Author s Notes: Okay back to good old Alex and friends. Also we learn more about Alex's people's culture, in the form on illusion beasts.

Chapter 11

Alex stood outside, leaning against the wall near the door. His friends all went off on their own and Aurora went in to talk to her dad. Alex had a few thoughts running through his head. The warning... What did it mean? Someone was out to get me that was obvious, but who? Those strange people who had gotten Aurora maybe, but why wouldn't they act when I stormed their base?

"Just have to think." He told himself. What did he know? His mother had appeared and warned him. Which was a blessing and a curse. He knew his mother was alive, but she could be in danger. There was one thing that he could think of that would be after him, that society of people who want my kind dead. But they wouldn't go after me unless they knew all my ties were cut and nobody would miss me.

Who else could it be? Think Alex think... Where would have been the only place safe for mother to have taken me? Alex could think of a few places, but one always came back: The Clan. But why would they be after me? My father left them when I was born. Then again... Why did we leave?

Alex looked up to the sky. The star shined and the moon was full. Alex released a breath. The night was strangely cold, Alex could see his own breath. He lifted a hand up; a small black cloud surrounded it. "Hey, well so much for training." He said. A small drop from the cloud landed on the ground. Out of the puddle form a small black imp like creature. 'Hello there." Alex said to the little figure.

"What the hell do you want?" Said the imp.

"Oh I didn't mean for you to act like that." Alex said.

"Ya well, it's your fault." Imp said. "What do you want anyway?"

"A second opinion." Alex said. "And someone to talk to."

"Well no time to talk then." Imp said. "What do you want to know?"

"Wait, aren't you a part of me?" Alex asked. "Shouldn't you know what I'm thinking?"

"You don't get this whole thing don't you?" Imp stated. Alex shook his head. "Okay let me make this simple, I'm not an average illusion. I have my own mind. I'm here to help you." The imp leaned back against the wall as well. "Like a mentor almost. Everyone in your 'family' has one of us. Your father chose me for you." He paused. "Also I know what's goin' on."

"Oh really, then care to explain?" Alex asked.

"Of course." Imp said. "The Clan is after you. You're part of some prophecy. Not too important though, just stay away from suspicious people." Sounded easy enough.

"Well I think you should go." Alex said.

"Hey you brought me here." Imp said. "Oh and it's about time." He slowly faded away. Alex was left by himself again. Alex heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching; Alex looked over to see Aurora walking over.

"Miss me?" She said. Alex walked over to meet her. "My dad said it was okay for me to leave early." She wrapped an arm around his. "He offered to take me home early but I told him you'd be there with me. And besides it's a wonderful night. Perfect for a nice stroll." Alex nodded in agreement.

They walked down the lamp lit streets quietly, enjoy each other s company. They walked past others who were enjoying the night. The cold feeling from before had lifted and Alex was feeling warm. Alex and Aurora were unaware of the person in the shadows watching their every move. Linda sat on top of a building, watching the two as they walked.

She was told not to interfere in anything and that every loose end would be taken care of. She glared at the girl next to Alex and let out a low growl. She wasn't having a very good day if you didn't guess.

Alex and Aurora continued down the road for about fifteen minutes before the house came into view. They walked up the driveway to the house. The lights were all out at the moment and made the large house look haunted. "Okay well let s head inside." Aurora said pulling out a pair of keys.

The two walked up the porch stairs. As they approached the doors Alex's ear's twitched. He heard something. Alex turned around and pushed Aurora back. "Alex what's wrong?" She asked.

"Shh." He said. "I thought I heard something." Alex heard Aurora open the door. The porch lit up with light.

"Alex let s just stay inside." Aurora said laying a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and walked in. Aurora led him into the living room and sat him down. "I have to go get changed. I'll be right back down and we can watch some movies." Alex nodded and Aurora gave him a smile before leaving.

Aurora came back down after five minutes. She had on some shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt. She sat next to Alex. "So what kind of movies do you like?" She asked.

"Any kind." Alex said. "You pick." Aurora shrugged her shoulders and walked over to the movie stand. Alex couldn't help but watch the slight sway of her hips as she walked. She kneeled down to pick a movie. After about a minute she pulled one out and placed it in the DVD player. She walked back over and sat close to Alex.

