Chapter 8:

Tno: Well I'm back and I'm so soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry that this chappie took so much time constructing. Now I know that many of you have interesting questions and I will answer all those that don't involve you guys trying to trick me into giving away anything about the story. There's no point if there's no suspense. (For those to whom this is directed, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE). And now on to Clarence followed by the story.

Clarence: wassup peeps? Well it's too early to be here writing this, I have no idea what's going to happen in the chapter so go read and review. There will be more Clarence after the chapter.

P.S. (ATTENTION: Do not read this chapter if you are alone at home and it's nighttime. I will not accept lawsuits from people who tell me I scared them too much, you have been warned).

Chapter 8:

"Sid wants to play." She purred. Enni just looked at Sid completely terrified. If this was just Sid's 'spirit' taking over her (they do that from time to time), then he knew how she played. (Don't think dirty you filthy, filthy minded people. If a panther wanted to play with you don't you think you would be scared)?

"O.K. Sid we can play a game." He said as calmly as possible. "But to play you're going to have to let me get up." He winced waiting for the claws to slash across his face, but they didn't instead he felt her weight lift of his chest as she sort of moved next to his head I wide grin on her face.

"You play game." She almost meowed witch made her words sort of inaudible.

"We're going to play a game Sid. It's called Hide and Seek. Now I'm going to count to 30 and you have to find a place to hide. You win if I can't find you O.K." He said very patiently considering he was actually talking to a cat. "I'm going to start counting now so hurry up." He smiled and turned around hearing her run off by the time he had reached about 2. When the coast was clear he ran to find Ray and Kai.

Kai was trying to calm down Ari who had pulled away from him with surprising strength and backed away watching him with unnervingly calm hatred.

"Ari, you're not well." He attempted to reason with the girl but she just growled.

"I want revenge for what you did to me Voltair you coward." She said darkly all the lights in the room went out at this point leaving only the moon and any light from outside to filter through the window.

"Oh this is not good." Ray said from the doorway as he came running from where he left Enni.

"No really?" Kai's voice dripped with sarcasm as Ari's eyes turned black (literally). He felt the pain in his chest from the earlier encounter begin to strengthen. He had to leave the room.

"Listen Kai isn't Voltair." Ray said calmly as possible from the door. He hasn't done anything to you.

"You're lying, I can smell his blood I can see it." Ari's voice was unshaken and remained at a level tone (highly unnatural).

"I guess that's what I get for being his grandson." Kai growled.

Sid scampered (so to speak) down the hall looking for a place to hide were it would also be easy to pounce on Enni if he ever did find her, then they would play HER game (again don't think dirty. This is more the kind of game where people lose limbs and eyes and other such important body parts). She suddenly picked up something from behind a door nearby; the door had been barred from the outside by a heavy chair (Sid's been wandering downstairs which is how she only came across this room now). There was a distinct feeling coming from inside the room. Body heat…pacing body heat…angry, hateful. Sid was immediately intrigued. Enni's game suddenly forgotten (cat's are easily distracted let's face it), Sid pulled the chair away from the door sliding it loudly across the floor. The door was flung open, black water flowing out of the room and gathering obediently at Gwen's feet, here necklace glowed eerily, a soft green color. The black water looked more like a piece of silk that had fallen at her feet except for the fact that it moved and rippled spontaneously.

"Thanks." Gwen said unsmiling at the cat like girl in front of her. "Since you helped me escape I'll spare your life."

Sid just looked at Gwen skeptically; it was as though they didn't know one another (and in fact they don't for the moment). Gwen turned and walked away the water trailing behind her with an almost blood-like air to it. (Think the ring, or dark water something along those lines). Sid grinned inwardly as she left. This was definitely a new development in her game. She smiled, her fangs elongating a little long claws had slowly been growing as well and her eyes now looked almost like a green colored version of Ray's. She purred loudly and ran back down the hall…

Enni had just reached Kai's room as Kai himself and Ray were leaving it.

