Hey guys! Sorry about the lateness of my updates lately. I know I'm being really unreliable, and many of you have asked if I'm giving up on this story. I will definitely NOT be doing that. I'm gunna finish this baby if it kills me! (Albeit slowly…)

I have good news and bad news. The good news is: I'm gunna be writing another fanfic when this one is done. [Insert some sort of "yay" or groan here] It'll definitely be long and probably be rated T or higher. The bad news: I'm probably not going to be writing a sequel to The Finding.

Sorry guys. I just feel like there's no point considering The Reckoning's out and was utterly AMAZING! (Just sayin'). Also, a lot of the things I covered in The Finding were like, almost exactly what happened in The Reckoning, so it's sorta the same thing… Anyways, the new fic will definitely be a continuation of TR, starting a few months after the ending. Lemme know what you think!

On a completely unrelated note (not really) PM me if you wanna talk about what happens in The Reckoning (or favourite parts / quotes. Anything, really! I need someone to go all "OMG!" with :D).

One last thing: Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you guys and your amazing reviews to keep me going! Thank you so much!

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Disclaimer: Steph's being over-using a certain phrase lately…

Christina: And then I said, "You're doing it wrong! You have to--"

Steph: THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!

Christina: *Shakes head*
No, that is not what she said! She would NEVER say things like that!

Steph: Yes she would! You don't know her like I know her!

Christina: Oh yeah?

Steph: Yeah!

Christina: Well you know what else she said? She said that you don't own Darkest Powers!

Steph: *At a loss for words*
She said that? Really?
*Tears up*

Christina: *Bored*
Yupp. Right to my face, too. And she told me she hopes you never write another DP fanfic again, because they always suck. AND, she said Derek was a pitiful excuse for a werewolf. She said he was half the man that Jacob is…

Steph: *Suddenly infuriated*
Well… you know what? She was always a whore anyway, so I don't care!
*Storms off*

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Allies

Part I

We must rely on ourselves and on others. More on ourselves, but we must trust those around us – our allies. They enlighten us, deliver us, guard us… we must never let them down, lest we face the world alone.

-Anonymous

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My head was pounding.

Not your run-of-the-mill, everyday type of pounding either. This was like Bambam-taking-his-freakishly-oversized-club-and-beating-you-over-the-head-with-it-repeatedly pounding.

What the hell happened? I wondered, pressing my palm to my forehead and groaning softly.

"Awake yet, princess?"

My eyes shot open at the sound of a girl's voice, but the rest of my body refused to move and I remained motionless as she continued to speak. "About time, too, considering it's been 2 days… those idiots must've given you enough drugs to knock out a friggin' horse."

I blinked, trying to clear my mind and get my bearings. My head was still pounding incessantly, the pain -amplified by the presence of the harsh white light coming from somewhere above my bed – keeping me from being able to concentrate on what the girl was saying behind me.

Suck it up. You need to figure out what's going on.

"W-who are you?" I asked, turning to look at the girl at the other end of the room. I was shocked by what I saw - she had hair the colour of black ink, defined cheekbones, pale white skin and a slender build – she looked like she belonged on an ad for some preppy clothing store, not resting her head against the wall in our desolate cell…

"Stop gawking; it makes you look brain-dead."

"Huh?" I snapped out of it then, blushing because she'd caught me staring like an idiot.

She sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you'd better not be a dumbass, blondie, or I'm going back to solitary."

"Wh-who are you?" I stammered for the second time. "And where are we?" I added, ignoring her comments and pausing to study my surroundings – white-wash walls, hardwood floors, a white door, no windows; our beds were all I could see around me that weren't white, save for a half open door at the other end of the room.

"Well, for starters, you're in Davidoff's office," she said with an air of barely-concealed boredom.

I swore under my breath. "So they caught me?" I asked lamely, struggling to remember what'd happened.

She chuckled quietly to herself before responding. "Yeah, and from what I've heard, it wasn't that hard to do…" I glared at her until my head began to spin again. When it did, I lowered it into my hands and rested that way, still trying to recall the events of the night I'd been captured. It was almost impossible to think through the haze of whatever was clouding my brain, so I gave up after a few minutes and decided to try getting what information I could out of my less-than supportive cellmate.

"They drugged me, didn't they?"

She laughed. "I believe I already made that quite clear. Does 'enough to knock out a friggin' horse' ring a bell?"

"Can you try not to be sarcastic for a second?" I snapped. The sound of her voice was making my head pound like a war-drum, and when coupled with the mental block I was suffering from… I wasn't feeling my best.

