"Calm down Thalia, I have something very important to tell you." The odd man whispered in her ear, "Now I'm going to remove my hand if you promise not to scream." Thalia nodded her head slowly up and down, up and down in a way to say 'I promise.' He slowly removed his hand but kept a watchful eye on her.

"Thalia be aware and be warned, don't follow any, you can trust no one. If you don't follow those rules than trouble will follow. Heed my warning Thalia."

He got up and walked away while Thalia lay dumbfounded and perplexed as to what he had meant by, 'trust no one, follow no one' It had made no sense. She heard the door open and then closed. Thalia closed her eyes at the sudden beam of light entering the room before opening them just a crack to see who had entered her room. It was Mrs. Faragonda. She walked over to the desk and placed Thalia's heart-shaped necklace on the desk before sneakily getting to the door but not in time to avoid crashing into Ophelia on the way out.

"M-Mrs. Faragonda what brings you here to the infirmary at this hour?"

"I thought I heard a noise and came to check it out I thought our student had awoken." She said with absolute guilt clinging to her eyes. Thalia coud not belive seeing how easily she had lied to Ophelia. She rose from the floor with straightened shoulders and walked away with such dignity that Thalia had to say would have made any royal jealous.

It had been almost an entire week after the odd man had visited her in the hospital wing. He had told her to keep quiet and had warned her to beware the shadows and to trust no one.

Now Thalia was in her dorm room with her roommate Rose. They had been friends the moment that they met when Thalia had literally crashed in to her at their freshman orientation. Both had been so nervous and afraid that when Rose tried to apologize all that came out was a loud squealing sound. This had made Thalia grin as she had asked the plaintive red-head if she would like to eat lunch together later.

Rose had replied almost a little to excited with a "Yes!" Later on when Thalia had found her dorm she walked in to find the red-head sitting on the bed in the left corner reading an incredibly old book.

When Thalia had walked over and greeted Rose who looked up at her with big green eyes and a maniacal smile on her face as she shouted, "Hey roomie!"

As Thalia thought these things as she lay in bed she got up and crept out the dorm and in to the hall way. It was then when she heard a soft whisper calling out her name. "Thalia, Thalia, can you hear me dear Thalia?" She looked around and whispered a shout, "who's there?"

No one answered and the voice continued, "Thalia, come to me Thalia." This voice weaved its way into her thoughts and willed her out of bed. It forced her hand to turn the knob and to walk out into the hallway. Thalia began walking towards the voice but stopped when nausea hit her like a baseball bat. Her vision began to blur so she sat on the floor waiting for it to return.

The nurse had warned her about this and had told her to stay in bed for the next few days to calm down. But Thalia couldn't sit down she just wasn't that type of person who could sit around all day. She was the stone cold adventuress. The kind of person who never cried or told anyone her feelings.

When her vision returned to normal she began to go towards the voice that was calling to her earlier. She looked around and realized that she had unconsciously walked into the library.

"Hello anyone there?" She asked. when no one replied she looked around and caught movement in the corner of her eye. "Show yourself!" She screamed, fear rising inside of her tears threatening to spill out. Then unconsciousness hit her in a wave of nausea.

In her dream it was midnight as Thalia was making her way towards the west wing of Alfea when she heard someone following her. Her heart started racing as she wondered who could be up at this hour besides her. She hugged the wall and tried to blend in to the shadows as the sound of foot steps drew closer.

A faint light began to show in the hallway followed by a shadow. professor Griselda walked into the light. Thalia squished to the wall trying to get away from the light.

The professor wasn't alone a short little man stood by her side, though they were whispering Thalia could hear them perfectly clear.

"So she just passed out like that Griselda?" The little man whispered.

"So that I hear Wizgiz, it seems that Mrs. Thalia had a heat stroke."

"True it was rather hot that day, but I'm still having a hard time believing it."

Thalia gritted her teeth in anger as both Griselda and Wizgiz passed her by. They hadn't noticed her thankfully. She wouldn't have had a good excuse if they had caught her.

Thalia waited for what seemed like ages before slowly walking away from the wall back to the west wing of Alfea. She tried walking calmly but swiftly as it was the middle of the night.

When Thalia went to turn left to enter the wing she crashed into a wall. She fell hard on the floor. For a minute Thalia felt as if her lungs were ceasing as she tried to expel air. Then slowly her breathing went back to normal.

Rubbing the back of her head Thalia got up. 'What's happening?' she wondered, 'that wall wasn't there before, I must have turned down the wrong hall.'

When she turned around her hand brushed up on a piece of metal. She stopped and ran her hand over it again. It was a brass doorknob. SHe could feel the age in this door. She slowly tried to push open the door. It jammed. She pushed her shoulder on the door and gave it a sharp jab.

The door gave way and she fell to the floor into a room that was nothing but darkness. She let out a startled cry as a brush of cold air swished around her. Thalia rubbed her eyes in hope to rid the darkness and bring in the light. It had worked when she opened her eyes she realized she could see a little better in the ever boding darkness and what she did see scared her.

A woman who wore nothing but shadows stood before her eyes a soft brown. Her whole body seemed to glow as she reached out to Thalia and spoke. All the while looking into Thalia's piercing green eyes.

A voice that sounded like nothing but broken shards of glass, howled in her ear, "Thank you for freeing me from my long imprisonment." This sent a chill into Thalia's bones. She hadn't expected the woman's voice could be so chilling.

The woman pushed Thalia aside as she made her way outside the door. It took Thalia a while to realize what was happening. She quickly cast a spell on the door that created an electric fence around the woman.

The woman laughed as she spoke in a more soothing voice, "now Thalia do you really think that these binds can hold me? You of all Shadow keepers should know better."

Thalia stared out in horror as the woman broke free of her spell. "No!" was all Thalia could say as the woman walked out the door and disappeared in the darkness.

Thalia woke up screaming in the light of early morning. "Calm down Thalia." Her red-headed roomate Rose shook her awake.

Tears streamed down Thalia's face as she held on to Rose who now seemed to look shocked. Rose knew something had happened to Thalia was wrong because Thalia never cried.

Rose looked At her and said softly, "Explain..."