Mystic Rhythms

Part 3

Danse Danse Revolution

By Nick Maro

Sitting in the kitchen, Jetta listened to the man who authored the books she adored. Roxy half listened while she made coffee and tea, the older man explained the fundamentals of energy sources widely ignored by mainstream science. Willam Tolliver smiled as Jetta quoted his books almost word for word. He accepted the tea graciously from Roxy and added a bit of lemon in it.

Roxy placed Jetta's tea in front of the black haired drummer of The Misfits. Jetta kept talking without noticing. Roxy sipped her coffee and continued to watch the conversation quietly. She was brought out of her thoughts by Jetta's light nudging. She blinked once and smiled at Jetta. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Jetta let out a light giggle. "She's always like this in the mornin', Willam. Never fully awake till her first five cups of coffee." She giggled again. "I was tellin' Willam about the other night. When I ran into my room and vanished. He says that I accidentally shifted my body to another plane usin' what I learned in the books. What I think I did was I shifted reality around me to how I wanted. What do you think about that?"

Letting out a sigh Roxy stood up. "I dunno, Sheila. Sounds way too out there for me. I'd like to think you just found a good hiding place that night. It's just too weird the other way. Sounds too much like magic or some junk like that." She walked behind Jetta's chair and put her hands on her shoulders.

"That is exactly was Sheila did," Willam said softly. "Although I believe that magic is the wrong term to use. It's too mundane. It's a word that's too quickly associated with illusionist and tricksters." He sipped his tea again and continued. "Magick does exist, but it's not like how you see on television. It's an energy that's all around us but only a few people can control and only a select few who can truly master it. Magick is around us even now." He sipped his tea again.

"Sounds like you're talking about the Force here," Roxy said very glibly. "All I know is that Sheila vanished and reappeared and I don't know how the hell she did it. You can call it magick, the Force or alternate energy lifestyles, but I call it bullshit."

Willam smirked to himself. "Young lady, I believe it is time you were made to believe in magick." Before Roxy or Jetta could say a word William had vanished from his seat. Roxy jumped when he appeared behind her. He gave her a kind smile and a wink. "My apologies, but that was just a small sample of what you can do with the energies. They can be used for either kindness or destruction. It all depends on the person using them. Shall I explain in more detail?"

Roxy and Jetta both nodded which brought a wider smile to Willam's face. He explained to the two young women about energy control and redirection for several hours. When he finally left, both women had a greater understanding and Jetta could begin to willingly feel the energies. Roxy, however, couldn't. Deep down she was disappointed that power eluded her.

Willam Tolliver waved goodbye as he left the house and got into his car. It pulled away and his driver looked back. She had grim look on her face. "So, is she working for him?"

The face of Willam Tolliver faded to that of Richard Xanthos. He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know, Maeve. Sheila has the potential of becoming a powerful mage, but I don't think she'll ever reach it. I don't think Tolliver is directly involved with her, but I think we should keep an eye on her just in case." Richard watched out the window. "Let's head back home."

The gray sedan streaked back to Richard Xanthos' family home.

Bursting through the office doors, Rapture stormed up to the desk where Christine was sitting. She slammed her fist down on the desk in anger while Christine continued reading her paper ignoring the blonde singer. She finally spoke to her when Rapture made a scene of sitting down in a chair in theatrical anger. "If you're looking for Richard he's on his way back. He should be here in a few minutes. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to deal with your tantrum."

Rapture glared at Richard's assistant. "I'm not looking for Richard. I just need to get the hell away from those damned amateurs and idiots. I can't take their accusing glances and glares anymore. If anyone is a traitor is that damned Frick or Frack." She threw her hands up in frustration. "Or what the hell ever his name is! I don't trust him. I don't trust either of them."

Christine shrugged and booted up her laptop. She waited for it to load. "Do you remember Jeffrey Stephens at all?" Rapture gave her a confused look. "He was a young student of the Order. He was also placed in charge of guarding Tolliver. In any case he's dead. Richard found his body stuffed in the refrigerator in the house we were keeping Tolliver chained up. Jeffrey was guarding him in a meditative trance. He didn't require food or water.

"The other night Richard went out to the house in the Phantom Lands. He found the door smashed in and the door to the refrigerator was ajar." Christine loaded a program on her laptop. "He also scanned the cabin and discovered that Tolliver has been gone for several months, but the thing that stood out was that there were two aural patterns in the house that were non-magickal. These patterns belong to Giselle and Peter Dvorak. Richard tells me they're searching for Giselle's mother, Nadia. Now my question to you is what were they doing looking in the cabin that Tolliver was being held captive?" Christine went right to work with the program she was running.

Rapture thought about what Christine had told her for a few minutes. "The real question is why would someone say that Nadia was in the cabin? It's obvious that they weren't looking for Tolliver and just for Nadia. So is there a connection between Nadia and Tolliver?"

