A/N

Sorry about the big lull, I got my computer taken in for virus checks and was out for awhile, but I worked really hard to get this written. And when I tried to post earlier, the site was down!


"And what is the deal with these Sheoque?" I asked as I struggled to keep up with Roxanne.

"They like to kidnap humans for their own sordid reasons." She cackled.

"Eh…Should I ask what these reasons are?"

"Oh, I didn't know you were a voyeur, it's so hard to tell with you clunky beasts." She sniggered, somersaulting in the air.

"Never mind. It is much farther?"

"Maybe you should cut down on your grass intake."

I was really getting annoyed at her snide little comments. No pun intended.

"Aha! Look, there's their grove. Maybe if you show 'em a little leg they'll go easy on you."

"Look, you perverted little mosquito, I've had just about enough of you. Don't make me flick your sorry winged butt back to the flower you came from!"

"Bite me! Try that with me, and I'll make sure you never find your way out of this forest!"

"Wanna bet? I don't need direction from a gnat to find my way."

"And I don't plan on giving directions! I'll screw you over some other way!"

"Oh really? I'll—"

"What is this about?" A voice asked, interrupting me in mid-insult. I turned around to see a pretty blonde faerie floating above my head. She was wearing a blue dress and had big green eyes. She cocked her head at me, amused.

"Are you one of the Sheoque?" I asked her. She nodded, lightly flitting her almost butterfly like blue wings. "You wouldn't happen to have come across one of my friends, would you? A sort of tall human, with oddly colored and shaped hair? Answers to the name of Ray?

"Yes, we have." She chortled a little. "He is most amusing. He has an oddly shaped head."

"Right," I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from cracking a smile. "Well, I suppose I can't ask for my friend back, can I?"

"Oh." She looked very disappointed. "I was hoping I could keep him. Alright, I'll give him back."

"Oh, well…" I shot Roxanne a glance, as she was apparently whistling as she flitted just out of my reach, "That's very kind of you. I'm sorry I have to deprive you of him."

"Oh, that's alright. Humans wander in many times, and we always have at least one around." She turned and flew back to the large grove of trees almost totally obscured by bushes.

When she was gone, I turned on the pixie. "Sordid reasons, hunh?"

"Wouldn't have been as much fun if you knew." She said, sulkily. Then she brightened up. "Well, you got you boy, didn't you? Is he going to thank you for coming to his rescue?" She asked suggestively.

I looked at her in horror. "You have to be the most dirty minded person I've ever met."

"You've lived a sheltered life."

"I prefer it that way, I think." I said looking back to the grove.

"You are so boring. Boring name, boring ideas, even boring reactions. How do you live with yourself? Do you die of boredom everyday only to be reincarnated because your world needs your bland nothingness?"

I steadily started to ignore her at this point. She kept ramblimg on about boringness and blandness and me and I really didn't see fit to stop her. I mean, it's better she gets it out of her system now.

As I watched, the bushes rustled, and Ray tumbled out of the grove, his shirt ripped to shreds and his pants not much better.

"Ray!" I called and waved. He looked at me and I was struck with how tired he looked. But he immediately brightened up.

"Dann!" He ran, tripping over his own feet. "I never thought I'd see you or any of the others again. I was this close to blowing a gasket and setting everything on fire, I swear, just a little electricity and I would be frying everything."

"You look like you haven't slept in over a week."

"I haven't. They kept poking me, trying to get me to do stuff."

"Heartfelt, really this is." Roxanne said sarcastically as she left off her ranting to watch us.

"No one asked you." I said as I led Ray back through the forest, going anywhere that was away from that grove.

Ray was watching Roxanne like a hawk, obviously expecting her to act like the other ones.

"So where to now, your royal blandness?" She said a few feet above my head.

"Out of here." Was all I grunted as Ray stumbled along beside me.

"And how are you going to do that? You can't just walk into the faerie court and just expect them to help you." She said in a sing song manner.

"Maybe that's because no one's done it before." I said as we passed an old tree leaning across two rocks. "Maybe no one's tried a case in faerie court. Aside from faerie."

"Oh plenty of humans have gone to court, usually for messing with things they shouldn't have. Actually, all of them were sticking their noses where they didn't belong."

"Yes, but has one ever gone willingly to court to ask for help?"

"Of course they have. They've all been shot down." She said matter-of-factly.

Well, that's a killer. I don't think I could bribe the court, there must be some other way of dealing with this.

"Well then, what do you suggest?" I said exasperatedly.

"I thought you didn't want my advice. I thought you were going to get out on your own." She said snottily.

"Fine. I will. Come on Ray." I dragged Ray off by the arm.

"Hey! I'm not through! Come back here!" She began to follow us. I kept my mouth firmly shut.

"You know what? You have to be the two stupidest humans I have ever met! Yeah, that's right! You'll never get out of here alive! You'll run around in circles, hoping to find a way out, but you'll never find it!" She said, dipping low enough to look me in the eye. I looked through her, ignoring her completely.

