Authors notes: Thank s to EoF for creating the Universe Dustin, myself, and the others are playing in.

There are two seperate types of scene deviders. The devider that indicates Danielle's point of view is: (********V**^**^**V********) and
the devider that indicates Ashley's point of view is: (`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'`'~,.,~'’)
The devision of scenes will marked like this through the rest of the series unless otherwise noted.

The pictures are of Olivia Munn and Phoebe Tonkin, respectively, so all related copyrights and such belong to them.

Passing through the grounds surrounding the house was pathetically easy. Whipping out my stack of post-its and a pen, I scribbled a note saying as such (complete with a cross-eyed, raspberry-blowing smiley face) and stuck it to the inside of the satellite dish around back of the house with a small but powerful magnet.

That should cause enough interference to the reception to get someone out here. I thought to myself as I slipped quietly into some of the shrubberies close to the house. Sure enough, a few someones did come out and find the note. While they were freaking out and talking to the other guards on their earwigs, I slipped out of my hiding spot and made my way over to the gutter at the corner of the house. By now you’d think they’d know I’m about the only one in this town that can and actually *would* make a fool of them like that, right? Anyway, a quick check to make sure the coast was clear and I carefully climbed up the gutter.

Normally, this wouldn’t work very well, but I had suggested the idea to Cindy after they finally fixed my favorite point of entry (a loose window on the second story) as an easy means of getting out without being noticed. Naíve much? After carefully working it half way across the roof, I found the vent covering I was looking for. I reached into my cleavage and produced a squirt bottle about the size of my palm. Inside this bottle was some lubricating/penetrating oil for just such the occasion. (A girl has to be prepared and before you say anything, there weren’t any pockets on my pants and I’ve seen women put stranger things than this in their boobs. So don’t even start with me.) A few squirts later, to insure that no noise was made, I removed the vent covering. After carefully slipping in, I then reached back up and put it back as it was. No need to run up their energy bill.

Stepping only on the wooden joists (it wouldn’t do to put my foot through the drywall and all that) and taking care not to disrupt any of their insulation, I spiderman’d my way over to the access panel that opened into Cindy’s closet. Slowly pulling it open, I carefully slipped down and closed it behind me. Turns out I was about to interrupt girl talk between Cindy and her sister, Carly. Then Carly set me up perfectly for my entrance.

“So, have you heard anything about how that Dani chick is doing? She broke down pretty bad after that thing with the Hunters.”

“Not a clue. I was meaning to call her be-“

“Before I just randomly pop out of your closet?” I interrupted as I slid the door open and sauntered out into the room. Oh, the looks on their faces... And not a pair of brown pants between them. Apparently, no one taught them that old saying: “Speak of the Devil...” After a momentary start, Cindy just rolled her eyes at me. Carly, on the other hand, was apparently taking longer to adjust to my dynamic entries than Cindy did.

“Are we ever going to be able to keep you out?” Carly asked, somewhat rhetorically, after she had calmed down from her near heart attack.

“Nope” I said with absolutely no hesitation and flashed them my psudeo-patented winning smile.

“Okay, now that we have that established, what brings you to my closet?”

“I just came from Narnia.” I managed to say with a straight face.

“What.” Came the reply from both sisters at once. It wasn’t as much a question as it was a deadpanned exclamation.

“I did just walk out of a wardrobe of sorts, didn’t I?” They just looked at me, then the closet, back to me, then at each other, then back to the closet, then finally back to me like that might actually believe me if I pushed the issue.

“Well then... Maybe we’ll have better luck with a different question. What brings you here?”

“I’m chasing down confirmation on a rumor a friend of mine heard at the university today. Would either one of you happen to know an Ashley Martin?” This, I could easily see, worried Carly.

“What business do you have with her?” Came Carly’s response. She seemed a bit nervous about it, so I guessed something had happened there that I wasn’t aware of... Yet.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I said, giving her a seductive smile.

“And just how would you expect either of us to get that kind of information?” Cindy asked.

“Judging from her reaction, I’m assuming that one or both of you know her. I also happen to know that she attends the same high school as you, Cindy.” I said. “I figured that one of you might be able to figure out when she would be going to that karaoke bar next and let me know.”

“And how do you suppose that we could do that?” Carly asked with a hint of hostility in her voice.

“Light a candle in that window there, Cindy.” I said, pointing to the one I could see from my pine-tree-perch. “And I’ll meet you at your dojo the next day. After your classes get out, that is.”

Cindy and Carly shared a look with arched eyebrows, conversing without words the way close siblings sometimes do.

“Fine, I’ll find out for you.” Cindy eventually said with a sigh of resignation.

“Yay! Thank you!” I quietly squealed. I bounced over and wrapped her up in a huge hug. “Ahhh! I’m so excited!”

“Well, it’s about time for me to get back to the chapter house, so I’ll have to actually catch up with you some other time Cindy.” I said as I disentangled myself from the hug and walked back over to the closet.

“Toodles.” I said with a wink as I slid the closet door open and stepped in. However, all I did was place a prewritten post-it (“Sorry, you missed the last train to Narnia. :’( Better luck next time!”) and I used my uber-speed to quickly yet quietly close the closet door again and slip out through the bedroom door (quickly closing it but preventing it from slamming to create a giant “whoosh” of air, call it the Narnia Effect). Having accomplished all of that before Cindy or Carly could even bat an eye, I tip-toed my way down the hallway and pondered how I wanted to leave this time.

Random guard's point of view

He really didn’t want to be on guard duty tonight. He had to cancel his plans to hit up the Guardian with his buddies, but here he was in his uncle’s house, watching out for his cousin and that little girl that mysteriously show up out of nowhere. He had almost made it to the end of the hall way on the third floor when some black haired chick just appeared out of nowhere at all. Realizing that this was probably the intruder that got his brother in trouble earlier, he took a breath to call out that he found her.

“NO! Shhhhh...... You’ll wake the baby!” She said, her voice an exaggerated whisper. “You know how protective Cindy is of her, right?”

Maybe it was the logic of what she said or maybe it was that she said it with the authority of someone who was supposed to be here. More likely, however, it was indeed how protective Cindy was of her young charge that caused him to pause in a near panic and look quickly towards the baby’s room. When he realized that he’d been had, he looked back only to find the strange woman had vanished without a trace as quickly as she had appeared. He first looked to his watch, then to his cup of coffee. He then walked into the bathroom, dumped the coffee down the sink and began splashing some cold water on his face to wake himself up. Seems like tonight, he thought, is just going to be one of those nights.

With both of my feet on the crown molding on one side of the hallway and one of my hands on the molding on the other side, (the second hand was keeping my gear from falling out of my cleavage) I waited for him to leave before gingerly climbing down and making a quick getaway. Dexterity is a beautiful thing and you can pull off all kinds of crazy bullshit when you have enough of it.

After making my way down the grand staircase, I hung a quick right and ducked into one of the bathrooms. I opened a window and placed another post-it on the outside about the “noob” I just bluffed into thinking he was hallucinating. After a false alarm with another “guard”, I continued down to the first floor, where I put a post-it reading “The Fanged Crusader of Chaos Strikes Again!!! You, my good sir and/or Madam, have a security force that FAILS! :D” on the inside face of the door.

Knowing that the alarm was going to be tripped, I unlocked it, slipped out and closed it behind me again. Once outside, I cut loose with the speed and hopped clear over the wall with a running start. I started running again the instant my dainty little feet touched ground again and I didn’t stop until I made it back to my scooter. After putting on my helmet (safety first, you know) I hopped on and made my way back into town. Got home and into my room just in time for curfew, too.

“So, did you get the info?” Darcy asked me as all but waltzed into the room.

“Nope, not yet.” I told her, which got me a pout. She brightened up when I continued though. “But Cindy and her older sister agreed to let me know the next time they learned she was going to be there.”

“Woo!” She said as she pumped her arms in the air.

“My sentiments exactly. For now, though, we wait.”

The Next Day…

I shot up in my bed with a piercing scream. The nightmare had come back. But… something was wrong with it. Shaking, I moved one of my hands to move a lock of sweat drenched hair off of my face and tried to tuck my knees to my chest… but my legs wouldn’t move. Another cry caught in my throat when I lifted my blanket away. I had my tail! I fell back down and began to sob openly. My sweat made me change, and I couldn’t prevent it! I forced my legs to come back so I could just curl into a ball and sob.

Another scream flew from my lips when I felt a hand gently stroke my back.

“Shhh, it’s okay, honey. It’s just me,” Mom’s voice said. I felt her lift me up so that she could hug me properly. I leaned against her, savoring her support.

“Did you have another nightmare?” she asked.

“I… I thought they were done. I thought I was okay…” I sobbed.

“You’re safe now,” Mom said, in infinitely soothing tones.

“I just want it to stop!” I yelled, burying my head into Mom.