Christine smiled as she read a report. "This is exactly why Richard wanted you here with us. You make an excellent detective. Come on over and help me put this bitch of a puzzle together." She motioned for Rapture to sit next to her. The blonde grinned and sat next to Christine. Together they looked at the clues and tried to figure out where Tolliver was and why Danse went to the cabin where he was held prisoner.

Pizzazz took a deep breath and knocked on the office door of Jerrica Benton at Starlight Music. A faint voice told her to enter. She opened the door slowly and peeked her head in. "Hi Jerrica. I'm sorry to bother you if it's a bad time, but there was something I wanted to ask you." She noticed that Kimber was in the office as well. Pizzazz flashed her quick smile.

"Come on in, Phyllis. You know you're always welcome here." Jerrica stood and hugged her one time rival. "I was just talking with Kimber about paying you and The Misfits a visit. I know the both of us have been busy trying to run a company." She gestured to a chair. "Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, Jerrica." Pizzazz sat lightly on the arm of the chair. "But I'm here to ask your permission to borrow Rio to engineer our new album. Since he did such a great job on Rebirth, I just wanted to see if we could borrow his record producing magic for the new album."

Jerrica let out a light giggle. "Tell you what, you can ask Mr. Magic for yourself. He's in the studio right now checking out our equipment." She looked at Kimber and smiled. "I just realized you probably don't know the way there. Kimber can show you. Okay?" She sat down behind her desk and shuffled a few papers.

Kimber led Pizzazz down the hallway. She slowed her pace and walked next to lead singer of The Misfits. "So, any word from David in Japan? Are Yukio and Kyoko doing okay? What about Hitomi? Any word from her yet?" She bit her lower lip as she looked at Pizzazz expectantly.

"I heard from him a couple of days ago. Everyone is doing fine. Hitomi says hello and that she misses tearing up the malls with you. David seems at ease and is just getting the stress out of his system." Pizzazz scratched her neck in thought. "I missed you and Jerrica at Danse's ballet concert the other day. Where did you guys go?"

"Don't ask." Kimber muttered sounding annoyed but not at her. "For one thing I overslept and missed the whole damn thing. Jerrica was cooped up in her study checking the financial reports for Starlight Music and Starlight House. So I just went to the mansion and played with Karma and the Starlight Girls." She shook her head. "They're growing up on me. Soon they'll be able to run the foundation themselves. Mary wants to have a sleepover at our place one night."

Pizzazz nodded and listened as Kimber talked. "Tell me, where has Jem been? I saw her at concert and I forgot to ask."

"Oh, she was taking time off on the East coast. I'm telling you, Phyllis, she was getting some major burn out, but it looks like she's okay now. I'm probably going to rejoin them for this next album. I figure I can be in two bands at once." Kimber looked up at Pizzazz proud of herself. She stopped at a closed door. "Shit. We're here already. Just go in, the door is always open." She began walking down the hall again. "Oh hey, tell Mary I'll be home early and not to go anywhere. It's over due for her and me to raise some Hell." She waved to Pizzazz and jogged down the hall.

Before opening the door, Pizzazz thought about Kimber had said about Jem and Jerrica. She put the thoughts aside for later and opened the door. Rio was under some of the recording instruments and couldn't see who entered. He swore under his breath and held a hand out. "Hey, hand me the flathead screwdriver, please." Pizzazz found the tool and placed it carefully into his hand. "Thanks."

Rio pulled his hand back under the panel and grunted as he twisted the screw in. After a few minutes he slid out from under the control unit. He picked up his tools without looking up. "So what can I do for you now, Jerric—" Rio paused in mid-sentence when he saw Pizzazz standing before him. He gave his best apologetic smile. "Or should I say Pizzazz. So what can I do for you?"

Pizzazz helped Rio to his feet. "I just came to ask you for a favor. No, scratch that, I'm here to hire you to produce the new Misfits album if you're not too busy. I'm more than ready to pay you for your time and effort. Just name your price." She sat in a chair and crossed her legs.

"Why me? Why not Techrat and Clash's studio?"

"Because of the great job you did on Rebirth."

"I dunno, Pizzazz. Jem is about to do a new album herself and I'm going to be working on it, but maybe after I'm finished with them." Rio paced the room trying to think of a way to help.

Pizzazz stood and walked to the door. She turned and looked at Rio pacing. "Tell you what, you think about it and let me know. I'm going to ask Techrat and Clash if you decide not to do it. And I completely understand if you don't. Just keep in mind that we're willing to pay and we're not doing this out of friendship." She opened the door. "By the way, my friends call me Phyllis. Take care, Rio."

Rio waved as he thought about Pizzazz's offer.

Jumping back from the explosion in the snow, David shoved Kaori down. He checked to see if she was all right and then swung his sword at an attacking Crimson Son. He then helped her up and turned her face to his. He was angry that she followed him when he asked her to stay where she was. He was concerned for her well being the most of all.