"Sure, princess. Whatever you want."

I ignored her sarcasm and tried one last time. "Who are you?"

"Name's Tori. I'm the resident bitch… or your worst nightmare. It really all depends on how shitty dinner is." I didn't respond, just breathed deeply and closed my eyes again. Great. She seems like a lovely person.

"And you're Chloe," she stated knowingly. "The way they described you… well, I kinda figured you'd be taller - being the 'big, bad necromancer' 'n all..."

I forgot about my headache for a moment and turned to face her again. "How do you know about that?" I demanded.

She rolled her eyes again. "Calm down. Everyone in this shithole's a supernatural – we all know your dirty little secret." She winked, and for a moment I thought she was talking about everything that'd happened between Simon and Derek…

Simon and Derek! My brain flipped into overdrive, and my thoughts suddenly became much clearer, any leftover trace of incoherence evaporating immediately. Could they be here as well? They have to be, if Davidoff's the one who kidnapped them… I looked around again, foolishly hoping to find a way out of the tiny cell.

No such luck.

"What is this place?" I asked, shifting my position on the bed so I could speak to—did she say her name was Tori? I looked around again, noticing for the first time the electronic components attached to the doorknob. "Why do they have us locked up like this?"

Her expression became somber, and her forehead wrinkled in what I imagined must've been frustration. "Hasn't anyone told you what's going on, princess? We're in here because there`s a war going on, and we just happen to be on the wrong side."

"Wr-wrong side…? The Edison Group is winning?" I asked incredulously.

"Either that or the good guys are all starting to look exactly like … you really had no idea what was going on, did you? Where have you been all this time? In a box? Living under a rock? All the supernaturals know what's going on except you!"

"Seems like it," I mumbled, embarrassed by my lack of knowledge.

"Seriously… what happened to you? How do you not know about all this?" she asked, her tone softening. I was tempted to mumbled some feeble response and tell her to forget about it, but something about the genuine concern in her voice made me want to tell her, tell someone about what'd led me to where I was now…

I began by giving her a brief summary of the events leading up to my capture, skipping anything that had to do with any romantic involvement between Simon, Derek, and I. She nodded at all the correct times, so when she asked me to go into more detail, I did, expanding on what I'd told her before. I told her about the therapy sessions, the secrets, the lies - not excluding anything except the drama about Derek and Simon. By the end of it all, I felt both relived and anxious – had I really just told my life's story to a complete stranger?

Don't worry about that. Cellmates always talk about their pasts in prison...

By the time I realized I'd zoned out, Tori had made her way over to my end of the room and planted herself directly in front of me on the itchy comforter. The look on her face was both sad and worried as she stared at me, and I could feel myself becoming more anxious by the second. "What?" I finally asked, watching as my words registered and caused her to back up.

She sighed melodramatically and met my eyes again. "Nothing, it's just…" she swore loudly before continuing, "…it's just that you're so-- I mean, first your parents, then Davidoff makes you think you're crazy, and now this, on top of everything else? You had absolutely no chance at a normal life! It`s heartbreaking, really."

"Um… thanks for caring, I guess?" I offered, confused about what to do – I hadn't had much practice socializing with girls my own age, so it was a little difficult trying to figure out what she'd meant.

"Okay, okay. Enough about your messed up life; tell me about your boyfriend!"

"They told you I had a boyfriend?" I asked, wondering why they would bother telling her something so trivial about me. Had they told her about the situation with Simon and Derek, or had they just mentioned it in passing?

"Yeah right! They don't tell me anything around here – I usually have to charm it out of the guards." She winked suggestively, and I cringed internally at the thought of her having to flirt with grown men for information. "But no, they didn't tell me. It was pretty easy to figure out, actually. You're the type of girl that attracts boys like bees to honey – blonde hair, blue eyes, and oh so delicate!" She swooned dramatically, making me feel like more of an idiot than I'd ever felt before in her company.

"I'm not like t-that!" I argued, hoping to salvage some miniscule piece of my wavering dignity.

She chuckled. "You are, trust me. Even if you're not trying to be, there's always gunna be guys there, ready to rescue the 'damsel in distress'."

"That's--"

She cut me off with her hand. "So, what's your boy-toy like? Is he tall? Short? Sweet? Hot? Overprotective? Or is he more of the Robert Pattinson, 'look at me, I'm brooding and sexy!' type?"