“I know, Ashley, and I truly wish I could help,” she said, continuing to gently stroke my back.

“It was different this time,” I gasped.

“Different? The nightmare changed?” Mom asked, surprised.

“There was something… someone there, instead of the Orb,” I told her.

“Did it do something different than the Orb?”

“It… tried to talk to me. Instead of the Orb trying to draw me to it, this thing tried to convince me to join it,” I explained. “It didn’t tell me what its goals were, but it felt overwhelmingly evil.”

“Just remember that it’s just a dream, okay? It’s not real,” Mom assured me. I pulled myself off of her chest.

“I know, but it’s hard to remember that while it’s happening,” I told her. Mom smiled softly.

“I know you’ll get through it. You’re a strong woman,” Mom said, lightly rubbing my head.

“Thanks, Mom,” I weakly smiled, hugging her. I wasn’t quite 100%, but I could get through the day now.

“Now, why don’t you get ready for school? I’m sure some time with your friends will help you keep your mind off things,” Mom continued.

I looked at the time. “It looks like we might be late, though.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Mom smiled, “but you’ll make it if you’re quick with your shower.”

I nodded, taking that as a hint to get to the bathroom as soon as possible. I thanked Mom again and headed to the bathroom.

In the shower, I was able to relax a little more, but I jumped in surprise when I looked at my right palm.

“What…?” I gasped. There was some kind of mark on my palm. It almost looked like a brand, and it was shaped like an odd horn. I shook slightly as I continued to look at it.

Did it have anything to do with my dream…?

Distracted by my thoughts, I almost took too long in the shower. I didn’t want to be late today, so I hurried out and back to my room. Soon enough, I was dressed and on my way to school. I made sure to hide my palm from Mom. I didn’t want to worry her until I talked to someone more knowledgeable about it.

“Have a good day, honey,” Mom chimed as we got to the school.

“I’ll try my best,” I replied, waving back at her. I settled into the halls relatively quickly, keeping an eye out for Max. I found him at his locker, and he smiled upon seeing me.

“Hey, Ash–“ he started, then paused to look at me more closely. He immediately hugged me. “Are you okay?”

I almost melted at his affection and how easily he knew that I wasn’t in the best mood. “I just didn’t have a good night’s sleep. I’m sure I’ll be fine tomorrow,” I told him, in a half lie.

“If you need some help getting cheered up, I’m always here. Okay?” he said, completely skipping our usual joking with each other.

“Thanks, Max. I needed to hear that,” I said, rewarding him with a peck on his lips.

“That’s what friends are for!” he chimed.

“Boyfriends, too,” I added.

“Well, yeah, but I’m betting that both Leslie and Jan will give you the same offer. Heck, Cindy Harper might, too!” he told me.

“You’re probably right. It just shows that I’ve chosen my friends right,” I said with a smile.

“And I’m glad you chose me!” Max said, beaming. I’m sure he thought I would kiss him again, but I decided to take advantage of my slightly better mood and mess with him a bit.

“I think we kind of chose each other,” I told him.

He shrugged. “Touché.”

“Thanks for cheering me up. I’ll see you at lunch,” I said, smiling again.

“You know it!” he called back as we started our walks to class. I stopped before he did, settling down in my math class. Leslie was already there, and she offered a helping ear to me just like Max did. Apparently, my better mood wasn’t as good as I thought. It became especially obvious in my classes, as I had trouble concentrating, instead thinking about the nightmare. The fact that it had changed chilled me to the bone.

Thankfully, lunch came quickly. I was eager to see my friends again and work toward a better mood again, but I really needed to talk to Melissa. I gently knocked on her office door, and I didn’t miss the telltale glow of her hand as the room was warded to give us privacy.

“You look like you need some sleep, Ashley. Did your nightmares come back?” Melissa asked, nailing the issue on the head.

I sat on one of the cots, fighting tears. “I thought I had recovered enough, but they did.”

“There’s more, isn’t there?” she pressed.

“The dream was different this time. Instead of the Orb floating in front of me, there was something else. It looked like a person, but I somehow knew it wasn’t,” I explained.

“That’s certainly new,” Melissa mused.

“There’s something else, too,” I told her, holding my marked palm open. “This mark was on my palm when I woke up this morning.”

Melissa gasped when she saw my palm. “The mark appeared on your palm while you were sleeping?”

I nodded. “Do you know what it is?”

She bit her lip. “I’m not sure, but it can’t be good. I’m going to take a picture of it and see if my mother or the rest of the Coven can identify it, if that’s okay with you.”

I gulped while watching her rummage through her desk for a camera. “Am I in danger?”

“I don’t know Ashley, but it’s likely. If it just appeared today, though, we have time to deal with it,” Melissa said, taking a picture of my open palm.

“Deal with it? Before what?” I asked, starting to shake in fear.

“Before its purpose is revealed,” she said.

“Am I… am I going to die?” I stammered. My breathing started to quicken as my mind ran through all the possibilities.

“You aren’t going to die, Ashley,” Melissa said with a commanding tone. She placed her hand on my knee, which felt surprisingly calming.

“Sorry. I’m just a little frazzled right now,” I said.

“I would be too, in your position,” she said with a comforting tone.

“So, what do you think it all means?” I asked.

“I’ll get this new info to the Coven,” Melissa said. “If it has anything to do with the Orb, then we need to pay attention to it.”

“I just wish it could stop haunting me like this…” I sighed, “I know we canceled our appointments, but do you think I can start seeing Cassie again?”

“Of course,” came her answer.

“Thanks,” I said, “and thanks for listening. I guess I’ll be off to lunch again.”

“No, thank you for telling me so quickly. If anything besides simple trauma is causing your nightmares, we need to know,” Melissa answered. I nodded in agreement as I left the room.

“Ah, there you are,” A familiar voice called from behind me as I approached the cafeteria. I turned around to face Cindy.

“Hey there,” I said, “were you looking for me?”

She nodded, then gave me an odd look. “Are you okay?”

“I didn’t sleep too well last night. I’m still up and about, though,” I said.

Cindy smiled, “Then I have just the thing to cheer you up. I’m gathering some of the girls we both know for a girl’s night out. Want to come?”

“Who’s coming?” I asked.

“So far, I’ve got Carly, Leslie, and Jan. We’re going to a more upscale karaoke place than Sally’s, and you were the last girl I wanted to ask,” she explained.

“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to take my mind off things for a while. I’m in,” I said, giving her a small smile.

“And I’m sure singing a good song or two will help you too,” she chimed.

I nodded. “When are we meeting up?”

“At about seven or so. Leslie has directions, so she’ll drive you and Jan and I’ll take Carly,” she said.

“Sounds good,” I said.

“Alright. See you then!” Cindy said with a smile, before entering the cafeteria ahead of me.

The rest of the school day went a little faster now that I had something to look forward to. It was fun to sing, and it would be a good way to get my mind off what was happening to me. At times, I found myself staring at the mark on my palm, wondering just what it was.

I was doing it again in the car with Leslie and Jan as we drove to the restaurant to meet with Cindy and Carly.

“Why do you keep staring at your palm like that, Ash?” Jan asked, snapping me out of it.

“Sorry. I guess I’m just spacing out a bit,” I admitted.

“Are you sure you’re up for this? You’re obviously not yourself today,” Leslie added.

“This’ll be good for me,” I insinuated.

“We’ll take you home if you start to feel bad, okay?” Jan said.

“It’s a deal,” I told them. Soon enough, we were at the parking lot and getting out of the car. I took one last look at my hand before getting out. I didn’t catch the name of the restaurant as we walked inside.

Author's note, part two:

Camments, as you know, are an author's lifeblood. I'm not begging or demanding that you leave one, but if you liked the story then tell us what you liked. Or didn't like, as the case may be. Constructive critisim is always welcome, but please have a suggestion handy when you go to give it. Other than that, I hope you had a good read. ^_^

“Are you sure we’ve got the right place?” I teased Darcy for the third time. She was notorious amongst our sisters for being bad with finding her way anywhere she hadn’t been to before.

“Yes, I’m sure. We come here a lot, remember?” She told me again as we walked in. It didn’t take long to find Cindy, as she had somehow gotten coaxed into singing “Say You Will” by Evanescence and was only half way through the song. I grabbed Darcy’s arm and lead her to the side of the stage so we could follow her back to the table once she was finished. She wasn’t doing too bad a job at singing, but I wasn’t going to tell her to quit her day job either.

Soon enough, the song was over and as she got her applause, I walked over and gave her a hug.

“Hey there kiddo. Let me introduce you to my roommate, Darcille.” I said as I dragged the vampire in question front and center. They shook hands (Please, call me Darcy) and we made our way back to where they had already been seated, not too far from the stage at all.

Introductions were made all around and I took a seat next to Carly and Darcy took one on the other side of me.

“Haven’t kept you kiddies waiting too long, have we?” I asked them.

