Chapter 26:

~SARALYN~

At last, everything in life was in perfect alignment. Danny and I were finally together, Sam and Aaron were together, and Tucker... well, he's still Tucker. The following Sunday afternoon, I rushed over to the hill, where everyone sat around being bums.

"Guys! Guys! Guess what?!" I said.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Sam said. "Did you fly all the way here?"

"Yes, and I might be running on 3 hours of sleep, but that's because I have something exciting to tell you! So, you know my Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Carl?"

They all nodded.

"Well, I talked to my parents..." I said. "and they said that I could stay with them in Amity Park!"

"Really?!" Smiles lit up their faces.

"Yup! They said that I could stay until I graduate senior year! You know, as long as I visit them on holidays, school breaks, etcetera, etcetera, but I CAN STAY!"

We fell into a giant group hug and jumped in excitement.

"This is so great." Danny said. A blush slowly crept on his cheeks. "We can stay together."

"Yeah…" I said. "There's just one thing…"

"What?"

"I'm going to need some help packing and carrying my stuff…"

Danny rolled his eyes and pushed me away, but the smile on his face stayed.

~THIRD PERSON POV~

"GAH!" Vlad let out a frustrated cry and launched a violet ghost ray at the wall. A few of his servants ducked, some scrambled to safety. "Curse that Clockwork! Curse Skulker! Curse everyone!"

He shot another ghost ray that collided with a vase, frightening his cat, Maddie. She hissed and scurried underneath the desk.

Vlad let out a deep breath through his nose and rubbed his face with his hands.

"No matter. My plans are falling through, and the exception of the ghost brats will not faze me." he said. The servants glanced at each other behind his back. "I will just have to find a new minion. Someone who will obey my orders no matter what. Someone who can get the job done."

The tension in the air intensified as a bolt of dark purple lightning exploded in the room. Vlad's servants screamed as they suddenly disappeared. Cat Maddie hissed and shrunk deeper inside the desk. Vlad covered his eyes with his arm. He looked up, a pang of terror echoing from his eyes. A portal of dark purple warped in front of him.

"Who are you?!" he said in a voice more demanding than his body language.

"We seek the same thing: power." the voice spoke no English, but instead a combination of noises from different ranges of pitch that made Vlad's skin crawl. Yet he understood what it said. "I can give you that."

From the portal, a man's hand reached out for Vlad. Vlad stepped back.

"What are you?" Vlad said.

"I am what gods fear. The deepest of darkness bows before my feet. I am Dumaya." the distortion said. "Come to me, Masters. Come with me, and I will lead you to your destiny."

A smile slowly formed on Vlad's face. He stepped forward, hesitating for the slightest second, and clasped the creature's hand.

-6 MONTHS LATER-

Vlad sat at his desk with a bitter look on his face. He pressed a button on his desk and a teenage girl who stepped into the room. She dressed in black jeans, a long sleeve black peplum top, a cropped burnt sienna flight jacket, and white combat boots rode in on a high-tech board. A racer helmet covered her head. She reached up and removed it, shaking her long, curly, blonde hair. She had fair skin and golden eyes.

"You called, Vlad?" the girl said, resting her helmet on her hip. Her voice sounded as if two were speaking at the same time, a teenage girl and a demon.

"Yes, child." Vlad said. "My purpose for you is finally coming to pass. I have a task for you..."

The girl bore a wicked grin, nodded, and bolted out of the room, leaving Vlad with a renewed smile on his face. He grasped his hands behind his back and walked over to the window of his study. He peered out and watched people walk and drive by before his eyes, ignorantly going through the tedious routines of their pathetic lives.

Vlad raised his right hand up to his face. It glowered with darkness. A smile formed on his face, of which the term "sinister" would be sugarcoating it.

"Trust me when I say this, Heroes." Vlad muttered under his breath, returning his gaze to the outside world. Hatred radiated in his eyes. "This is only the beginning. The goddess can only hide from me for so long. You cannot stop me from my destiny. You've had your turn, and now it's mine. And trust me... It's about to get a whooooole lot worse."

TO BE CONTINUED...