Another explosion went off forcing them both to the edge of the cliff. David looked around and saw Yukio running towards them yelling. He looked at the cliff's edge, the fall looked somewhat safe. Sheathing his sword, David grabbed Kaori's hand and looked at her again. He smiled an odd grin. "[You trust me don't you?]" Kaori gave him a puzzled look and then nodded. "[Good. Just trust me and go limp.]"

Before Kaori could say anything David fell backwards and dragged her down with him. She felt herself scream but didn't hear it. The edge of the cliff fell further and further away until it stopped and she felt snow on her face. Kaori struggled to catch her breath and looked at David who was beginning to stand. He helped her to her feet and rubbed her back.

The sounds of explosions continued to echo above. That's when David heard another sound, the rush of snow coming down on them. He looked up and saw the snow that was overhanging the cliff coming towards him. His eyes darted around until he saw a cave. Pulling the dazed woman with him, David dove for the cave mouth. A few seconds later he heard the snow hit the ground, covering the opening.

Slowly both David and Kaori sat up in the darkness. David still held her hand. He rubbed her shoulder in comfort. "[I'm right here,]" his voice echoed. "[The first thing we need to do is get some light and find out how much snow is keeping us trapped in here.]"

"[I-I've got a pen light.]" Kaori fumbled through her backpack and pulled out a small flashlight. She gave a scared smile to David and tried to hide the tears on her face. "[That's better.]"

"[Listen Kaori, I should've explained what was going on from the first time we met. I didn't want to get you involve or whatever. I'm sorry.]"

Kaori broke out into a loud laugh then she covered her mouth immediately as the laugh echoed back. She finally hugged him and grinned widely. "[Don't be sorry! This is the kind of action I always write about, but I never get to live. I knew you were something special. I just knew it!]" She took a few deep breaths and talked quietly to herself. "[Okay, Kaori. Settle down. Yes, this is exciting and all, but you need to calm down and think. You're trapped in a cave and surrounded by ninjas. That sounds crazier out loud than I realized.]"

"[Umm, when you're done talking to the voices in your head, I think we should look for a way out of the cave by exploring it.]" David motioned to the depths of the cave. "[We'll leave markings so we don't get lost. If we don't find anything, Kyoko and Yukio will get us out.]" He smiled and helped her to her feet. They walked hand in hand into the unknown cave.

A door opened to the darkened room. Inside was a lone woman tied to a bed. Her mouth was gagged and her eyes covered. Her blonde hair was matted with dirt and grime. The dress she wore was dirty and filled with holes. She appeared to be asleep. The man watched her from the doorway for a few moments then entered.

He walked up to the side of her bed and lightly shook her leg. The woman jumped in her restraints having been startled awake. She moved her head to hear where her visitor was. Little whimpering noises escaped through her gag. The man chuckled to himself and traced the woman's face with his fingertips. "Quiet. Quiet. It's almost time, my snow angel."

The woman's whimpers ceased. The man untied her from the bed and removed the gag and blindfold. She shielded her eyes from the light coming from the doorway. She looked at her captor. He was bald and his eyes were dark, almost black, like they were empty and without a soul. She tried to smile. "Al-almost time for what?" she asked in a thick eastern European accent.

"Oh, my sweet snow angel, almost time for you to dance again. To bring about power to me. To make me the most powerful mage of all time." The bald man watched her for a moment. Her eyes darted to the exit and back to him. He smiled. "Go ahead. Try to escape. I won't stop you." The woman ran weakly on wobbly legs towards the doorway. As soon as she passed the threshold she fell to her knees and screamed in agony. The man watched her for a moment and then picked her up and brought her back into the room.

"Now, you are trapped in this room. This will be your prison. There is a spell in the hallway that prevents you from leaving this room. This room, or any other room that I choose, is the only place where you won't feel pain. Do you understand?" The woman weakly nodded. "Excellent. Now, let's get you cleaned up shall we?" The man stood back and studied her a moment. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The dirt and grim on the woman's hair and skin slowly vanished. Her dress was mended and became clean. He opened his eyes. "I'll be back shortly with some food. Then I'll show the dance you must perform."

The man left the room leaving the door open. The woman looked at it a few times and cringed at the memory of her agony. To pass the time she looked at how clean her blonde hair was and how beautiful her dress looked. The man returned with a tray of food for her. He placed it on table near the bed. The woman began eating almost immediately as the man smiled.

"Your daughter and husband are close to finding you only because I like this game of cat and mouse we're playing. They will find you, but by that time it will be too late." The man flashed her a sinister smile. "By that time I will control the most awesome power known to man and you will be in my thrall." He laughed as the shock of his words hit her.

The woman looked up from her meal and felt the tears that began to form in her eyes. "No. You leave Giselle and Peter out of this. They have nothing to do with us. They are innocent."

