As much as Tori wanted to be mad at Musa for not accompanying them to Limphea, she also couldn't blame her. There was an obvious resentment between her and Baltor – though Tori didn't exactly know why. She was just grateful that Flora didn't try to rip his head off when arrived at her house (by another transport spell, though this one wasn't nearly as nauseating as the first). Because of a time change, it was the middle of the morning when they got there. Despite this, everyone got a room and Tori crashed within the first five minutes of her head hitting the pillow.

When she woke up again, it was dark outside, and her suitcase was propped up near the door. As much as Tori wanted to question how, she knew the answer would probably make her head spin. She slung it onto the bed and hesitantly opened it up. Inside she found an array of band t-shirts, jeans, her favorite clip-in hair streaks (in purple, blue, red, and pink), and basic necessities. She grabbed her favorite leather jacket and took a huge whiff of it.

It still smelled like the beach.

After a long hot shower, she threw on a loose grey, silver-studded shirt, a pair of black pants that looked like leather, and clipped in a few pink strands. As she threw on some mascara, she could hear her mother scolding her in the back of her head, telling her she wasn't some goth chick and she shouldn't dress like one. That she would give people a bad impression.

You were good at false impressions, weren't you Mom?

Tori caught herself. How could she think like that? Her mother had been kidnapped, was possibly being tortured, and all she could think about was how bad she was feeling.

She sighed at her reflection, putting down the purple eye shadow she was going to wear. "Pessimist at heart." She muttered under her breath. "I wonder when that will come back to bite me."

She grabbed a pair of shoes and left the room, wandering around a number of elaborate hallways and stairwells until she found a kitchen worthy to be on the Food Network channel. There were stainless steel appliances, sleek black countertops, and beautiful wood carvings. But maybe the oddest thing – in Tori's opinion anyway – was the blue bird resting in a cage above the island counter. It peered at her with brown eyes as she stepped into the room.

Tori's tilted her head to the side, and the bird did the same. "Hello." She said cautiously.

The bird's head tilted the other way. "Hello." It repeated in a high, slightly scratchy voice.

Her eyes widened a little. Outside of the movies, she'd never seen a talking bird. "What's your name?"

"Pretty birdie. Pretty birdie."

Tori's lips quirked. "Yes, you are a pretty birdie. But does pretty birdie have a name?"

"Pretty birdie! Pretty birdie!" It repeated. After a moment his head straightened. "Want some coffee? Second drawer to the right near the sink."

"…Really?"

"Yeah, seriously."

Shaking her head, she followed the birds instructions and found the right drawer near the sink. However, when she opened it, Tori found it was full of kitchen utensils. She turned back to the bird, and saw it was chuckling. "Did I just get played by a parrot?"

"He's a macaw, actually."

The unfamiliar voice made Tori jump a mile in the air. Turning toward the entrance to the kitchen, she saw a boy leaning against one of the walls, carrying a large bag with some Chinese writing on it.

"Somebody's heart stopped." The macaw squawked.

Tori agreed.

The boy look to be around her age, maybe a few years older. He had jet black hair with a green stripe in it, and grey eyes. He had on a black button-up shirt and jeans, and Tori noticed a toe ring on his right foot. When he grinned at her, she was ashamed to say she almost swooned. "Uh…hi."

"Hi," he grinned, stepping forward and putting the bag on the counter. Tori could smell Chinese food. "Do I know you?"

"Uh…I'm Victoria - Tori. My brother and I are…staying here. We came…last night."

"Ah, you're Bloom's kids, right?"

She nodded. "And, you are?"

He hopped up onto the counter, his bare feet dangling off the ground as he reached into the bag. "Well I don't look much like a sushi delivery boy, do I? I live here; my name's March. Flora and Helia are my parents."

Tori raised an eyebrow. "So…I'm on a planet that's all about nature, and your name's March? What, did you win 'most ironic name of the year' in grade school?"

He chuckled. "If you're really that interested, I'm adopted. That was the name on file for me, and Flo and Helia didn't want to change it."

Adopted. Right. Tori thought she heard Musa talking about that with Roxy on their way here, but she'd been too tired to pay attention. She was snapped out of her thoughts as March offered her a container with the restaurant symbol on it. "You want some? Fried rice."

She took the container; she hadn't eaten since before the show at Disney. It seemed like it happened years ago, before her life spun out of control. She grabbed some chopsticks out of the bag. "So…" she said slowly, watching as he popped a piece of chicken into his mouth. "Do you go to school here?"

