It came almost without warning.

If it had not been for the prophetic dreams of Maliyah Arnaud, an 87- year-old blind woman from Toronto who was rumored to have "the sight", and her small but devoted group of followers, the world may have been lost completely. Though they tried to spread the word—in public squares, over the internet, anywhere they could--there were few that would listen. And fewer still that worked to try and counteract it. There was nothing that could be done to stop the apocalypse from coming. This very night, the four moons of the Sun would align with the moon of the Earth and an evil unlike any the world had faced would be unleashed upon the unsuspecting world.

Maliyah's grandson asked when he heard his grandmother's words of warning, "Is there nothing that can be done? Is there no way to stop it?" Coming from anyone else, he would not have believed at all, but he knew that his nana had a way of knowing things.

"I'm afraid not, my child. We cannot control the stars or the moons. It will come. But we will do all we can to ensure that the evil not be unopposed. I have foreseen that around the world, the circles will unite and pray for salvation. It will not be enough to stop the reign of evil from emerging, but will instead create a force of good that will work to salvage the Earth and restore balance."

"A force, Nana? What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid I don't know exactly," Maliyah admitted. Her visions this time had been unusually unclear. All she could sense was that throughout the world trying times lay ahead. Many would not survive this night, and there would be months, if not years, of hardship and evil to overcome. Through it all, she knew, it would be the children that led the way out of the darkness. And that was why she insisted that her grandson go ahead with his evening as planned. "It is not for you to worry, this night," she told him. "I would not have told you at all, but I did not want you to be unprepared, caro mia."

"How can I not worry, Nana? You have told me that the world is ending?"

"Oh, no, caro mia. Not ending. It is a new beginning. I sense that you must be at this dance. You and your friends…you will be part of this force. You must be with them this night."

And so an hour later he was. Among his friends at Degrassi's Homecoming Dance, onstage, about to announce this year's King and Queen. It all seemed quite moot, but he knew this was what his Nana expected him to do.

Marco Del Rossi stood at the edge of the stage, watching his boyfriend, Dylan Michalchuk. He tried to smile, but it was difficult. He wasn't sure exactly why he had come other than his Nana told him he needed to be there. It seemed so pointless.

On the other hand, if she was right and it was the end of the world (or the beginning as Nana put it) then there were only a few people that he would want to spend it with, and they were almost all in this room. He'd have the chance to dance with Dylan one last time; perhaps during the King and Queen spotlight dance, which he was sure Jimmy Brooks and Paige Michalchuk would be sharing.

From the stage, Marco noticed his best friend Ellie Nash walk in with her boyfriend, Sean Cameron. He was a little surprised to see that she actually came, but was glad to see her. Maybe he'd try to get dance with her, too.

He glanced over at Principal Raditch, impatient to just get the announcement of the King and Queen over with so he could leave the stage. But Raditch hadn't yet given him the envelope containing the voting results. And it didn't look like the man was in any rush to do so.

Jessica Rivers had entered the dance not long ago, but she felt uneasy. She wasn't sure whether it was because she knew that those chosen for Homecoming King and Queen would use it against her, or if it was just butterflies. Jesse stood in front of the stage. The stars had shown brightly when she entered, and now they must have been brighter, for it was getting late.

Jesse looked up to Marco Del Rossi, class president. He was going to announce the prom King and Queen soon, poor boy. Jesse had heard that this boy was gay, but she didn't believe everything she heard. Jesse mindlessly twiddled her fingers, distracting herself from the unease.

Ellie Nash walked into the dance with Sean. She knew that Jay Hogart and Alex were planning something, though she didn't know what, and Sean wouldn't tell her. I quickly scanned her eyes over the immense conglomerate of demoniac teenagers, letting her eyes fall to rest on Craig Manning.

She felt guilty for finding him attractive. It wasn't like she'd ever go there. She had a boyfriend she adored and there was no way she would ever betray Ash. She watches Craig talking to Ashley Kerwin, no doubt trying to apologize again for the year before. Ellie couldn't believe that he would cheat on Ash with Manny. "Jerk," she thought bitterly. She had every reason to hate him--he cheated on her best friend...and another reason. A reason she couldn't even think about. It wasn't fair to Sean or Ash.

