The Brothers Quest

The Beginning
By Jayson A. Lowe

!1

Prologue
They were royalty, king and queen, Lupus and Melanie Silveron, yet they were being hunted. They had been running from Him for almost a year, running for their lives and the lives of their two year old boys; they were identical twins and looked more alike than any others. Melanie had always wished she and Lupus could have brought them up in a different time, because Aromis had changed. Rolling green hills, mystical forests, a bright blue sky and a pleasant summer breeze, thats the Aromis she was raised in and she could still see it. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the beautiful horizon, smelt the aroma of dew drops on grass and felt the warmth of the sun on her skin, while the breeze played with her silken black hair. It had always been warm where she lived, always green. There were parts of Aromis that were cold, parts that snowed, but she never had any wish to see them. Her father had always said it would be like giving up sugar for salt. He had always fancied himself a wise man and the things he came out with always made her laugh. Melanie smiled. Nothing, no matter how horrible things got, no matter how much was taken from her, could steal her memories; but even though she knew the bitter cold and hard stone earth were waiting for her outside of her mind, she opened her eyes.

Boys, come back here. Melanie was a natural born mother and always worried too much; she hated it when the twins ran off ahead of her. Lupus thought that, since they were no longer granted many of life's pleasures, they deserved to have fun. Up ahead, Thaigan walked through the brown grass; Evelyn, his one year old daughter in a sling on his back. Most people would think it funny to see Thaigan, a mighty warrior, head of the kings guard, carrying a baby on his back; but it wasnt. Lupus had far too much respect for Thaigan to find this funny and he knew the
!2

circumstances that led to it, which only increased his respect. Thaigan stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed ahead. Were here, we made it. He turned around. Look, its in the midst of those mountains. He pointed ahead to a cluster of seven immense mountains on the horizon. It will take us another four hours at most, but its getting dark so we should camp here for the night. The trees will conceal us. He started walking towards the forest just off the path. But were so close; we could make it before the high moon, said Lupus. He could feel his heart rate rising with excitement; they were almost there, this was their chance so why should they stop for the night? He was about to resort to begging, something he was not accustomed to. Lupus, Melanie placed a soothing hand on her husbands shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, he knows what hes talking about; trust him. Well camp here for tonight. Lupus looked at her. He was a strong willed man and she was the only one who could ever change his mind. He loved that about her. He threw his hands up in the air and sighed, Alright, well camp, but I want to set out early.

The night was freezing. Thaigan kept watch as they slept, his breath rising as steam into the night air. His mind wandered to the idea of this new life they had planned and he couldnt get the feeling of dread out of his chest every time he thought about it. He had spent his whole life -twenty five years- living in Aromis and he had heard of where they were going. Those it was known to called it the other side,' and it sounded wrong. Thaigan loved Lupus as his very own brother. They had been childhood friends and had spent many a day playing in the castles courtyard. Lupus father, His Royal Highness Christoff, was the ruler of the finest kingdom in all of Aromis and Thaigans father had been head of his guard. When Lupus and Thaigan grew up, they took the places of their fathers, which could not have made them happier.
!3

Melanie, who had come into Lupus life when they were fifteen, had also come to be as close to him, which meant that Thaigan would do anything to please them. That was the only reason he was going along with their plan without complaint, despite his hesitations, of which there were many. So many troubles, so many problems, heavy eyelids, his head began to droop. Thaigans eyes fluttered open. He had fallen asleep; he had no idea when, but now his attention turned to the sound of quiet footsteps on leaves, an intruder. His head snapped up from his chest and his hand to his sword. He tilted his head to the side, listening for signs that it was an enemy and not just a wild beast. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. Thaigans heart pounded like a drum inside his chest, making it hard to hear anything else. He willed it to slow down, tightening his grip on the hilt of his blade. He had to be imagining it; they had been so careful, backtracking, leaving the path, making new ones. How could they possibly have been followed? No, it was absurd, His grip on the sword loosened. CRACK! A breaking twig. This was definitely real. With the agility and stealth of a well-trained warrior, Thaigan leaped to his feet, sword in hand, and ran silently towards the source of the sound; but, despite the quietness of his approach, the intruder obviously heard him. The thudding of heavy foot falls invaded his ears and he took flight, chasing down his prey. Tree branches and leaves whipped his face, cutting his cheeks, but he paid them no heed. Sprinting surprisingly fast for a man with such a muscular build, he pounded on. He ran through dense shrubbery, leaped over logs and vaulted over boulders, all the while keeping his quarry in sight. He was gaining on him; he was almost within arms reach. Stretching forth his hand he put on one last burst of speed. Then he tripped, his foot caught on a rock jutting from the dirt. He seemed to fall in slow motion and let out a deep grunt as he hit the ground, landing on his side and skinning his arm and chest in the process. Damn, damn! He couldnt believe it. He had let it get away and that was the worst thing that could possibly happen because Thaigan
!4

