Happy Monday everyone! As for me, I absolutely hate Mondays because it's the longest possible time before the next weekend…did I mention that I can't stand my job?

chyp: Thanx for thinking the last chapter was cool.


A gigantic beam of blackness shot out from his hand, headed right for George. Derrick, without thinking, threw the ball to the ground and used both his hands to deflect the beam away from his son, using all the telekinetic power he could muster. The beam ricocheted off his hands and into the wall on his left, drilling through it like a hot knife through butter. The force of the recoil threw Derrick into his son and they both fell to the ground. Xernevod flickered to the ball of energy and took it into his hands, grinning.

"Now, no one can stop me," he said as he absorbed the powers into his body.

James and Wesley, having been healed by Charity, rejoined Derrick and George as they all watched Xernevod's power increase one hundredfold. Different colored flecks of energy flickered sporadically across his body as he examined his new powers. He caused moderately powerful earthquakes, which sent the six witches to the ground. He conjured a ball of lightning in one hand, while conjuring a ball of fire in the other.

"Perhaps this fire power is your daughter's gift to me," Xernevod said, taunting Derrick and Charity.

Derrick lost his temper and raised both his hands, his eyes full of emotion. Charity cupped her face in her hands and whimpered silently. James and Matthew each grabbed one of Derrick's arms, trying to control his anger and keep him alive. Wesley talked to George to keep him calm.

"Don't worry," Wesley said to George. "We're gonna get out of here and everything will be alright."

"Let me go!" Derrick yelled.

"It's suicide going against him now!" Matthew said, struggling along with James to keep him under control.

"We need another plan," James said.

"We need the Book," Matthew added.

Xernevod, ignoring them all, returned to his seat and began chanting something in a foreign tongue. Gradually he chanted louder and louder, garnering the attention of the Complete and the Millers. His body began glowing an eerie green color as he continued to chant.

"He's gonna get the Gem if we don't do something," Matthew said.

"What can we do?" Wesley asked. "He's got all the power now. We can't beat him now."

"There's always a way," Charity said. "We just need to think."

"What's there to think about?" Derrick asked. "Let's just kick his ass right here, right now."

"It's a little more complicated than that now," Matthew said.

"He's got more power than we do," James said. "As much as I'd like to, I don't think we can do it by ourselves right now. We need help."

"The great Jimmy is asking for help?" Wesley mocked. "Hell must've frozen over."

"Shut up," James said.


Marcia Coleman sat quietly on her couch, going through countless sheets of paper. For the past few hours, all she had been doing was writing spells down, to help her find her family. However, nothing worked thus far, and she was still at square one. Hours passed. All the police had given her the same answers as before; there was nothing more that they could do and that she should just move on. But she didn't want to move on. She knew that somehow, she would find her family and everything could finally be okay. So she never gave up.

She was in the midst of composing yet another spell when bright lights blinded her field of vision for a second. She turned around to see a woman smiling at her. Too weary to try and defend herself, she only stood up and stared at the woman.

"If you're here to take me," she said, "just get it over with now."

"I'm sorry to scare you," the woman said. "My name is Sam. I'm a Guardian and I need your help."

"A Guardian," Marcia repeated. "What can I help you with?"

"I've heard of your family," Sam said. "I have a friend who is in the same boat. His brothers are also there. They need help, but I can't go to them because I don't know where they are. I also can't cast any spells because I'm not technically a witch."

"So you want me to say a spell for you," Marcia said, putting two and two together. "What kind of spell? Who are these friends of yours? And how do you know about me and my family?"

"It's a rather long story," Sam replied. "My friends are the Complete. I don't know if you've heard of them."

"Of course I have," Marcia said. "There's not anyone who doesn't know who they are. In fact, one of them came here. Matthew, I think. If you're here needing help, then that means that he and his brothers must have failed."

"Not necessarily," Sam said.

"What can I do?" Marcia asked. "I'm not an all-powerful witch like them."

"But you're still a witch," Sam explained. "That combined with your never-say-die spirit makes you pretty strong in your own right. You're doing the impossible. Even though nobody else has hope for your cause, you still do. It's that willpower and gumption that you possess that drives your power. I'm hoping that that power can help bring both your family and my charges back."

"I appreciate your words," Marcia said, sitting down and motioning for Sam to do the same. "Have a seat. Now, what can I do for you?"

"This," Sam said, holding out her hands. The brothers' Book of Light materialized into her hands in a shower of white lights. "This is their Book of Light. I found a spell that can bring them back here. They need access to the Book in order to do whatever it is that they need to do. If you can say the spell, it might be enough to bring them back."

"What about my family?" Marcia asked. "Can it bring them back, too?"

"I'm hoping that it can bring all the captured witches back," Sam said. "I'm afraid it has to start with the Complete, though. Only they have the power to do that."

"Okay," Marcia said, sighing.

"But you never know what's gonna happen, you know," Sam said reassuringly. "Magic is very unpredictable. Anything is possible."

"Where's the spell?" Marcia asked.

"Here," Sam said as she disappeared from the room, her voice echoing as she did so. "Please keep my visit a secret. They're not ready to know about me yet."

Marcia held the Book of Light, already opened to the appropriate page. She looked at it with awe; of course she and many other witches knew of the Complete, but to be able to hold their Book of Light brought about a feeling of intensity that she could hardly explain. Composing herself, Marcia focused on her task and read the spell carefully. Entitled "To Call A Lost Witch," the spell worked by summoning witches who were "lost." Marcia mentally slapped herself; she had never thought to word the spell this way, despite the fact that she had been doing this for years. She crossed her fingers and read the spell...