She shouldn't have even come to the stupid dance anyway. But Sean said that it was important. She couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be important enough to come to a dance just to watch Paige Michalchuk get crowned Queen of the Ice Fairies yet again. A title that suited her quite nicely, Ellie figured.

She turned to Sean. "Can we go now or do we really need to stay for the after party?" she asked sarcastically as she eyed Jay and Alex making out in the corner. Was that even allowed?

Sean's attention snapped back to Ellie when she spoke. He had to make sure that the plan ran smoothly. Nothing could go wrong. "Ellie, just hold on. As soon as I'm done, we can go. Okay?" He noticed her sign of resignation and turned his attention back to the stage to wait.

Ellie sighed and looked around for her friends. She saw Marco waving to her from the stage. She waved back, trying not to let Sean see how much she hated being there. She was trying to be the supportive girlfriend, but she couldn't help feeling that if being supportive meant letting Jay do something to sabotage the crowning, she would rather have nothing to do with it.

Sean kept staring ahead, as if he was waiting for something big to happen. Ellie looked back over at Jay and Alex and noticed that they actually looking happy for a change. Okay, this was definitely going to be big.

Come on just bring the results already, Ellie thought impatiently. "It isn't like we don't already know that the ice queen won anyway," she thought bitterly.

"This is going to be perfect," Alex thought mischeviously. As soon as the results were announced, they would put their plan into action. All thanks to her amazing boyfriend. She looked at Jay and her smile widened. There was absolutely nothing that could ruin what they had planned. Except maybe--"Yo, Sean...your girlfriend seems a little nervous," she whispered. "You didn't tell her anything, did you?"

"No, of course not. Why would I tell her anything?" Sean replied.

"Who know. She is your girlfriend," Jay countered, never taking his eyes off of Alex.

Marco looked over at Principal Raditch again, hoping that he'd just get on with this. "We all know who the King and Queen are going to be. I could announce it now without even having seen the contents of the envelope he's holding," he grumbled internally. Not that it mattered anyway, all things considered. But it would be nice to give Paige and Jimmy a nice memory to hold on to, and Marco really wanted to go spend what time he could with Dylan.

He sighed and looked over to Dylan, who gave him a look of sympathy. Which meant he clearly wasn't looking as happy as he was supposed to look. It was a dance, he was supposed to be cheerful. He wished his Nana hadn't told him anything so he could enjoy the night like everyone else. They'd fixed up the gym amazingly, but he found no joy even in that.

Growing further impatient, Marco began to wonder if maybe they were just waiting to make sure that Paige and Jimmy were both present. He scanned the crowd and saw all of his friends among the Homecoming Dance guests. Including Jimmy and Paige. So he turned back to Raditch yet again and gave him a look begging him to just get on with it. Fortunately this time, Raditch got the idea and crossed the stage to hand the envelope to Marco.

"Attention Degrassi!" He called into the microphone.

Was it his imagination or did the whole gym just shake slightly? Maybe it was just because everyone in the gym all turned at once toward the stage. His imagination, then. Right? Right.

"It's time to announce this year's King and Queen!" He looked back over his shoulder to make sure that Manny Santos was ready to proceed. She smiled and nodded, holding up the King crown and scepter.

Marco tore open the envelope. "This year's king is..." He looked down at the results and swear this time that the gym was shaking again. Or possibly it was just him being extremely surprised by the results. "Um...Marco Del Rossi!" He felt really stupid calling out his own name but quickly tried to cover it up by joking, "I swear I didn't rig the vote!"

Ellie looked up in surprise. She hadn't just heard that. Marco won Homecoming King? She probably shouldn't be so surprised, she realized. It wasn't like he was unpopular by any means. And he was class president and all. She turned to Sean and Jay and was amused to see their reactions. This had clearly caught them off-guard as well. Hopefully this would interfere with their plan somehow.

"Go Marco!" Spinner Mason called out and whistled, getting several glares from those around him. He turned to Paige and grinned. She was so going to win, and he knew he didn't have to worry at all about her dancing with Marco. Score. Now He wouldn't get in trouble over getting jealous. "Good luck, Honey Bear." Silently he added, "Like there's even any question?"

