Arch Stone, Chia's dad, wearily surveyed the scene before him, concentrating on the sofa were two very significant people were talking with one another.

One of the two he loved dearly as a daughter and the other, well the other he hated with feeling.

Ariyel was talking in low whispers to Paige, who had only seconds ago opened her eyes before the former had pounced on her with her unnecessary string of questions. In his opinion, Paige didn't need the extra stress load Ariyel came with.

Arch hadn't liked calling on Ariyel at all; it meant he was being dependant on a source he wanted no acquaintance with or any memory of.

Seeing Ariyel again brought back old, banished memories of the past and of his childhood; the way he had grown up in a society which he had no part of.

Ariyel was a proud woman, who carried her pride high above her head, and he hated her.

It was her who had haughtily told him he could not possibly live without calling once for her help. She had told him it was no use running away and that you couldn't possibly run away from the truth- but what she didn't realise even now was that it had been her who had taught him to run in the first place.

After that particular conversation, Arch had promptly left home, determined never to return again.

But the damage had been done now. She was here.

He watched her with anger; an anger he thought he had long dealt with. It was true she hadn't changed a bit. The same pride, the same unspoken authority.

He knew he should be grateful that she had even come at his unexpected call, and after years without any communication, but she had come back as immersed in herself as he had left her.

The thing he detested the most was her cool indifference, as if nothing ever mattered. It was totally irrelevant, because he knew that it was through her indifference that she ran away and hid.

Arch saw Asina from the midst of his thoughts; his wife looked at him with concern written all over her face. He smiled at her unconsciously. A comforting thought ran through his head. This was what he had left his past for, and he was glad he had.

Looking at Ariyel now, he wondered whether it had been wise or necessary to call her. He was just opening an old chest full of unwanted memories- and she had been of no immediate help.

Her raised voice brought him back to the real world, away from his suppressed hate.

"He hasn't told you!" She looked at him accusingly.

Oh, no, you're not going to that again, Ariyel. I've had enough of you bossing me around all my life. I won't let you do it again.

But Arch was right, Ariyel was already wheedling in her control on his life which he had so carefully pieced together himself.

"You haven't told them Arch," she said, her eyes narrowing disapprovingly as they always had, "but then again I'm not surprised. You always were the expert in running away and hiding the truth…or rather a novice."

He wanted to tell her that he didn't value her approval. He wanted to tell her to get out of his house- and his life forever, but he was right- the damage was done. It was his fault she was here now.

So instead he murmured, "Don't start now Ariyel. Now is not the time for half- hearted confessions or any old arguments. I'm sure Paige would like some rest now- she's been through a lot."

"No, Arch! You just can't keep running away. I know you; and you will always be waiting for tomorrows to ever do anything. Now is a good time as any and I am here to explain things further." And as an afterthought she added, "You were right when you said Paige has been through a lot- but she also needs to know the reasons."

Arch looked at her with ill suppressed contempt. She just assumed she could take hold of any situation and control it; one day she was going to get a nasty shock.

"Really Ariyel. Is it wise do you think, to be dumping this load on Paige, when she is so delicate-"

"Dumping this load- what do you mean Arch? That her heritage is a burden?" She paused slightly, perhaps to consider something, perhaps to dramatize her speech with the effect, "I know you don't understand "- something flashed in Arch's eyes but she carried on regardless- "but there is more to it than just-"

"No. That's enough," Asina's voice cut through an argument she knew too well. "Ariyel, we didn't call you here to argue with you. I just want to remind you that you were the one who once told me that 'some things are better left unsaid'," she looked pointedly at Ariyel, referring to a period long down memory lane, but before the other woman could open her mouth to splay forth her disapproval, Asina resumed talking, "But I am not referring to Paige and the matter at hand. Believe it or not, but I do agree with you on this account. Arch, I think it is time we told our daughters the truth."

Arch took in account the apologetic glance she gave him, as if to say sorry I'm siding with thy enemy.

They're old enough Arch. I know you don't like to hear it, but Ariyel is right. She is here to explain things we can't after all.

Arch nodded his acquiescence defeatedly. He wouldn't admit it, but he had let his dislike for Ariyel cloud his better judgement. She was right of course, and he had been planning on telling them soon. And, as the two of them said, now was as good a time as any.

He ignored the pleased look on Ariyel's face, and turned to face the girls, slightly guilty that he had momentarily forgotten them in the midst of all the turmoil. After all, this wasn't about him any longer.

He looked at the three teenagers. Paige, who had a strange…glow to herself, was sitting up in the sofa, Chia stood beside her, a confused look on her young face, and there was the girl who had come home with Paige. He felt a flicker of unease, shouldn't family matters be just that- family matters?

Ariyel must have noticed his glance linger on Athena because she called form the back, "The girl has to hear this too. God knows she deserves an explanation."