"If by 'here' you mean 'on this planet' then yes. I'm homeschooled mostly, and I've got weekly classes that are off planet, in Magix." He paused, watching as she took a large bite of the rice. "I take it you went to mundane school?"

Tori nodded. "I just got out on Friday…god, this food is good."

"You must be hungry, being asleep for so long."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, looking around the room. "Do you know if my brother's up? Or Baltor?"

"One of them," a voice spoke up. Tori and March turned and watched as Valen entered the kitchen, dressed in dark jeans and a grey shirt. His hair hung in wet limbs around his face, a few drops of water dripping onto his shoulders. His eyes fell to the other boy. "Mind if I steal some food?"

He peered into the bag. "I've got spicy noodles or egg drop soup."

"Soup, if you'd be so kind."

"No problem," he said, snapping his fingers. A moment later, a drawer opened and a spoon flew out, floating across the room and landing in March's hand. He grabbed the container out of the bag and held them both out to Valen. "Here. Oh, and I'm March. I don't believe we've been properly introduced."

Valen stared at him for a moment, as though he were still dazed with sleep. "You all are nuts," he muttered, taking the soup out of his hands. "I'm Valen."

"No nuts at the party! No nuts at the party!" the bird squawked from his cage above. "The noble will die for what is right!"

Valen stared at him for a moment. "Don't tell me; he quotes CSI too?"

March raised an eyebrow. "CSI?"

"Wow you people are deprived," Tori heard him mutter as he walked over to her and kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, which was slightly difficult since she was sitting on a bar stool. "Morning."

"Evening, actually," Tori corrected. "You holding up?"

"As well as I can. You?"

"I've been better, that's for sure."

From the other side of the counter, March regarded them with slight curiosity. "You two sure don't look like twins."

"We're fraternal." Valen said, taking a sip of the soup. "What about you? Siblings?"

"None. Though since my mother and Layla spend so much time together, her daughter is like my little sister." When he saw a lack of response on their faces, March leaned his head to the side. "Lalya? Queen Layla of Tides? Did anyone tell you anything?"

"Apparently not."

"Well someone should." He paused for a moment, as though thinking. "There's a huge festival in Magix right now. Maybe we should go there to talk. Plus it could give you a chance to get a real taste of the magical dimension."

Valen rolled his eyes. "Oh great idea. It's the middle of the night and there are physco's after us. Let's go to the biggest city in the dimension and not tell anyone."

March gave Tori a look, a silent 'is he like this all the time?' She shrugged apologetically, and he turned back to Valen. "Chill man. I meant go ask my parents. Maybe Baltor could even come with us. I'd be interested to see if anyone would recognize him."

"Isn't it late?"

He shook his head. "It's eleven, but Magix is three hours behind us. Come on, it'd be an adventure. Plus maybe we'd find some stuff about your Mom."

Tori and Valen exchanged a glance. "I guess if someone went with us," Valen said slowly.

"Maybe Baltor. He said he knew a lot about the libraries in Magix; maybe we could find something there to help us."

March grinned. "Perfect. I'll go ask."

"Wait." Valen said after a moment. March turned back and regarded him curiously. "What's the big deal about Baltor?"

March chuckled. "He only tried to enslave the entire magical dimension, causing billions of dollars in damage in the process."

"Would you like a handmade necklace, ma'am? Made from the finest crystals found on the edges of the Golden Kingdom?"

Bloom smiled politely. "No, thank you." She said to the man behind the booth, and turned to walk on.

She didn't ever get the name of the inner spirit she'd spoken with while in the hands of the Brotherhood of Redemption, but his words had proven true. After about a half hour of working her way through air vents, she'd found herself in a back alley in – of all places – Lower Manhattan. She'd then bought a subway ticket (ok, she overshadowed the man at the counter to give her a ticket, but it was an emergency), ridden to the other end of the island, and teleported to Magix.

One wardrobe change and magic-boosted cappuccino later (they had been a lifesaver for all-night cram sessions for Wizgiz's class), she was walking the streets of Magix during the annual founding festival, dressed in a red and blue plaid shirt with ripped jeans and a pair of sneakers. She'd put temporary dye in her hair so it was brown, and it was in a loose bun on the top of her head, secured with chopsticks.

