(Quinton) I slowly opened my eyes finding myself back in my own room. I wondered how I got here when I remembered what had happened. I met a little girl named Star and promised to remember her and be kind to her people, the Shadow Roamers. She must have used some sort of spell to send me here. After getting up, and getting dressed, I went to check on my brothers.

I walked up to Quattro's cream-colored door with gold lining, my shoes tapping at the tiled floor. I knocked at the door five times to show it was me, and heard a yawn and a moaning voice, "What do you want?"

I smiled secretly, as Quattro was acting like this was little more than a bad morning.

"Can you come out?" I asked through the door. I heard another yawn through the door with another moaning reply, "All right, I'm coming."

I patiently waited for Quattro to get ready. When he was, he opened the door with a sleepy expression. I gestured for him to follow, and we both went to Trey's room. Once the two of us were at the pale red door with dark red lining, I knocked five times at Trey's door. Trey, already dressed, opened his door rubbing his eyes. Clearly he woke up before Quattro or even I did. "Morning," he said tiredly.

Just then, we all heard somebody weakly calling for help from the largest room. My brothers and I rushed to the room, and what we saw shocked us. An enormous 69 was carved into the whole floor, with lines a foot thick. Objects were strewn all over the edges, as if something exploded in there. But what was in the center of the room made our breath catch in our throats. For there, lying on her side, with long, black hair fanned out behind her back, was Star's near-unconscious form.

"Star!" I shouted, running up to where she laid, my brothers in close pursuit. Promptly upset, I fell to my knees next to her fragile, emaciated frame. My brothers gathered around us both, clearly shocked at me knowing this girl. I gently turned her until she was lying on her back, her skin cold to the touch. I lifted her upper body as her head fell to my shoulder. Just by holding her, I finally realized just how visible her ribs were. I silently brushed her bangs out of the way, revealing her half-closed, jaded-green eyes. But there was also a scar that ran over her right eye and under the left.

I could already tell what had happened in here just by looking at the scene. And Star must have used a spell to send us to our rooms to ensure our safety from it. The 69 carved in the floor clearly indicated the presence of Heraldry Crest. The reason for everything in the room being scattered mainly on the perimeter meant that there was an explosion. I quickly followed the threads, easily getting the story: Star sent us to our rooms and faced off against our father's Number card, but the explosion that it caused carved into the floor and left her too weak to move on her own.

"You saved me and my brothers from our father, didn't you Star?" I asked in a whisper.

"Yes," she slowly rasped in reply. I smiled down at her, tears coming into my eyes. She seemed happy herself that the three of us were awake. In a relieved state, she slowly closed her eyes. Before she was completely unconscious, I whispered to her, "Thank you, Star."

"Brother," Trey inquired as he looked over Star, "How do you know this girl?"

That question made my mind wander to when I first saw her hovering in that space. Her ankle-length, midnight black hair formed a veil that wafted over her unnaturally thin body. Behind that veil was a pair of deep green eyes, jaded by years of trauma and poor treatment. And there were these marks on her body that glowed pale blue, some with a purple tint. I suddenly remembered that those weren't just marks; they were scars.

"Hey, bro," Quattro said, snapping his fingers at me, "How do you know her?"

I snapped out of my daze and gently picked her up bridal style. I carried her into a spare room in the house, placing her in the bed. All the while my brothers followed me, and stayed even after I sat down at Star's bedside. As soon as Star was tucked in, I told them about her.

"The girl's name is Star," I began, "She is a Shadow Roamer with a fair amount of power. Somehow, while we were asleep, she got inside the house. I think that while she was looking us over, she touched me. When Star did so, I found myself, and her, in a magic space. In that space, we were able to see each other's memories, and use telepathy.
"While we were in that space, Star told me what could happen if Vetrix tried to take her powers. Anyone who attempted to steal magic of her level would get caught in an explosion. That will happen if our father puts his plan into motion. He refuses to accept the fact that his plan could prove suicidal.