The man smirked and narrowed his eyes in anger. "No, they're not! They tried to take you away from me! Away from my destiny! They are not innocent!" He reared his hand back to backhand the woman across the face. He brought it down slowly when he saw her cringing. "Forgive me, Nadia. It is this temper this meat puppet I'm in has inside. I'm not fully used to it. Now please, eat."

Nadia looked up at the man in fear and hatred. "What kind of man have you become, Victor Krosach?"

Victor stood and roared at her. "I am not Victor Krosach! I am Tolliver!" He left the room by slamming the door, leaving Nadia to sit in the lamp light.

Turning the page of her book, Jetta glanced down at Roxy who was asleep with her head in Jetta's lap. She brushed Roxy's hair lightly and smiled. She yawned again and tried to keep her eyes open. Jetta tried to read the first paragraph on the new page but she couldn't focus. Marking her spot, she closed the book and put it on the night stand.

Jetta woke Roxy carefully and whispered she was moving to lie down. Roxy mumbled in her sleep, but moved so the British woman could lay fully down. She almost immediately rested her head on Jetta's shoulder and was fully asleep in no time. Jetta hugged her best friend to her body and drifted to sleep herself.

A hollow detached voice filled Jetta's mind as she slept. Sheila, the time is now. You are ready, my disciple. Prepare yourself. When you awaken you will have been shifted to me. The time is now. Faint chanting was heard in Jetta's dream followed by the sensation of floating.

Roxy woke up with a pressure on her bladder. She rolled out of bed and sleepily walked to the bathroom. Once finished, she walked back to bed and noticed that Jetta wasn't there. Roxy searched the house but couldn't find her. She looked at the clock and saw that it was seven in the morning. "Maybe she went for walk?" Roxy shook her head. "No, she would've woke me up or wrote a note." Roxy went back to the bedroom to look for some clues.

After searching for five minutes she found the same gelatin that was on Jetta's forehead when she vanished. Roxy changed her clothes immediately and ran for the front door. She swung it open and saw Stormer getting out of her car. She was in an obvious panic.

The two women ran towards each other. "Sheila's in trouble!" they both yelled at the same time.

Roxy looked at Stormer in confusion then let out a small laugh. "Oh yeah, your little Stormer sense thingy. Hang on, I need some things from the house." Roxy ran back inside and reappeared two minutes later stuffing Jetta's guns into her trenchcoat and carrying a bottle. She opened the bottle of whisky and took a deep drink.

"Should you be drinking at a time like this?" Stormer asked concerned.

"Trust me, Mary. It's the only thing keeping me from going into a full blown panic."

Stormer grabbed the bottle and took a deep drink herself. "Right. Let's go. I can feel where Sheila is, but we should get some help first."

Roxy pulled out the heavy pistols. "I have all of the help I need right here. Let's go save my best friend." She put the pistols back into her trenchcoat pockets. Stormer looked at her for a moment, nodded and got into the car. Once Roxy was inside, she began driving to where she thought she had felt where Jetta was located.

The exit of the cave drew nearer and David pulled Kaori closer to him as they walked slowly to it. They'd been trapped in the caves for over a day. Dark sky and glittering stars beckoned them closer to the exit. Kaori looked up at David and smiled with relief. They quickened their pace toward the mouth of the cave as the cool wind blew on their faces. David hugged Kaori tighter to his side.

"[Kaori, this has been bothering me ever since I told you about my past and all, but, what I'm getting at is, are you comfortable with this?]" David's voice was hoarse and a bit scratchy. "[I mean, you could be in danger for just being around me. The men who attacked us are very dangerous. I'm just worried about your safety.]"

Kaori let out a light giggle that made David smile reluctantly. "[Don't be silly. I'm a big girl and I can look out for myself. Besides, I have you here to protect me.]" She gave him a quick wink. "[I like being with you. If danger is a part of it then fine. I've always wanted a life of adventure. Before I met you I could only imagine it and write about it. Now I get to live it. I like you, David. I really do. You're everything I ever wanted out of life.]"

David stopped walking and turned Kaori to face him. He studied her face a moment and rubbed his thumb across her cold cheek. "[You're serious aren't you? You do understand the risks involved.]" Kaori nodded and he cocked an eyebrow. "[You're a very strange woman, Kaori Umezawa.]"

Letting out a small giggle, Kaori felt her grin widened. "[Thanks, I get that a lot.]" She pulled David down back the back of his neck and kissed him softly on the lips. "[That's for everything you've done, even if you did scare the ever loving shit out of me by pulling me off that cliff.]" Her tone turned more serious and she looked at the exit of the cave. "[When we get back, I want to know everything, okay? I meant that I really liked you. I have ever since you were in Pulsar.]" She blushed slightly. "[Okay, I admit it. I'm a big fan of Pulsar and I had a big crush on you.]"

"[Had a big crush? You mean you don't anymore?]" David teased and smirked.

"[Nah, it's no longer a crush now that I care about you.]" Kaori gave David a tight hug and pressed her face to his chest. David wrapped his arms around her and returned the hug. He kissed the top of her head. Kaori spoke softly into his chest. "[Maybe we should do this after we get out. As nice as this is, it would be nicer someplace warm and with food.]"