knew what he had been chasing, knew exactly what it was; a shaknaal. The shaknaal were His servants, created by Him to serve Him, and this one had just run to its master, to lead Him right to them. He tore through the forest towards the camp, clumps of moss and dirt flying up behind him, air tearing through his lungs and his heart beating a violent tattoo against his ribs. He burst through the trees and into the clearing, yelling as loudly as he could for the others to wake up. Thaigan, what is it? Lupus was already standing and alert, sword in hand Have we been tracked? Yes, and it wont be long before Hes here so we have to move fast. Lupus ran to his wife and shook her. Melanie! Wake up, now! Lupus? Melanie sensed the urgency in her husbands voice as her eyes shot open and she sat bolt upright. Lupus, whats wrong? Hes found us. We need to go now. Take the children and run to the mountains. Well catch up with you later. But, Lupus Lupus pulled a stone pendant from his pocket and pushed it into her hand, it was roughly the size of an acorn and hanging from a leather cord. Just in case, now go! Melanie got quickly to her feet and ran towards the childrens tent. Thaigan grasped Lupus arm, Get anything were leaving behind and burn it We cant leave anything for Him to track us with. Lupus nodded obediently and took off towards their tents. The pair rushed around the camp grabbing everything; blankets, spare clothing, bags and food and threw it all on the fire. They scoured the rest of the camp site for anything they might have dropped until they were satisfied that there was nothing left. The camp site was bare except for the large fire in the middle of the clearing.

Melanie ran. She had a baby on her back and one in each arm, all of them crying relentlessly and wishing for peace. She concentrated
!5

on nothing but running, willing her legs to keep going despite the intense pain. She couldn't have been running any longer than an hour, but time seemed irrelevant. It may as well as well have been a year, but the mountains were coming rapidly closer and thats all that mattered. If He found them, if He managed to track them down, then the whole last year had been in vain. Melanie had feared this for some time and, if it actually came to fruition, the thought was more than she could bear. She looked down at her two sons. She would make it for them; if not for anyone else, she would do it for them. She looked up and saw the mountains peak towering above her, stretching up to the heavens. She had reached the last mile, she had almost made it. Eyes set towards her destination, she pushed on.

The mountains rose high above them, inviting them into their midst. They had made it to their destination in good time since leaving the campsite and hoped it would be enough. Thaigan led the way with a bow and arrow held at the ready, snaking through boulders and bushes, working his way to the centre. Lupus followed close behind, keeping a desperate lookout for his wife and sons. If something had happened to them he would never forgive himself. They had been walking for a long while; he was starting to lose hope. had He beaten them there? A little further ahead, a high rock wall stood erect between two mountains. LUPUS! He turned around to see Melanie running towards him, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. His face broke into a relieved smile and he stepped forwards and swept her into his arms. Im sorry to interrupt, Thaigan interjected, but we really dont have time for this. Yes, sorry, youre right. Lupus lowered his wife reluctantly to the ground but kept a firm grip on her hand.

!6

Thaigan gently lifted Evelyn from Melanies back. He held her close to his chest and planted a soft kiss on her cheek before draping hersling over his shoulders. Lupus sons ran to their father and clung to each of his legs, laughing hysterically now that the urgency had lessened. They didnt understand the danger they were in. Alright, thats the door, Thaigan nodded towards a large wooden door set into the middle of the wall. He walked steadily forwards, ready to push it open. Thaigan, NO! He turned on the spot, startled. What? Lupus has to enter first, hes of the bloodline. Thaigan looked at the ground in disbelief. He needed to focus himself; he was getting careless. Yes, of course. Lupus, do the honours. Lupus stepped forwards and placed his shoulder against the rough surface of the wood. Here it goes, he muttered under his breath. He threw all his weight against the door, which swung open. There it was. They walked into a deep valley, mouths open in total awe, eyes set upon the final point of their journey. The boys ran clumsily ahead pursuing a butterfly but stopped short when they saw it. In the perfect centre of the valley, on a raised stone platform, was a huge spherical boulder with a hollow cut into the front that could comfortably fit three fully grown men. Around the edge of the opening were long-forgotten ancient runes engraved into the stone. It wasnt its appearance that was so impressive; it was just a boulder after all, but it was the aura of majestic energy that seemed to emanate so powerfully from it. They all walked soberly towards it. This is it. Melanie stepped right up to the platform and laid her hand on the smooth stone. This is it. She turned to her awe struck husband and grasped his shoulders. Lupus, were finally here. We finally get to start our new life, a better life.

