Buenos Dias friends! School is back, and so are updates to avoid school work (though I am in the nurses office right now, because P.E. was cancelled due to a heat advisory)! There's tons more to say, but I'll let you read first.

Please help me

With a jerk, Baltor snapped his eyes open and shot up into a sitting position. The reaction was so fast, he fell right off the leather couch he'd been sleeping on. He hit the floor on his side, rolling onto his back.

Bloom

He'd know her power anywhere. Though he was fairly surprised she could send out a power signal like that. He didn't know where she was, but it more than likely was a few planets off Earth.

With a sigh he stood up, shaking the last of the sleepy daze from his mind. Walking across the room he jerked the curtains of the apartment open, sunlight falling through and illuminating the space. God, he hated how the sun rose so early in London. Clouds were in the distance, suggesting it was going to be a grey day.

His gaze shifted to the left, where an old table was being weighed down by masses of spell books. It took him only a moment to locate the one he wanted – a surprisingly thin brown leather book, no bigger than a journal. He snapped his fingers and the book rose to his eye level, flipping open and finding the page he needed. As his magic worked, he couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

What in the world did Bloom need him for? She had made it perfectly clear at their final battle that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore. And he'd honored her request, going to Earth with as many spell books as he could transport (because honestly, it wasn't like he could stay in the magical dimension). And now, fifteen years later, this happens.

So why was he so concerned?

He hadn't slept in two days, and he had plans to go to Egypt later in the week to look through the Library of Alexandria for any ancient spells (despite the fairies disappearing, the place was abundant with magic). If he had any sense, he would put the book down and go back to sleep – preferably in his bed this time because that couch was very uncomfortable.

But of course, the spell book beat him to it, landing on the page about using your powers to send mental messages. He debated on leaving it, but he knew he'd never live with himself. He grabbed the book and sat down on the couch again, looking though the bits of writing.

It launched into a long and boring description of why the spell was useful, and then how to perform it. Apparently it didn't take that much energy to send, but it varied by the diameter you wanted to send the message. In the most extreme cases, adrenaline could convert to energy to send it. In those cases, which were the most advanced, the spell could go across an entire planet, at most.

Well that was interesting. She was on Earth.

He flipped forward a few pages, looking for a location spell. It took him a few minutes to properly read through it (he could've sworn he'd translated all the books written in ancient languages, considering the free time he now had). Once he had it memorized he read it through, feeling his power course through his veins. God, how he missed this feeling.

The air in front of him grew cold, and he saw what look like a globe of light materialize in front of him. After a few seconds it took on the familiar shape of Earth. He carefully reached out and tilted it one way, watching it move under his fingertips. After a few turns, he saw a bright glow emitting from the west coast of America. He flicked a finger, and the globe zoomed in around southern California, on some kind of peninsula.

"Message is composed of 90% adrenaline." a voice spoke from the globe, completely automated. The spell was from Zenith, after all.

"What was the status?" he questioned, his voice a little dry since he'd just woken up.

There was a pause. "Message status critical. Sent from 4500 South Rosewood, Long Beach, California, The United States of America."

Baltor glanced back to the book, wondering what else he could ask. "What was the energy level of the sender, and who was this message intended for?"

"Energy level of sender was less than 14%. Message intended for…" the computer voice trailed off, replacing with Bloom's. "'Baltor'. Message is as follows; 'Baltor, please help me.'" There was a loud crash in the background, and the voice stopped talking.

Baltor drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch. It sounded like she'd been a fight. Quite a large one, by the statistics he was being given. "Reply."

"Sender location is unknown at this time. Reply cannot be issued."

Well that sounded great. "How long can this location be stored?"

"Location will be stored for seventy-two hours."

Three days. Baltor glanced at the table next to him. It was covered with pages regarding the Library of Alexandria, his passport resting on top of them. He usually just teleported to places, but the thing came in handy when dealing with police in other nations. He picked it up, absently flipping though it. "Anything else?"