"I'm really getting sick of surprises." Kai muttered running for the basement. "And can one of you please explain what's going on." This was followed by two summaries of both Enni and Ray's experiences with the three girls.

"O.K. so if I get this right Ari reacted to the stars on her ceiling, which is freaky enough as it is. Gwen is possessed by a necklace…so what's Sid's problem?" Kai summed up.

"Well there was a smell of lavender in the air before she jumped on me." Enni said shrugging.

"So it would be a safe bet to suggest lavender perfume." Max said from behind them.

"Max how the hell do you know what's going on?" Enni gasped trying to make sure he still had a pulse after getting startled for the millionth time that night.

"I'm not stupid and unlike some people (meaningful indication of Tyson), I can't sleep through three insane chicks destroying the house."

"And the perfume? How did you know about that?" Kai asked before Max pulled out a vintage perfume bottle from his pocket. It was one of those mini portable ones that women would normally carry in their tiny handbags in their early twenties perhaps.

"O.K. so how do we stop the effect that they're having on the girls?" Ray shook his head.

"Destroy the problems?" Max shrugged. "It seems logical." He added lifting his arm to smash the bottle into the cement floor.

"Hang on a sec." Enni stayed his hand. "The stars were from Ari's dad, the necklace was from Gwen's mom, I'm willing to bet that this has some special representation for Sid as well. Whomever, or whatever is doing this to the girls is sick and twisted and I wouldn't put it past them to make the girls die if we do this."

"Well what else are we supposed to do?" Max retorted. Everyone went silent.

"The answer is never obvious…" Ray said solemnly "…and it's usually something that we really don't want to do."

"Uh guys why is there a butterfly in the basement?" Max pointed to where a small intricate black butterfly was floating around the room rather than fluttering. It flew more like a bird than an insect.

"Oh this is not good, we have to get out of here." Enni said in absolute fear as a black mist began swirling into the room. "I hope we can all fit through those slot window things." He prayed quietly to himself as they crawled out as fast as they could they looked back at the house and saw that the windows were all black they couldn't see inside if they wanted to and they wondered vaguely weather those inside could see out. They wandered around the house for a couple of minutes following one another in a tight circle, thinking each their own thoughts.

"Oh My God!" Max said loudly from the front of the group. "You scared the living hell out of me Tyson." He added as Tyson emerged from the hedge looking disturbed but not in the usual comical way. Something had scared him badly something…or someone.

"Yeah well how would you feel if you were sleeping and then you woke up to find about a foot of black water all around your bead and Gwen coming out of your mirror?" He asked. "The mirrors are all dripping black water…that's how she's traveling so fast, she's in the mirrors." Tyson had lowered his voice to a harsh whisper. "And the house is full of this black air I can't see anything but I saw a glow at the top of the stairs up at the top, top, tippy, top." Tyson was almost starting to sound a little insane. "And that smell is every wear. It smells like flowers everywhere…hehehe…it's like a garden of darkness."

"O.K. now I'm scared…" Max said, no one needed to say anything to agree with him. It was clear that it was no longer the spirits within the girls they were dealing with. This was something bigger that had possibly been drawn to the spirits and was trying to control them.

"Max take Tyson away from here." Ray ordered. "Don't argue, we're going to try and go in there and stop them…" At this sentence his voice faltered as though someone would say something that would counter his decision, something what would make it impossible for them to go back into the house. But the truth was (and they all knew it), the girls were waiting for them to go back in, the problem would just get worse if they left it alone.

As Max reluctantly dragged Tyson away, the three remaining boys walked up to the door. Enni reached for the doorknob when Kai put a hand on his shoulder looking at the ground, black water was streaming from under the door. Touching the knob Enni felt like his hand had fused to it. The whole door was so cold it almost burned him, like dry ice. The strong lavender smell hit them long before they realized that it was the perfume. (Max had given the bottle to Enni before leaving and he now passed it to Ray). Freezing water was splashing over their feet, and gushing into their shoes.