As Bloom caught her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help be a little proud of herself. She didn't seem recognizable, and she didn't look like a train wreck in her early thirties who'd been without sleep for two days.

As she worked her way through the crowd, she tried to find anyone she possibly knew. It was a long shot, but her friends were usually big on the Magix festival. Bloom had already made up her mind that if she didn't find anyone within the next hour, she was heading to the Magix Council. Normally she would've gone to one of the schools, but since the damage they'd sustained from (at least Bloom thought) the Brotherhood of Redemption, school had been called out of session for repairs on the buildings.

They think Magix might be the next target.

Bloom shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as a breeze blew through the street. She really hoped Musa was wrong about that.

"So, what's the verdict on Magix?"

Tori stared up at the flying cars merging into one single-file line, apparently for parking. It was a wonder she could see them, being partially blinded by the lights from the large skyscrapers that framed Magix. "Whoa."

"It's like New York," Valen said, more to himself.

Baltor nodded from behind them. The twins were a bit curious as to why he'd put a disguise spell on himself (and were even more curious as to whether or not there really was a disguise spell. I mean, they could still see him perfectly.). "A lot of Magix newer buildings were modeled after it. If there's one thing Earth can do, it's architecture."

"That's why the two buildings back there looked like the Twin Towers," Tori said quietly.

March's father – Helia was his name, nodded. "We're fortunate not to have problems like that here. It's mainly…other issues we have to deal with."

"A sweetened way of saying me?" Baltor questioned. He looked Helia in the eyes, only to have the black-haired man turn away. Tori could tell there was something about her father Helia didn't like very much, though she didn't know what.

"There are much bigger problems," Flora insisted. Despite her still small size, she wasn't afraid to take on Baltor. "There's the fault line under Magix, and the robberies that sometimes occur. Every problem doesn't occur thanks to a power-mad convict."

Before Valen could even snicker, the ground beneath them shook violently, knocking everyone off balance. People started screaming, and a moment later another tremor hit.

Baltor rolled his eyes. "They don't include a convict, but bad things always seem to happen when one comes around."

"It's an earthquake," March said, watching one of the food stands fall over.

"No shit, Sherlock," Tori snapped. She turned to Valen; "Do you remember anything about earthquake drills in school?"

"I slept through them all, you know that!"

"Hey relax," March said, glancing around. "It's just a little earthquake. They happen all the time."

Somewhere in the distance, gunshots fired.

Tori glared at March, who shrugged and tried to remain standing in the violent shakes. "Ok, so this doesn't usually happen."

"It must be the same people who attacked the schools!" Flora yelled over the noise.

"And why do I have the sinking feeling they're the guys after us too?"

"Because your IQ is higher than a rock?" Valen muttered. Another shot fired, closer this time. "We have to do something!"

"I'll go," March said, starting forward. "Alec and the other guys were supposed to be here, and you know they never miss a fight." He turned to Flora and Helia, a smirk on his face. "I'm sure some of the other fairies are here too. We can at least help bystanders."

They exchanged a glance, and Helia nodded. "Be careful, and you guys call. If you find Alec, tell him to phone Eraklyon and get the Guard out here if he hasn't."

"I'm going with you," Tori insisted.

"Like hell you are." Baltor snapped. "You have no powers and they'll shoot you down. Flora, I'm sure you phoned Musa and she's on a rooftop somewhere stalking me. Tell her to get down and start fighting whatever the hell this is. Helia, Red Fountain has a weapons storage around here, doesn't it?"

"How would you know –"

"Long story," he cut off. "Get there, and put that pathetic training to good use. Tori, you and your brother are coming with me to the Council Library in Magix Square. We can get help, and hopefully more information."

"Tori can go, but I'm with March," Valen said, stepping forward with the other boy. "I've taken wrestling for three years and I've taken first aid courses. I can help people."

"Not here. This is the big leagues, not some stupid little Earth riot. You're not capable."

Valen's eyes narrowed. "Hey, no offense Daddy, but I think I know myself a little better than you. And I'd rather make sure people are safe instead of being a coward like you." There were more shots and rumbling, and before anyone could speak Valen and March disappeared into the crowds.

Baltor glared at him. "At least have the brains to watch each other's backs!" he yelled. With an irritable growl, he grabbed Tori's hand and the two started running with the crowds. Tori glanced up at Baltor – she hated how short she was compared to him, and was surprised to find a different emotion dancing in his eyes. She glanced down at his hand curled around her wrist, and on an automatic impulse, twisted her fingers and interlocked her hand with his.

