A/N:  Erm, this is one of those freaky dream type thingies and I kinda got carried away, so this is a long one…:P

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Chapter twenty-eight: Ghost Roads

………………………………………………………………………………………………

'You can't understand, you weren't there.  You ran.  You and your little rugrat brothers and sisters.  You think life was rough when we were ten?  A little schooling, a little brainwashing, some manoeuvres outside?  You think that was tough?  Take it from me.  Later on, it got a whole lot worse.  But you did what you had to do.  Then you tried to forget.  And when you couldn't forget, they had ways of making you not care.'

-Alec (The Berrisford Agenda)

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

'I can't take this I come unglued

I might breakdown in front of you

Necessary to medicate

I'm not sleeping can't stay awake'

- Staind (Pressure)

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"They're all here now" Erin smiled "your family's come home."

Max nodded and smiled back only to frown when she saw the smile disappear from Erin's face.

"Soon battles will be fought."

The darkness they were stood in seemed to weigh down on them.  They were stood in total darkness but both Max and Erin seemed lit up by some invisible spotlight.

"Lines will blur and people will die.  It is the natural chaos of things."

'How do you fit in?' Max thought as she examined Erin closely.

This time, Erin was dressed in all black.  Black trousers, black jumper, long black coat and black heeled boots.  It made her look older.  She was dressed for a funeral.

"I am The Link.  One of two" Erin shrugged casually.

'What is The Link?' Max looked around her.  The silence was scary in this place.

"Two joined together.  Warrior, defender.  Darkness and light.  Two joined forever."

'Great' Max rolled her eyes and Erin grinned 'rhymes and riddles.'

"Choose you battles.  You can't always play the hero.  You can't always run.  Sometimes you just have to step back."

'You said that last time' Max wrinkled up her nose 'Can you smell burning?'

A fire flickered to life off to their right.

"Light in darkness" Erin reached out to warm her hands by it despite the fact that it didn't emit any heat.  "One can't exist without the other, but it's not all black and white.  Remember the shades of grey in times to come."

'Is that what you are? A shade of grey?' Max watched Erin smile in the firelight, apparently pleased with her question.

"I have black and white areas too.  It makes you who you are."

'I don't really KNOW who you are, Erin' Max jumped at this chance to get to know her.  'I don't know about your life- only bits you let us see.'

She wondered if Erin's voice here was what it would sound like if Erin could speak.  She looked at Erin 'You fit in but you don't.' Max tried to explain how she saw Erin 'It's like you belong but you're-'

"Not from this world?" Erin smiled and Max nodded.

Erin looked back at the fire "We're worlds apart; our lives are so very different."

'What was it like?' Max felt like she was asking something big, like she was asking the meaning of life or what happens after you die.  'Your life before you came here? Was it so very different?'

Erin's face became unreadable and she didn't take her eyes from the fire.

Max turned to look at the fire too.  'Wow' Max stared at the flames 'it's like TV.'

An image had formed in the flames but Max couldn't make it out.  She leant forward to get a better look at the blurry image and suddenly there was no fire.  Max and Erin were stood in the image itself.  Only now, it looked very real.

They were on a suburban street unlike any Max had ever seen.  She realised that they must be somewhere in England.  In front of them was a semi-detached house that was almost identical to the neighbouring houses.

"Home" Erin breathed, a look of sadness on her face.

An old man was working in the small front garden planting flowers.  "Granddad" Erin smiled fondly as he stood up and walked to the open front door.

An old woman stood there holding a cup of tea.  She handed him the cup with a smile and pointed to something in the garden.

"Grandma" Erin smiled again.

Max looked down the street to see two people walking towards the house.  They heard no footsteps or speech at all.  Max thought it was like they were ghosts.  They could only see and not hear, and they couldn't be seen or heard themselves.

'Who are they?' Max asked as the two people waved at Erin's grandparents as they neared the house.

The boy was tall and skinny with messy shoulder length brown hair that fell in front of his eyes.  He looked about 19 and the kind of guy that Sketchy would hang out with.  He had his arm around the girl's shoulders while his other hand was stuck in the pocket of his baggy jeans.

The girl looked about 18 and had long fair hair in loose pigtails.  She wore combats, army boots and a green t-shirt that said "I rule.  Get over it" on it.

Erin grinned as they stopped at the gate "Skye and Dylan."

'Your friends?' Max watched as they talked to Erin's Grandfather.

Her Grandmother turned around as another Erin walked out the front door.

'Weird' Max watched as the other Erin kissed her Grandparents goodbye and greeted her friends with a nod.

The scene changed and Erin was at a skate park with a boy with fair hair who looked around 11 years old.

Erin stood on a skateboard, the boy watching her every move.  She flipped the board over while in a stationary position and the boy grinned at her.

Putting his own board down, the boy stood on it.  Erin got down to her knees and positioned his feet on the board before standing back.  His eyes on his board, the boy performed the same trick that Erin had done.  A look of surprise on his face, the boy turned to grin at Erin.  Erin smiled and hugged him, ruffling his hair as she did so.