There was a few seconds pause from the globe. "Low energy levels due to excessive power usage, suggesting battle. Magic perimeter set around location to pick up energy on the following frequencies; Dragon Fire. Two live data feeds active during the sending of this message."

Baltor sighed. "What kind of signals?"

"Telephone." Bright red lines spread from the source of the light on the globe, one stopping a bit away and one going straight out, meaning the call was off-planet. "One call directed to the Harmonic Nebula, the other directed to Disney's California Adventure, Anaheim, California, The –"

He cut the spell. The ball of light dissipated in front of him. With a sigh, he hauled himself off of the couch, glancing the reflection of the window. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he was wearing dark jeans and white button up shirt.

It wasn't the best weather to get on a plane, but it would have to do.

Still…

There had been live calls going when Bloom had sent that request for help. He couldn't look into the one in the Harmonic Nebula, since that would require him crossing back into the magical dimension. The other one hadn't looked far off, maybe a half hour from the location if he could find a car.

That settled it then. He grabbed his passport and an old beat up leather wallet, sticking them both in his back pocket. With a snap of his fingers, his old burgundy jacket appeared on his form. And with another, he disappeared in a bang on displaced air.

He'd never been to an amusement park before. This would certainly be a new experience.

The car dropped – just a little, maybe a floor and a half. But it was still sudden enough and so fast that Valen was jolting. A woman in front of him had foolishly not been holding onto the arm handles of the car, and she went flying upwards, her head banging on the metal roof. She fell back down and landed on the floor with a sickening thud. People screamed.

From next to him, Tori took a sharp intake of breath. "Is she dead?"

"We're all gonna die anyway!" a man yelled as the car jerked upward at a fast pace.

Valen's head was whirling. He'd never been in a situation like this before. "Will you shut up! We're not going to die, so long as you hang on!"

"Uh, no offense V, but That's not the best advice."

He rolled his eyes, looking around wildly. "How much room between that hole in the grating and the edge of the shaft?"

Tori glanced to her left. "Maybe five feet? But what's the plan from there?"

He cursed under his breath, grabbing his sister's hand. Valen shut his eyes tightly, getting nauseous from the velocity of the car. He needed time to think, to breath, to help….

Suddenly, the car jolted to a stop. At least, it felt like they'd stopped. It was still dark behind his eyelids, which meant they couldn't be at the top already. However, he was too nervous to open them.

Tori tugged on his sleeve hesitantly. "Valen…"

Slowly, he peeled his eyes open.

And his jaw promptly fell to the floor.

They were moving – at least everyone looked like they were. Hair was suspended in the air, clothes were wrinkled as though they were rushing through the air, and everyone's faces were set in looks of fear. But none of them were moving. "What the hell…"

"They're all…frozen." Tori looked around. "Did that Rose girl do that?"

Valen looked up through the roof of the car. They were rising slowly; the opening where you could see throughout the parks was just visible. "…I think…I did that."

"You?"

"Well I mean, I heard Andy with perfectly clarity out there, and now this…it's almost like when I really need something –"

Tori smacked him upside the head with her free hand. "We are about to plummet to our deaths, and you think you have magic powers?"

"It was a suggestion! I mean, we lock our hands and time slows down, damn it! What was it that woman said…Dragon Fire?"

His sister sighed, but she didn't try to correct him. "How about we figure out how to get out of here first, and then we worry about that?"

He sighed, looking up again. "We have to bail out up there."

"What?"

"You know when the cart stops and we can see all around the park? And then they take our picture? We go to the front of the car and bail out on that ledge. Okay?"

"…Will it work?"

"We'll be fine."

She took a deep breath. "You sure?"

"No. That was a clever lie to shut you up." Tori glared at him, and he gave her a toothy smile. "You with me?"

"Is there a choice?"