A surge of emotions shot through her, and with a gasp they both pulled their hands away. Baltor practically gaped at Tori, who was now grinning. "You're proud of his attitude," she said. "Valen reminds you of you when you were a teenager."

He sighed. "You just can't go reading people's minds like that. At the very least, you need to be discrete about it. Apparently that's something I'll have to teach you."

"So now I remind you of yourself too?"

Baltor laughed and started pulling her along again. "Child, why do I get the feeling you're going to be a pain in my side?"

"Because I very well might be. But thankfully you'll learn to love me so unconditionally you won't care."

Her father rolled his eyes, and just as they were making their way back to her he caught sight of something. "Duck!" he yelled, pushing Tori down before she had a chance to argue. Bullets flew over their heads, accompanied with more screams.

"This is definitely not random," Tori breathed. "Who are they after?"

"With any luck? Us." He blew a piece of hair out of his eyes. "Keep low to the ground, keep running, and do not let go of my hand." Tori nodded, and they were off again. People were running and screaming, and a few random bystanders were throwing up what looked like energy shields. Fairies and wizards, apparently. When a shot came particularly close to them, Tori glanced up and automatically shot out her hand. Fire leapt from her fingertips and struck the floating shape in the sky. It yelled, and dropped the gun to the ground.

From next to her, Baltor let out a triumphant laugh. "Ha! Who said you didn't have magic?" He grinned at her, and something about it made Tori smile in response. But he wasn't focusing on the path ahead….

Her father plowed into a woman who was cutting across the masses of people. All three of them tumbled over in a heap, taking a few other civilians with them. Most just avoided them and kept running. Tori found herself on top of the woman, her head in her shoulder. She was about to apologize, when she felt something oddly familiar. Her head fit perfectly into the woman's shoulder, and she smelled oddly like salt water and acrylic paint.

"Mom?" Tori forced her head up and stared down at the woman. Her hair was brown and her clothes looked nothing like what her mother would wear – they were tight and showed off her curves, which only happened when she was in a bathing suit. But her face was familiar, and when her eyes snapped open, Tori didn't have a doubt it was Bloom.

"Oh Mom!" Tori crashed back down and gave her mother a tight hug, trying to conceal the tears stinging at the back of her eyes. "You're ok! I was so worried…"

After a few seconds, Bloom sat the two of them up, wrapping her arms around her daughter and hugging her fiercely. "Thank God Victoria…I was so worried you and your brother wouldn't be alright…hold on," Bloom pushed Tori back to look her in the eyes. "Where is Valen? And how did you get here? And what the hell are you wearing?"

"You know, as touching as this reunion is, I think there are worse things to worry about."

Tori's eyes widened, and Bloom's jaw dropped. They both turned to look at Baltor, who was standing and dusting dirt off of his jacket. Bloom must've been able to see past his illusion spell; maybe it had to do with their power? Tori wasn't quite sure.

After a moment, she was surprised to find her mother straighten up and pull herself and Tori to their feet. She grabbed her daughter's wrist in one hand and her former lover's in the other, and together the three started running again. She maneuvered Tori so she was at the center of them, just in case they started attacking from the sides. "What's the plan?" Bloom yelled to Baltor, her voice slightly uneven.

"Council Library. Find out about the Brotherhood, call for backup, and find a decent cloaking spell. Your son is currently with Flora's ill-named child fighting with what I hope is common sense and a Phantom Blade. Especially since I've heard he's also my child?"

"March is a perfectly good name," she insisted.

"You're not answering my question, Bloom."

The redhead woman sighed irritably, jerking a finger at Tori. "Look at her; is there any way she's not yours?"

"When the hell did it occur?"

"Dragon Fire essence."

Baltor let out a bark of laughter, which sounded odd since he was partially out breath. "You're bloody joking, right? That wasn't even us! Our essences were in the center of my body, and we were supposedly fighting to the death!"

"Well maybe since it was our very being, what we did in there was significant! And what's with the 'bloody joking'? Are you British now?"

"Living in London for fifteen years. I didn't really have anywhere else to turn to!"

"Hold on…wasn't the British Library robbed a few years back of almost half of its ancient literature?" When there was no response, she groaned. "You moron! Really? How are you not in jail?"