"Judging by the look of the room in which we found her, Star has shown what her people, the Shadow Roamers, truly are. I have a guess that at first she used a barrier to protect all of us. But the barrier proved not to be enough to stop what was coming. And I'm sure that the 69 carved in the floor explains what came: Heraldry Crest. I believe that Star used a portal to send us back to our rooms. She cared about us enough not to leave us at our father's mercy. Star even faced off against the Number; in our place, and by herself."

All the while, I was carefully caressing the girl's forehead, slowing down whenever I touched the scar. The scar looked a fair amount like a slash from some sort of blade. As I finished explaining, I heard Trey gasp at something, and he was looking at Star. I followed his gaze to find an old scar making a long arc up her left shoulder and neck. The scar was jagged and deep, as if a sharp object was thrown at her. What's more, it wasn't far from a critical artery in her neck. Not to mention that other scar planted diagonally between her eyes. Who knows how many scars Star conceals?

"She was abused," Trey whispered with his hand over his mouth, "Wasn't she?" I sadly nodded in reply, tracing the scar on her neck with a light finger. My other hand slipped under and gently clasped her own thin right hand. As I held her hand, I noticed how long and sharp her nails were. They were surprisingly well cared for, and appeared to be a good weapon for her whenever necessary. The girl was sleeping soundly in the warmth of the bed in which she was laying. Her breathing was steady and calm, even though her hand was cold and fragile.

Suddenly Quattro looked down and picked up a piece of paper from near his feet. He read through it silently, with Trey and me waiting patiently for his response. His eyes widened as he finished the note and turned it so we could see it. All he was able to say was, "It's from Shark."

It's been three days and Star still hasn't awoken yet. We've already told Shark about her, but he couldn't visit because of injuries from battling Dr. Faker. Our father also returned, but he doesn't want to take Star's powers anymore. Perhaps what Star foresaw was what would happen if our father won against Yuma, and he actually lost, thus losing his lust for power.

We've already had the Tenjo brothers come and visit Star. Kite seemed very intrigued at how much I cared for her. "I see you've taken a shine to this Star girl, Quinton," he mused while they visited, "But why?"

I was also rather confused at why I have grown fond of her. My silver hair and blue eyes were of stark contrast to her own black tresses and jade-like orbs. But for some reason, she feels very familiar to me, as if I've seen her before.

I kept looking at the black strands that shed from her dark veil. I remembered something back from when my brothers and I were growing up. We kept finding small, black "threads" on the floor, in a secluded corner of our living room every night. And I kept catching glimpses of a little girl out of the corner of my eye. Could Star be the same girl from all that time ago? If so, than she might know us far better than we know her.

Hopefully, when Star gets back to normal, we're going to introduce her to everyone properly. Yuma and Astral would most definitely welcome her to the group. But others of Yuma's friends might be rather skeptical until they know her more. All that we can do at the moment is wait for her to get better. Though, given Star's past and present condition, that may prove difficult.

In the middle of the night, I was holding Star's hand, sitting at her bedside. Then Star began to toss around, suddenly clutching my hand and whimpering in fear. I could feel that she was in a nightmare, though I don't know exactly how. All I know is that frightful scenes of being attacked by a switchblade, a cat-of-nine-tails, and a glass bottle rushed through my head. That must've been where she got the worst of her scars. I could easily believe what I saw of the glass bottle being thrown at her shoulder. I also can easily imagine a blade to the face could cause the scar that Star covers with her hair. I only see one scenario of why I haven't found a trace from the militant whip, and that I'd rather not figure out just yet. I remember feeling the deep grooves in Star's back when I held her, but I do not wish to know for sure until another time.

I placed my free hand on top of her head, feeling my warm hand on Star's warmed skin. I started to gently stroke her bangs and forehead. This appeared to work in calming her down, and she slowly relaxed and settled down. I silently ran my hand through her hair, smiling as she leaned into my touch. Afterward I rested my head beside hers on my arm and fell asleep.

The next day, I was still sitting there, waiting for her to wake. I was fond of the silence, and Star still slept peacefully in her bed. I listened to her quiet, even breathing that sounded completely free of fear. It relieved me a bit to know that she was safe from whatever abuse she was forced to endure. I was starting to doze a little, when I jerked awake at a weak female voice: "Where... where am I?"