I looked around the room, desperate for any type of delivery from this nightmare. We're locked up like wild animals and she wants to talk about boys? After searching the room – unsuccessfully – again for a distraction, I reluctantly returned my gaze to Tori. I exhaled and laid back on my flat pillows, trying to think of a way to give her what she wanted without sounding like an idiot again.

"I… to be honest with you, I don't even know if he is my boyfriend…" I admitted sadly.

"Why not?" she asked, her left eyebrow raised at me.

"It's complicated," I sighed, hating how cliché I sounded.

"It's never complicated, Chloe… has he kissed you yet?"

"Y-yeah, but--"

"Did he tell you he loved you?"

"He tried," I mumbled, amazed that I was telling her all of this. Was I that starved for attention, or was I just looking for advice from someone who understood the female thought process?

"Tried?" she asked, confused.

"I wouldn't let him. He was leaving, and I--"

"Leaving? So it was like a tragic-farewell type 'a deal?" She placed her hands over her heart and winked again, but I ignored it.

"If you're not gunna take this seriously, then I'm not going to tell you," I warned.

She rolled her eyes. "I'll be good, I promise. Now, tell me what he looks like!" she begged. "Is he extremely yummy, or the boy-next-door type? Is he smart? What do your friends think about him?" I hadn't told her who it was, thinking she might not approve, but there was no getting around it now.

"He's… well, he has green eyes…?" I offered, wondering how I was going to describe Derek to her without making him sound like a guy on the cover of a Harlequin novel.

"And..? You need to gimme more than that, Chloe! I've been in here for a while – 'he has green eyes' isn't going to cut it!"

"A while?" I asked, feeling anxious again. "How long's a while, exactly?"

"That's not important. Now, continue with your description!"

Someone needs to get their priorities straight.

"He has dark brown hair, and he's really tall…" I trailed off lamely, wondering how much she wanted to know.

"Does he know about all of this?" She gestured to our cell, which I took as 'does he know about you being a supernatural?'.

"Yeah, he knows. He's a part of it."

"You're dating another supernatural?!" she asked, her eyes wide.

"We're not really dating…" I mumbled, trying to calm her down.

"Who is it?" she demanded, ignoring me. "I know every single supernatural in the area. What's his name?"

"His name's D-Derek…"

"You're dating your best friend?" she inquired, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"We're not dating!" I repeated, feeling helpless. "Don't we have more important things to talk about, Tori? Like how we're trapped in a cell somewhere with no chance of escape?"

She ignored me again. "Lemme get this straight… you're dating your best friend, who also happens to be a werewolf?"

"That's the gist of it, I guess…"

She looked at me and nodded slowly. "I'm gunna be honest with you Chloe – that is probably one of the most messed-up situations I've ever heard about. Do you have any idea how messed up your kids will be?"

"Who said anything about kids? We're not even officially dating, for God's sakes!"

"Whatever... So, where's wolf-boy now? Shouldn't he be charging in to rescue you or something?" she asked, sarcasm colouring her tone.

"I'm pretty sure he's locked up here somewhere," I admitted, sitting up. "He went out to search for his dad and his brother, but he never came back. Then, when I talked to my mom, she said--"

"You… talked to your mom? As in your late mother?"

"Yeah… I'm a necromancer, remember?"

"It's not that, it's just… necromancers aren't supposed to be able to contact dead relatives. How'd you get around that?"

I stared at her, the hair on the back of my neck standing up. "I d-didn't… I didn't do anything! I've been talking to her since I was t-ten years old…" Tori stared at me, eyes wide with fear and something else… understanding? She swore colourfully and ran her fingers through her hair. "No wonder they put us together," she whispered. "They're rounding us up; getting ready for--"

"Getting ready for what? What's going on?"

"I knew it! They're gunna use herd us like sheep, and then they're gunna use us to end this thing!" She was talking to herself now, having completely forgotten that I was in the room.

"Tori, what's going on?!" I grabbed her arm, hoping to snap her out of it, but she recoiled from my touch. "Tori, answer me right n--" the sound of a lock opening froze me in place. Someone was turning the handle to our cell, and the electronic locks appeared to be unlocking one by one. Tori snapped out of it, her eyes widening again. She scrambled off my bed and rushed back to her side of the room.

"Act natural, and agree with whatever he says!" she hissed at me.

"Who?"

"Davidoff, you idiot! Just agree with whatever he says!"