"Not that this isn't fun," Tori cut in, her breath short and her face annoyed, "but you two are magical creatures, are you not? If Mom's got wings and my father's a sorcerer, why the hell are we running!"

There was a momentary pause. "Excellent point." Baltor finally spoke. "Hang on, ladies!"

With that, they vanished.

"Valen, take this girl over to the side. A bullet grazed her."

Nodding, Valen reached over and grabbed the young girl March was carrying out of his arms. She was visibly shaken, and her arm was letting out a pretty decent amount of blood, running in streams down her arm. "Hey, you're going to be fine," he whispered, to her. She managed a weak smile, which was a bit of a comfort since she was white as a sheet.

"Back here Valen!"

After making sure the area was clear, he fell back into a nearby alleyway. One of the younger Specialists – he learned that's what the students from Red Fountain called themselves, held open a door on the side of the building. It was camouflaged to match the brickwork on the wall. Apparently it was a secret bunker that Red Fountain had in case of emergencies. He moved through fast into the makeshift hospital in the main hallway. Valen came through and set the girl down on an open bed – it was already getting crammed in small space.

On the other side, a blond haired, blue-eyed boy looked up from a first aid kit. "Yikes."

"Tell me about it. Pass the antiseptic, Alec." Valen had only had a brief chat with the boy. He was his age, attended Red Fountain (which Valen could've easily deduced by the ridiculous jumpsuit the boys were wearing), and he was from Eraklyon. Apparently he'd contacted his father about sending some of the planet guards to Magix. Valen deduced he must be the son of a general or some other official.

March suddenly appeared near them, his brow wet with sweat. He carried three water bottles, and handed one to March and one to Alec. "It's hell out there," he muttered.

"What're they after?" Alec asked as he got to work bandaging the little girl. Valen applied the antiseptic to the smaller cuts on her body. The girl was unconscious for the most part, though she did shiver as the medicine made contact with her skin. Alec took out a few patches and stuck them on her arms and legs. They were more than likely for tracking life signs.

"Who knows," March muttered. "But whatever is it, they aren't finding it. Has anyone seen Lana or the girls?"

Alec shook his head. "I thought she was on Solaria with Stella's youngest daughter. What's her name?"

"Who cares," March said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Hey V, what's the name of these guys again?"

"The Brotherhood of Redemption if I'm not mistaken."

Alec and March exchanged a glance. "An Ancestral Witch copycat cult?" the blond questioned.

"I don't think so. There's not much background information on them, just that their leader is some smoking hot blond."

Alec and Valen snickered. "Only you would think of appearance in a time like this," he muttered.

March took a gulp of water. "Sue me! I haven't had a girlfriend in over a year."

"You're sixteen. It's unlikely you'll find your soul mate."

"Unless I follow in my mother's footsteps. And you could follow in your father's, but you'd just end up burned!"

Valen glanced between them. "What happened?"

It suddenly became quiet. March looked uncomfortable, like a little kid who'd just said something he knew he shouldn't have. And Alec was now putting way too much focus on the bandages. Valen kept staring at him until he was practically squirming under his gaze. Suddenly, he gripped the side of his neck and dropped the gauze he'd been holding. "You did, alright? Now stop before you put a hole in my neck!"

"Huh?" slightly surprised, his gaze automatically shifted to the wall. Once there, it was almost like something clicked off in his head. When he turned back, Alex was waving at his neck. When his hand moved, Valen saw a decent burn mark. His jaw dropped. "Did…did I do that?"

"Duh. That's kind of the meaning behind Dragon Fire."

"B-but…I've never had powers before."

March shrugged, obviously more sympathetic for his new friend than his old one. "Maybe being in a magic environment triggered them. Or maybe you've been using them in subtle ways. Like…do people usually do what you say?"

Valen thought about this for a moment. At first it didn't seem like it, but the more he thought about it the more he realized people did agree with him. When he asked the coach on the wrestling team for more time in, he'd gotten it. When he'd argue grades with his teachers, they almost always agreed. And that feeling when he was on stage…when it felt like the crowd was in the palm of his hands, and the rush he got from that.

Alec's dark chuckle brought him back to reality. "Is that a yes?" before he could respond he was laughing again. "One of Baltor's greatest powers was being able to overshadow people. Maybe you did that without even knowing it."

"Yeah, but what would that have to do with your father?"