Their hands still locked, Tori and Valen stood and carefully stepped to the front of the car. Everything was still slow, but the opening in the shaft was much more visible, pouring light onto them. "Ready?" Valen asked, holding up their hands, fisted together. His sister nodded hesitantly, and they dropped their hands at the same moment.

Time sped up. Noise reached their ears and Tori almost fell to the ground as the car suddenly began moving again at a rapid pace. People seemed oblivious that they had moved, focused more on getting a good grip on their seats.

Finally, they reached the opening in the shaft. Tori jumped first, landing with shaky feet. The heel of the boot cut through a cord, and a light went out. Valen jumped next, landing much more gracefully. He turned back to the car to try and help someone, but instead found blank faces looking at him. Everyone's eyes had gone completely black. No one spoke as the car dropped, their bodies fading to dust.

The young boy coughed loudly, waving his hand in front of his face to clear the debris. "They weren't real. That girl knew we were on this in the first place. You still think magic doesn't exist, Tori?" he questioned, turning to look at his sister.

Her attention wasn't on him. She was staring at the view, her eyes focused on something. Carefully, he turned in the small space to look outside. It didn't take long to find it; in the distance, flying toward them at a fast speed, was what looked like a person dressed in green.

Valen could've said it was that stupid Tinker Bell show, but after a moment he saw the thing had hair. Bright pink hair.

"Roxy," Valen breathed, not sure what he was feeling.

It took a few minutes for the woman to reach them. Her body looked slimmer, and she had a green one-sleeved top and shorts. She stopped about a foot from the opening, smiling softly. "Didn't Andy tell you no rides?"

Tori stared at her with gaping eyes. "That…is…awesome!"

Valen rolled his eyes and Roxy laughed. "I guess it is kind of awesome."

"You're a fairy? Which means those stories Mom told us about other worlds…they're real?"

"Weren't you telling me how magic was stupid a few seconds ago?" her brother asked.

"We were falling to our deaths, ok?"

Roxy's face grew serious. "Someone tried to attack you two?"

"Yeah…a call came through my phone, and we hid out on this ride. But the seatbelts didn't work and –"

She held up her hand. "Cell phones you two. Now."

The twins glanced at each other, but did as they were told. Roxy looked them over, and promptly chucked them into the elevator shaft.

"Hey!" Tori yelled. "That cost me five months of allowance!"

"We'll get you new ones. For now, let's just get you two out of here." Without waiting for a response she flew forward, grabbing Valen with one arm and Tori with her other. "Both of you hang on, and do not scream. We don't know if they've sent anything else after you."

Define anything, Valen almost asked, but a second later he was flying though the air, and despite his demeanor of being the calm, level headed one, it took everything in his power not to scream. He usually enjoyed the sensation of falling, but after tonight he had feeling he would have a fear of heights.

They landed on the side of the ride, right behind a gate that lead to the central part of the park. Valen had to fight to regain his normal breathing, but Tori looked like she was having the time of her life. He almost said something to her, but just as he opened his mouth there was a loud pop and a rush of air, and in the blink of an eye there was a man sprawled on the ground, Tori on top of him.

Even before she was pushed by a random gust of wind, Tori had already decided this was the craziest night of her life. But no, despite her mother going missing and almost being killed on a thrill ride, it got weirder. To be precise, it got weirder when she pushed herself up off the man who'd appeared out nowhere, and gotten the shock of her life.

It was startling really, after fifteen years of being different from everyone else, to see a person who looked just like you. The same hair, same high cheekbones, and (shockingly) the same gold eyes. Tori was practically hypnotized; so much so she probably could've stayed there staring at him for a good hour.

Thankfully, she didn't get the chance.

"Are you ok, Tori?" Valen asked, pulling her from on top of the man. He gave the other man a side-glance, and Tori could tell from the look on his face he didn't like the guy.

Roxy meanwhile, helped the other man to his feet. "Are you ok, sir?"

