A/N: My gosh, I am so sorry this is so Sithing late! Like I said, I've been busy. (boy, have I been busy. I'll post replies to people's reviews below:

Gayle: I really will email you! Thanks for understanding. And thank you so much for volunteering to Beta! You're pretty much the first person to do so.

flammingirl – Do I read Tamora Pierce, hohoho! You're talking to a big Tamora fan! I'm still trying to finish the Immortals series and the Circle of Magic series. I can't believe one of my readers has read her too! squeezes flammingirl so hard her eyes pop Ooh, ooh, and a Christian! squeezes flammin even harder Ooh, I'm gonna email you! (and Gayle, once I remember, hehe) Do you mind? Oh! Gag! Gasp! Idiot! smacks head against wall three times Man, I'm so stupid sometimes! Thank you SO much for catching that! I'll change it in the rewrite. And as for being long, it's going to be even longer! I'm thinking I'm only half to a third of the way through, which is good for me, 'cause I want to rewrite it and set it in my own world, which I'm creating right now, and see if I can get it published once I edit it enough to get an agent.

Guinevere-971: Yeah, I know, it wasn't a very good chapter, but hopefully things will get better soon. Just curious: which LotR convention? I've gone to RingCon a couple times before I had to move to the stinking East Coast. Bleh. (no offense to anyone on the East Coast, I'm just not used to the weather, people, etc. 'cause I'm from Washington)

watrfairie: Okay, I got totally lost in that review with the HP stuff, but that's fine, since it sounds like people got lost in the chapter, so we're even, hehe. Anyways. Yes, Relakk should be around for a while. grin

Bradhadair: Oh, anonymous reviews are fine, it's just that when people submit signed reviews, they can't resubmit when I update the A/N so that it's a chapter and have to either not submit a review or have to review anonymously. As for the puppy: Misty is a blue merle Miniature Australian Shepherd. She is the sweetest, most adorable little thing, too. She's being broken of nipping right now, but other than that, she's awesome. I've got pics at http/ photobucket . com /albums/y108/JainaEowyn/ (take out the spaces). By the time people go there, I may even have pics of Val up, too.

Previously on Fast Forward:

"I was not only supposed to check to make sure you were all right, I was supposed to teach you basic magikk."

"What?"

Chapter Twenty-seven: Magikk Moments

I was speechless for a moment. This guy had to be crazy. I didn't have an ounce of magikk in me… at least, not that I knew of. And Shean? I may have been born in a fantasy-type world with faeries and stuff, but Shean had been born in America, for crying out loud! I was almost certain that neither of us had any magikk.

"Hold on, hold on, back up." Shean had regained use of his voice before me. "Okay, dude, look, you've got to be joking. Val and I are just regular teenagers whose only magikk is the ability to put people in a trance or stupor or something by talking about Star Wars for two hours straight."

I was still too stunned to even laugh. Relakk, however, shook his head.

"No, you both have magikk in you, even if you don't know it. I can see it in your auras."

"Oh, boy," Shean muttered. He slung an arm around my shoulders so he could turn me so that our backs faced the mage.

"Val, is this guy really safe? He sounds like he's talking crazy talk," he added, speaking so softly even I could barely hear him.

"I assure you, Master Shean, I am not 'talking crazy talk'. Would you like me to show you?"

Shean rolled his eyes, but shrugged. "Sure, whatever. What can it hurt?"

"Very well, then. Give me your right hands."

Reluctantly, we reached out our right hands and he took them each in one of his own. "Close your eyes," Relakk instructed. We did so. I felt something like a jolt pass through my hand and then disappear.

"Now open your eyes."

We obeyed. We both gasped. All around Relakk was a shimmering pale blue aura and what appeared to be a tight, crackling ball near his heart of the same color.

Still bewildered, we turned to each other and abruptly jumped back. Shean was shimmering the same way, though his color was orange. I looked down at myself. A cloud of green light appeared to have encircled me and formed a ball near my heart.

Without warning, the lights vanished from all three of us. We whipped around to face Relakk.