!7

Thats a nice thought, a better life. The cold, calm voice came from the valley's entrance. Lupus look of awe changed suddenly into a look of pure terror. But Im afraid that I have some different plans in mind for you. They all looked around, dreading what they would see. There he was, the figure that struck fear into the hearts of the bravest men, the figure that loomed out of the blackest corners of peoples darkest nightmares, the figure that caused the twins to stop playing and cower in the dirt. Lord Darkmoor. Thaigan and Lupus drew their swords simultaneously, ready for battle. Their fear had turned to pure loathing. This was the man who had ruined their lives, caused them to flee like cowards for the last year, the man who was planning their deaths and the deaths of their children. They had had enough; they would stop him or die trying. Why did you flee?' Darkmoor looked down at them all, his voice soft yet piercing to the very soul. I told you that to run would be futile, yet you insisted on wasting my time. You halted my plans for a year, but I am merciful. I will not drag this out.' He turned to look at something outside of the door. Hold the children, kill the rest. An army of shaknaal poured through the doorway from behind Darkmoor and bounded towards them. Thaigan and Lupus readied themselves mentally for battle, then charged forward to meet their enemies, They would keep the battle well away from the others, while Melanie did what she knew she had to. If she couldnt get all of her family to the other side, she would at least get her boys there. She pulled the stone pendant from a pouch around her neck and placed it into her elder sons hand. Holding his arm, she guided the pendant into an indentation in the stone platform. Holding her breath, ignoring everything around her, she waited for it to take effect. Waited. And then there was silence. A deep rumble arose from the centre of the boulder, getting louder and louder. The volume rose to a crescendo and a deep purple and blue whirlpool of light swirled into view in the hollow of the
!8

stone, a portal to the other side. This is when the shaknaal reached their prey. As the shaknaal pounced, Lupus hand shot out to block Thaigan from attacking. You have Evelyn; you have to get to the portal. Thaigan gasped. He had momentarily forgotten about his infant daughter. Lupus was right; he had to leave his brother-in-arms, his life-long friend, to an uncertain fate. God bless, brother. He pulled away from Lupus with a deep anguish welling up inside of him, and ran from the battle. The thought of leaving her husband to die was the most agonising thought to ever enter Melanie's mind, but she had no choice. The shaknaal were almost upon them and there was no time to look back to see how her husband fared. After pulling the pendant from the hole and draping it around her son's neck, she heaved her children up onto the platform, tears threatening to overflow. But they were going to make it. Grieving could come later. She boosted herself up, pulling her legs over the edge onto the cold stone. The shaknaal were getting nearer, but she was so close she thought she had time; she couldn't leave without seeing her husband once more. She looked back at Lupus, saw Thaigan running towards them frantically waving her forward, then felt the cold steel cleave through her flesh. She didn't scream, she didn't even gasp. Her eyes only widened in pained surprise as sharp teeth sank into her calf and mercilessly tore a chunk out of her leg. The world stopped for a short while, then resumed as if in slow motion. She could see Thaigan screaming out to her, feel her pulse pounding in her ears. The small hands of Malanie's two year old sons reached out and clutched onto hers as they tried with all their might to pull their mother back to safety. But the creatures were far too strong for them, and their faces scrunched up in emotional agony, tears flowing down their cheeks, as their mothers hand was torn from theirs. This was the last time she would ever see them. She wouldn't be there to watch them grow or to
!9

wipe away their tears when they cried; but, as she watched her two boys engulfed by the portals energy, she knew that she had saved them from a life of torment. Her heart content, Malanie bowed to her death with all the grace of an angel.

Thaigan desperately wanted to help Melanie. It took everything he had to stop from doing so, but Evelyn's face flashed into his mind. He had to get her through that portal while the Shaknaal were distracted. 'FORGET HER YOU FOOLS. GET THE CHILDREN! Darkmoor raged. Thaigan clenched his teeth, fighting back tears as he reached the portal. He hurriedly pulled the stone pendant from the hole as the shaknaal reacted to their master's command.

Lupus was fighting more fiercely than he ever had before. He wouldnt let them win, he couldnt. He aimed accurately. With every swing of his blade, an enemy fell. He fought like a lion defending its pride. He would not lose. A shaknaal sprung up in front of him, snarling furiously, but he struck it down with ease. When the beast fell, Lupus vision was extended and a crumpled figure at the bottom of the stone platform caught his eye. His lungs deflated and all the breath from his body left him. His life had been torn away from him. It was Melanie. Ripped to shreds and left to bleed. The sight of his mutilated wife distracted him for too long and gave his enemy the upper hand. He felt an intense pain and looked down in time to see the rusty blade erupt from his chest. He had lost and now his boys were alone. He looked up and saw Thaigan approach the portal. No, as long as Thaigan made it there was still hope. He had to make it. Lupus' sword fell from his hand and clanged to the ground, echoing distantly in his ears. He gazed at his wife's remains as the shaknaal overwhelmed him.