Alec turned pale. "Well –"

March rolled his eyes. "What he's trying to say is that his father and your mother were married a long time ago, but she cheated him with Baltor and fifteen years later here we are."

"So…you think Baltor overshadowed my mother, and that's why I exist?"

"Of course not –"

"In a sense, yes."

"March!"

"What? I can't be honest with the kid? Besides, it's better than saying Bloom's a whore."

"Watch it," Valen said lowly. "She provided us on her own, wither my father's a convict or general."

"King."

Valen turned to Alec. "What?"

"My – possibly our – father is the King of Eraklyon. You're either the son of a convict or a king. But considering Bloom's royal status, you're a prince no matter what."

"Whoa, slow up Alec. I think he's still processing the king thing."

"I'm fine." Valen snapped, though he had to admit March was right. His mother…his red-haired mother who wore paint-splattered overalls in the spring and worked part-time in a diner when he was six, ruling over a planet? Hell, she'd barely been able to run the kitchen in her own home. And him as a prince? This had to be a mistake.

There was a loud commotion from the other room, and all three boys turned and saw some official-looking military men walk in, dressed in blue coats. "Let me guess," Valen said dully, "the Eraklyon Guard?"

"On the nose. Come on; let's go find Dad. Maybe he can help track down your sister and mother."

March and Alec got up and started moving, but Valen didn't follow. "I don't know guys. If what you just said is true…"

"Don't worry," March insisted, grabbing him by the arm. "Once he hears Bloom's in trouble, you'll be at the end of his hit list."

"But will my fath…Baltor, be first?"

Alec laughed again. "More like March's 'smoking hot blond'."

"Hey! How did you get in here?"

It seemed as though Tori had only blinked, and suddenly she was off a bustling street and in the middle of a grand hallway. Her boots clacked against the marble floor.

"I'm talking to you!"

Tori turned to look at the guard who was approaching, his face a mixture of surprise and anger. She side-glance her mother, who looked a bit annoyed. Bloom opened her mouth to speak –

"That will be quite enough out of you." The next second, the guard's face went blank, and when he blinked his eyes were completely white. Tori yelped and took a few steps back, almost plowing into Bloom. "Mom, did you…"

"No, I didn't." Bloom turned and glared at Baltor, who was smirking and twirling a small ball of magic around his finger. "What is your problem? He had every right to ask us why we suddenly burst into this place when there's a riot going on outside. That may be how you handle these things, but what are we going to do when we have to snap him out of it?"

Baltor's eyes narrowed at her. Slowly, he walked toward her, taking carefully calculated steps until he was a mere foot in front of her, staring down into her eyes. "And how exactly do I handle things, Bloom? Terribly? Because I think I just got you and our daughter to safety."

Tori saw Bloom shiver at the word 'our', but her mother still held her ground. She was visibly tired – both of them were, but that only seemed to increase their ability to duel with words. The young girl briefly wondered how they'd ever managed to have a relationship, since all she'd seen was their ability to yell at each other.

"You don't mean to handle things terribly. But your quick judgment and thinking you have every ounce of the Great Dragon's fire in your palm has landed you in some pretty bad situations."

He sighed, looking back at the hypnotized guard, then at Tori, and then back at her. "First of all," he began, and grabbed Bloom, pulled her against him, and kissed her fiercely.

Tori's jaw dropped. She'd seen her mother give Andy a peck on the cheek now and this, but she'd never seen anybody full on make-out with her mother. Bloom seemed equally shocked, but a mere moment later shut her eyes and wound her hands around his neck.

After who knows how long, Baltor finally pulled back, inhaling deeply. "…Now then," he said, shaking what looked like a dazed expression from his eyes. "The Brotherhood?" With that he turned and started walking towards the main library, disappearing around the corner.

Tori watched as her mother seem to finally awaken from the kiss. She blinked rapidly, an odd look on her face. "Um…Mom?" she turned to look at her. "Don't take this the wrong way…but what's his problem?"

Bloom laughed. "A lot of things." She put her arm around her daughter. "Come on; he's probably ripped though half the library by now."

It was true. As Tori and her mother walked into the main room in the library, there were already books flying off of shelves and opening themselves up to particular pages. Baltor sat on a chair near the center of the room, his legs thrown over the arm. A book would float in front of him, and he'd either shoo it away or snap his fingers so it'd fall to the ground. Bloom took a deep breath, then stepped forward and took one of the books off the ground. "That was fast."