"What in the galaxy was that?"

"Your magikk," Relakk replied calmly.

Shean waved his hands. "Okay, look, I believe that I saw some shimmery-thingy around the three of us, but that doesn't prove that magikk is even real."

Relakk shrugged. "Would you like to see some?"

Shean nodded, but I could tell that he didn't believe a word of it.

"What would you like to see?"

Shean shrugged. "Something that you can do that doesn't have a logical explanation."

Relakk thought for a moment. "Can you be more specific, young Shean? I know of many spells such as you speak of."

Shean sighed. "Fine. Um… how about showing me a picture of what I want most in the world."

Relakk shook his head. "I'm sorry, Shean, I am not a Telepage."

Shean scrunched up one eye in confusion. "What's a Telepage?"

"A Telepage is a mage who has the power of the mind."

"Meaning telepathy and telekinesis and teleporting?" I was starting to catch on.

Relakk nodded. "Correct, Avalla."

"Please don't call me Avalla or I might be obliged to punch you."

"As you wish, Val. Now, as I was saying, is there anything else, Shean?"

Shean thought a moment. "What is your power?"

"My power is that of water and wind."

"Well, then, make a little water spout out here. There's not a lot of water around, or any large winds, so if you can do that, I'll believe you."

Relakk sighed. "The disbelief of youth," he muttered. "All right, I will do as you ask." Relakk closed his eyes and brought his hands out in front of himself. His hands moved as if the left was pulling a string and the right was threading it through to the left so it didn't tangle. Abruptly, both of his hands whipped around to cross in front of one another, he snapped his fingers on both hands and spun them in a circle, and his eyes popped open. There, hovering in front of him was a miniature water spout, about as big as my hand. Shean snorted.

"For all we know, that could be an illusion, like the kind that magicians use."

"I, sir, am a mage," Relakk retorted, sounding strained. "If you still do not believe me, get over here and touch it!" He added, his hands still suspended in front of his body as if holding up the water spout.

Shean sighed, but he went over and reached out a hand to put it inside the spout. He gasped as the water whipped his finger around and lightly nicked his face as it spat the finger back out.

"Okay, I believe you!" Shean hurriedly assured Relakk.

With a sigh, Relakk made a motion as if breaking a string and the water fell to the ground, as the wind rushed away from us to rejoin the breeze Relakk must have pulled it out of. Shean stared at the mage.

"That was… that was… wow… Can you teach us how to do that?"

Relakk shook his head. "I can't teach you to do that exactly, because neither of you have quite those powers, but I can teach you to use what you do have."

Shean nodded excitedly. "That'll work."

Keegan, who had been waiting patiently with the horses up until then, took this moment to decide that he had waited long enough for attention and an introduction and came running up to jump on Relakk and try to lick off his face (well, if he had been able to reach his face).

"Yes, I see you too, Keegan."

"You even know my dog's name?" I asked, incredulous.

Relakk looked up from where he had bent down to let Keegan lick his face long enough to say, "I was briefed on everything, Val." before he got attacked by a doggie tongue again.

I shrugged. "Okay. Before Keegan attacked you, you had said that we have different powers than you do. What are they?"

Relakk stood up and I called Keegan over to a down-stay at my feet. "You, Val, are a Telepage, or if you'd rather, a telepath. Shean has an ability to use music with magic and a touch of fire magery. You might also have a touch of music magery as well, Val. In addition, you both also have a small, but useful amount of animal magikkk."

We both exchanged glances and grins. "Well, that would explain my being able to hear random thoughts every once in a while and why Shean's so good with the guitar and why animals seem to like us."

Relakk nodded. "I'm here to teach you how to use these skills properly. You may still hear random thoughts, Val, but you'll also be able to hear them when you actually want to. Usually you will only hear random thoughts when they're relevant to you."

"When do we start?" Shean asked eagerly.

"Tomorrow morning as we ride."

"Where's your horse?" I asked, confused. There hadn't been any other living beings around when I had met him, at least as far as I knew.

Relakk smiled. "Watch." He gave a strange, piercing, oddly pleasing whistle.