Aurora picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Alex and Aurora were both quiet as she fast forwarded the trailers other movies. The main menu popped up and the title 'Ancient Horrors'. The movie was about the old times, all the myths and legends about beasts that attacked and destroyed lives. It wasn't just one movie but multiple. The greater legends were about an hour to two hours long and the lesser one as short as ten minutes.

Aurora had selected something called 'The Shadow'. It would travel around, killing those it saw as unworthy of life. It had no shape or form and manifested into whatever it's next victim's greatest fear was, whether it be some mighty beast or even the loss of something close. But no matter what it became, it's victims always ended up the same. Theirs eyes would have lost all color, just left white, and their hearts removed. A lot of experts believe it to be some kind of pokemon that had lost something to the morphs of that age and wanted revenge. Others were sceptical and didn't believe in such a thing, that not even the wild pokemon would do such a thing.

"Do you think it could've been real?" Aurora asked.

"Who knows?" Alex said. "My father used to tell me stories about things like that." Alex stated. "Anything could have happened." Aurora leaned in on him, practically laying on him now.

The next one was about a healer. Yes a healer. The sick would go to her and come back perfectly healthy. They would be fine for about a week before their illness returned. They would suffer a far more sever version of what they had and even infect those around them. After the bodies were found the mysterious healer would vanish. Many researchers believe he or she may have used some kind of poison that worsened the effects of the victim s sickness. The effects would take some time to react and until then the infected would feel fine.

By the time the third one started Aurora had fallen asleep and was breathing slowly, holding onto Alex's arm like a safety blanket. Alex pulled a blanket over them, which he decided to get during the second little film. He sighed and laid back, resting his head on the arm rest. As the movie kept playing his eye lids grew heavy and he dozed off...

Emilia and Dante were in the front seats of their car. The little party ended at around twelve o'clock but they had to stay a bit later to make sure everyone left safely. Dante was driving and Emilia was silently looking out the window. They had seen a lot of old friends there and even met some of Aurora's other friends.

A nice young boy and his date, Desmond and Aleca, were very kind and respectable people. Emilia was happy that Aurora met some very nice people to call her friends. Dante was also proud, if not for the same reasons, that she had some decent friends. He was worried she would resist any form of contact with others when they moved; she had even fought to stay at their old home.

"Do you think they made it home safely?" Dante asked. He was an over protective dad. You would be to if you daughter had only recently been returned from being kidnapped.

"I'm sure they're fine." Emilia said. 'Alex wouldn't let anything happen to Aurora. I'm sure of it." Her comment helped him a little. Dante drove up the drive way and opened the garage. He pulled the car in and locked it up. "I'll head inside through here." Emilia said.

"Okay I'm going to stay out here for a little bit." Dante said. "Going to get some fresh air." Emilia nodded and entered the house. Dante closed the garage door behind him with a remote. He looked down the drive way, scanning the nearby area. Dante, unknown to most, was ex-military. He was trained in the art of stealth and could easily spot someone hiding. While he drove up he noticed a difference in the plants near his house. Never could be too careful and this is private property.

He looked over to the changed bush. Whatever was there before had moved. He scanned the driveway and surrounding foliage. Something caught his eye; it was unnoticeable to someone not looking for it. He slowly walked over to the porch and stood near the steps. He was going to find out who was watching his house...

Linda sat inside of a large bush on the outside of the lawn. She had moved there when she saw the head lights of a familiar car down the road. She watched as the car pulled up the drive way. There were only two people inside that she could see. The driver pulled into the garage. She had to move quickly to get a better view. In under ten seconds she had crossed the yard and was in a tree looking into the garage.

A man and woman both exited the car. She recognised them as the ones that had taken Alex and the girl to the party. She knew they were related to the girl, most likely her mother and father. The woman went inside while the man left the garage and closed it behind him. He stood there for a few moments looking around. If Linda had been trained a bit better she would have realised he was scanning the area.