The man's gaze – previously on Tori, finally acknowledged her. "Fine, thank you." His eyes grazed over her outfit, and Tori saw his eyebrows quirk ever so slightly. "Everything ok here?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as Tori, Valen, and Roxy exchanged glances. "…Fine," Tori finally spoke. "We're performing here."

She watched as something flickered in the man's eyes; almost like a switch turning off an emotion, as though he had been…hopeful. Of course as for the motivation of this, Tori had no idea. "That would explain your…attire."

"Yes, it does," Roxy cut in before the twins could speak; apparently reminded that she was the adult in this situation. Her eyes were glued on the mystery man. "There was just a little problem with the ride."

He nodded. "That would explain the fairy form."

Her jaw dropped. "How do you –"

"I'm not an idiot," he said, holding up his palm. A second later, a burst of light came from it, and what looked like a fireball was hovering a few inches above his hand.

In an automatic response, Valen grabbed Tori and pushed her behind him; not that she really registered it. She was transfixed by the glowing orb in his hand; she'd never seen anything like it before. And unlike the amateur street performers she often saw, she could feel a tingle in air. It told her this wasn't just some elaborate hoax.

The man watched them with mild amusement. "I'm not going to hurt your girlfriend."

"Ugh," Valen grimaced. Tori seemed to snap out of her hypnotic state, looking equally sick. "She's my sister, sicko. Not my girlfriend."

"Valen," Roxy said in a warning tone. Her eyes were guarded, something that the woman rarely did. Tori knew whatever was going on, her godmother didn't like it. "So, you're a wizard?"

He nodded. "You're a fairy. Now that we've worked past the basics, maybe you can help me." The ball of energy morphed into a globe, zooming in on southern California. There was an area of light near what Tori assumed was a street, and a blinking red dot on a blank space – where they were (at least, she thought). "A friend of mine recently sent a…distress signal to me. She had an outgoing phone line here."

Tori raised an eyebrow, staring intently at the map. "What's the address?"

The man seemed to do a double take. "4500 South Rosewood, if I'm not mistaken."

"Mom's art gallery."

He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

Roxy's face has settled into a look of shock. Tori could tell she knew something that neither she nor Valen did. To further prove her point, she cleared her throat a little loudly, a sign she was nervous. "You must be looking for my friend Bloom. I'm Roxy," she held out her hand, not waiting for him to speak. "This is Victoria and her brother Valentine. Bloom is their mother; I'm their godmother." She raised her eyebrow slightly, a silent 'you can take this any way you want'.

The man's eyes widened for a moment, but as soon as it'd appeared on his face, his calm had returned. He reached out and took her hand. "Roxy, you said? Bloom mentioned you to me – not very much though. Apparently you two had just met the last time we spoke."

"How do you know our mother?" Valen spoke up, his face guarded. Tori jabbed him in the side, but he paid little attention.

His lips quirked in barely contained amusement. "I was a good friend of your mother's a long time ago. I'm surprised neither of you got her hair."

Valen shrugged. It was obvious that – despite knowing him for the better part of five minutes – he didn't like the other man. "We both got a mix of the red and some blond. I wasn't very fond of it."

Tori watched as a flicker of something dark flashed across his eyes. His smirk dropped, and his tone became cool. "My apologies that your features came out more like your father. Speaking of the blonde bastard, I'm surprised he's not here strangling me. On Eraklyon, perhaps? I doubt your colored contacts would fly with him; ever since he met me, gold hasn't been a favorite color of his."

"Wha-" Tori began, and then stopped as she registered his words. She'd told him they were performing in the park – he must've assumed her eyes were colored contacts. It wouldn't have been the first time someone thought the color was fake.

"Actually," Valen cut off, "Our father…left. We've been living here our entire lives. We've never heard anything about other planets before. But…you know him?"

"Valentine," Roxy snapped. "Please worry about your father later."

