Last time: And if Rythian's anger lasted that long, then it would be the last time she would ever be allowed back at Blackrock Stronghold.

Rythian stayed sitting there in the lounge, unmoving for a couple of hours. His anger was still there but not as bad as before. A lot of it was replaced with pain and betrayal. The sun was beginning to rise and Rythian stayed sitting there, his eyes staring but not seeing. Then he heard the front door open and he turned to see Zoey walking into the lounge. She jumped when she saw Rythian sitting there, "Oh, hey Rythian. You scared me. Why are you up this early?" She asked. Her voice sounded so carefree, completely oblivious to the fact that Rythian knew. The poor girl.

"Oh, I never went to sleep." Rythian said, his voice eerily calm. "No, you see I found it hard to sleep knowing that my former apprentice and friend was lying to me." He said, his voice still calm.

Zoey's whole demeanor changed. The light mood that had surrounded her very being left. Almost like a switch being turned off. It was replaced with a feeling of fear. However, it never touched Rythian. The feeling slid past him, like water passing over a rock. "What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to play dumb.

"Oh, just the fact that you betrayed me." Rythian said, propping his head up with his hand. He paused, "So how is Duncan these days? I heard you and him were very close." Rythian said, his eyes narrowing. His anger was beginning to build again, and the betrayal was still there. However he kept his voice calm.

Zoey looked flat-out terrified now, "No Rythian you don't understand-"

"Oh no I understand just fine. Science is much easier to use." Rythian said, his voice dripping with harsh sarcasm.

"No no no no no no, Rythian please. Just trust me-" Zoey pleaded.

"Trust you?" Rythian asked standing up, "How can I trust you? You've been running off to Duncan for who knows how long and been lying to me. I find it very hard to trust you." He said.

"Please Rythian. I'm still your apprentice, see?" She said, showing him her rings. "I still use magic. I'm still your apprentice. Please, Rythian, please."

"I thought you said, magic was 'overly destructive'. Besides you're not my apprentice anymore, your Duncan's. Remember? I don't think your master of science would approve of you saying that." Rythian said, crossing his hands over his chest.

"No please Rythian. I'm still your apprentice. You don't understand. Please just let me explain. Please Rythian, don't hate me." Zoey pleaded.

Rythian looked slightly surprised for a moment, "I don't hate you Zoey. I just... I don't know, but I don't hate you."

"Yes, so that means I'm still your apprentice. Yay, nothing has to change, I'm still your apprentice. Yay." Zoey said, a forced smile on her lips.

"No that's not how it works. I wish it worked like that, but it doesn't." Rythian said, looking at her.

"Just let me explain, Rythian. I've been going to Duncan and Sjin-" Zoey pleaded staring at him, desperation in her eyes.

"Sjin too!?" Rythian screamed in disbelief.

"I think I could have phrased that better." Zoey said, shrinking back.

"I really don't think anything you say will make the situation different." Rythian said, scoffing. "You lied to me. You betrayed me."

"No, I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you the truth." Zoey defended.

"So lied." Rythian said again.

"Well, you never asked if I was sneaking off to go visit Duncan." Zoey said.

"No but I did ask where you going and you lied to me and said it was nothing. This is not nothing, this is something." Rythian said, trying not to scream. "I mean, I trusted you. I thought..." He paused. "I never should have gotten an apprentice. This was a mistake, I should have stayed alone." Rythian muttered, turning away from Zoey.

"Please just let me explain. I can go get Tee and he can vouch for me that I-"

"Tee was in on this too!?" Rythian screamed.

Zoey shrunk back, "I may have told him."

Rythian flew to Teep's watchtower, Zoey close behind. He walked into Teep's room and saw him looking out the ledge. "Tee." Rythian said as calmly as he could, "Did you know where Zoey was dissapearing to?" Teep looked between Rythian and Zoey several times, before he looked to the floor. "Teep, you knew?" Rythian said, hurt obvious in his voice. Teep looked up at him and nodded. Rythian scoffed, "I guess I really can't trust anyone." He said, more to himself than to them. He flew to the front of Blackrock knowing Zoey would follow. When she landed he turned around to face her, "Zoey I think it would be best if you took Teep and left." He said, not meeting her eyes, afraid he would change his mind if he did.

"What?" Zoey asked, her voice cracking.