A few seconds later, we heard hoof beats. Through the trees galloped a horse more beautiful than I had ever seen. He was pure white, but he blended with the sunlight. He was hard to describe. He was beautiful and faster than any horse I'd ever seen and he wore no tack that I could see. He slowed down and trotted to Relakk, nuzzling the mage's shoulder as Relakk rubbed the horse's muzzle.

"This is Shade. He is one of a rare breed of horses, one of the last of his kind. I found his herd in my younger days and he followed me on his own when I left. His kind is faster and more agile than most normal horses and blend into light or shadow. Only two people in history have been able to ride one of them: myself, and Illannar the Brown."

"Illannar the Brown? Who was he?" I'd never heard of him, and I thought I'd heard all the tales.

"Illannar was the greatest animal mage to ever live. He could speak to any animal, whether it was sentient or not. I'm not sure why Shade chose to follow me, since heaven knows I haven't a shred of animal magikkk, but he did and he's been my faithful friend ever since."

There was an uncomfortable pause as everyone tried to think of something to say. Keegan got up and went to sit at Relakk's feet. The mage cleared his throat.

"Well, anyways, now that we have that straightened out, what shall we do?"

"Let's get going," Shean suggested, moving to grab his pack and slinging the strap over his shoulder. "We still have a ways to go before we get to another suitable camping site and I'd like to get there before nightfall."

We all gathered up our things and set off with Keegan trailing along behind or running up ahead after a scent.

We had been riding for several minutes before Shean spoke. "So, about this magikkk thing –"

"How about if we start right now?" Relakk interrupted.

"Where do we begin?"

"How about at the beginning."

A/N: Okay, once again, that may not have been my best (or longest) chapter ever (though I hope it wasn't QUITE as confusing as the last one. To make up for being late and not having the best chapter ever, I'll try to get two chapters cranked out next week. Geez, I just looked at the log I have of how much I write each day and I realized I haven't written since March 31st! Whew! I don't think I have a test next week, so I'll try to write more.

I've been getting lots of writing books from the library (like usual), and one of them suggested getting a white board to write writing goals on for daily/weekly/etc. on, so I think I'll do that so that I can keep up. And boy, oh boy, when I do the rewrite, it's going to be some rewrite! I think I made Val a bit too bold at first, so I might change her character, 'cause she's modeled after me quite heavily (as anyone who knows me well) and I'm more withdrawn when I'm not comfortable, so I'm going to let her character go through a bit of a change, I think. And since I'm going to probably be finished or nearly with the story when I start the rewrite, I'll be able to connect everything better than I am right now and it should all make better sense, heehee. Whoopee!

Also, a couple quick questions: First, does anyone have any ideas for making the quest to find the Stones more exciting? I don't want it to end up just be like, 'okay, we found the first one, let's go get the next… okay, we found that one, let's move on,' 'cause I know I hate that. I have a few ideas, but I can't seem to outline this story very well. (though I do know who all the Guardians of the Stones will be)

Second: Does anyone mind if I use a bit of chat speak? Not anything heavy like, 'OMG, so sry I'm so l8t! I promise 2 B faster next time. Can U ppl forgive me?' or anything like that (I don't think I could write like that anyways, 'cause just that was an effort, heehee). Just stuff like 'lol' and maybe some smilies, and just in my A/N's, 'cause I email a LOT and I always use 'lols' and smilies, so now it's kind of natural when I'm writing casually like this, and plus, the heehee's and hehe's are beginning to bug me.

Wow, that was long. And, amazingly, I still have more! Okay, I'm going to start a writing blog so you people can see how far I am. I should be able to update it every couple days and stuff. If I can find equipment, other voice talent, etc., I may be able to record some or all of what I have written so far this summer. Whoopee! One of my friends (who is an amazing artist; go look at her Lion King Fan Art and the comic we're doing together) is also helping me with getting a background and graphics for the website, so that might be up soon, too, if Bravenet'll work. Bleh.

Okay, I think that's all. I'll let you go now, hehe.