David chuckled. "[Okay. Let's get home and make sure Yukio and Kyoko are safe. Then I'll tell you my life story.]" Kaori smiled and they began walking to the mouth of the cave hand in hand. They reached it within moments and had a nice view of the city before them. A well walked path led down the slight slope into a forest. They made their way home without any further interruptions.

"Hurry up, Frack! Richard wants us to meet him in the conference room." Frick rushed back into the room the two mages shared. "He says it has to deal with the whereabouts of Tolliver. I think he's found him."

Frack slipped on his shoes and looked up at his longtime friend with a sidelong smirk. "Oh I think he'll discover that I'm closer that he thinks." Before Frick could react, Frack brought his hand up and a beam of energy fired out. The beam burned a hole through the chest of Frick. His body fell to the floor with a loud thump. Frack turned his head to look at the doorway. A horrified Astral, Devon, Marla and Rapture stood there.

Marla finally shrieked in terror and hid her face against the shoulder of her husband. Frack stood and smiled at the four mages. His gaze turned to Rapture. His voice was hollow. "Now then, traitor, you're coming with me. I have use of you." He lunged for Rapture's arm and they both vanished before Astral could stop him.

"By the Ancients," Astral whispered in shock. "He's more powerful than ever."

The old white Victorian house sat secluded at the edge of a forest. A red car drove past the house and parked down the street. Roxy and Stormer got out of the car and ran into the woods. They watched the house from behind a row of bushes. Everything seemed normal, nothing was out of place. Roxy turned to Stormer and gave her puzzled look. "Are you sure this is the place?"

Stormer nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm sure. This is it. Sheila is somewhere in there. The question now is how do we get inside? Waitaminute." Stormer pointed to a pair of people who were making their way to the backdoor. "Is that Danse and her father? What the hell are they doing here?"

"Only one way to find out." Roxy ran at a slight crouch towards Danse and Peter before Stormer could stop her. She got their attention by throwing a small rock at Danse's feet. "Hey! Over here!" The two turned toward her. "Follow me." Roxy turned back around and ran into the forest line again. Danse and Peter joined her quickly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same, Roxy," Danse said in a whisper. "I had a strange feeling that this was the place was where I could find my mother, but what are you and Stormer doing here?"

"Jetta was taken away earlier this morning while she and Roxy slept," Stormer explained softly. "I have a feeling that this man named Tolliver is involved. Roxy was telling me about him on the way here. The man wrote a series of books based on people learning how to control fundamental energies of the universe." She swallowed hard. "In other words magic."

"But what would this Tolliver want with Nadia?" Peter asked confused.

Danse thought about it a moment and looked at him with fear in her eyes. "In some cultures they believe that dancing is a form of magic. The gestures and movements help guide the magickal energies and control it. Mother was the best dancer in the Zagreb ballet. So maybe Tolliver took her after she fled to America, that is, if my mother is here." She turned to Roxy and Stormer. "If you help us find my mother, we'll help you rescue Jetta."

Roxy spoke before Stormer or Peter could object. "Deal." She looked at the house from the edge of the woods again. Everything looked quiet. She pulled out a pistol, turned off the safety and pulled the slide back. Roxy noticed that Danse's eyes went wide when she saw the weapon. "I'm going to check around see if I can find a way in and if anyone is in there. I'll be back in a few minutes." Roxy ran in a crouch again and quickly reached the side of the house.

Stormer, Peter and Danse sat in silence while they waited for Roxy to return. Stormer turned her head when she thought she heard a noise come from inside the house. "Did you guys hear that? Sounded like air being sucked into a vacuum." Danse and her father looked at her and shook their heads. "Great. Now I'm hearing things."

Letting his eyes adjust to the dim light Richard looked to see if the others were okay. Astral and Christine were shaking their heads while Devon checked on Marla. Richard kept his voice low and soft. "I'm sorry about that. It was the quickest way to get here. The trail Tolliver left when he vanished was growing colder by the second." He looked around the room. "I think we're on the second floor of a house. We'll check this floor then head downstairs when you're all ready."

Devon helped his wife to her feet and scowled at Richard. "Dammit it, Richard, you know Marla can't teleport like that. Now she's useless to us!"

"I'll be fine, dear. You go ahead and I'll catch up with you shortly." Marla waved him away weakly. "I just need to rest a moment."

Christine stepped between the two men. "I'll stay behind with Marla. I'm not going to be much help against Tolliver anyway. My control over the magicks has always been weak." She sat next to Marla and put a comforting arm around her.

"Alright, Maeve, Devon, let's go." Richard turned to look at his assistant and Marla then smiled. "Marla, don't rush yourself, just take it slow and let yourself recharge naturally. Christine, guard her. May the magicks protect you both." Christine and Marla both nodded. He turned to the other two mages. "Right, everyone stay on their toes."