“Nope, not at all. Did you have to come far?” Jan asked us.

“Not really, we live over on Greek Row.” Darcy answered.

“Oooo... Sorority girls... Which one?” Lesley asked. Time for the first bombshell of night.

“Delta Beta.” I jumped back into the conversation and smirked at their reaction. In their defense, it was a knee-jerk reaction and they recovered quickly. I was fully aware of the reputation and the urban myths about us in Delta Beta, so I could tell that Ashley moved her from out of town recently.

“Well, that explains the killer figures you two have.” Jan said after she recovered. “What’s the secret?”

I shared a look with Darcy and almost missed a similar look between Ashley, Cindy and Carly.

“Good genes?” I asked and was rewarded with a snort from Carly and Darcy. If the humans only knew the truth. “Besides, you don’t look too bad yourself.”

This led into more small talk between us as a group. Lesley and Jan were typical for a pair of high school girls and Ashley struck me as a pretty shy kind of girl. She also seems a bit out of sorts when Darcy, Cindy and I started playing Mystery Science Theater 3000 with some of the people that sang after Cindy did. It wasn’t too long until Jan and Lesley were coaxing Ashley into going up and picking out a song to sing. She seemed a bit hesitant to commit to one, though.

“Need a hand?” I asked her as I walked up and snickered under my breath as she gave a start.

“Uh... Sure? I thought I knew what I wanted to sing, but I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Well, how are you feeling?”

“Nervous?”

“Really now?” I asked with an arched eyebrow. “Let me rephrase that. How have you been feeling lately? Angry? Frustrated? Angsty? In love? Sad or depressed?”

“Oh... Kind of annoyed and somewhat frustrated...”

“Say no more kiddo; I know a good one for ya.” I said as I looked through the list to find the song I had in mind.

“Happy day, happy day.” I muttered under my breath when I found “Our Truth” by Lacuna Coil and queued it in for her, then began looking for something for me to sing. I had just remembered about a couple somethings I had stashed in my purse from last Halloween and they were going to work perfectly with the song I had in mind.

“Hey Ashley, I think I made a mistake on something. You’re going to need a back-up singer for this one. Why don’t you get Carly to sing with you?” I suggested to her as I made my way back to the table with her. “But before we go back, Why don’t you check out the song first so that you’re familiar with the tune first. They’ve got a headphone rack over there for that purpose. I need to go use the little girls’ room.”

“O-okay.” She said, looking at me like a fish out of water. “Just don’t be too long.”

“You got it, Chicka.” I said with a warm smile and made my way to the woman’s restrooms.

Once inside, I did a quick check of my make-up and fixed what needed fixing. Then I reached into my purse and pulled out a small container about the size of a ring box and a tube of fast acting denture adhesive.

“Oh, this is gonna be fu-un.” I said to no one at all. I finished up with the little surprises I had stashed in the ring box and made my way back out to the group. Imagine my surprise when the only questions I got asked were yes or no questions.

When Ashley’s turn came up, she and Carly made their way up and picked up their microphones.

She ran through the scales that the song’s intro was made of and I just about gave my surprise away when I heard her launch into them. Dear Lord that girl can sing! The only thing I could find wrong with her voice was that she was singing like she normally could add more power to her voice than she seemed able to tonight. Not that it was really noticeable, mind you.

“Clock is ticking while I'm killing time. Spinning all around... Nothing else that you can do to turn it back!” She sang in a voice that in spite of not being up to full strength, was still powerful and piercing while managing to caress the ears like fine silk. “Wicked partnership in this crime. Ripping off the best condescending smile!”

Ashley and Carly shared the next lines, going back and forth between like they were playing vocal tag.

“Trying to Forget...” Ashley sang, stretching the words out of the chorus.

“Wasting my time” Carly answered back just before Ashley finisher her line, drawing out the words in a similar fashion.

“We're falling right through” They sang together, harmonizing in spite of how much better Ashley was than Carly.

“Lying to forget” Ashley went on, once more drawing out the words.

“Telling more lies” Carly once again came in over Ashley just before she was finished.

“We're raising our truth...” They sang together.

“Go on, tease me!” Ashley Continued without Carly and held the last word.

“Clock is ticking while I'm stealing time... Can't you turn it back? Stop the cycle, set it free and run away! Silent, sneaking along my path... Rugged the road, but we feel it like we're flying!”

“Feel it like we're flying” Carly sang once Ashley was done.

After this, they sang the chorus again, Ashley went through the scales from the intro, and they sang the final chorus. I was very impressed with her voice by the end of the song. But I was up next and as I walked past her on my way up I put a hand on her shoulder. I giggled inwardly at the involuntary shiver that ran down her back at my touch.

“You are one of the best vocalists I have ever heard, young lady, but your showmanship leaves a few things to be desired.” I said into her ear, so that she couldn’t see my fake fangs.. “Take a seat back at the table and lem'me show ya how it’s done.”

I skipped lightly up to the stage and hid my mouth behind the microphone. A few seconds later and the intro to my song started up. I took a deep breath as the intro played through, then set my voice to be somewhere between husky or sultry and pissed off.

“Don’t listen what your girlfriend says, she reads those magazines that say you failed the test: You don’t have what she needs.” I sang as I moved my body with the music. I wasn’t too erotic with my movements, as I wasn't looking to snag a meal tonight. At least not from here. “I slither like a viper and get you by the neck. I know a thousand ways to help you forget about her... That bitch can eat her heart out!

“Love bites, but so do I... So do I.” I sang as I moved my mouth away from the microphone for the chorus and gave the crowd a predatory smile, exposing my fake fangs. This had the desired effect and a majority of the crowd was laughing pretty hard at my antics on stage. I looked jsut in time to see Carly do a spit-take all over the front of Cindy's top. “Love bites, but so do I, so do I... Love bites!”

As I watched Dani sing on stage, bearing her obviously fake fangs at the laughing and cheering audience, I wasn’t sure what to think about her. At the moment, I was kind of irked with Cindy for not telling me about her and Darcy. Especially since they were Vampires. I turned to Cindy as Dani entered her last chorus.

“Why didn’t you tell me about our surprise visitors?” I asked.

She sighed. “The truth is that they wanted me to organize this so that they could meet you. Dani heard rumors about how well you could sing and wanted to see for herself.”

“Love Bites!” Dani continued to sing as I slowly nodded.

“I hope she’s satisfied… even if I wasn’t at my best,” I said.

“Girl, you out sang all of us despite that!” Leslie chimed in.

“Well, maybe not Dani. She rocked it up there,” Jan said.

“Aw, shucks!” her voice suddenly popped up, “Is that praise I hear?”

I felt kind of guilty for singing for her. I had a feeling that she was looking for some kind of competition, especially with the comment she gave me just before stepping on the stage, and I didn’t want to do that. Her singing skill came from training, while mine came from my Nereid nature.

“You were awesome up there,” I told her truthfully.

“Thanks, kiddo,” she said, giving me her attention. I wasn’t sure how much I liked being called kiddo, though. Leslie gently poked my ribs.

“So, it looks like you’ve got some competition now, Ash. What are you gonna do about it?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe just let them have their fun?”

“Now, that’s no fun!” Dani pouted.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not trying to show off with my singing. I don’t want to steal your thunder, and you already have more experience than me,” I explained.

“Looks like she’s not interested, Dani girl,” Darcy chimed in.

“Never mind that,” Dani said, “Ashley, you’ve got a hell of a voice, and a girl’s gotta respect that.”

“Thank you?” I said, almost as a question.

“You really aren’t all there, are you?” she asked. I frowned.

“Yeah, Ashley. You definitely had a bit of emotion up there with me,” Carly added.

“It’s… personal,” I said, resisting a sudden urge to look at my mark.

Dani arched an eyebrow up. She seemed to do that a lot. “So, do you just not want to tell anyone, or is the problem that you can’t tell anybody?”

“Can we please not talk about this?” I asked, trying not to get angry at this perfect stranger for trying to butt into my personal matters. Thankfully, she backed off immediately, obviously noticing that she had hit a nerve.

“Sorry, Ash. Maybe we should have waited a day or two to do this,” Cindy consoled me.

I smiled at her. “It’s okay. You shouldn’t cancel some fun on account of me!”

“She was like this at the beginning of October, too. It’ll pass,” Jan assured everybody.

“I’d love to see you sing when you’re able to give it your all!” Dani chimed.

“I told you, I’m not looking for a competition!” I snapped. Cindy grabbed my arm.

“Ashley, she didn’t mean it that way!” she scolded me.

“Sorry,” I said.

“No worries, kiddo. I know what it’s like to be this frazzled by something,” Dani said, waving the issue off as if it were nothing, “Not happy at all.”

“I sing for fun, not profit,” I told her once I completely calmed down.

Dani and Darcy shared a look. “Why don’t you two do a duet down the road, then?” Darcy asked.

“Sounds good to me! What about you?” Dani asked.