The door opened then, mockingly slowly – just like in the movies, except there were no sound effects or fog coming through and obscuring the villain's face. It was Dr. Davidoff, looking as chipper as he has when I'd first started therapy. "Chloe!" he exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy to see me. "I'm so glad to see you're awake!" He stepped forward and closed the door behind him, looking from Tori's side of the room to mine. He gave her a half-hearted smile before turning back to me. "I see you've met Victoria. We know you two will be best friends in no time at all," he said, using his 'hello there, little girl!' voice.

"Definitely!" Tori agreed. "Chloe's really great. We're going to be BFF's for sure!" I wanted to roll my eyes, but thought better of it. I could tell Tori was trying to kiss up to Dr. Davidoff, which meant that he held a lot of power in here; it'd be beneficial for me to play along and get in his good graces again.

"Definitely!' I agreed. "In fact, I was just telling Tori about Simon and Derek, and she says she can't wait to meet them!" I prayed Tori would play along, even if it was only because she wanted to check Derek out for herself.

She smiled. "Could I, Dr. D? There aren't any other guys around here, and I really want to make some new friends… plus, I've never met a werewolf before!" She batted her eyelashes a little, and I had to work hard to resist the urge to roll my eyes at her.

Davidoff looked uncertain. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, girls. Derek and Simon are having trouble… adjusting. It might be counter-productive, letting you see them now..." he said, making a puppy-dog face.

Gag me now…

"Chloe and I could talk to them and tell them how great it is here!" Tori chirped excitedly. "They'll definitely listen to Chloe, and I can tell them all about how awesome it is here! I promise you, we can get them to behave, Dr. D!"

Davidoff looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Thank you for being so helpful, Victoria!" He ruffled her hair affectionately, the turned to go. "I'm glad you're being understanding, Chloe. I really think you'll come to love it here," he said, smiling at me before opening the door. "I'll be back later to take you girls to see them!" he promised, the door slamming shut behind him.

I let out the breath I'd been holding in, relieved that he was gone and that my plan had worked. I was about to say something, but Tori shushed me and pointed to the bathroom door. I got up and followed her in, closing the door behind us.

"The room's bugged?" I asked, turning to face her. She was sitting on the counter and picking at her nails looking bored.

"I'm not sure, but you can never be too safe - I wouldn't put it past those guys, either…"

I nodded. "We have to get out of here, Tori. This is nuts! And speaking of 'nuts', what were you talking about before Davidoff came in?" I sat down on the edge of the bathtub and waited for her to tell me.

She looked up from her nails. "I wasn't going to tell you because I wasn't sure, but after what you told me about your mom…" she got off the counter and stood in front of me with her arms crossed, "I need you to listen to me, okay? Don't freak out when I tell you this, or we're screwed – I'm not supposed to know."

"Okay…"

"We're test-tube babies. They basically manufactured us using our parents' DNA, except they added their own little twist…"

"Who?" I asked, seriously doubting her credibility. Test-tube babies? That can't be true…

"Who do you think? The Edison Group, of course - they 'created' us - we're their perfect little specimens."

"Specimens? What'd they do to us? Feed us nitrogen-flakes and gamma rays?" This was sounding crazier every second.

"No, you idiot! They tweaked our DNA! They say it was to help make our powers easier to control, but in reality, they were just looking to use us for their own twisted gains."

"What do you mean?"

She looked around nervously and dropped her voice to a barely-audible whisper. "This war's been going on for a long time. The Edison Group thought it was time they did some R&D in the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction" department… and we're what they came up with," she said gravely.

"Are you kidding me?! They want to use us to win this war for them? Are they crazy?!"

"I don't know, but somehow they amplified our powers; they think if they promise to help us gain control over them, we'll do their dirty work for them."

"That's just--"

"Wrong, I know. But don't worry – my mom is gunna rescue us. She's one of the leaders of the rebellion, so it's just a matter of time now."

"Tori, we can't just wait around for your mom to come swooping in and rescue us – we have to come up with a plan to escape!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing - she wanted us to sit around and do nothing?

"Chloe, I trust my mom. She said she would do whatever it took to get me back safe, and I believe her, so I'm gunna do what she says. I'm not making any plans."

"That makes no sense, Tori! We need to have a back-up plan!"

"Having a back-up plan implies that you expect to fail. My mom won't fail us, Chloe."

"Tori, that makes no--" The sound of the door opening cut me off, and I tensed, waiting for whoever it was to make their presence known.

"Girls?" Dr. Davidoff called. "Are you ready to go?"

Tori gave me a look that said, 'we'll talk about this later!' and pushed me out the door, plastering a smile on her face before we emerged in the other room. "Sorry about that, Dr. D! I was just showing Chloe how the shower worked," she said, sounding like the poster-child for cotton candy, rainbows, and happy unicorns.

