was the crust, which her father didn't like. She put the food and milk into her pack and tied it shut, she then tied the sleeping bag to the outside of the pack. :Well,: she thought as she stood up, looking around at her house, she never could make herself call it a home. :Guess that's everything... wonder where I'll go? Don't know, but if I don't know maybe no one else will know either. I should leave, it probably would be just my luck to make it this far only to get caught standing here!: And with that thought in mind she left, locking the door behind her.

Clara had only just turned away from the door when it hit her. She was aware of falling as a darkness seemed to grip her very soul. Her vision clouded over as overwhelming pain gripped her body. Her mind screamed its agony as her fear rose. The pain seemed to last an eternity, though it probably was only a few seconds before it all got to be too much for Clara. As she felt unconsciousness come to claim her she gave into the comforting darkness gladly, relieved to feel the pain fade away.

********************************************************************************************

Miles away... and in a different world.

Queen Selenay looked at the mage in front of her. His filthy robes were torn in several places, his body was covered with dirt and several cuts. She could not tell what color his hair was due to all the filth. She could barely see his eyes looking at her from his swollen face.

"Are you certain?" She asked.

The man nodded, wincing as though the move caused him pain.

"Yes your Majesty. A Dark Mage has crossed your border, blood magic is in use once again."

"But what has he been sacrificing? There have been no villages complaining of missing people, and while animal sacrifices do give the mage some power, it's nothing compared to the amount of power collected from a human!"

"So far, he has only used animals. But he has collected enough power that he can get himself a human fairly easily! He has found a way to bring a human to him, a human from another world! He has the power and the skills he needs."

"If he has all he needs, why doesn't he have anyone yet?" FireSong asked, the rest of the council murmuring in agreement.

"Time!" The mage said.

"He needs time to find someone appropriate from that world! Someone strong in spirit, someone who will not be missed! Someone who will have a natural fear of men so he can feed off that fear! You must stop him, stop him now! Before he finds that person!"

Talia sat in her place next to the Queen. She sensed that there was something else that the man was not telling them.

"What's his motivation? He must know that he alone can't take over the kingdom!"

"He doesn't want just this kingdom! He wants the world!" He looked like he was going to say more but was interrupted by everyone laughing. Everyone except Talia.

"How could he possibly hope to reach that goal?" She asked when the laughter subsided.

The mage sent her a grateful glance before he answered.

"This man has an unusual gift, one I have never seen before. He has the power to travel through time. That's why he needs a human, as soon as he collects enough power from his victim, he will be able to go back in time and build a gate. Don't you understand? If he gets a human, he can travel through time and bring back enemies that had already been defeated in the past! Ancar, Master Dark, he can even bring back Maar!"

A stunned silence was all that came from the council as everyone tried to comprehend what the man was saying. As usual FireSong was the first to get over his shock.

"If he can go back in time, why doesn't he just travel back to the time before the mage storms happened? To the time when there were nodes and ley lines and magic was reliable?" He asked.

The mage smiled slightly for the first time.

"Because, he doesn't know how to use them! Blood magic is the only magic he knows how to use!"

"Well, why doesn't he simply sacrifice some people from the past?" SilverFox asked.

"He doesn't dare! What if the person he used turned out to be a grand parent? He never knew who his family was, the only relative he knew was his brother. His brother is a mage himself who knows how to defend himself and used his power to escape!"

How do you know all this?" Talia asked quietly.

"I know of all this because... because I'm his brother." He admitted, ashamed to have to admit to being related to such slime.

Talia wanted to say something else, but then powerful waves of emotion hit her. Confusion, Fear, PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! PAIN! FEAR! She fell to the floor, struggling to block the emotions out as she tried to track the emotions to their source. She had just found the general area when suddenly they stopped, as if whoever they were coming from had lost consciousness. Slowly she got up, around her other councilors were getting back to their seats. SilverFox was helping FireSong get up. Talia made eye contact with him.

"You felt it too? I knew you were an Empath, but I didn't think your Empathy was that strong!"

He shook his head. "No, I didn't feel any emotions, but the magical backlash! I fear that I will have a headache for months!"

"Where did it come from? Could you trace it?" Selenay demanded.

Talia and FireSong looked at each other, then both turned to the queen.

"Sorrows." They both said at the same time.

"Was that your brother?" SilverFox asked the mage, who had gotten very pale. The councilors all looked at SilverFox, then focused their attention on the frightened mage before them.

He nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so. He has his victim." He looked defeated. "We're too late." He said.

"That's not... quite, true." FireSong said, everyone turning to him in surprise.

"Blood magic takes time... and with the amount of magical energy it takes to build gates, we have at least a month to find and rescue this unfortunate victim before this man has enough power to do what he plans."

"One month? To search the whole forest? Are you mad? That forest is huge!" The mage blurted.

Silence was the only answer that his outburst received.

"Well then." Selenay said quietly, ending the silence.

"We had best get started. Sorrows is a big forest, and we have a long way to go before we get there. Talia, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave your son, Dirk can take care of him. I'm afraid that we'll need your gift to help find this person. FireSong you go to, you're still the most powerful mage that we have. Kero, you and Alberich should go with them, you're our best fighters and I do believe that Jeri is skilled enough to teach the trainees a thing or two in your absence. I know that Sorrows is big, but between the four of you it probably wont take long to find who you're looking for. Can any of you think of anyone else who should go along?"

Four hands instantly went up.

Kero spoke first. "I'd like Keisha Alder to come. She's young but she's also the best healer I know. She has a son but the hunger and her sense of duty will be enough to convince her to come."

Firesong spoke next. "I too would like for Keisha to come, but I would also like Elspeth and Darkwind to join us as well. They are both Adepts and both have experience in the woods. I trained them both and trust them with my life, we work well together and I would rather not have to fight this mage on my own."

Talia and Alberich both put their hands down.

Selenay looked around at every ones faces and, seeing no one else wanting to speak stood up.

"So it's settled then? No one has any other suggestions?" She asked. No one said anything.

"Very well. You all have a very long day ahead of you tomorrow, I suggest that you all pack your things and at least try to get some sleep." She said, directing the last comment to those who were paired.

"This meeting is over. Firesong, Talia, Kero, Alberich, Elspeth and Darkwind." She said, looking all of them in the eye. "Good luck." And with that the meeting ended. Some councilors went off to socialize, others to prepare for tomorrows journey. Some went off for private goodbyes and to make up with friends whom they had fought with. No one knew what the following month would bring, all they could do was pray.

********************************************************************************************

Hey! Sorry about the wait! I'm kinda making this up as I go along and I'm probably the slowest typer in the world! Sorry that my insults haven't been that creative, I promise that I'll work on it! If anyone has any suggestions or favorite characters that you want me to add in this, let me know and I'll see what I can do! Thank you for reading and don't forget to review!!! ^_^