“Well, okay… but I want to get to know you a little first. You’re still practically a stranger to me,” I said.

“Say no more!” Dani said, moving as if to take out a pocketbook, “It looks like I’m free as a bird-plane for a looooong time! You name the time, and I’ll be there.”

I managed to smile at her antics. “Okay. I think I’ll wait until I’m feeling better, though.”

“Good call,” Leslie said.

“Sooooo, who’s up for another song?” Jan asked. The next thing I knew, I was whisked back onto the stage.

And, you know what? I was starting to have fun.

After we all said our goodbyes to each other for the night, I told Leslie and Jan to go on ahead to Leslie’s car. I wanted to talk to Cindy about something.

“Mind if Carly listens in, too? If you want to talk about what I think you want to talk about, there’s nothing to worry about,” Cindy told me once I stopped her.

“You’re probably right,” I said, walking with her to Cindy’s Miata.

“So, what’s up?” Carly asked once we got to her, “I figure that this conversation is a long time coming.”

I nodded. “So, I’m kind of annoyed that you two invited Dani and Darcy along without telling me, or anybody, really. What I want to know is how you managed to befriend a pair of vampires.”

Cindy laughed. “I had a feeling you noticed. Anyway, it’s a long story, but they aren’t going to hurt you. I promise.”

“Yeah. They only drink from guys, and they know you’re our friend. You’re safe,” Carly added.

“I just can’t believe that they wanted to meet me because they heard I could sing,” I mused.

“That’s because you can sing,” Cindy said.

“But that’s just because I’m a Nereid. The skill isn’t actually mine,” I said.

“Even so, people still enjoy it,” Carly said.

“I know, but I’m not going to use a skill that I didn’t actually earn for anything except for fun,” I told the pair.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Carly mused.

“I think you should at least try to humor Dani,” Cindy told me, “I know that she seems a little overwhelming, but things should go more smoothly once you start to know what to expect from her.”

“Do you know what to expect from her?” I asked.

Both of the girls laughed. “Not one bit.”

I sighed. “Well, the date’s already made. Wish me luck.”

“Definitely. You’ll need it!” Cindy chimed, leaving my prospects of seeing Dani again very mixed. All I knew was that she was an interesting person, and I’d need to see her again in order to determine whether or not I liked her.

For now, I was going to go home and sleep the night off.

And hope I didn’t have another nightmare.

“You do realize that she isn’t human, right?” Darcy asked me on the ride home.

“How do you figure?” I asked in reply. She had seemed like a normal person to me.

“She sings too well. No human has that kind of emotional pull in their voice.” She explained. “If any of us would know about that, it’s me and you know it.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give you that one. But if she isn’t human, what is she?”

“I’ve got nothing on that. I thought you would have figured it out by now.”

“What? How would I have done that?”

“You always do an ass-pull with that kind of thing. Come on, what’s keeping ya this time?”

“I thought I’d give you the chance to do that ass-pull, but it stinks!” I teased her, which earned me a smack on the back. I let that smack affect me more than it normally would and it gave rise to some speed-wobbles from the scooter.

“You little bitch!” Darcy exclaimed after I got the scooter back under control. “You did that on purpose.”

“You bet I did.” I said with a grin. “While I’m the rider and you’re the passenger here, your safety is in my hands. Don’t forget it.”

This last I punctuated with a slap to her thigh with my open hand and I knew it was hard enough to leave a red hand print under the denim on her jeans. To this, she gave no response. Deciding that the fun had gone on long enough, I twisted the throttle a little more and made for home.

I awoke in complete darkness. I immediately recognized the landscape as being from my dreams. I steeled myself with the knowledge that what I was experiencing wasn’t real… and waited.

Soon enough, “he” arrived. He appeared to me in the form of a ludicrously beautiful man. A perfectly proportioned face, perfectly toned muscles, and a calm confidence that made me think he was capable of anything.

He was too perfect.

“You came back,” were his first words to me.

“Who are you?” I demanded.

“That is not important. What matters is who you are,” he stated simply, “and that begs the question. Who are you, Ashley Martin?”

“I am me,” I told him, trying to put on a brave front.

“Oh, but you can do better than that, my sweet Nereid,” he said, stepping closer to me.

“I…” I started.

“…don’t know who you are, yet?” he asked. He continued to walk toward me. For every step forward he took, I took one back. I couldn’t let him reach me. Couldn’t let him touch me.

“I’m only sixteen! I’m supposed to still be finding myself!” I yelled.

“Exactly, my dear. And that means that your true self isn’t yet set in stone,” the man said, stopping.

I stood tall. “My true self will be what I want to be. Not what you want me to be!”

Suddenly, the man was in front of me. He slowly walked behind me, trailing a finger across my cheek as he moved. I shuddered as a chill ran down my spine.

“My mere nearness is forcing your resolve to falter, Ashley,” he said.

“You can’t influence me! I won’t join you!” I almost screamed.

“Oh, but I won’t force you to join with me. You’ll come willingly, in time,” he assured me. His calm confidence still showed in his words, and I became greatly concerned for my ability to resist him.

“Never!” I screamed.

The man seemed to ignore my outburst, instead examining me more closely. It was bordering on a leer, and it made me shiver with revulsion.

“It has been so long since one as fair as you has come under my influence. You shall make an excellent consort once I am free,” he said.

“I… I would never do that!” I cried. He just smiled.

“By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging for it,” he said. I shivered again.

“Just… just who are you?” I demanded once again.

Instantly, the man was in my face. His eyes shined a deep red for a second, and he scowled.

“My name is Aka Manah, and I am your Master.”

Authors' note (from Loki):

For any of you who want to hear the song's as they are intended to be heard, please go here and here for the music videos.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry about being late this week, Dustin and I had a few technical glitches crop up. If you enjoyed it, let us know by leaving a comment and a kudo, if you don't mind. If you didn't like it, then leave us a comment (or pm one or both of us) to let us know how/where we could improve. Thanks and happy reading!

“Well then, I’ve got something special for y'all tonight.” I said as I made a great show of pretending to be deafened by their noise. Turning to Ashley, I waved her on up as Joey ducked off stage and brought her microphone out. “I happen to have a lovely young friend of mine with me. Why don’t you hop on up here Ashley and we’ll get this thing going, huh?”

“How are you holding up?” Melissa asked me during my customary visit to her office a couple of days later.

“I’m actually feeling a little better,” I told her, “nothing happened in my dreams yesterday. I think I needed the break.”

“And it gives us more time to figure out who this Aka Manah is. Whoever he is, he can’t be good news,” she said.

“Trust me. He is Evil,” I insisted.

Melissa smiled. “I’ll just take your word for it.”

“So have you figured out anything?” I asked.

“I’m afraid not. We’re trying to contact the High Coven right now. Hopefully, their libraries have some information on your assailant and how we can remove your Mark,” she said.

At the mention of the Mark, I found myself looking at my palm. I had taken to wearing a thin glove on my right hand to hide the sight of the curved horn from myself and from everyone else. It was oddly riveting to look at, yet also gravely unsettling. As much as I wanted to think that these encounters were just a dream, the Mark was proof that they were all too real. I just hoped that the Coven would be able to figure things out before anything happened, because resisting his influence was the only thing I could do to help myself.

“I can’t help but wonder when he’s going to come back,” I said.

“I don’t know, but we need to use what time we have,” she said.

“I just hope we can remove it before I actually start to change,” I said.

“You need to consider the possibility that he could be manipulating you at this very moment,” Melissa lectured me. “Keep an eye on your thought patterns, and make sure to speak up if you know you’re acting differently than usual.”

I stiffened for a moment, but I nodded. “I will.”

“Good,” Melissa said with a smile. “We’re going to help you, no matter what happens. Okay?”

I smiled back. “Thank you.”

Melissa chuckled. “I guess we can consider this to be your payment for saving the Lake in September.”

My eyes went wide. “Do you think the Orb could have caused this?”

“Well, this all seemed to start after your contact with it. I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch.”

“Why couldn’t this have just ended when we locked that thing away?” I asked sullenly.

“I don’t know, Ashley,” was all Melissa could say.

I sighed. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I know it sounds risky, but you may want to try and get some information from Aka Manah the next time he visits you in your dreams,” Melissa said.

“He does seem really confident in his ability to sway me,” I told her, “maybe he won’t mind giving me his plan if he feels I can’t do anything to stop him.”

“I wouldn’t stake your life on that,” Melissa chided me.

“I know,” I said, looking down.

“Just try your best, okay? We’ll figure this out,” Melissa assured me.

I nodded. “I am worried about being able to easily contact you or the Coven once winter break starts this Friday, though.”

“Don’t worry about that. We have our phones,” Melissa said with a laugh.

“I suppose we do,” I said, smiling back. “Thanks for listening to my rambling.”

“No, thank you for keeping me updated,” she said.