"Why the hell are you giving this to me?" He asked trying to stop his teeth from chattering.

"I'm thinking it would be better to split up, there's not much more we can do as more than one person and I'm going after Gwen." Enni said.

"And are you volunteering for Ari?" Ray raised an eyebrow at the sullen figure beside him his face unseen in the darkness spilling from the old house.

"I'm not my grandfather just because I have his blood. She needs to see that."

"Are you sure it's HER you're trying to prove that too, or maybe it's yourself?" Enni asked.

"You O.K. with Sid?" Kai asked ignoring Enni.

"You don' know just how O.K. I am. Trust me I'm going to get her back if it kills me." Ray said his voice an obvious imitation of calmness.

"Has anyone realized that we're stalling?"

"Yes."

They stared into the door, they didn't want to go in but at the same time they knew they needed the girls in their own way for their own difficulties and right now the girls needed them. They looked at each other in mock reassurance half wondering why something hadn't jumped out at them yet. And without really saying anything they all took a sep towards the door.

Tno: Now this is normally the kind of situation where Clarence and I would finish the chapter but we've decided to be nice. 1) Because this chappie isn't nearly long enough, 2) I've been promising ppl this chappie since something like May, and 3) Clarence really wants to know what's going to happen in this chapter cuz I'm not telling her even though she is my co-author. (Hey we need to keep a few surprises). O.K. so on with this horror movie chapter…

The three entered the house together knowing they wouldn't stay that way for long. The fear in their chests was overwhelming but they pressed on. If they got out of this alive they'd at least have something to brag about. The water splashed loudly in the silent house even though there was only enough to come up to their ankles. They stopped half way down the hall remembering what Tyson had said, neither of them wanted to look but the definite movement made it clear they weren't alone. Enni could feel the water dripping from the mirror beside them onto his hand. He didn't want to look he didn't want to see but it was impossible to ignore the white fingers slowly extending in his direction from the solid wall. All three boys jumped back as Gwen's cold white hand escaped from the mirror, it rippled like a glass pond, only slightly obscuring the pale figure behind the glass. Her eyes were blank and milky and she looked like she had been drowned water was dripping from her fingers outside the mirror, but inside the glass it looked as though she were swimming. Her hair was moving slowly around her head swaying in a non-existent tide. She did not move any further from the mirror but continued to hold out her hand as though waiting.

"She's crazy if she thinks you're just going to go in there with her." Ray whispered. Water began to splash up Enni's legs pulling him down ward with the clear intent of drowning him.

"That's exactly the point." Kai answered. "She is crazy."

"Now comes the tough question." Enni said in attempt to be his usual comical self, "Ummm…would it be better to drown or follow her in there?" No one could answer that question for him as he struggled to stop the liquid form pulling him to his knees. 'O.K.' he said calmly in his head. 'You'll have more chances of saving her if you go in there and find out what's going on.' He took a step towards her hand, it was more fragile looking than ever and her body seemed more skinny than usual though not exactly anorexic or gaunt. He forced himself to stare at the pendant on her chest and took another step allowing the water to relent a little. 'Just like taking off a band-aid.' He though. He turned and saluted Kai and Ray who were not entirely sure what to do. Then taking a deep breath (that he was personally thinking was going to be his last) and lunged for her hand. No sooner had he grasped it than she pulled him towards her with an incredible amount of strength.

Kai and Ray watched as he disappeared and all the mirrors turned black.

"Should we keep going?" Kai asked.

"Uh probably…"

"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be one of those situations?"

"The ones where all the characters in the horror movie get picked off one by one?" Ray sensed Kai's nod. "I'm getting the same feeling."

The boys sloshed through the water. They were more worried about what was happening to Enni at that moment than anything else. They went by the open door to the basement steps and looked down into the intense darkness.