"Trust me, you're not losing anything not knowing Sky..." He muttered. "But, back to the matter in which I came…"

The older woman nodded. "From what Valen said, Bloom could be in serious danger. I think there's a person trying to steal her power, and they've locked her at that address. They just tried to take these two down," she motioned to the twins behind her. "Bloom gave me a name a few days ago that she thought could be a clue to this…cult. I can call my husband and have him run it by me."

He gave a short laugh. "I'd tell your husband to pack up and run. If these guys have already found them, and you're now legally in charge of them…"

"Would they take Chris?" Tori asked suddenly.

"More than likely they'll take anyone," Roxy ran a hand through her hair. "I flew here – I don't have a car."

"What about teleportation?" the man asked – he hadn't said his name yet, Tori realized. "Do these two know any good spells?"

Tori, who'd been relatively quiet during the whole exchange, straightened up. "Huh?"

Roxy put a hand on her shoulder, and the other one on Valen's. "They haven't been trained. Besides a few little tricks they can perform without thinking, they don't have any signs of developed powers."

The young boy shrugged her off, almost violently. "Haha, I'm sorry. I must've heard you wrong."

Tori watched as the older man's lips quirked up again. "Sounds like Bloom."

"Yeah thanks, mister seventeenth century."

"Valentine! Enough," Roxy's voice was cold. "I can manage the teleportation – they'll probably pick up on the Dragon Fire anyway. And once we find Bloom, you," she pointed a bright pink nail at the older man. "had better start explaining things."

Tori shivered as a wicked grin spread across his lips. "Of course. It would be foolish to think otherwise."

When Bloom came to, she was laying on something very cold.

Her eyes slowly opened, taking in a dimly lit room; so much so she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her. She took a deep breath and watched as it came out in a fine white mist. She tried to lift herself up, but her body ached terribly. With a groan, the limbs failed and she collapsed.

However, her face made contact with something slick, and with a gasp she sat up, ignoring the pain from the bones she'd had to heal with her fairy dust. After blinking repeatedly, she saw why she'd felt so cold.

She had been lying on a block of solid ice, maybe two by seven feet.

Looking around, she saw similar blocks scattered throughout the room. Some were piled onto large metal shelves on either end of the room. There were about five scattered around the room, not on shelves. Bloom's eyes looked to the large metal door across from her. It looked sturdy.

The redhead let out another foggy breath. If she could break the door down…

"Well you're awake at last."

Bloom jumped. This time she was sure Lia hadn't been in the room before. She must have had a teleport device of some kind – and an obvious kick for scaring the hell out of people.

"Welcome to your new accommodations," the blonde woman spoke warmly, but there was a fake quality in her voice. "Sorry about the temperature; I've been meaning to call someone about the air conditioner."

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Your acting is worse than your hair job. This is a freezer – one of those huge ones you find in restaurants. As far as hideouts go, I think you deserve a D for creativity."

A smirk appeared on her face; colder than the air around them. "I'll notify my bosses. They told me to give you a little tour but…" she paused, running a manicured nail over a nearby ice block. There was a loud screech that bounced off the walls. "Considering your attitude, maybe you should just take your chances."

"Well I take it your plan is to lock me in here until I freeze."

She laughed. "Oh Bloom…they told me you'd be fast-assuming."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Who's they?"

Lia didn't answer. "You, my dear, are going to undergo a series of tests. The one you're currently in deals with frigid temperatures, confine spaces, and the ability to withstand fatigue."

"...Your test is to lock me in a freezer and see how long I can last? Wow, you are sad." Bloom took pride in the dark scowl that crossed her face. "I've had babysitting jobs more difficult."

"Oh you think?" as soon as the evil look had crossed the blond woman's face, her cool smirk reappeared. "Well then, I think I should give you a little bit of extra information." She gestured to a block of ice in front of Bloom. "If you aren't careful, you'll end up like that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Cold?"

"Look again."