I just nodded again and left the room, glad that I was getting help for my unique predicament.

The ride home was strangely silent. I wasn’t sure what to think about it, as Mom tended to do this only when she was waiting to include Dad in a conversation before starting it. I had a feeling that I knew what they wanted to talk about, too.

“Did Melissa tell you anything about your Mark today?” Mom finally asked me once we got home. She nailed it.

“They’re still trying to figure things out,” I told both her and Dad.

“Are you worried?” Mom asked, gently touching my shoulder.

“That’s an understatement,” I admitted.

“You’re not alone in this, Ashley,” Dad added.

“I know, and I trust the Coven. I know they’ll figure out a way to help me… but what if it’s too late by then?” I asked.

“Then you’ll have to make sure it isn’t too late,” he replied, as if it were simple.

“I don’t know if I can resist long enough. His presence is so overwhelming…” I said, shivering slightly. Mom brought me into a hug.

“I know you can do it, honey. You resisted the Orb when you held it, and you can resist this now,” she gently told me.

“I’ll try my best. I won’t make it easy for him,” I told her.

“And if you do feel yourself starting to fall, please talk to us,” Dad told me.

I nodded. “I will.”

With that settled, we tried to fall into the rhythm of our normal day. Acting as if I had no reason to fear something as simple as going to sleep. It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, but I was able to go to bed with some confidence that I could resist whatever Aka Manah did next.

I stood there, tapping my foot as he appeared to me.

“Where were you yesterday?” I asked, playing to my confidence.

“There were matters which required my attention… and things are not going as planned. It would seem that you are becoming somewhat of a priority to me,” he replied.

“A priority for what?” I asked.

“Why, to help me, of course. And you do want to help me, do you not?” he asked, stepping closer.

“Absolutely not!” I snapped.

He just waved his hand. “No matter. You’ll come to see the error of your ways soon enough.”

“I will never join you,” I said, gritting my teeth.

“Oh, but you will!” he said, giving me a devilish smile. A perfect smile. He had absolutely no doubt that he would succeed.

“I’ll–“

“Your precious Coven will be of no help to you, my dearest. By the time they figure out what I am, it will be far too late for you,” he told me.

“I have faith in them,” I told him, standing tall.

“But do you have faith in yourself?” he asked.

“I do,” I told him. He just laughed at me.

“I know when you’re lying to me, Ashley. Your soul is filled with nothing but doubt!” he claimed.

“Of course it is. I doubt that you can actually sway my personality to your ends,” I told him with confidence that was growing increasingly nonexistent.

“Is that so?” he asked. Suddenly, he was in my face, and I cringed as it distorted for a moment. “But you’re right,” he continued, much to my surprise, “I cannot forcibly change a personality.”

I stepped back, waiting for him to continue.

“I am bringing out your inner darkness, Ashley Martin. Your deepest, darkest desires. The parts of yourself that you hide from everybody, including yourself. And you do have quite the delicious dark side,” he finished.

“You-You can’t do that!” I screamed, stepping back, “I won’t let you!”

“You have no choice in the matter, dear one. That beautiful mark on your palm signifies one thing and one thing only: you belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone! I am my own person!” I yelled, close to hysterics.

“Ashley, Ashley, Ashley. Deep down, you know you want this. You wish to revel in your servitude. I can see now that you lust for my power. Lust for my body. All you must do is submit to me, and it is all yours,” he spoke, smiling. I cringed. He was wrong, right?

I… I didn’t know. Why didn’t I know!? I started to cry as I came to realize just how powerful his influence could be.

“That’s it… revel in your despair,” I heard his silky voice pierce the air.

I then realized that despair was his goal. He wanted me to lose hope and faith. I… I needed to stand tall and show him that his claims were wrong. That he was lying. There were people out there who loved me the way I was. Even if most of them couldn’t possibly know what I was fighting, they would be there to see me win. I wiped my tears away, looking Aka Manah straight in the eye.

“You won’t beat me,” I told him.

“I see now. Your friends give you strength, do they?” he asked.

“For their sakes, I can’t let you sway me,” I told him, my confidence rising again.

“Tell me about Max,” came his next words, nearly shattering my confidence again. How did he know about Max?

“How do you--“

“I know everything about you, Ashley. I know what you did today, and I know what you plan to do tomorrow. I see everything you see, and I know you carry affection for this boy,” he said.

“He is my boyfriend,” I told him. Of course, if he was right, he already knew that.

“Are you finding it difficult to stay tied down to a single man?” he asked.

“What? What do you mean?”

“You, my dear, are a creature of seduction. You are a natural born predator. With beauty and voice, you entrance men and entice them to seek pleasure for both themselves and for you,” he told me.

“That’s not what a Nereid is!” I exclaimed.

“Oh, but it is. Yet, you’re denying your own nature, seeking comfort with a man whom you don’t see as a life partner,” he claimed.

I stumbled backward. How could he say that about our relationship? We haven’t even gotten far enough to even consider the long term! “But why–“

“Are you still with him? Because he hasn’t given you what you want. You do know what you want, don’t you?”

“No! I want–“

“Him? Of course you do. Male companionship is at your very core. Your essence! Your kind wishes nothing more than to treat them like toys. You seek your pleasure, throw him away, and move to the next one.”

“That’s not a Nereid!” I screamed again!

“Perhaps not, but it is you, dear Ashley. Can’t you feel it? The lust rising within you? You want him, don’t you? Yet you resist!”

Suddenly, images began to fly through my head. Images of me deeply kissing Max. Images of me seducing him with charms and movements I didn’t know I had. Images of him taking me in his own bed, with me screaming in ecstasy. I clutched my head in agony.

“No!” I screamed, “This isn’t me! This isn’t what I want!”

“Embrace your sexuality, Ashley Martin. It is part of who you are.”

“No! No! No!” I screamed, fighting off the desires that the images seemed to be kindling within me. I fell to my knees, continuing to scream as everything went dark.

“You are mine, Ashley Martin. It is only a matter of time.”

I woke up with a start, somehow managing not to scream. I let out a soft sigh. It was over. It didn’t feel like I was thinking about things any differently than before I went to bed, so I felt that I had succeeded in keeping my own mind. At least… for tonight. I pulled my knees to my chest, fighting tears. He was so powerful… and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist forever.

I knew it was a little early, but I decided to start getting ready for school. I was able to take extra time in the shower to wash all of my sweat away. I sighed. I might have to start sleeping naked to avoid soiling all of my pajamas. By the time I had finished drying myself off, I had decided that there was no need for anyone to know that I had a nightmare last night. I hadn’t changed at all and I really didn’t want to talk about how he wanted me to change. I shook slightly when I thought about it again. Just because I was a Nereid didn’t mean I was some kind of sexual predator. Just what in the world was he thinking? Perhaps he was truly serious about his plan to make me his consort.

I managed to push the nightmare out of my head by the time I got to school. Mom asked about my sleep, and I assured her that I didn’t have another nightmare. She seemed happy with my answer. After a friendly goodbye, I headed inside the school with a mission. I made a beeline straight for Max. Before even saying a single word, I pulled his head down and mashed our lips together in the deepest kiss I had ever given him. I felt my body react very positively to the situation as our tongues danced together. It seemed like an eternity before we finally broke our lips.

“Whoa,” Max sighed, “is a guy supposed to curl his toes during a kiss?”

I smiled coyly at him. “He is when I kiss him.”

He laughed. “Well, either way, someone seems happy to see me!”

I smiled again. “I’ve been doing a little exploration with my life lately, and I just wanted you to know that I’m glad you’re in it.”

“I’m glad you’re in my life too,” he answered, bringing me into a hug.

I gave him another kiss for that. I probably would have continued, but the bell rang. I made my way to Math class and sat next to a grinning Leslie.

“I saw that kiss you gave Max earlier,” she started.

“I think he liked it,” I said, smiling back.

“I bet he did! It was getting steamy in that hallway, I swear!” she cried, fanning her face.

I laughed with her. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Oh, it was. What’s the occasion?” she asked.

“I just felt like it,” I said with a shrug.

Leslie laughed. “You are one strange girl, Ashley. It takes him almost drowning for you to simply give him a kiss, and then you deep throat him for no reason.”

“What? I have to keep things lively somehow!” I said, grinning.

Leslie smiled, “Fair enough. Just don’t rush things, okay? I don’t think he’d react well to that.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think so either.”

“Alright. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s start paying attention before the teacher gets here for once,” Leslie said.

I laughed. “We’ll pick things up at lunch.”

And that’s exactly what we did, except for a short detour at the beginning of the period. Just like Monday, Cindy went out of her way to approach me with a smile and a wave.

“Hey Cindy,” I responded to her wave.

“Hey Ashley. You were easier to find today,” she replied.

“What do you need me for?” I asked.

“You remember Dani, right?” she asked. I nodded. “Well, she’s singing a set of songs down at the karaoke bar on Saturday and she wants to know if you’re interested in trying that duet a little early.”