The scene changed again.  They were in a large hall with green training mats on the floor.  On the walls were banners saying things like 'Discipline', 'Control', 'Movement' and 'Balance'.  Barefooted children and adults stood in pairs, each wearing white suits that people usually wore for martial arts.

Max searched the faces of the students and spotted Erin with a boy who looked about 13.  This one too, had fair hair and he looked like a slightly older version of the other boy.  Max figured they were brothers.

Erin and the boy had each other in an identical grip- right hand gripping a lapel, left hand gripping the other's right sleeve.

With a nod from Erin, the boy moved closer, his grip on her lapel disappearing as his arm went around her waist and he turned outward, using her weight and balance against her.  At the same time, he pulled her forward with his grip on her sleeve causing her to move closer to him as he turned.  Erin was thrown to the ground.  It was a simple move but very effective.  Grinning, Erin broke her fall easily and got to her feet.

The scene faded into a classroom filled with people Erin's age or older.  Erin was sat hunched over her work, writing something and surrounded by open books.

Max looked at the white board to read the title 'Write a comparative piece about the themes, dramatic irony, and use of soliloquy in Shakespeare's plays Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Macbeth.'  Underneath it read 'No less that 8 pages.'

From the looks of the papers in front of Erin, she had written a lot more.

Again, the scene faded.  Now they were in a club packed with dancers.  Strobe lights flashed in the darkness creating an eerie atmosphere.

Max looked around her and spotted Erin dancing by herself.  Wearing a tight glittery silver tank top, a black miniskirt and silver sandals, Erin was surrounded by lots of males all trying to attract her attention.  Erin ignored them all and continued to dance to the silent music.

A boy decided to try his luck and moved close to Erin, putting a hand on her hip and his other hand on her shoulder.

Max watched as Erin jerked away from his touch, an unreadable expression on her face as she walked away.

Max turned back to the Erin by her side.  She'd watched everything with a blank expression.  'Not your type?' Max watched as the boy watched Erin go, a disappointed look on his face.

"Can't get close" Erin's voice seemed unnaturally loud in the strange silence.  "They don't know my secret."

'Does Alec?' the flashing lights on their faces creating shadows in their eyes.

"He knows some of it, not all."

The scene had gradually shifted and now there were shadows everywhere.  They were in a dark narrow hallway, lit only by a bare single bulb.  Cracked paint crumbled from the walls and the old wooden floorboards shifted beneath their feet.  It was suddenly very cold.

'What happened to you?' Max looked around her 'Where are we?'

Erin stared at a padlocked metal door in front of her.  It was the only thing that looked solid in this place.  A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"It doesn't matter" she whispered and turned away from the door.

'Erin, tell me what-' Max stopped and sniffed.  A familiar scent reached her and Max felt sick.  'Whose blood is that?'

"Erin?" a boy's voice made Max jump and another tear ran down Erin's cheek.  Erin closed her eyes.  The boy sounded British like Erin and his voice came from behind the door.

"Yeah, Jake?" another voice answered.

Max looked between Erin and the door.  Another Erin was behind that door and she was a lot younger.

"It hurts" the boy sounded scared.

"I know" the younger Erin replied.  "Don't worry; I won't let them get you next time.  I'll fight back."

"But they'll take you away again!" the boy sounded panicked now "I don't want them to take you away! Last time, you didn't wake up for hours!"

"It doesn't matter, Jake.  I'll keep them away from you."  Erin sounded calm but a slight quiver in her voice told Max that she was trying to be brave.  "I'll always protect you."

Max opened her eyes and knew she was in her bed at Terminal City.  Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes.  It had been real.  All of it had been real, Max knew it.

Next Chapter: Knowledge Speaks…

"I smelt blood, I heard you talking with someone else.  You could talk then."  Max watched as Erin looked down at her hands…

"I could scream then too" Erin wouldn't look up.

A/N:  Just so you guys know, that throw that Ryan did in the chapter was real.  *grins* I have knowledge.

Marty: That preview was not evil.  I can guarantee a few future ones will be.  I still haven't included Logan in a few of the future chapters, but *shrugs* who cares?

Mel: Erm, when you said man o man, you didn't mean it in the actual male way right?  Cuz I'm not one *grins* Glad you like the story

Messymissy: Good point about the heat thing, I've already included it in the third story, but not in this one.  I'll figure out a way to include it.  Cheers for that*grins*

Elin:  They're really considering bringing DA back? *does a little dance* Where d'you find that out?  How do we let them know we want it back?

MaxCat452: Okay dude, breathe.  I'm glad you like the whole Max/Zack thing but I don't want you to pass out, okay?

Shards of Normality: Cool name.  Yeah, the whole description thing needs to be included.  This story started off okay but it just kinda went downhill didn't it?  I'll try to make it better.  *lol* who wouldn't fall to mush at Alec's feet?  I know Erin's a dumbass but she has issues :P