Arch had long ago stopped asking any questions, so he just turned to do his duty.

He started off introducing them. "Ariyel, this is Chia, my daughter. Paige, Christine's daughter and…"

"Athena."

"…yes, and Athena. But you seemed to have known that already," he said wryly before continuing, "Paige, Chia- this is Ariyel," he hesitated slightly, Ariyel raised an eyebrow, "your grandmother."

The silence that followed was almost comical. And judging from the various looks on the girls' faces, this was going to be a long evening of shocking revelations.

The rash, stormy weather had finally subsided. The rain had stopped pouring down fiercely, only to leave a wet earth in its wake. Tiny droplets of water clung to nature, but they were greatly pleased because the thunder and lightning had ceased. Without the deafening roars of thunder and the electrifying flashes of the thunder bolts, the world was in contrast very quiet. Even the wind had stopped blowing as if her very life depended on it.

There was calm about the whole place.

But surprisingly there was still an unsettling chill in the weather. A rather distinctive chill. A cold that froze you, because it was so intense. So intense that it almost seemed to want to hurt you with its icy tentacles.

And there was the eerie blanket of vapoury wisps floating in to the town to cover it in unseasonable fog. Almost as if it was shielding the town from something.

So perhaps everything was not settled after all. Because the calm was really a front that nature put up to shelter the people from knowing what was really going on. It was a harmless façade, but a deceiving one.

Because deep, deep under the layers of humanity, deep beneath the ground we walked on, in a yawning bottomless pit unknown to mankind something dark was awakening.

Oh yes, it was dark. But dark seemed too weak a word to describe it. Ruthless, dangerous, immoral…evil.

Evil, yes potent evil, a splinter from the very core of evil itself. A mere piece from the heart of darkness, but evil nonetheless.

Where all evil sprouted, it had been present.

Where the first blood had been spilt, it had been present.

Where fear was present, it was forever alive.

In its forgotten withered garden of doom, it had lain. The garden of its doom where it had been banished to. Banished but not conquered.

Oh no, never quite conquered.

And it had lain there for centuries and centuries. Longer then it could fathom itself, for it had been such a long time. And it was lonely. Oh yes, lonely.

But not just lonely; it was angry. Anger ran through it like a second skin. Like a shock of electricity.

It was vengeful. Oh yes, it wanted revenge.

It was like a ominous, feared, powerful god who had been betrayed. Betrayed- and now it was angry. Anger was its best friend in the lonely, endless abyss. Its best friend and its favourite sin.

Oh yes, because it liked to sin. It was sin itself.

And now this great source of evil, of power, of malice had awoken. So horrifying and dreaded was its awakening that the earth itself shuddered and the skies wailed. They were afraid.

They were frightened, and as their fears grew, it grew.

And why not? They had every reason to be afraid. They had thought they had gotten rid of it. So buried under the hearth that it would never come back. So lulled by sleep that it would never awaken, but they were wrong. Wrong. Their magic could never keep it bound.

And now it was free. Free from the twisting vines of their wishes. Free to wreak havoc. To bring with it a beautiful carnage. Free to destroy everything in its path, to slaughter and kill everything and anything. Free to spread the heart of evil everywhere, and to rule in a bloody splendour.

But they had hurt it. Oh yes they had. Those little witches, with their useless ancient magic. But they couldn't suppress it, now that it was free. They couldn't ever make it into their slave again.

Poor mortals, it nearly pitied their poor fate for they were probably dead, rotting in the lairs of hell. Burning in its scorching fires. But that was just the way it would have it.

Stupid fools. They thought they had taken away its power- but they were wrong. Always wrong. And anyway time was an old friend of it. Time would help it.

Oh yes, because it was clever and it knew things.

And it would get its revenge soon.

Oh yes.

Darkness would conquer all and all would beg for mercy at its feet. And it would laugh cruelly and turn away- because it knew no mercy. It was pure evil. So it would crush the world with only a black drop of its power, and relish in every moment of its enemy's sweet surrender. And in the end, they would regret ever having hurt it.

Oh yes, they would regret.

Athena had been surprised when Paige had finally regained consciousness. Surprised but glad that she wasn't dead; something which her mind had been torturing her with.

She had been even more surprised when the older girl had smiled warmly at her and squeezed her hand. The look of compassion and recognition in her eyes was strange and unexpected, but friendly, and Athena appreciated it.

Everything that had occurred in the day, surprised Athena. Being included in a family discussion, that was obviously supposed to stay just within the family. Ariyel, as introduced to her, knowing her name…well, that had been slightly freaky.

But to say that she had been surprised when Chia's dada had introduced Ariyel, as their grandmother…well, that was an understatement.