"Thank you, Victoria! I'm glad you girls are getting along so well. Now, are you ready to go see the boys?"

"Sure are!" she said, elbowing me in the ribs.

"Yeah, we're ready to g-go!" I said, smiling as well, glaring at Tori when Davidoff wasn't looking.

"Good! Let's get going… I have a surprise for you girls when you get back," he said, looking mischievous and creepy.

Eww. No thank you. You can keep your 'surprises' to yourself, thanks.

We followed him out the door of our cell.

***

Dr. Davidoff led us along a long hallway lined with doors like the one to our cell, the electronic locks gleaming, mocking us as we passed. We came to a stop outside the 2nd door from the end of the hall and Davidoff moved to shield the lock before inputting the code. We could hear the locks opening, and after a few seconds of waiting, the door swung open with a groan.

We stepped in, not making a sound.

I almost cried with relief when I saw them. Simon was on his bed sketching, while Derek was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, his expression deadly.

"Chloe?!" Simon sprung up from his bed and ran towards me, pulling me into a hug. I hugged him back as tightly as I could, glad that he was okay and that he didn't seem to be angry at me anymore.

"Simon! I missed you so much, you idiot! Why would you run away like that? You scared the crap outta me!"

He stepped back and smiled crookedly. "Sorry… I wasn't thinking, I guess."

Davidoff laughed from the doorway, his hand on the doorknob. "I think I'll leave you children to talk. Knock on the door when you want to return to your room, girls."

"Thanks, Dr. D!" Tori called, the door closing before she could finish. She turned around and crossed her arms, aware of the tension in the air already. "So… I'm assuming you're Derek?" she said, looking him over and turning to me. "Not bad, but he'd be much better looking without the scowl… how 'bout a smile, big guy?"

Neither Simon nor I said anything; we knew when Derek got like this, he was usually about 5.624 seconds away from exploding. Tori didn't, but we couldn't tell her that now...

"Who the hell are you?" Derek demanded, looking livid.

"Name's Tori, though I'm sure you don't care. What's your problem, wolf-boy? Cat got your tongue?"

I stepped in front of her, stopping Derek from retorting. "She's my cellmate," I explained, wondering why he was acting like this. "What's wrong with you, Derek?"

I searched his eyes for an answer, but they were unreadable. "I told you not to come after me," he grumbled. "I told you not to follow me, Chloe! Why didn't you listen? Why do you never listen?!"

I stepped back, surprised by his angry tone – he wasn't yelling, but I could tell he was majorly pissed off.

"Excuse me? I said I'd give you two weeks to find Simon, and your two weeks were up! Plus, I told you to call me to check in, and you didn't! How was I supposed to know if you were all right? A friggin' ghost had to tell me that they'd captured you!" My anger was building as I spoke, and by the time I was done I was ready to scream at him.

Tori pulled me backwards. "Listen, wolf-boy… from what I've heard, they took her from her house, which means she wasn't safe where you left her in the first place; you have no right to lecture her!"

"No one asked you," he spat, earning himself a glare from Tori. She pushed me behind her and moved to stand in front of Derek, the anger radiating off her in waves.

"You think you scare me, tough guy? I've dealt with sorcerers double your size with one hand tied behind my back! Your attempts to intimidate me are laughable at best, in case you haven't realized that by now."

Tori and Derek glared at each other for a few minutes without saying a word; it was Simon who broke the silence.

"So you're a witch?" he asked tentatively. Tori maintained her defensive stance but turned to face Simon.

"Yeah, didn't you realize it when I walked in?"

"No…?"

"Guys, no offense, but don't we have more important things to worry about?" I said, trying to change the subject without being rude.

"Not in here," Tori hinted. "And only if this asshole is done yelling at everyone," she said, pointing to Derek. He was about to snap back, but I held my hand to silence him.

"Enough, Derek. We have more important things to talk about right now," I told him, letting my anger colour my tone. I left him standing there alone and made my way to the bathroom, not bothering to check if he was following me.

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A/N: There's part one! Part 2 should be up by the end of the week... Don't worry, it's already more than halfway done! I'm just waiting on reviews. (You know what that means, don't cha? REVIEW! :D)

So… here's an interesting fact: I was kinda freaked out when I found out, but apparently schizophrenia runs in my family on my dad's side.

ANYWAYS. Remember to review, 'cuz you never know… the lack of reviews might make me snap and then I won't be around to post the amazing ending I have planned…

REVIEW!!!