With Lia's eyes on her, Bloom cautiously stepped forward and placed a hand on the ice block. It was freezing, but there seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary about it. She brushed back a thin layer of frost.

And with a scream, jerked back from the block.

Trapped within the ice was – to her disgust and astonishment – a person. She was fairly sure it was a man, his face set in a silent scream. She looked between him and Lia, putting pieces together in her head. "You…froze him?"

"That's what happens if you sleep for longer than an hour here. Don't look so stressed; it's only for twenty hours."

"And do I want to know what happens after that?"

She grinned. "Maybe you'll be willing to cooperate."

"In your dreams."

Lia laughed. "It's not me dreaming that I'm concerned about."

She disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Bloom alone with the frozen bodies.

It was safe to say that after her first teleportation, Tori only had one word to describe it; terrifying.

The sensation of falling infinitely with the darkness surrounding you was not a pleasant experience. Her stomach seemed to have the same idea, since it she felt like she was about to hurl. It was so overwhelming it took her a few moments to realize she was standing on solid ground, across the street from the galley her mom was supposed to be at.

From her side, she heard Valen breathing heavily. "No one…ever…make me do that again."

"Tori?" Roxy questioned. "Are you alright?"

She couldn't respond. Between her stomach churning and her pounding head, the world seemed to be disoriented.

"Whoa, kid." Before she could blink the man had looped his arm around her waist, helping her to stand. It took her a minute to realize her legs had given out. "I've never seen anyone have such a negative reaction to teleportation."

"I…I'm fine." Tori finally managed to say.

"You don't look fine, dear." The older man replied, looking her over carefully. "Deathly ill is more like it."

Glancing to her right, Tori saw Valen standing with his fists clenched. Somehow, it snapped her out of her daze. At least, enough to push the man away from her. "I'm alright. Just a bad reaction, right? You said people can react negatively to it."

If he was startled by her attitude change, he didn't show it. He simply stepped back, his eyes falling to the building across the street. Tori followed his gaze "Mom's in there, you said?"

"Should be," Roxy said, her eyes following his. "Or they've moved her."

"My spell couldn't pick up on her location, so I'm betting they moved her."

Valen nodded, his hand resting on Tori's shoulder. "So we go over there and check it out."

"No way," Rosy said. "If there's a magic detector there, those guys will find you even faster. I'll go."

"Alone? No way."

"Valen, I am not going to discuss this further."

Tori glanced between them. "If our powers are technically underdeveloped, or possibly nonexistent…"

"They can still be detected."

"She is your godmother," the mystery man said, a bit absently; "In the event of Bloom's disappearance, she is in fact your legal guardian. What she says goes."

Tori sighed. "You're not helping us."

"And besides," Valen snapped, his tone less friendly, "We don't even know your name."

He rolled his eyes and started to respond…

"Baltor!"

Raising an eyebrow, the man shut his mouth. "Actually, that's right." He glanced around the shadowy parking lot. "Who said that?"

"Take a wild guess."

Suddenly, a bright pink light shot out from near the small group, knocking the man – Baltor apparently, off his feet, suspending him upside down in the air. Tori's gaze fell back to where the blast had come from, and watched as a woman stepped from the shadows.

She was older, around Roxy and her mother's age. She had long black hair tied in a thick braid that hung on her shoulder and fell to her waist. Her features suggested she was partially Asian, and she wore a short purple dress and black leggings. Her expression was anything but friendly. "You are dead meat if you've hurt her."

Baltor's expression turned to a look of amusement. "Musa. I can honestly say I'm surprised to see you."

"Oh I bet you are." She glanced towards Roxy. "Sorry to break up whatever sick little reunion's going on here."

Roxy looked surprised. "We aren't –"

"Save it. I can only imagine. I've got a newsflash for you; if you've made a deal with this devil, you can bet you'll get burnt."