“So she wants to skip the getting to know each other part and go straight to the fun part?” I asked, amused.

“Honestly, I have no idea what she’s planning,” she said with a small smile.

“I think I’ll take her up on her offer. Maybe we can have our little talk before or after the set. When does she want me to be there?” I asked.

“She said she’s looking to start at 8, so you should probably arrive early,” she said, rummaging around in her backpack. “Here’s a CD with the song she wants you to sing on it. Her phone numbers is in the case too, if you have any questions.”

I smiled. “Looks like she’s prepared. Thanks, Cindy.”

“No problem. Have fun,” she chimed, giving me another smile and trotting off toward the cafeteria again. Before I headed off myself, I took a look at the CD I was holding. It was marked as “Live to Rise” by Soundgarden, and there was a piece of paper inside the case with a phone number on it. I would probably end up calling Dani tonight, just to make sure I knew exactly what was going on. With that in mind, I went off to enjoy the rest of the day.

After dinner that evening, I made my way to my room and dialed Dani’s number. Her phone rang a few times before answering.

“Thank you for calling the County Morgue,” came a slow voice with a thick accent. It sounded like someone from India. “Obviously, I am the next in line speaking. How may I help you on this miserable, dreary and rainy Thursday evening?”

What? Just who was I talking to? “Um, I think I’ve got the wrong number. Sorry to bother you!”

When no answer came, I just hung up. Rechecking the number I put in, I realized that it was the exact same number as was written on the note. Was Dani just playing some kind of trick on me? I sighed. She did seem like the kind of person who would do that. Just to check, I dialed the number again. The answer came more quickly this time, with a small laugh.

“Ya got the right number the first time, kiddo!” came a more familiar voice, “I always do that to numbers I don’t know.”

“It sounds like you practice that accent quite a bit,” I observed, trying not to sigh.

“I am seriously *BEEP* anticipating your next visit to my *BEEP*! Thaaaaaank yoo-OOu!” she said, slipping into it again.

I laughed at her absurd sentence, which gave her time to continue. “So what’s up?”

“Well, as you can see, I managed to get your number from Cindy. Mind if I ask a couple of questions?” I asked.

“Not at all. Shoot!” she replied.

“First, Cindy wasn’t exactly sure when I was supposed to be there. When do you want me to come?”

“7 o’clock. Sharp. Little ol’ me forgot that you wanted to ‘get to know me better’ before the singing began, so I want to make time for that if you’re still thinking that way,” she said.

“That sounds good,” I replied.

“Awesome. So what else do ya need to know?”

“How should I dress?”

“Dress for the weather, but have a change of clothes that is lighter when you get there. It gets rather toasty under the performance lights,” she said.

“Yeah, I noticed that on Monday night as well,” I agreed, “I just thought that since a duet is involved here, you might have wanted us to coordinate our outfits.”

“Oh, no need for that. You’re A-Okay, kiddo” she said.

“Okay. One more. Can I bring a date?” I asked.

“Maybe. I’ll call you back tomorrow with an answer there,” she said. “There’s also a certain way I’d like to go about singing this one, but I’ll go over that with you the next time we talk.”

“Alright. Either way, I’ll make sure I know the song before Saturday,” I told her.

“Cool deal! I’ll see you then,” she said.

“Definitely. Thanks for answering my questions.”

“No problem, kiddo. Bye!”

“Bye,” I said, hanging up. I smiled. Doing that duet might be a fun start to winter break. It would be a fun time for Max, too, if he could come. If Dani didn’t want him there on Saturday, I would go out with him tomorrow. After stagnating for the last month or so, I felt that it was high time that we moved our relationship forward a bit. I hoped that he would feel the same way as I began getting ready for bed.

Saturday Night...

It might not seem like it at first glance, but performing on stage is a very tiring thing to do. If you’re doing it right, then not only will you have actually the act of singing or playing an instrument taking its toll on your energy levels but the heat of the stage lights and the heat of the warm blooded bodies, never mind the excess heat from said bodies moving around and jumping and what not. All of that conspires to rob you of your energy and by the time you’re done, you’re a sweaty, smelly mess. And I love it.

We had just started playing the Saturday Night All Request Hour, a weekly thing that Joey, the bar’s owner, does with some of his buddies to help drum up customers. What surprised me at this point was that Ashley came walking in on the arm of what I guessed was her boyfriend. I smiled and shook my head at the pair, as the first thought that went through my mind about him was the words: “Boy Scout.” After making a mental note to give her a good ribbing about that later, I got my head back into the song list. The list this time wasn’t too bad. At least no one tried to request any Metallica this time. That had been a little hard on Joey, as his throat isn’t conditioned for growling and screaming. We played through the requests and after a while the security team had to calm a few people down that were getting a little too, uh... Let’s call it “into the music.” Nothing was broken so aside from that, all went pretty smoothly.

After putting my electric guitar back on its stand (yes, I did go back and get that Fender that Frankie tried to sell me those years ago), I went and took a seat and waved to Joey to let him know where I was. Then I turned to Ashley and this mystery man I had yet to be introduced to.

“Well hey there tiger, how ya doing?” I said to Ashley. “I’d give you a hug, but I’m all sweaty and nasty smelling and I’m sure you don’t want that all over you.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to pass on that.” She said with a slight laugh.

This guy must really be something to bring her out of her shell like that. I thought as I turned to the man in question. “So, since she seems to be hesitant to do it, hi. My name’s Danielle.”

“I was getting to that.” She said with a huff. “Max, this is Dani. Dani, Max.”

“Nice to meet you.” He said as he offered his hand. “Ash says that you really know how to put on a performance. From what I’ve seen, I’d have to say she’s right.”

“Why, thank you. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get me blushing more than I’m sure I already am.”

“Now that you mention it.” Ashley cut in. “You do look a little flushed. Are those lights really that hot?”

“Yeah they are. Runs the electric bill up like nobody’s business, but it saves on the heating bill in the winter.” I said with a wink.

This got a chuckle out of Max and a small giggle out of Ashley. We sat there for a few minutes until Joey came over. Once I introduced him to Ashley and Max, we made some more small talk about this, that and the other things. Soon enough, it was time to get back on stage for the night’s special attraction. I was going to be singing for the band tonight, and I had brought in Ashley to do my encore song with me. Before anyone goes making comments about me being arrogant or anything like that, I always get an encore call at the end of my performances here. I told her the plan and told her that I’d call her up with a wave when we were ready to do the song we had picked out.

“You did practice it the way I told you, right?”

“Yeah, but why did you have to make it so complicated?”

“I’m not going to deny it’s complicated, Tiger, but I think it sounds nicer and it presents the song in a much more dynamic way when you sing it like that. Makes it sound like we’re singing back and forth on stage, debating or something. All part of the showmanship thing I talked to you about last time we were here.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Well, back to the stage for me. They can’t get the ball rolling without the singer, and I need to warm my voice up before they do.” I said. “I get the sense that you wanna talk more to me about something. Mind if it waits until after the show?”

“Sure, that’s fine with me. I’ll be waiting for me cue to join you up there.” Ashley said with a smile as she leaned her head onto Max’s shoulder. I reached over and grabbed Joey by the arm and tugged him back up out of his seat.

“Come on, ya big lunk. We gotta show to do.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Yeesh, woman. Could you be any more abusive to me?”

“Wanna find out?” I asked with an innocent smile.

“No, and especially not when you’re smiling like that. Seriously, stop doing that.” He said, all humor leaving his face. “It’s creepy.”

“Are you kidding me? I look like sex on two legs without even trying. When I do try, I can make a million bucks jealous.” I told him with a mock-glare. “Just how in the Hell does someone like that look creepy?”

“It’s because you’re that good looking that you look creepy when you smile all innocently.” He said with a fake shiver. “Reminds me of those nurses from that Silent Hill movie. Hot bodies, but oh my god are they fucking creepy as all Hell, man.”

“You can say that again. But ya gotta remember, that whole movie was one big exercise in how to mentally butt rape a room full of people out of their grasp on sanity, one scene at a time. And don’t even get me started on Pyramid Head.”

“HA! Ain’t that God’s own truth, though?”

“Yup, but we’ve got other things to do than movie talk. Let’s get this thing started, shall we?”

“After you.” He said, gesturing like a stereotypical English gentleman at the stage. “Ladies first and all that.”

That earned him a playful swat to the top of his head as I skipped onto the stage once more. Leaving my guitar where it was, I stepped up to the microphone.

“Good evening ladies and gents. Thanks for sticking around, unlike those losers I saw leave just a few seconds ago.” I said as I blew a raspberry at the couple that had just walked out the door. “Because unlike them, you get a second performance. This one, we haven’t advertised.”

“Yours truly.” I said as I gestured to myself. “Is going to be singing a few songs for your listening pleasure.”