He closed his eyes not having the strength to look at her, "It's obvious you don't care about this, or me or magic. So I think it would be best if you took Teep and left Blackrock. It's obvious you don't want to be here." A second passed before he opened his eyes and saw that she had already left. "Well, I guess that answers that." He said, before walking inside. "I guess... I'm alone again." He said, trying to ignore all the emotions that radiated through out his body.

*Zoey*

"Zoey I think it would be best if you took Teep and left." Rythian said, not looking into her eyes.

Zoey tried her best to keep the tears from falling. "What?" Her voice cracked.

She watched him close his eyes, "It's obvious you don't care about this, or me or magic. So I think it woud be best if you took Teep and left Blackrock. It's obvious you don't want to be here." She nodded knowing he wouldn't see but not trusting her voice. She flew to Teep's tower and walked in handing him a jetpack she had in her pack. No use trying to hide it now. She thought to herself.

"Come on, Tee." She said, trying not to cry. Why do I want to in the first place? I shouldn't care. She thought. Teep looked at her with a confused expression, "Rythian doesn't want us here." She explained. "Come on, we'll go to Lalna's." She said, as he put the jet pack on. "It's probably the only place we're welcome anyway." She muttered thinking back to her time at Sipsco.

*Flashback*

"So, Zoey." Sips said. "Why are you here exactly?"

"Oh, Nilesy told me about your poolboy position. I thought it was the perfect job for me." She said, lying through her teeth. Her actual purpose there was information and the job was the perfect way in.

"Oh, well let me get Sjin." Sips said, walking to a building with tanks of lava. She saw them talk and then she saw Sjin smile. He looked like a nice guy, but she knew better.

They both walked over, "Hey Zoey." Sjin said, waving.

"Hello, Sjin." She said, waving back.

"Follow us." They said, leading her into a building labeled interview room. Sips lead her up some stairs and she stared warily into the hole they had. "Just go in." Sips insisted.

"Uh, okay." She said, dropping into the hole. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out what was going to happen. They stood in front of buttons, and asked her questions. She got a lot of them right, so she was still in the top box but then they asked the last question. Or to be more specific, Sjin asked the last question.

"Ok, the last question. If, hypothetically, one of our enemies came over and tried to blow up our pool, what would you do?" He asked, a glint in his eyes.

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "Well, who are your enemies? Just so I can know what their weakness is." She elaborated.

"Rythian." He said, a small smile on his lips.

She paused, and looked at Sjin. He knows, She thought to herself. "Well, I would..." She paused thinking it over.

Sjin pressed his button, "You wouldn't have time to think about it."

"Hold on Sjin, I'm curious to see what she would do." Sips said, turning back to Zoey.

"I would try and negotiate." Zoey said quicker.

They both pressed the button and she dropped down into another hole, "We are very violence friendly. You know, shoot first, ask questions later." Sjin said, while Sips nodded. Zoey looked around the small space and looked at them, "So, one more question... You have any last words?" He asked, while Sips and Sjin laughed.

She sighed and looked around in her pack, "Yah, I do actually." She had a few things in there that could have been some use, but she was searching for a certain thing. "There it is." She muttered to herself. She took out the destruction catalyst she had borrowed from Rythian. She used it on the glass and Sips freaked out. She looked at Sjin with her dark matter pickaxe in hand and said, "Well, it was a pleasure but I've got to go."

Sjin smiled at her, "Send my regards to Rythian."

*Flashback Ended*

They both flew to Duncan's Castle in silence. Zoey typed in the code and they walked in. They found Lalna in the chest room and Zoey pushed down the tears that threatened to spill over. , "Hey Lalna." Zoey managed to get out.

Duncan turned around, "Zoey, what are you doing here?" Duncan asked when he saw her.

Zoey quickly thought up a lie, "Um, some creepers blew up our house."

"Oh, well you both can stay here if you want." Duncan said. "There are some extra beds somewhere in these chests."

To anyone who didn't know Duncan, they would think he was a good guy. However Zoey knew him, and she knew better. Duncan of course didn't know this. He also didn't know what Zoey's original intention was. Really no one did. Sjin didn't know. Rythian surely didn't know. The only one that had an idea of what Zoey was actually doing was Teep, and he couldn't really tell anyone. Zoey's secret affairs were sealed tight. At first she thought of this as a strength, but now... she wasn't so sure.

Hello! Let me know what you think of it so far. So yah, review and Enjoy the story! :)