In slight desperation, Roxy turned her gaze back to Baltor, only to be met with a shrug (which looked a bit odd considering he was doing it upside down). "The inability to listen and incredibly ironic jabs. Roxy, meet Musa. And Musa – before you start hanging everyone up like chickens, maybe you could do with an introduction. This is Roxy; the last fairy of Earth and the Princess of Tir Nan Ogg."

It became quiet around the group. "You're a princess?" Tori whispered in disbelief.

Roxy gave her a comforting look. "Just like you. And before I forget," she continued, turning her gaze back to Musa, who had at least fallen quiet; "I'm a close and personal friend of Bloom's. As well as the legal guardian of her children. Now, do you still feel like suspending me upside down and hitting my with a blast of high-pitched country music?"

"I hate country," the black-haired woman said quietly. Tori saw a look of embarrassment flash across her face. "I guess…we're all on edge here, you know?"

Roxy nodded. "Never thought I'd see the day where a person could take Bloom down."

"Ditto that."

"Oh sure, that didn't hurt my ego," came a voice a little ways above them. Tori looked up at Baltor with amusement, his arms crossed over his chest and his face fairly red from the blood rushing to it. "Now that we've all had a moment, can you please let me down from here?"

Musa's gaze went from almost friendly to guarded. "Oh no. Not until I get some answers out of you. Why are you here? You died fifteen years ago."

"She let me go."

"Who?"

"A mermaid," he snapped with a cruel sarcasm that made everyone jump. "Who do you think? Bloom; she let me go with orders not to bother anyone again or make any kind of contact. I listened, and I haven't seen her since. The only reason I'm here is because she sent a distress signal to me. I followed an outgoing phone line from her location, and promptly ran into Roxy and Bloom's apparently powerless children. And on that note, why exactly did Sky leave her?"

Musa stared up at him, slightly perplexed. "Sky divorced Bloom. A few days after her twins were born, actually. She moved here, and none of us had seen her since. And according to the divorce records," Musa continued, her eyes falling to Tori and Valen; "the reason they did was because the kids weren't –"

She cut off the minute she laid eyes on Tori. Granted, that always happened when people got a look at her eyes, but unlike the typical reaction, Musa looked shocked and a bit afraid. She glanced down at herself, wondering if there was something wrong with the way she was dressed.

Valen had similar ideas. "What?"

Musa didn't say anything. Instead, she let out a long sigh, waving her hand. A second later, the pink light keeping Baltor suspended above the ground dissipated. He fell hard on his back. "You…" she couldn't find the right words. "I can't believe you."

"What?" Tori and Valen asked at the same time.

"The eyes, I know," Baltor spoke up, wincing a bit from the fall. "They're colored contacts."

Musa turned back to Tori. "Are they?"

Slowly, Tori shook her head. "My eyes are naturally gold. I got them from my…"

"Father." Musa finished, her hand rubbing her temples. "So I thought."

"Why?" Valen asked, looking between Musa, Roxy, and Baltor. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Musa sighed again. "Look guys; I don't know how to say this, especially since I'm pretty sure Bloom never figured it out either. But…this is Baltor, one of the most feared criminals in the magic dimension. And…I'm pretty sure he's your father."

Leave it to Musa to just spit stuff out, eh?

So, good news is that I've got a pretty good idea of where this story's going (though some people might not be too happy about that...make of that what you want ;-) ), so updates should be a lot more frequent between that and Damn Rough Night - for anyone who left a review on that after it's 6 month hiatus, you guys rock! Any fans of One More Night, I'm sorry to say it's been moved to hiatus for the time being. It'll remain up on the site though, until the plot bunnies decide to rejoin me.

Anyway...reviews! You guys are the best for reading through this (the chapter's aren't exactly little 1.000 word blips, I know), and I know I should be grateful for that alone (almost 1.000 hits!), but you guys will totally brighten my day if you leave a little word on what you think. Virtual cookies will be rewarded to all! Yes, I did just use the virtual cookie line. That should only show how desperate I am.

Peace guys!

ember