The three friends and allies made their slow descent down the flight of stairs. Multi-colored energy outlined each of their hands. Energy that was ready to strike on a moment's notice. Before they reached the bottom step, they each noticed that the first floor was missing something vital. The first floor was vacant of any furniture.

Astral shot a confused look to Richard and Devon, both men simply shrugged. Together they searched the first floor. They found nothing unusual other than the lack of signs of occupancy. Richard opened the door to the basement and they again walked slowly down the flight of steps into the basement. Once at the bottom, Richard held up his hand and a faint light appeared around it.

"Hey, over here," Devon whispered. "There's a hidden door here. It's open and there's a ladder leading down." He looked at Richard and Astral. Richard nodded and Devon began climbing down the ladder.

Stormer was beginning to panic. Roxy had left fifteen minutes ago. She looked at Danse and Peter again. They were both worried as well. Stormer finally stood into her own crouch. "I'm going to look for her. It shouldn't take her this long to scout the house."

"Hey, a little credit is all I ask," Roxy said behind Stormer and put her hand over her friend's mouth to prevent a shout of surprise. "Sorry that I took so long. I saw movement inside, but I don't think it was the people who live there. If anyone lives there. I saw three people walking around as if they were looking for someone or something. Also, there's no furniture." She removed her hand from Stormer's mouth. "Sorry. Did anyone else hear an implosion of air from inside?"

"I thought I heard a noise," Stormer said quietly.

Peter looked from Stormer's face to Roxy's. "If my Nadia is inside there then what are we doing sitting here?"

"Not so fast, Peter, one of the men inside that I saw was Richard Xanthos." Roxy thought for a moment. "At least it looked like him. I mean, what the hell would Richard be doing here?" She glanced at Danse and Peter. "Then again we ran into the both of you here today." Roxy put the pistol into her coat pocket. "Okay. The backdoor is unlocked. I think that's our best bet."

Danse nodded in agreement. "Well, let's stop wasting any more time and get in there. We might be wasting valuable time while discussing this. Let's just get the fuck inside and see what's in there." She sobbed back her tears of rage and frustration.

Roxy pulled the pistol out again and gestured with her head for the others to follow her. They ran quickly to the back of the house near the rear door. Roxy tested the door handle and the door opened quietly. She led the three others up the steps and into the house. They made their way into the living room when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Roxy motioned for the others to hide in the kitchen. She stayed in the living room hidden behind the wall that divided the living room from the hallway. The footsteps clicked when they hit the hardwood floor in the hall. Roxy steadied herself and held her breath. She saw the shadows of two women. From what she could tell by the shadows on the floor, they were unarmed.

Waiting until they were a few feet down the hall, Roxy slowly rounded the corner. She kept the pistol out and ready. She followed the two women for a few seconds then made a noise to get their attention. When both women turned around, Roxy nervously leveled the weapon at both of them. Their faces showed their shock and surprise. "Who are you and where the fuck is Jetta?" Roxy hissed through clenched teeth then brought the gun down when she recognized one of the women. "Christine? What the hell are you doing here?"

Both women looked at each other and Christine gave Roxy a confused look. "Roxy, what do you mean where is Jetta? Has something happened to her?"

Roxy nodded and called Danse, Stormer and Peter out of the kitchen. They all met up in the living room and each explained what was happening. Christine told Danse and her father that if Nadia was down there that they would save her. Stormer volunteered to wait with them outside the house. Roxy was insistent in going with Christine and Marla.

The long, dark hallway stretched for what seemed to be forever. All around Richard, Devon and Astral could hear the faint chanting of Tolliver. They made their slow approach while staying alert for any wards or alarms that Tolliver may have set in case of intruders. A faint light finally appeared at the end of the tunnel. They mages quickened their pace.

Before they reached the end of the hallway, Richard signaled to stop and to stay in the darkness. Richard cautiously inched forward and looked around the edge of the doorway. Inside was a lush and ornate room. On the far side of the back wall was a fireplace that was burning. Like on the first floor there was a lack of furniture. The walls were covered in dark wood paneling.

A man with dark graying hair stood with a bald man who had their backs to him. Frack stood on one side of the fireplace while Rapture was on the other. They looked to be in a trance. An older blonde woman danced in a pattern around the room. Richard was almost certain that she was in a trance as well. He was surprised to see Jetta chanting from a book as well. He went back to the others and told them what he saw.

Richard chanted quietly and cast a spell on each of them, hoping the spells would protect them from any attack. Together they entered the room. Richard stepped forward and unleashed a blast of energy that fired out of his hand and rocketed towards Tolliver's back. The blast went through him without causing harm. The sound of clapping came from behind him.

"Oh, you are so very predictable, Richard," Tolliver said calmly. "Do you honestly think I would leave my back open to an attack such as that? You really think I'm that foolish?" He smirked as Richard, Astral and Devon turned around. "Besides, it would be so rude of me to start the festivities without you, my dear Richard. You are my former captor and you hold a special place in my black heart."