!10

Thaigan had seen Melanie mauled by the shaknaal. He had fought in some of the most gruesome battles known to Aromis, but none of them compared to this. Watching the utter destruction of someone you love was so much worse. He turned back just as Lupus spotted his wife lying in the dirt and saw the anguish in his face as the sword burst from his chest. This was too much for Thaigan. He turned his back on the horrific scene and, just as the shaknaal were at his heels, he entered the portal.

!11

Chapter One
Jeans were the coolest things you could possibly wear. They were comfortable, practical and could be worn with literally anything. Shorts made you look like a ten-year-old, slacks made you look like a nerd and sweats made you look like a bum; ergo, jeans were the clear choice. Every morning, Stefan Shepard would get out of bed and, after ruffling his short brown hair into submission, he'd put on a muscle shirt, a light grey zip-up hoodie, a leather jacket and, of course, a nice thick pair of denims. To top it off, he would buckle on a pair of black biker boots. Theodore Shepard, or "Theo" as he liked to be called, thought the jacket and biker boots were a little over the top and verging on clichd. Then there was the fact that they were already identical and wearing the same outfit would look ridiculous. So every morning when he got up, he slipped his feet into a pair of black volleys and pulled on a dark grey zip-up hoodie over a muscle shirt. On the other hand, he also thought jeans were amazing and never went out without a pair. On this particular morning, however, they didnt get out of bed. Come on boys, you know Ill get a bucket of water if I have to. Carol Shepard, or Mom to the boys, marched into their bedroom with a stern look on her face that clearly said she was prepared to carry out her threat. Theo Stefan was slurring terribly and a thin trail of drool led from his mouth to his pillow. Theo, I think shes serious. He tried lifting his head but stopped when it sent a splitting headache down the centre of his skull. You bet Im serious. You see, I seem to remember you saying to me yesterday, at this point she mockingly imitated their voices, Hey, Mom, can we go to a party tonight? Its just a small one and theres not gonna be any alcohol.
!12

Yeah, we lied, and your yelling is not helping this hangover. So, if you could close the door on your way out, that would be fantastic. Theo opened his eyes a tiny crack and looked up at his mother. He could tell by the look on her face that he had gone too far. He hoped her expression was a half joking glare, which was a bit optimistic. All she said was, 'Get up and go to school,' and left the room. Dude, Stefan sniggered darkly, dont stir the beast.' Theo mumbled something indiscernibly into his pillow. Stefan got slowly out of bed, slumped to the dressing table and looked at it; something was missing. He saw his phone, wallet and keysTheo, wheres my necklace? He began searching frantically through the pile of rubbish and dirty laundry on the dresser. Seriously, where is it? He was getting desperate. I dunno, said Theo, lifting his head and squinting at Stefan. Umm, Natalies probably still wearing it. Stefan looked up thoughtfully. Oh yeah, he said with a vacant grin. Man, last night got crazy huh? His expression went back to frantic. Wait, no, thats not good; a drunk girl with my necklace is not good. Stefan relax, just ask her when we get to school. Im sure she still has it, said Theo, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his dark blue eyes. Damn. This is going to be a long day.

When the boys finally staggered their way downstairs their noses were overcome by the delicious aroma of bacon and eggs; their noses were never wrong. Laid out on the table were two perfect English breakfasts, complete with fried tomato. Their mother looked up from the stove: Gee guys, how late do you wanna be? At least late enough to make a dramatic entrance, Theo countered, taking a seat next to his brother in front of a plate. Special occasion, Mom?
!13