When she thought she was in the clear he looked directly at her. He didn't seem to notice her however and moved to the front of the porch. Okay, she thought, I need to get inside quickly and quietly. She hopped down silently from the tree and crept up to the side of the house. She moved to the backyard and stayed close to the house. She dared a look behind her to make sure she wasn't followed.

She was in the clear. Or so she thought...

Dante had watched the perp jump down from it's perch and move along the side of the house. Dante did the same but on the other side. He kept to the side of the house and watched the shadowy figure move closer to the back door. It looked behind it's self for a moment. Now was his chance...

Linda felt two strong hands grip around her neck. She tried to claw at them but her efforts were useless, whoever was holding her was too strong to break free of. "What are you doing sneaking around my house?" The man asked. He tightened his grip on her. "Answer me!"

Linda tried to break free again, but only received a knee to the gut for her efforts. She was pushed against the house and held there. The man holding her was coming into focus. It was the girl s father. "How- How did you-"

"You're not very sneaky." Dante said. "Why are you here?"

"It's none of your concern." Linda replied.

Dante tightened his grip and pushed her harder against the wall. "I don't care if you're a girl or not." He said coldly. "I'll not let any harm come to anyone in my house hold." He threw her harshly to the ground. Linda scrambled back. "If I ever see you here again I will be expecting an answer." Linda shot up and ran into the forest behind the house. He had not gotten a good look at her, she wore some kind of face mask and very black clothes.

Dante entered the house through the front door. No need to worry anyone, he thought. He closed and locked it behind him then activated the security on the house. It was designed by his company. Top of the line, silent alarms. If a fly were to somehow enter the house it would disrupt the air flow in any room and activate the alarm.

He noticed his wife standing in the doorway of the living room. He walked over and asked. "What's wrong?" He got a quick shh as she pointed towards the couch.

"Look." Dante looked closely at the couch. Two figures lay together sleeping quietly. The TV was on playing some old movie he had bought for Aurora for her birthday a few years ago. The TV lit up the room enough for him to see you was laying on the couch. Alex and Aurora breathed softly as they slept. Aurora had her arms wrapped around one of his and was using it as a pillow. "Isn t it cute?" Emilia whispered. "Reminds me of us. Come on lets head to bed." Emilia took his arm and led him upstairs...

Alex was the first to wake. The TV was still on but he didn't care what was playing. His right arm was still asleep and he couldn't move it. Aurora held him tightly and was snuggled up against him. He didn't want to wake her but not being able to move his arm was bothering him. It was like not having one at all, very uncomfortable.

He looked around, careful to only move his head. The sun was shining through the curtains and the sound of birds was heard. Alex laid his head back down and sighed. He felt a stir. "Good morning." Aurora said.

"Good morning." Alex said back. Aurora slowly rose off his arm and stretched; Alex followed but still couldn't feel his arm.

"Oh I'm sorry." She said.

"No, it's alright." He said. "Just have to get the blood flowing." Alex stood up and used his left hand to shake his limp arm. He felt pricks travel up his entire arm and he could move his fingers. "See."

"Yes, okay." Aurora said standing up. "How about some breakfast?" Alex nodded. "How about you try something for once, toast isn't that bad."

"For you." Alex said. His little comment made Aurora giggle.

"Never thought of you as the romantic type." She said. "I'll make some toast for us and if you eat you food like a good boy you can have some berries afterwards." She walked into the kitchen. Alex picked up the remote and turned the TV off and let out a yawn. It wasn't a tired yawn more like an 'I had a great sleep' yawn. He stretched his arms again.

When Alex lowered his arms he looked over at the door that led to the hallway. Standing there was Dante. They looked at each other for a minute. They didn't exchange any words, just stood there. "Morning." Dante said still standing perfectly still, arms crossed.

"Morning." Alex replied. You could cut the tension with a dull butter knife.

Dante nodded to him and walked in. He took a seat on one of the chairs. Alex stood there for a moment before Dante motioned for him to sit. "So what happened last night?" He asked. "After you left the party."

Alex thought for a moment. "Aurora and I walked back here. It was quiet all the way, not much going on." Dante nodded. "When we got here Aurora went to change while I waited down here."

"Then what?" Dante asked.