"Like there's even any question?" Paige thought to herself. She tried to look nervous, though, as she looked over at her main competition (if she could even call it that) Hazel Aden, and Ashley Kerwin. Like anyone in their right minds would actually vote for Alex. Or Ellie Nash? Please! Aside from Sean and maybe Marco, nobody would vote for the vampire.

"Um...thanks, Spin," Marco acknowledged the catcall, slightly embarrassed. He waited for Manny to place the crown on his head and hand him the Scepter. He was still quite astounded that it was him being crowned. Jimmy was so much more popular.

The queen, however, came as no surprise to him or anyone else in the room. "This year's queen is none other than..." Marco paused for dramatic effect, even though he knew that nobody would be shocked by the revelation, "Paige Michalchuk! Come on up here, Paige!"

Paige let out a 'surprised' squeal and quickly hugged Spinner. Then she turned to Hazel and Ashley and gave them each a consolation hug to show them that she cared and was a gracious winner. She hurried up to the stage, pausing to make a show of hugging her brother Dylan as she passed him. She loved hearing him congratulate her. She'd never tire of hearing those words.

And then she was on stage, next to Marco, where she gave another excited little squeal and hugged him tight. She was so happy for herself! And Marco would be a perfect person to be shown in the yearbook next to. She had nothing against Spinner, of course, but he always but always had some goofy smile on his face when he posed for pictures.

Paige glanced back and Manny and gave her a look that said "Come adorn me!" Then with her smile pasted firmly in place she looked back to the crowd and blew a kiss. "Thank you all so much!"

"Congratulations, Paige," Marco murmured, hugging her back. He stepped back as Manny came forward, placing the crown on Paige's head and handing her a bouquet of roses.

He stayed back, letting Paige bask in the glory of her win. She looked so happy. He wished things could stay exactly how they were at that moment. He looked over at Dylan, wishing, too, that he could go be with his boyfriend. But Raditch was back at the microphone and was announcing the King and Queen Spotlight Dance.

Marco sighed and moved to dance with Paige as the gym went dark, only a spotlight glowing upon the pair on the stage. All eyes were on them. Which made Marco all the more nervous. He felt a little unsteady on his feet, even. It seemed like the gym was shaking.

Actually, this time, he was sure that it was.

Marco saw Raditch coming toward the microphone. "People remain calm!" he called out. "It seems we're having an...earthquake! Please try to remain calm. Do not go outside or into the hallway. You need to stay away from windows. It would be best if you got under a table and cover your head!" Marco listened to the principal shouting directions.

And then suddenly the stage was collapsing under Marco's feet. He grabbed onto Paige's arm and start trying to get them safely off the stage. "Dylan!" he called out, trying to get them to his boyfriend, who still stood at the edge of the stage.

When the room started shaking, Ellie grabbed onto Sean, who seemed just as confused as she was. He looked really worried. At first she thought it was because of their safety, but when he looked at Jay, suddenly she knew that it was because of their 'plan'. Disgusted, she let go of his arm and turned away from him.

"Ellie, come back!" he called, but she kept walking, ignoring his shouts.

Ellie's eyes widened as she realized that the stage was starting to collapse. "Marco!" She started to run toward the stage as fast as she could, wanting to help him. It was only then that she noticed that parts of the ceiling were starting to fall down around her. She heard students screaming as they ran for the door. Bad idea.

She tried to block the debris from hitting her, but could feel small bits hitting her exposed shoulders roughly. She heard someone call out for her to move, but she didn't comprehend it in time. She felt a sudden dull pain against the top of her head, and everything went black.

As the ground started to shake, Jesse knew that it was bad. Canada wasn't as known for earthquakes as the United States were. Especially not in Toronto. She fell to the ground as the shaking got stronger. Debris from the walls and ceiling hit her exposed back and shoulders, digging into and cutting her skin.

She began to pray as the shaking continued. She didn't know why, but she did it anyway. She'd grown up with any religion, yet there she was, praying for her life, asking God to forgive her of her sins. Asking God to save her life.