With a gesture mystical bands lanced out of his fingers and quickly bound the three friends. Richard and Astral easily broke their bonds. Devon stayed frozen in place, firmly bound by the bands. "Astral, Devon can handle himself. Remember what we discussed." Richard brought his hand up and fired a mystical bolt of energy at Tolliver, who easily deflected it with a smirk and a casual wave of his hand.

Tolliver sneered at the mages he hated more than anything in life. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm about to become a god." He motioned at Frack and Rapture, who both moved from their place next to the fireplace. Together they fired bolts of energy at Astral and Richard. Tolliver nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. Ms. Burns, begin reciting the words I've taught you. Ms. Dvorak, begin the dance that will make me legend." Jetta and Nadia both did as instructed.

"Dammit," Richard hissed under his breath as he dodged a poorly aimed blast. "Maeve, these are our friends. Do not hurt them, just incapacitate them." A binding spell fired from Richard's fingertips at Frack that was countered. Rapture fired a blast that grazed his arm. Richard fired a second binding spell at her and missed.

Astral ducked a blast from Frack and ran at him. She heard Tolliver begin chanting himself. As she ran at Frack, she summoned mystical armor around her right arm and punched him in the center of the chest. She heard a faint crack of his ribs. Frack moaned in pain and passed out. Richard gave her slight glare. She smiled. "At least he's still alive, never said anything about not breaking a few bones."

The bald man stepped in front of Astral and punched her in the stomach and then in the jaw. Astral flew back unconscious. Richard fired a blind attack at the bald man. The beam glanced off a shield of protection that was around him. Rapture took advantage of the distraction the bald man provided and hit Richard on the back of the neck. He fell dazed next to Astral.

Tolliver's chanting increased. On the ceiling above him a circle of light began to form. Nadia's dance increased as well did Jetta's chanting. Rapture moved to where Frack laid and revived him. They put binding spells on Astral and Richard then went back to their spots next to the fireplace.

As the dancing and the chanting increased so did the brightness of the circle over head. Tolliver smiled as he chanted. He was finally going to achieve the goal he was denied.

Roxy, Christine and Marla watched the scene before them completely stunned. "What the fuck are we going up against here?" Roxy asked to no one in particular. She saw Jetta against the wall chanting again and wiped a tear. Her best friend looked like a ghost of herself. Her gaze went back to Tolliver and the circle of light above him. It was beginning to darken. "Oh fuck me that isn't good." She pulled out one of the guns.

Christine stopped her from moving forward. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Think of your karma!"

"Karma has been fucking me since I was born. It owes me." Roxy yanked her arm free and ran into the room. She took aim and shot Tolliver in the back of the leg. He screamed in pain and turned to look at her in a mix of confusion and shock. She leveled the gun at his head. "As the man once said, did I break your concentration, mother fucker?"

The circle on the ceiling began to close and vanish. Tolliver looked up and screamed in rage. He looked at the bald man. "Victor. Kill them all."

Victor smiled and brought out a gun of his own and put it to Astral's head. "Put the gun down now or I'll kill her right here." Roxy ignored him and kept the gun pointed at Tolliver. Victor cocked the hammer back. "I said now, bitch!"

Roxy waited a moment and finally dropped the gun. It landed with a thud. She put her hands in her coat pockets and backed off. Tolliver's smile of victory was short lived when he saw Victor fall to the ground unconscious. Roxy smiled for the first time when she saw Jetta standing over the bald man. "You don't have the right to call her bitch."

Tolliver lunged for the pistol that had Roxy dropped, grabbed it and aimed the gun at Jetta. Roxy pulled out the second weapon she had and fired at Tolliver. She didn't stop firing until she felt Jetta's hand on hers. Roxy saw that Tolliver lay motionless on the ground with his blood soaking into the thick carpet. She looked at Jetta and hugged her tightly. "I killed him, Sheila. I fucking killed him."

Jetta whispered in her ear. "It's okay, luv. It was the only way to end it." She looked Roxy in the eye and smiled. "You saved me life." Jetta then hugged Roxy tightly. Roxy pushed Jetta away from the hug and looked at her for a long moment. She then kissed Jetta long and deeply. Jetta returned the kiss and broke it after a few minutes. "We have an audience here."

"I don't care. I love you, Sheila," Roxy whispered softly and smiled. She left Jetta's side and helped Richard to his feet. "You have a lot of explaining to do. I mean a lot and I don't mean fifteen minutes from now." She watched Frack and Rapture shake their heads as they came out of their trances.

"Yes, I do." Richard said hoarsely. "The man you killed wasn't the real Willam Tolliver. That was his dark side, his evil side. That wasn't even human. It was evil made flesh many years ago. Willam Tolliver was my mentor. He was one of the greatest mages ever, but he was too ambitious. He tried to rid himself of the evil inside him. He succeeded, but he paid for it with his life. His evil side possessed him and destroyed his good nature. It then took control of his body. He called himself the Soulless One because the body it was in had no soul.