"Hardly," he replied, his voice trying to hard to be nonchalant. "There's no information on this group. Are you sure they were after me?"

"Considering someone told me the leader of it was Lord Darkar's daughter and she's hated you since you turned your back on her? Yes, I'm pretty sure."

Baltor blinked. "Lia? She's leading this Brotherhood of Redemption?"

"Yep. And the rumor was just before she cracked, she talked to Icy."

Tori glanced between them. "Icy? What kind of name is that?"

Despite everything, her parents laughed. "Despite the name," Baltor said, "Icy is not a woman to mess with. Perhaps we should talk to her about this…"

There was a loud crash from the entrance of the library. The sound of guns were suddenly much more prominent, and people were screaming.

Tori looked toward the hallway, her blood running cold. "What was that?"

Baltor stood up, brushing dust off his jacket. "Nothing good. How on earth could anyone track us that fast?"

"It's called a GPS placed under your skin."

The cold, feminine voice came from the balcony above the main library. Tori's head snapped in the direction of the voice, and she found herself staring at a blond woman in black, a smirk on her face. Someone was moving about in the shadows behind her, though it looked like he or she was only grabbing books.

Lia leaned against the railing, her bangs covering an eye. "Really Bloom, did you think we were stupid?" She snapped her fingers, and suddenly there was a beeping noise. Bloom glanced down and saw a flashing red light on the back of her hand – the tracker, presumably. "I should thank you though," Lia continued, "Without your help, I never would have found him again." She leaned her head to the side. "Hello Baltor."

Tori glanced back at her father, who was standing his ground with his arms crossed. "The years have been kind," he finally said. His voice was smooth as glass and as cold as ice. "What are now; twenty-five, twenty-six? A little young to be running a cult, wouldn't you say dear?"

"I don't have any parents to tell me otherwise; thanks for that." She said, pointedly looking at Bloom.

She rolled her eyes. "Look, we don't want to fight you. Just tell us what you want."

"Aww, come on Bloom, didn't you pay attention?" Before anything else could be said, Lia reached out her hand and sent a swirling beam of dark magic out toward Baltor.

Despite the years, his reflexes were still fast. With a wind spell he propelled off the ground and back flipped, landing a few feet from the blast. "Find cover!" he yelled, and ran toward the bookcases.

Lia growled and jumped off the balcony, landing perfectly on a table. She glanced back at the two girls, and then took off towards the labyrinth of bookcases Baltor had gone into.

Tori glanced at her mother. "Should we listen?"

"If he's on the run? Absolutely not. Baltor's still rusty, and if any fire starts here the Magix Council is directly alerted, and those are the last people who should know he's alive."

"Then…do we go find Musa or somebody?"

"It'll take too long. I'm going to teach that skinny bitch some manners even if I have to shove her brain into an etiquette book."

"Lovely," Tori muttered.

"Go find your brother. Meet me at Alfea's gate in twenty minutes, and if I'm not there send help. Ask for Faragonda!"

"What about Baltor?" she yelled after Bloom as she started running.

"If Lia doesn't beat him to a pulp I will! Now go and stay safe!"

Tori watched her disappear. There was a bang from upstairs, and she tilted her head to see that person still looking through books. The girl – she could see it was a girl from her caramel blond ponytail, seemed totally unaware to anyone else around her. There was a ski mask covering her face, but through the slits Tori could see her eyes were totally transfixed.

She'd have to fix that.

Tori darted forward, picking up one of the decent sized books from the pile Baltor had been going through. Reeling her arm back she threw it so it knocked the girl on the side of the head, pushing her into a wall. "Sorry to be rude, but I don't believe that's allowed here."

The girl glared at her, and a moment later snapped her fingers. And entire bookshelf rose off the ground and propelled towards her. Tori's eyes widened, and she shot out her hands in an automatic defense. Red magic shot out from her hands, creating a force field around her. The bookcase hit it and burned to ash, as though it hit fire.

"I am sick of your stupid organization!" Tori snapped, feeling the energy pool around her hands. It seemed as though her body was on autopilot, but she was too upset to care. "You're going to pay for it!"

The girl chuckled, but it slowly stopped when she saw the fireballs get bigger. She jumped from the balcony and started toward her, hoping she could knock Tori off her feet before she fired.