“Before anyone asks: no, this isn’t a request set. We’ve practiced these songs for the last couple of months and they’re getting added to the request list after tonight. Hope you all enjoy, and without further delay...” I let my words die off as I looked over at Joey, who had commandeered my guitar and gave him a nod. With that he started up the intro for the first of the songs I was to sing.

I put both of my hands on the microphone and tipped it away from me. As I did, I leaned forward and let my hair fall down in front of my face. I lightly bobbed my head with the beat of the drums as they and the bassist began their respective parts of the intro.

“On the ground I lay, motionless in pain. I can see my life flashing before my eyes.” I sang with just the right mix of agony and anger on my face and in my voice. “Did I fall asleep? Is this all a dream? Wake me up... I'm living a nightmare...”

“But I will not die” I sang and Joey echoed it back to me. “I will survive!”

“I will not die!” I sang with determination in my voice as Joey came in and backed me on every other line of the chorus. “I'll wait here for you! I feel alive... When you're beside me!”

“I will not die!” I sang again, and Joey came in and finished the chorus with me. “I'll wait here for you in my time of dying...”

“On this bed I lay, losing everything. I can see my life passing me by.” I sang with the anger and agony again. “Was it all too much or just not enough? Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare...”

About an hour later...

“Thank you very much every one. You’ve been a kind audience tonight.” I said as I started to make my way off stage. Just as I had predicted to Ashley earlier, a small group of individual started calling for one more song. Well, who was I to deny them? I turned around and stepped back in front of the microphone.

“Y’all want one last one from me and the boys tonight?” I asked as that same group roared back that they did indeed.

“Well then, I’ve got something special for y'all tonight.” I said as I made a great show of pretending to be deafened by their noise. Turning to Ashley, I waved her on up as Joey ducked off stage and brought her microphone out. “I happen to have a lovely young friend of mine with me. Why don’t you hop on up here Ashley and we’ll get this thing going, huh?”

She received a rather enthusiastic applause at her introduction and smiled warmly because of it. When she got up there with me, I leaned away from my microphone and said a word of encouragement.

“Don’t worry about what they think about you and don’t worry about messing anything up, girl. Just like I planned and we’ll knock their socks off with this.” I said with a wink. This was going to be something very special for me. I looked back over to the bar where Suzanne was stationed with her video camera. Yeah, we weren’t supposed to have pictures taken of us, but this was alright. No one else knew about it, which was exactly how it had to be if I was going to surprise Mama with the footage of this show. She hadn’t seen me perform since I was human, so I figured I’d give her a surprise.

The applause was deafening as Dani and I stood to face the crowd. The duet had gone amazingly, mostly because of an awesome harmony we were able to do with our voices. Dani leaned in close to me as we bowed to the crowd.

“You did awesome, kiddo. Lemme help clean up around here, and then we can meet for our little talk,” she said, winking at me. I nodded, smiled for the crowd again, and started to walk off the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the incredible Ashley Martin!” Dani called to the crowd. I waved to the audience as their cheering increased for a moment. I turned back to Dani one last time to see her keep shooing me off the stage. Of course, she was smiling, so she didn’t mean it in a bad way.

Once I got back to the lower floor, I made my way to Max and gave him a deep kiss, intentionally interrupting his personal praise for my singing. It was fun to do that. I eventually pulled back with a smile, waiting for him to speak. He laughed slightly.

“You know, it would be awkward if you did that just before I criticized a song,” he said.

“But I know I did well up there,” I retorted.

“Feeling a bit cocky, are we?” he asked.

“I think that’s your department,” I said, winking at him.

“What?” he asked, blushing. “Well, a-anyway. You did great up there. You and Dani had this special synergy going. It was awesome.”

“I felt it too,” I agreed.

“So, what do we have planned for the rest of our night?”

“Actually, I was planning on spending some time talking with Dani after she finishes cleaning up. Just us girls. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I don’t mind. I’ve got you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course you do. Here’s a little parting gift,” I finished, pulling him in for another kiss. I loved just kissing him like this, feeling our bodies react to each other. I let out a soft sigh as we let go of each other.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to these new kisses of yours,” Max told me after catching his breath.

I just smiled at him. “Well, I think Dani should be just about done. Do you want to wait for me to come back or are you okay alone?”

“It’s already getting dark. I think I’ll stick around and take you home,” he said.

“Thanks. I forgot how late it was when we got here,” I admitted sheepishly.

Max laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Have fun with your friend. I’ll find something to busy myself.”

“Alright. Don’t get too bored!” I told him, giving him one last wave before turning around to find Dani.

If anyone tells you that it’s easy to pack all the concert gear away after a live show, even a small one, I implore you to smack the ever-loving crap out of them. They’re lying to you through teeth they don’t even deserve to have. It took me about five minutes just to pack away all the effects petals I use for my guitar and the cables that go with them. Then there was the guitar and the microphone, and their respective cables that had to be rewound neatly and stashed in their proper places. I’m just glad I chose to be a guitarist and not a drummer when I was little.

I was finished about ten minutes after I started (it ended up taking the drummer over twenty to finally get everything stowed away) and I decided to take a seat on the edge of the stage to wait for Ashley. She came walking up to me almost as soon as I sat down.

“Hey. Are you ready for that talk?” She asked as she bounced up.

“You bet. Here, follow me. Let’s talk about this in the back where we can’t be overheard.”

“Sounds good to me, lead the way.” She said. I told Joey that I needed to talk to her about a few things in private in the back room and asked that he tell the others not to bother us for a while. On the way back, I asked Suzanne to get in touch with me later about the special video she had recorded. Aside from that though, I took her right to the back, where I had a pair of folding chairs set up for us. I motioned her to take a seat and followed suit.

“So, um, where should we start?” she asked. It looked like she was at a loss for action now that she finally had me here.

“You wanted to get to know each other, right?” Ashley nodded. I leaned toward her slightly. “So, what’s your story?”

Ashley sat back in her chair. “Well, I guess I should start from the beginning. I was born in California, near San Francisco. Since we lived on the coast, my parents actively encouraged me to be near and love the water. So I did. I swam to my heart’s content while I was down there. It helped me stay close to my family, and it’s something I’ve been able to keep for all these years.

She sighed, “There are still times when I miss it all. I had good friends there, and I liked my school… even if it did have some odd rules. I got suspended for fighting someone in self-defense! And the idiot only got a slap on the wrist because he didn’t make me bleed. But, it wasn’t always like that. My friends and I would always hang out at the beach, or occasionally go into San Francisco. I was even able to tour Alcatraz once. Being in Ravencrest really reminds me of just how much there is to do in a big city like that. I’m not saying that there isn’t stuff to do here, but there’s just less.

“But enough about California. I guess it’s in the past now. We moved here on the eve of my sixteenth birthday. I was furious at the time; the decision to move came very suddenly, and it was impossible to say goodbye to all of my friends since it happened during summer vacation. I was a bit of a whiny idiot when we started the drive there, but I knew my parents. They wouldn’t do something like that without a reason. So, I waited to find out what. It didn’t take long, either.

“You see, odd things were starting to happen to me. I was feeling really thirsty, I felt more drawn to the water than usual, and it felt invigorating to actually be in it. I spent so much time in the bathtub once we got to the new house, and Mom just let me. My parents kept track of what was happening to me, but they never seemed terribly concerned about it. They just wanted me to tell them if I ever felt worse. And I did. The closer my birthday I came, the thirstier I felt and the more attached to the bathtub I became. I was even feeling physically sick when I wasn’t in water.

“I found out why on the fateful day. Mom woke me up early in the morning and took me to Lake Crowley. There, I discovered why all these things were happening to me. You see, I’m an Unseen, just like you. I’m a Nereid. I look kind of like a mermaid, but I’m more than that. Sure, I can merge my legs into a scaly tail and swim like a champion, but I can also sing a Siren song. And no, I don’t eat people. If I want, my singing can draw specific people to me, or even a group if I want. The quality of my singing is just a side effect of that. The transformation also made me a lot more beautiful, but you seem to beat me in that department without even trying. Also, I naturally smell like the sea. It’s not perfume.

“So, I learned this amazing thing about my family, and it turned out that the reason we moved was so that I could acclimate to things in a new environment. I’ve been living here ever since. I did a bit of searching in my first couple of months, to find out where I belonged in Ravencrest, especially since I was an Unseen. I was introduced to the Harpers, who eventually found out that I wasn’t human and confronted me about it. I ended up being friends with Carly and Cindy because of that. I also know a couple of witches, and I guess I can add that I know a vampire, too. Isn’t that right?”

Dani nodded, with a small smile. “Yes, you can. But if you don’t mind, however, I’d like to ask a question or three. First, when did you move in?”

“August of this year. We got here a week before my birthday, which was on the 29th.”

“Cool. Welcome to the neighborhood then. Secondly: Are Darcy and I the only ones you know?”