"One of the powers the Soulless One had been the ability to possess another person. You could tell the person was possessed by their eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul. Five years ago, we were able to capture the Soulless One and imprison him." Richard looked at Jetta. "That is until Sheila began reading the books on magic or alternative energy control as he called it. Those books were written before the Soulless One was born. However, it still gave him power because he now called himself Willam Tolliver. You were giving him indirect power. It wasn't your fault, Sheila."

Richard stood up and walked over to Frack and Rapture, making sure they were okay. "Devon, could you and Astral take care of Victor Krosach? Thanks. Marla, explain everything to Nadia Dvorak please." Nadia was finally coming out of her mind control. Richard looked back at Jetta and Roxy. "That's basically what's been going on. Now if you don't mind I can explain everything else at my home. I have matters to take of here." He motioned at Tolliver's body.

Jetta and Roxy nodded and they began to walk down the hallway when a switch caught Jetta's eye. She flicked the switch and the hallway lit up with lights. She looked at Roxy. "What? I'm surprised you didn't do that in the first place."

Roxy hugged her best friend and giggled. She handed the two pistols to Jetta. "Here. I borrowed them."

Looking at the two guns, Jetta took one and refused the other. "You keep one, I keep one." The two women smiled and walked down the hallway together.

Danse paced as she grew more and more impatient. She'd been waiting with Stormer and her father for the past half hour. How long could it take to investigate a basement? She gave Stormer an annoyed look and paced the edge of the forest again. "I've had enough. I'm going inside and searching myself." She began walking towards the house. Stormer went to grab her by the coat sleeve, but was stopped by Peter.

As she approached the house the back door opened and Danse stopped in her tracks. Marla came out helping a blonde woman who appeared too weak to walk by herself. Peter ran up behind Danse and stopped next to his daughter. The woman looked up at the father and daughter as a small smile came to her face. "Peter? Giselle?"

Without a word Peter and Danse ran up to the blonde woman and hugged her tightly. They felt to their knees as soft cries of joy could be heard.

Stormer joined Marla and watched the happy reunion. She turned and saw the others exit the house. She noticed that a bald man was following Richard. The man's arms looked like they were stuck to his side. She also noticed that Jetta and Roxy came out of the house with their arms around each other. They stopped, smiled at Stormer and kissed each other not caring if their friends saw it. Stormer smiled, happy that they finally admitted their obvious feelings toward each other. "About fucking time, you two," she said quietly.

The audience erupted into applause as the dance recital ended. Pizzazz whistled loudly as Danse, Peter and Nadia took the stage and bowed. The other dancers came out and bowed as well. Pizzazz felt a tinge of déjà vu as the audience threw flowers on the stage. She glanced to see if Roxy was awake. Roxy was clapping loudly with Jetta by her side. Pizzazz knew it was going to take time for her to get used to her two best friends being lovers.

Pizzazz waited for the crowd to thin out a little before going backstage to personally congratulate Danse. Richard followed closely behind her. They reached the backstage quickly. Jerrica and Rio were there already congratulating Danse and her family. Kimber waved frantically at Stormer near the buffet table. Stormer went over to the table and spoke quickly to her best friend. She then said a quick good bye with Kimber and they left the building together. Roxy and Jetta cut their time backstage quick as well and left.

Danse thanked everyone for showing up and regretting having to cut their time short. She was going to do some publicity shoots for Haven House with her father and mother. Jerrica, Rio, Pizzazz and Richard left together. Jerrica looked at Richard and made a face. "Where did you get the black eye?"

"Oh, uh, Roxy punched me," he said quietly. "Don't ask. I deserved it."

Pizzazz gave him a confused look then giggled. "I don't wanna know. Listen Richard, I need to talk to Jerrica in private." She looked at Rio. "You don't mind leaving Jerrica and I in private, do you?" Rio just smiled and walked ahead with Richard. Pizzazz tried to avoid the confused and concerned look Jerrica gave her. "Jerrica, there's something I wanted to ask you. It's about the whereabouts of you and Jem. I've gotten two different stories from Aja and Kimber on where you were on the first night of Danse's recital. So which story is right?"

Jerrica stopped in mid-step, stunned by the question and the directness of it. She led Pizzazz to an alleyway and made sure no one was around. "I've been giving this a lot of thought, Phyllis. I trust you and The Misfits and it's about time I proved it. Now is about as good time as any." Jerrica touched her fingertips to her earring. "Showtime Synergy."

Pink light swirled around Jerrica and Pizzazz took a step backwards in shock. Jerrica who was now Jem just smiled. "Jem is really Jerrica Benton. Always has been."

Pizzazz's back hit the wall as she stared in shock at Jem not knowing what to say.

TO BE CONTINUED IN SPOTLIGHT'S FADE