She didn't understand it, but somehow, as she prayed, she felt safe. Like somehow she knew she was going to make it. She was going to live. As she opened her eyes and stood up, she saw a few people, lying unconscious. One of them she remembered from her Science class. She ran over to the fallen girl and tried to help her.

Jesse heard a loud cracking noise and looked up to see a massive chunk of the rooftop getting ready to fall. Just as it began to plummet, she grabbed her classmate and pulled her to safety. Ellie, she remembered the girls name. Ellie Nash. Jesse started to pray again. This time for Ellie's life, for her redemption. Jesse felt weak as if she were about to lose her own life while saving Ellie's. But suddenly she felt a sudden burst of energy. Like there was some sort of energy needing herself and Ellie to live. She was able to drag Ellie's unconscious body under a table to try and get a little breather while she figured out what to do. She held Ellie's head in her arms and tried to wake her. "Ellie. Ellie!"

Ellie heard someone calling her name, but it sounded so far away. She winced as she opened her eyes. She struggled to find her voice. "Um....what happened?"

Marco heard Ellie's voice calling his name. He turned to try and find her and saw her going down hard. He let out a started wince and pushed Paige gently toward where Dylan awaited them. "Go! Find cover!" he yelled to them as he turned to go toward Ellie.

Before he could get there, he could see another girl grab his friend and drag her to safety. He was torn, then, whether to go back to Dylan or to continue forward to help Ellie.

The choice was taken from him a moment later as what sounded like an explosion boomed behind him and he was thrown from the stage. He landed painfully on a table a few yards away. It collapsed from the impact and for a few moments, Marco couldn't breathe, the wind knocked out of him.

He rolled onto his back and looked back to the stage, his eyes widening as he saw several beasts emerging from a fiery hole that had opened from beneath the stage. He really hoped he'd hit his head and was hallucinating.

Maliyah could feel the earth begin to quake and knew that the time had come. The apocalypse was upon the earth. She took the hands of those in her circle and began praying for the Earth's salvation. Around the world, she could sense, there were similar groups doing the same, but then all feeling began to fade and she felt her life force draining. She and her circle, she realized, would likely not live this night. But through their sacrifice the world would receive a chance to survive the apocalypse and one day overcome the darkness that was taking over.

She had a vision of her grandson. He was staring into the eyes of death itself. "Mia caro," she whispered, momentarily breaking her concentration. In that moment she could feel the darkness seeping into her and it took all her remaining strength to force it out. She could feel herself weakening, and could feel the darkness trying to possess her. It wanted her sight, she sensed. She could not allow that to happen. So with what she sensed to be her final moments, she changed her prayer, calling upon the powers that be to remove from her the sight so that it would not be stolen and used for destruction, but divert it instead to someone who would use it for good. She did not dare send it to her grandson--though she prayed her vision was wrong, if he was to die this night, the darkness would still absorb the sight. She did pray, however, that the person who received her gift would use it well, and perhaps would be able to save her grandson as well.

She could sense others in her circle as well as around the world changing their prayers to ones similar to her own. And she knew that was going to be the path to salvation. She knew the moment the sight vanished, as she could no longer detect the prayers of the others in her circle, nor from around the world. She knew not what was coming, but could feel a coldness enveloping her. There was a loud sound of wood splintering and she knew that the beasts were almost upon the circle. She prayed that their work had been enough.

Like what you read? Want to participate in continuing it? Join the Role Playing Game by going to yahoogroups and joining the list called degrassi underscore enchanted (the link is in our ffnet profile since it won't let us post here grrr). Many characters are still available. There is an application, and we will be fairly picky about who joins (so please don't feel offended if you are not picked the first time. If you're not, we'll let you know why and you're always free to apply again!) The rating for this game is R and there will be violent scenes as well as possible sexual situations, so do not join if you can't handle that. The game will be converted into a fanfic and posted here, so please don't join if it will bother you that you won't get direct credit for specific things you write and there may be minor changes to things you post when it's converted to fanfic (I'll post a list of authors with the fic, so you will be credited that way.) The following people contributed to this section: Chaos (Marco, Dylan, extra roles as needed), Serenity (Alex, Ellie, other roles as needed), Tiffany (Jesse), Azaria (Paige), and Daq (Spinner)