"When she got back down she asked if I wanted to watch a movie." He explained. "I agreed and she put in some movie about old horror stories. After about the second part we fell asleep."

"And nothing happened?" Dante asked.

"What do you mean..." The question registered in his head. "No, of course not. I would never do something like that." While they Alex and Dante had their conversation, Aurora and Emilia had their own...

Aurora was near the kitchen counter pulling out the bread from the cabinet. She opened the packet and pulled out six pieces. The toaster was placed nearby and plugged in the wall. Aurora had already gotten a knife and the butter out. She was placing the bread in the toaster when her mother spoke. "Good morning sweetie." Emilia said.

"Oh, morning mom." Aurora said starting up the toaster. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Nope just woke up a bit ago." Emilia said. "That's a lot of bread for yourself."

"Oh it's not just for me." Aurora said. "Alex agreed to try something."

"Really?" Emilia asked.

"Yep." Aurora said. "And if he finishes his toast he'll get some berries."

"Ah, bribing." Emilia said. "I remember when I did that to you to get you to eat something."

"Yes I remember that all too well." Aurora said.

"Alex is a really nice boy." Emilia said.

The statement caught Aurora off guard. "Ya, he is." She said. "But you should have met him when I did, sat in the back of all our classes and didn't like to talk..."

"Well he's definitely changed." Emilia stated.

"Ya." Aurora said. "I think it's for the best."

"Well he seems to be happy." Emilia said. The toasted popped out. Aurora quickly pulled them out and placed them on a plate. She put more bread in and started it again. Aurora opened the butter and started buttering the toast. "You two were cute last night." Aurora froze.

"W-what do you mean?" Aurora asked.

Emilia giggled. "You two were so cute, sleeping together on the couch. You were practically strangling his arm." Aurora was getting extremely nervous now. Her mother had seen them last night. Aurora mentally slapped herself. She was going to go to her room after the movie but she was too tired and fell asleep.

"Oh that." Aurora said. "I must have fallen asleep, I was really tired."

"Oh sure." Emilia said. "I see the way you look and act around him. You're not very good at hiding things form me."

Aurora sighed. "Was it really that obvious?"

Emilia placed a hand on her shoulder. "After your reaction to your father saying you should be looking for someone... Yes, yes it was."

"What are you going to do?" Aurora asked.

"Me? Nothing." She said. "Your father was the one to over-react. Alex is a nice boy and you two look perfect together."

"Thanks mom." Aurora said. "Where is dad anyway?"

"Having a talk with your boyfriend." Emilia said. Aurora froze again...

"IS there something you're not telling me?" Dante asked.

"No of course not." Alex said. "Aurora is my best friend. I would never do ANYTHING like that."

"Why should I believe you?" Dante countered.

"Why shouldn't you?" Alex stated. "Have I done anything to show I would do anything? I joined your tournament because she asked me to, I went and brought her back because it was what I was supposed to do. And I'd do it all over again just to see that she's safe."

Dante leaned back. "You'd do anything for her?"

"I would rather die than see her hurt." Alex said. "She's... She's everything to me."

Dante stood up. "Well that's all I needed to hear. I hope to see you around here more often." He walked into the kitchen, leaving Alex dumbfounded...

Aurora and Emilia watched as Dante entered the room putting his hands together like he was getting dust off of them. "What?"

"What did you do?" Aurora almost shouted.

"I did nothing." Dante said. "Just had a talk with your friend, he thinks highly of you." He walked over to the fridge and took out the milk. Aurora walked away from the counter and into the living room. Alex sat there, his expression unreadable.

"Alex?" Aurora asked. "Are you okay?"

"I think I am." He said. "What just happened?"

"If I'm correct." Aurora started. "That was the VERY awkward moment when the parents find out everything." Alex nodded.

"So wait that was..." Alex started. The only thing Aurora could do was nod.

Secrets out... Or is it? Now before you go hating on my horrible interpretation, just remember one thing: I have NEVER been in that situation before. The only real experience I've had with any form of relationship that isn't friends and family is from watching those around me.

With that out of the way I hope you enjoyed the chapter and this is Raziel Beyon and I hope you have a nice day :)