“Yes, why?”

“Good. Keep it like that. For the most part, dealing with us is something to avoid because we don’t normally play very well with others, but I’m being nice to you because I like you, kiddo.” I didn’t say anything to that one, mostly because it almost seemed like a threat.

“Okay then. You told me your story, so how about I tell you mine? To start with, I moved here in the later part of Ninety-Five and was converted into a vampire in June of Ninety-Six. Prior to moving here, my parents had been killed in an accident involving a drugged up commercial truck driver. After moving here, I began attending classes at RCU and double majored in acting and psychology. Everything was going smoothly, all things considered with what happened to my parents and all, when I got a letter at the end of April in Ninety-Six from my best friend’s parents. The letter said that he had enlisted in the army before I left and hadn’t told me before my parents died because he simply hadn’t gotten around to it and chose not to afterwards because he didn't want me to worry about it so soon after they had died.”

Dani stopped at that point to take a small vial of a deep red liquid out of her cleavage and pop it into her mouth. I almost gasped. Was that blood? She seemed to notice whatever face I made when she moved to put the vial back where it came from. I briefly wondered if I had enough cleavage to pull something like that off.

She just shrugged. “What? I’m a vampire, hello? We drink blood to survive. Just pretend its tomato juice and it won’t bother you as much, I promise,” She told me. “And give it a few years kiddo, they’ll get big enough, soon enough.”

“Anyway, he had apparently shipped out for basic shortly after I had left for Ravencrest and never told me. After he made it out of basic, he was immediately deployed to Liberia. Then on April Ninth, when Former President Clinton ordered the withdraw of all US persons and stuff, there was a group of militant villagers that tried to storm the base he was stationed at. He took a bullet to the back of his head trying to protect the daughter of the US ambassador to Liberia as they were getting onto the transport plane to leave the country. He died instantly,” she continued. She stopped here for a moment, a look of hurt crossing her face. She must have held her best friend in high regard. I’d be torn up too if anything happened to Leslie or Jan.

“Carmilla, my maker and the one I call my Mama, found me singing on the roof of the apartment building I was living in at the time. By the end of that week, I was turned into a vampire. It was rough at first, and I almost lost it after about a month like this. But she helped me adjust to what I am and helped me to heal the wounds, even if they only healed a little bit. That’s a debt that I’m still paying her for, but enough about sob stories.” I found myself almost ready to cry as she continued her story.

“Don’t feel too bad for me, Ash. Although it still hurts like hell, I have come to terms with what happened and why. Anywho, after a few years and some training with her on a few things, I got sent out on a mission by Mama and Wisteria, the Queen of the Delta Beta Zeta sorority, which took me through Europe and into Africa. I ended up meeting some people that taught me quite a few things on how to be useful and all that. They were former special operations forces from various nations across the world and were employed as mercenaries. Turns out they were all exiled from their home nations for some reason or another, but I’m bound by oath and by magic not to say anything more than that about them or what they taught me. I left Ravencrest on to take care of that business in Oh-Eight and got back in early 2010. Things went back to something resembling normal for almost a year, considering I’m a vampire, but they started getting interesting again by October of that same year. After that, it’s been one thing on the heels of another, either within the chapter house or things going on elsewhere here in Ravencrest. After just over a year of that, here I am talking to you and telling you about it.”

“That’s… well, I think you have me beat for the title of ‘Most Dramatic Life’,” I said with a smile.

“I don’t know, Kiddo. Looks to me like there’s something big bothering you too,” Dani said.

I grimaced. “That’s none of your business.”

“Same as last week, huh? I can respect that,” she paused and laughed a bit as I let out a big yawn, “come to think of it… isn’t this a little late for you?”

“It’s okay. I’m on break,” I told her.

“Either way, it looks like you need some sleep. Why don’t we put this on hold and let you go home?”

“I don’t… need to sleep,” I told her. Sleeping meant a chance of meeting Aka Manah again.

“Everybody needs to sleep, girl. Even me.”

I hated to agree with her, but she was right. I couldn’t avoid sleeping forever… and my earlier performance didn’t help me conserve any energy. “Okay,” I said quietly, “I’ll try to get some sleep.”

“That’s the spirit,” Dani said, patting my shoulder gently. “Anywho, you did great out there. Even did a little more with your showmanship at that. You have learned well, young grass hoppah.”

“Thanks. It was nice to get to know you a little bit.”

“Likewise. Now, why don’t you go find that boy scout you walked in with? You look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up.”

“Boy scout?” I asked, stifling another yawn.

“Your boyfriend, silly!” she said, then looked me over more carefully, “And seriously, how long has it been since you last slept?”

“Thursday,” I answered.

Dani let out a small laugh. “Okay, that really was a hell of a performance from you, considering that. Now, it’s time for you to get some sleep.”

Surprised that she didn’t try to pry into my issues again, I simply nodded at her. With one last goodbye and a promise to see each other again sometime, I left the isolated room and went to look for Max. He found me before I found him, greeting me with a small peck on the lips. I wanted more than that at the moment, but I was tired and currently crashing hard.

“You feeling okay?” he asked.

“I’m just tired,” I said, hanging on to his arm.

“Let’s get you home, then,” he said, gently pulling me along to his car. We didn’t talk much on the way home, since I seemed to be spending more time trying not to fall asleep instead of listening to what Max was saying. With a gentle kiss good night, I was led to my front door and left to go to sleep before spending the day with Max tomorrow.

“Welcome back,” the familiar voice greeted me as I entered the dark landscape of my dreams.

“I was hoping not to see you today,” I told him, sighing.

“How can you say that, knowing how I’ve missed you so?” he asked. Why was he being kind all of a sudden? Was this some kind of trick?

“I didn’t miss you at all. I didn’t sleep yesterday to avoid you!” I snarled at him.

“I must thank you for that, my sweet. Your fatigue only makes it easier for me to influence you,” he told me, gently stroking my cheek. I cringed away.

“Stop giving me all these pet names. I’m not a pet,” I said.

“Ah, so you seek equality in our relationship. I do appreciate a woman who knows what she wants,” he said, smiling widely.

“I only want you out of my life. Forever,” came my reply.

“I can’t do that, Ashley. You see, you are important to me in more ways than you know,” he explained.

“I can’t be that important if you just want me to be a consort.”

Aka Manah laughed. “That is not all I want you for, my dear. There is something I need to accomplish, and only a Nereid can help me.”

“W-what?” I stammered.

“Allow me to ask some questions of you,” he started, ignoring me.

“Hey!” I interrupted him, “I asked you a question!”

“That is irrelevant. Tell me, do you know everything about yourself, Ashley Martin?”

I was fuming at him for just casually ignoring my outburst. “Of course I know everything about myself. I’m the only person who can.”

Aka Manah smiled. “Oh, but that is where you are wrong. It is an incredible weakness of sentient beings; the inability to truly see into themselves. You are hiding important aspects of your very existence, and you don’t know it, do you?”

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I yelled.

“Your inner demons are incredible. You are outwardly adorable, yet there is such darkness hiding behind the façade you have put up.”

“But, I really am a nice person,” I argued.

“Yet part of you also wishes to selfishly pursue your own desires, regardless of other’s intentions.”

“I don’t have any desires like that,” I said… but I didn’t truly believe it. When Aka Manah saw my uncertainty, he pounced.

“You feel that your life is difficult because you were born a male, yes? Don’t you wish to fully embrace your femininity, leaving behind the male existence that is dragging you down?”

“N-no! I don’t want to forget my old life!” I told him.

“And don’t you wish to use your singing for your own gain, whether it be monetary or for the simple thrill of entrancing a group with your energy?”

“I can’t do that… I didn’t earn that skill,” I said.

“Don’t you wish you could be more like your friend, Danielle? To be such a free spirit, doing whatever your whims dictate?”

“I…” I started.

“Of course you do! Yet, you attempt to drown your darker desires with mere reason!,” he spoke, acting as if he spit out the word against his will, “Face it, Ashley! You wish to be free, sexy, and impulsive. You wish to scoff at authority and forge your own path. You wish to rise above anything that dares get in your way!”

“No! That… that isn’t me!” I yelled.

“It is you, my dear, as much as the person you were last week is you. Now, it is the person you are becoming. Every day, you slip farther and farther toward your true self.”

“No, you’re lying. I haven’t changed at all. I know it!” I yelled, breaking into tears. He gently smiled at me.

“You carry so much potential. We are perfect for each other, Ashley Martin,” he paused for a moment, as if in thought. “As a token of my good will, I will not visit you in your dreams tomorrow.”

“Y-You really won’t?” I asked.

“I never break my word,” he said, smiling again. Somehow, I felt that he was telling the truth.

“…Thank you,” I said, sinking to the floor.

“You are very welcome, my dear. Sweet dreams,” he finished. I looked back up to see his image fading away, and I knew that I would wake up soon.