The woman in front of her looked to be about no more than thirty years old, about the age of Chia's mum, even less. So how could…? Of course there must be a reasonable explanation. Perhaps she was their adopted grandmother, or even step grandmother. Who knew?

But looking at the grim faces of the parents, Athena thought perhaps that the reason was a bit more intense, a bit more serious than that. Something told her that she needed to hear it too, that somehow it would make all strange things happening around her, sane. So she steeled herself for it.

And that was how the three girls learnt about Night World. A society made up of vampire, witches, werewolves and shape shifters. They learnt about the supernatural, and the rising powers. And, most importantly about the soul mate principle.

"So you are a Harman, the oldest family of witches?" Chia asked gingerly, taking things in bite sized.

"Yes, my dear, which makes Paige, a Harman witch too. Only, she was a lost witch, and we weren't aware of her powers until, well, now," Ariyel explained.

"But wait," Chia said frowning, noticing a glitch in their story, "I thought you said witches were human, and that only vampires lived for long. I mean, so what are you doing looking so young?"

Chia's dad snorted. Ariyel glared at him- obviously there was more to tell.

"That little story can wait for now. And before you ask, which I know you are about to, you are not a witch and Harman because your dad never inherited my powers. It was a weird case, but it seems to have skipped your family altogether," she seemed still puzzled by this fact.

"So what you're saying is that a secret society called Night World exists, and right now they are vouching for the end of the world to overthrow us humans, and rule. You're a witch and Paige is a lost witch. And she was nearly dead, because she was so powerful that she had the power to meet her soul mate, who is dead," Chia said rather bluntly, as if ticking things off a list.

"That is pretty much the gist of it. Ofcourse, there is so much more to tell-"

"Which can all wait till later on, Paige could do with some rest now. Its been a long day for all of us. It certainly does not need to get any longer," Chia's dad cut in smoothly.

"Yes, well if you insist, but I'm saying here to sort things out," Ariyel said with a challenging glare, daring someone to protest.

Arch opened his mouth, but his wife got there before him.

"Ofcourse, Ariyel, you are more than welcome to stay." To which Ariyel muttered something along the lines of, I'm glad someone thinks so. The adults left the room, leaving the three girls to their own devices.

"Well, that was a jolly conversation. The end of the world, who would have thought!"

The other two were silent.

Surprisingly, all three of them weren't at all shocked about what they had heard.. Chia, although very logical, accepted things quickly, given evidence. She was a controlled person, who did not panic very much at the most demanding of situations.

As for Paige, well she had experienced what could be called, a near to death experience. She had just danced with her deceased soul mate, and she didn't doubt it one bit. She knew, though, her life had changed drastically.

Athena accepted the explanation because she knew deep inside that it was true. It wasn't coincidence that had brought her to this place. She had introduced Paige to her brother, if not unwittingly. And if she thought about it, her past was very much connected with the Night World. The mysterious deaths of her father and brother, were of course not mysterious anymore, just supernatural.

Fate was strange; it had brought the three girls together and bound them into a spell of close friendship. It was a friendship meant to last. And though they did not know it now, they would be tested by all that nature and the super-nature could throw at them.

Kale frowned. He had gotten closer to the house to observe things better. And he did not like what he heard.

Ariyel Harman, the great witch who had mastered the art of immortality in a way even Maya Redfern had not, was in that room, just out of an assassin's reach.

And, he had not even sensed her.

So, she had a grandchild who had power worthy of Hecate, herself. Who had, without realising crossed the lines of the living and the dead Interesting. Very interesting.

The Night World council would of course be delighted to know how many powerful witches were just in the grasp of their hands, given the right method of manipulation, which came in the name of Kale Redfern.

And, now that the vermin knew about the Night World, the chase would be so much more entertaining. As for the other human, the other nonity, well, he was entitled to more than one piece of fun.

But as Kale slinked away from the house, and stalked the night, he smelled something different in the air. It wasn't his vampire senses, but gut instinct that told him something was a little…off.

It was almost as if the hunter was the one being watched.

Author's Note: Wow, I updated pretty soon, didn't I? This chapter doesn't have much in it, I know. I'm unsatisfied with it. I feel like I'm playing happy families or something- 'and they would be the best of friends and live happily ever after.' That is disturbing. But the explanation thing had to be done. This chapter is like the establishing chapter, you know I'm establishing characters, setting, evil etc.

I'll be updating pretty soon, beacuse I'm so ashamed of this chapter, I feel I have to make up for it. My deepest, sincere appreciation and thanks to the wonderful people who reviewed. Got to abide by the rules now, no replies, but please sign in when you review so I can thank you. My thanks to: twilight -staruby, Ash, EnigmaticNightAngel, Chronic Sarcasm, White-wolf2 and Shiegra for your lovely reviews.

Expect me soon. Adios.