"That's where Ari was going when we left the house." Kai reasoned putting his foot on on the first step, it too was covered in water, he had guessed that but none the less he somehow slipped and slid a couple of stairs down, the water rising to his waist. The basement was flooded. Both boys saw the movement in the water at the same time and before long Kai was reaching for Ray's hand to pull him up out of the water as a splash erupted where Kai had been. They couldn't see what had caused the movement but whatever it was they weren't to keen on finding out.

"I'm getting the impression that she's not down there." Ray said as Kai stood up refusing to let his body shake with either fear or cold.

"Tyson did say there was a light in the attic. That's where her star things are right?" He didn't wait for an answer but headed for the stairs. The boys were now able to see their breath in the cold emitting from the black mist. But it wasn't only the knowledge of where Ari was that was leading the boys up the stairs, the allure of the lavender sent that was floating around the house had an inescapable pull on the two boys as they climbed the stairs slowly.

Half way up the first flight of stairs the most eerie voice either of them had ever heard came to them from an unidentifiable origin. It was Ari's voice, only it sounded like a hundred people were saying her words, causing a creepy echo effect.

"I can see you…I know everything…" She ended it in a whisper much like Tyson and Ray found it was logical that Tyson had had an unfortunate encounter with their witch of air. "If you come willingly it will be less painful…" Ari continued.

"Where are you?" Kai asked trying to buy some time.

"You've already guessed…I know you have…my shadows heard you…" There was a soft sound and a light erupted from nowhere in particular blinding them for a moment before they could see that they were surrounded buy about two dozen beautiful black butterflies. Then the light went out again and they found themselves even more uncomfortable than when they knew Gwen could pop out of mirrors Ari's 'shadows' were literally everywhere.

"I know everything…" Ari repeated. "Are you going to come willingly?" The voice asked. Kai was silent for a minute not sure weather to bend to her will the way Enni had to Gwen's but the searing slash that sliced across his back helped him make up his mind.

"Yeah I'm coming." He said trying not to wince, not wanting to show his weakness to her. But the thin trickle of blood down his back was hard to ignore. " I hope you get out of this alive." He muttered to Ray before running off taking the stairs two at a time.

Enni held his breath; not sure if he could in fact breathe in…wherever he was at the present time. He took his chances and inhaled. There was nothing different between this air and that of the outside world, wherever that was right now. He had yet to summon the courage to open his eyes. He forced himself to think of Gwen's face, Ari and Sid… Taking another deep breath (happy that he could actually do so) he opened his eyes. There was nothing around him, nothing but dark broken occasionally by the odd beam of rippling light.

"Welcome Enni." Gwen said and he turned to look at her, her eyes still held the same dead look as before.

"I'm not entirely sure where I'm being welcomed into." He answered.

"This Enni, is where I belong, I can separate myself from Ceridwen here without any fear or worry that she will be taken. I can look out on the world from here and get rid of those I dislike, those I don't want to exist. I can take those I love in here with me. This, Enni, is our new home, neither of us can ever fully leave this place alive…"

Tno: Yes I do realize that Gwen is totally mental and so are the others though you haven't seen them horror movie style yet…mwahahahahahahahahaha. Oh and I may be getting rid of an important character because I'm pissed off with J.K. Rowling for who she killed off in the new Harry Potter book. Why couldn't she just kill off the half blood prince, then I would have invited you all to my place for a really huge party. Instead I'm going to kill off ………ha, HA! You thought I was going to say the name huh. Well I'm not so you can all get stuffed. Now the warning that I place above about the horror element, well the same will apply to he next chappie so you can't say I didn't warn you. Later my little Jub-Jubs (whatever they are.)

Clarence: I have to say that yes….I am mental but I love it! As you reader knows I had no idea about this chapter until it popped up in my inbox this morning (August 8, 8:42 am is the current time) anyway Tno I must say I love the changes. And like you readers out there I can't wait for the next chapter.