Big mistake. Tori launched one of them, pushing the girl back into a marble column. There was a crunch, and the girl screamed. The other fireball dissipated, and Tori looked her straight in the eyes. She could see fear in those eyes; something that made her feel even more powerful but less in control of herself. "You can't," the girl whispered, "It's impossible to already be at an Enchantix level."

Tori didn't know what the girl was talking about, and she didn't care. "If it's so impossible, go tell someone." When she didn't move, another fire ball lit up in her hands. "Out!"

The girl didn't need anymore persuasion. She turned and ran toward the entrance, her arm hanging at an odd angle. She must've been burnt, because the mask she was wearing fell off while she was running. Tori caught sight of a sapphire earring before she disappeared around the corner.

"Holy shit."

That voice brought Tori out of her surreal feeling. She shook her head and turned around. Standing near her were Valen, March, and a blond boy she didn't recognize. March was smirking, obviously impressed. "That was a nice power surge, probably fueled by dark energy. You're lucky it didn't take you over; once you darken your Enchantix, it's highly unlikely it'll come back."

"She said that too. What's an Enchantix?"

The blond boy laughed. "Look at yourself."

Puzzled, she did. The clothes she'd been wearing were gone, replaced with a skimpy red and purple dress she'd never seen before. Her eyes widened. "Um…how long have I been like this?"

"Since we came in. It's a nice form though," March said absently, his eyes raking over her body.

"Sure, be all formal about it."

Valen rolled his eyes at Tori, his silent way of saying he didn't approve of them. "Where's Baltor?"

Tori bit her lip. "Um…"

"Oh come on, what kind of fight is this? I'm not a fan of cat and mouse, Baltor!" Lia called through the library. Her heels clacked against the wood floor. "Come on out, and I won't hurt you."

"Bullshit!" a female voice yelled from a few rows over. Lia glared and fired off a few blasts of energy. The bookcases started to fall over, and she caught sight of someone puling a form into the next row. She smirked and headed off in the direction.

"Do you always have to try and get yourself killed?" Baltor hissed, dragging Bloom around a shelf and down the aisle.

"Do you?" she whispered back. "Why aren't you fighting her?"

"Because I'm rusty. If I even singe a book cover this place is crawling with guards."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Besides get that tracker out of your hand?"

"I hate to nag," Lia's voice spoke up from not far away, "but if you could raise your voiced just a little more, that'd be great."

Bloom almost growled. She glanced around, and before Baltor could stop her, pushed over another row of bookcases and darted the other way. He had no choice but to follow her. We're going to die here, Baltor mentally snapped at Bloom.

And who's fault is that?

That would still be you. Maybe you should get the tracker out of your hand.

How do you suggest we do that? Cut it out right now?

Baltor was ready to slap her. In frustration, he dragged them around a corner…

And there was Lia, a smirk on her face and a ball of energy in her hand.

He swore under his breath and dragged Bloom back behind him. The opening to another row of bookcases was too far back now, and besides, she was on their tail now. A feeling of dread started to settle into his bones. There was no way out.

Lia's smirk widened. "Say goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The sound of bullets echoed through the halls. The three of them ducked, Baltor putting a shield around them. He saw Lia straighten up, and fall screaming to the floor. A dark red pool started spilling from her leg, cascading onto the white floor and spreading out. A bookshelf started to fall from the brunt of bullets it received. Baltor noticed a dictionary on the shelf, and in a quick reflex he dropped the shield, grabbed the book, and smashed it against her hand, crushing the tracker beneath her skin. She yelled, cradling her now injured hand and hitting Baltor with the other.

Behind her, the man who shot her straightened up and pressed something on his ear, probably a radio. "Seize fire. I repeat, seize fire; we are green."

Bloom and Baltor's jaws dropped at the same time. The voice was recognizable, and eerily cheerful. As he took his black mask off, Baltor was grateful he'd kept his illusion spell up.

King Sky of Eraklyon shook his head, his blond bangs moving perfectly out of his face. "Well well Bloom, what trouble have you've gotten yourself into now?"

Hello all! I hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving; mine was spent on the beautiful Cali. coast with my family, so I defiantly can't complain. Anyway, I want to be fast about this little AN since I'm at the local library, which has lost power twice today. So, what do you think? Do you like March and Alec? Are you dying to know what happens next? Updates will be soon I promise. Until then, leave a review and I'll see you next time!

Happy Holidays!