"Don't think that I'll feel sorry, either, you two are just a piece of what comes through here!" She swirled around us once, then came back. "Just another couple of humans wiped off of this world, no skin off my nose, good riddance!"

I kept on going, even though Ray was beginning to muffle some angry retorts.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing! You're trying to make me feel bad!" Her voice was shrill now, and had something hidden in it that I recognized all to well. "It won't work!"

I heard the light rush of water in the distance and knew we were almost to the stream.

"FINE! If you don't want me around…then I'm leaving!" She said, with a sob in her voice. "I hate you! I hope you never get out of this place!"

She tore off into the woods, heading for the thickest part of it.

"Oh man, Dann…" Ray looked at me a little aghast. "Did…you have to do that?"

I blinked at him for a second, then pulled him in the direction of the stream. When we got there, I pulled off my pack and handed it to him. He didn't say anything, still upset with my apparent callousness.

It was callous. Unfeeling even. But I've dealt with this sort of thing before.

"There's food in the pack, drink from the water containers. I wouldn't eat or drink anything around here." I said as I reached my mind out slightly to track the pixie.

Ray just frowned. I ignored him and walked back into the forest.

I kept to the jagged path outlined in my mind's eye and didn't stray, in case I misstep and lose my sense of direction.

My trail led me to an old tree that leaned against another, barely standing against the weight. In the shadow of the fallen tree was a small, sobbing magneta haired figure.

I sat down a few feet away and watched as she cried. She acted exactly like a girl who felt totally alienated from all of her playmates, and didn't know how to deal with it. All of my siblings experienced it. Well, maybe not Chrissy, but I'm almost positive Donnie did.

After about twenty minutes of sobbing, she lifted her head and saw me.

"What the hell do you want?" She reproached.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why would you care?"

"I'm a caring person."

"I told you I hated you."

"Wouldn't be the first time someone's said that to me."

"Why?"

"Well, usually I end up being the back end of an ending tantrum and the convenient target."

"And you think I was having a tantrum?" She said disdainfully.

"Yes. You started out clamoring for attention. When you realized I wasn't talking to you, you got agitated and said things you may or may not regret, I don't know and won't speculate, and then, when I didn't show any reaction, you lost control and had your tantrum."

"You were being stupid."

"You were being obnoxious. But the fact is, it wasn't my being stupid that caused you to blow up. I'll let you think about what it was." I got up quickly, then regretted it when my knee that had sustained many injuries creaked in protest. "Ouch. In any case, you can come back to us if you want. If not, well, that's your decision. In any case, I have to go back to Ray before he walks off trying to find me and gets picked up by another amicable faerie bunch with sordid intentions."

I thought I heard a chuckle as I turned, but didn't turn back around to see if she was laughing. I just kept walking, tracing my steps back.

I got about halfway back when something zipped past me, then came floating back in front of my nose.

"You may think you know a whole bunch, but you don't know anything about me, and I'm going to stick with you until I prove it!" Roxanne said as she spread her arms challengingly. "You think that I'm acting like a child? I'll prove it to you that I'm not!"

"I'm sure you will." I said as I kept walking, following my mental path.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's whatever you make it out to be."

"Okay, fine! I'll get you out of this forest, is that what you want? You think I can't do that? Well, joke's on you, 'cause I can! And then you'll have to eat your words!" She said triumphantly. "And you know what? I can get all of your friends out too!"

"Prove it." I said lazily, with a complete lack of interest.

"Fine. I will." She said as she shot off in the general direction of Ray and the stream.

I watched her go. The edges of my mouth turned up even though I was trying to hide a smile.

Dealing with children a great deal of my life has given me interesting insight to the human psyche. Apparently it works for both worlds.

Because she played herself right into my hands.


I guess there is a slightly more devious side to Danny. Must be part of the Dahk reflex.

Raliena: I've read a few of his books, the next time I take a library trip I'll try to snag that one as well, sounds fascinating. Hope you like the chapter!

PrincessOfWildfire: Thank you very much, I'm glad you think so, and it's a huge boost to my confidence, and my bigheadedness, but I'm sure I'll do something that will bring the swelling down. Yes, we can always suspect. I'm glad you liked the last chapte, and I hope you find this one just as good!

Anon(girl): Still at his job even if he gets a side interest. I don't know just yet. This story seems to be writing itself with only miniscule help from me. Anayway, I hope you like the chapter!

asp: Good, that was what I was aiming for. I'm glad you're beginning to understand! I hope you like the chapter, ad it steadily becomes clearer to you(glad to see you reviewing again, by the by).

Herman shall take the reviews, but make sure the Sheoque don't get them! They'll keep them for the sole purpose of amusing themselves!

I suppose it's about time to divulge a secret to you all. I am spreading my wings into different categories, most notably, the original works category. At fictionpress.com, I am known as Dahk Wit, and if you guys want to pop in and see the story, you are welcome to. If not, well, that's entirely up to you. Ta.