Chapter 3

Opening her eyes, Catilin stared almost fearfully around her room-like prison. She had no idea if what she'd just experienced had been a dream or reality; she certainly felt as though it could have been either. After all, the Teen would have had the ability to Jump like that and if he was using Kasey to help him…

'It all could have been very real,' she stared down at her trembling hands, 'everything could have happened. It all could have been real,' leaning forward she clutched her hands to her chest. 'I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here now.'

For a few moments she found herself struggling to get her body to move. When she eventually managed to get to her feet, she almost immediately lost them again. There was a strange panicky fluttering in her stomach and a continual lurching of her heart that could only mean one thing. Pressing her back against the wall, she began tapping the tips of her middle fingers together. She then slowly allowed herself to slide down to the ground. She wanted to be able to make this feeling stop before she went any further. After all, no one would listen to her if she appeared to be as mad as they believed she was.

After a long stretch of minutes the lurching stopped and the fluttering settled into a deep rooted sickness. It wasn't a perfect calm, but it was good enough. Crawling her way back up to her feet, she slid against the wall towards the door. She then made her way out into the corridor and headed down towards the payphone she'd used before. There was something strangely comforting about the coldness of the wall as she continued to make her way along it. Something so comforting about the stillness of the ward around her. The dim lighting of the corridor. The humming of the few strip lights that remained on. It was all so comforting. Almost too comforting…

Snapping herself back to attention, she pulled away from the wall and rapidly covered the remaining distance to the payphone. She then took out what change she had left and dialled in the Kaibas number. She knew Nurse Guillyham had told her the Kaibas weren't there. That it had been someone else when she'd called. But she was just hoping the Nurse had been mistaken. That maybe she'd dialled the wrong number. That maybe…

'Hello,' someone at the other end of the line cut off the ringing with a sharply annoyed voice, 'do you have any idea what time it is?'

'Yes, I'm sorry Kaiba,' Catilin kept her voice calm and level.

'Kaiba? I think you've got the wrong number lady.'

'What? N-no this is the right number.'

There was an annoyed sounded grunt at the other end of the line, followed by a dial tone. Gritting her teeth, she replaced the handset and prepared to dial again. Before she could, however, she found Nurse Guillyham's hand on hers, stopping her.

'Now this is no way for youse t behave lassie. I told ya that number youse gave me was a wrong one, ya should have trusted may.'

'I… I…' Catilin stammered nervously, before swallowing hard. 'I had a bad dream,' she finished weakly.

'Poor lassie,' her face filled with a sympathetic look, 'but that's no reason for youse t be disturbing poor strangers in the middle of the night.'

'I…' she stammered again, 'I didn't know they were strangers. I… I couldn't remember. I… I…'

'Okay lassie,' the Nurse held up her hands in defeat, 'I understand ye. But I think it best if I take youse back to youse room now, mabbe give youse something to help ya sleep.'

'I… I'm n-not sure I want to… to go back to sleep.'

'I know bad dreams are scary lassie, but ya need some rest. Come on now, doctor's orders.'

'Okay…' she nodded hesitantly.

'Good lassie,' Nurse Guillyham smiled, 'you'll see, it'll all be fine now.'

The four of them had been arguing back and forth for nearly two hours now. There was something about the lack of interruption they were having which made Helen start to believe no rebellion could possibly be forthcoming. At least not that night. From the looks of the others, she couldn't help but think they were coming to the same conclusion. And why wouldn't they, the night was much too calm for… Suddenly she, False and Lus all let out simultaneous gasps of pain.

'What was that,' Lus chocked.

'Kisara,' False breathed strangely.

'What?'

'He's right,' Ni's voice was calm, but there was something about it which suggested he could feel the same level of pain the rest of them could, 'she the only person who could be that careless with an Unholy Hell ability.'

'A what?'

'Get a clue Lus,' False glanced towards him, 'Kisara is Power Limitless. She's just not very good at controlling it. Not that she's ever had much reason to learn how.'

'So what we felt was…'

'Just the beginning if she keeps using it,' Helen interrupted him. 'Without being able to control it her powers will affect everyone in the surrounding area.'

'It takes years of dedicated training for someone with Power Limitless abilities to control them precisely. Kissy was determined never to use them, and therefore…' False swallowed hard. 'If she keeps this up, everyone in this building will die.'

'Mann Standing,' Lus strained against his restraints, 'someone's got to stop her.'

'She might not realise she's affecting the rest of us,' False shook his head.

'That's exactly why someone has to stop her.'

'I'll go,' Helen volunteered.

'No,' all three of the others chorused.

'Of all of us you're the most vulnerable,' False sighed. 'The rest of us are powerful enough to be protected. I should go.'

'No,' Ni shook his head, then lifted a hand up towards Lus, 'he'll go.'

At Ni's words the chains holding Lus in place dropped away. Automatically Lus began rubbing his sore wrists, before rapidly making his way towards the door.

'Wait,' Ni's voice stopped him seconds before he was out of the door.

'What is it,' he turned back.

'You were right.'

'What?'

'You were right,' Ni repeated, 'now go.'

Kisara felt more than a little cold as she stood above his motionless body. She'd had no intention of killing him, but her inability to control her powers had led to a mistake and in her panic she was finding it difficult to tone her power back down again. Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself. There would be no way for her to turn her power off if she was stressed out about it, because Unholy Hell abilities fed off of heightened levels of tension and if you didn't know how to control it then… She shuddered to think what would happen, but the shuddering only raised her panic.

'Idiot,' someone hissed from behind her, as she felt an arm around her neck, 'this is too much power for you.'

At those words Kisara felt her power completely switch off. She tried to turn to see who was speaking to her, but her assailant held her too tightly to move.

'A child's Onchasen could control this power better than you; how does that make you feel?'

'Why should it concern me, Onchasen can easily master things the rest of us can't?'

'It should concern you, because you were born with this curse.'

'You consider it a curse?'

'Of course I do,' the arm around Kisara's neck loosened, 'but then I wasn't born with it and I've seen what it can do to a person. I know what kind of curse it can be for those unprepared for it. And you… you born to this power… you are unprepared for it.'