Yes, actually, said Mom. Its your fathers and my anniversary, and thats our breakfast your about to eat. Oh Mom, youre a joker, Theo said lightly. A hungry joker, Carol replied, dragging the two plates away from the twins despite their looks of dismay. Mmm, that smells good. Samuel Shepard walked into the kitchen sniffing the air, when his eyes dropped to the table. Special occasion, sweet cheeks? Carol stared daggers at her husband. You better be joking mister. Samuels face broke into a grin. Happy anniversary, honey. He leaned over and pecked his wife on the mouth. Thats better, Carol said, turning back to the stove. And dont call me sweet cheeks. Samuel grimaced at the boys behind her back, then, clearly trying to change the subject, said, 'Ok, so tonight me and your mother are having a romantic evening, so you boys need to make yourselves scarce.' The boys looked at each other awkwardly. 'Yeah, Dad, too much information,' Stefan said. 'And now that you mention it, we've actually been invited to another, well, kind of small party tonight. You know, it's just' 'Let me guess,' Carol interjected, 'its just a small one and theres not gonna be any alcohol.' 'Mom, it's like you read my mind.' 'Alright, you can go; but please, if you love me at all, no drinking. Your brains don't need it.' The boys looked at each other disappointedly, but Theo answered, 'I suppose we can do that for you. You're a good woman, Carol Shepard.' Carol surrendered a small grin. 'But I swear, if you're hung over again in the morning, I'm waking you up in the loudest way possible.

!14

As he and Stefan forced down a breakfast consisting of left over pizza and lots of coffee, Theo thought about the upcoming party and reflected on all the previous partying he had participated in. There had been a lot. He always thought that he was meant for greater things, like he was meant to change the world and constantly waking up with a hangover just doesn't do that. That said, Theo loved his life; why wouldn't he? He had amazing parents; a twin who was his best friend; everybody loved him; and, judging by his grades, he could have any future he chose. But he wished for more. Stefan, of course, knew nothing of these musings and Theo planned on keeping it that way. He had always been the brooding, thoughtful one and Stefan rarely thought at all so he just wouldn't understand. It wasn't until they had kissed their parents goodbye and were halfway down the street that Stefan snapped him out of his thoughts. 'Are you even listening to me, man?' 'Yeah.' Theo shook himself back into the real world. 'Ashley Stanberg or something. What about her?' 'Tonight at the party, said Stefan, me, her.' He wrapped his arms around his waist, closed his eyes, and made out quite vigorously with the air. Theo looked at him in mock disgust. 'For her sake, I hope not.' Stefan stopped his lewd display and laughed. 'But Ashley Stanberg? Theo continued. You seriously want to hook up with the principals daughter? She has a drill sergeant for a father. Seriously, he's in the army.' 'Yeah.' Stefan grinned stupidly. 'I don't see what's so hard to grasp here.' Theo raised his hands in a mockingly defensive way: 'Hey, I'm not judging. If you want to be killed, that's your prerogative, but I'm going to pretend that I don't know you. Plus, she's so out of your league.' He gave Stefan a playful, yet somewhat hard punch in the arm.
!15

'Where's the fun without the risk?' Stefan said, returning an even harder punch to Theo. 'Anyway, she has a friend who's equally as gorgeous as she is for you to enjoy. And since when has anyone ever been out of our league?' Stefan and Theo were still swapping witty comebacks when they arrived at school. 'Im just saying, you've seen me fight and I think I could take a drill sergeant.' Theo laughed quietly. Man, Stefan was full of crap. 'Yeah, you tell me how that goes.' They were through the front doors now and Stefan started looking around for Natalie, craning his neck to see over the crowd of students hurrying to their lockers. 'Bro, relax, she'll be here, said Theo. Just take a deep breath, do your mating call and I'm sure she'll turn up.' Stefan looked at him with disdain. Theo could see a comeback developing in the small part of his brain that thought of things other than girls. 'Shut up, love muffin.' Theo flinched and looked around nervously. 'You promised you wouldn't ever bring that up again.' Stefan gave a wicked laugh that turned into a relieved sigh as Natalie stepped out of the ladies' room and started walking towards him. He ran ahead to meet her halfway. Theo never really understood Stefan's attachment to his necklace. Sure, he'd had it as long as he could remember, but but he didn't even know where he had gotten it from. He supposed everyone had their own little oddities and this was just one of Stefan's many. The bell went and Theo made his way to class without bothering to dump his bag in his locker. Before he reached the classroom however, his friend Hayden cut him off in the hall. Hayden was one of the emo wannabe types. He looked the part with his black hair that hung down over his left eye and the fact that all his clothes were black. He also had the air of an emo as he was a
!16

bit too intense and didn't speak much unless you really got him interested in something. So for all intents and purposes, he was an emo minus the self mutilation. He seemed an odd friend for Theo to have, but they had met in grade school and got along really well so Theo didn't care. This particular morning, Hayden seemed to have something important to say. 'You coming to the party tonight? 'Yeah man, of course; you? 'Yep...' Theo looked at Hayden expectantly, waiting for something else to come out of his mouth; but, although Hayden's eyes were wide open and locked onto his, not a word came. He thought hed better break the silence. 'Was that all? I was expecting a little more, dude, I'll admit.' 'Well,' Hayden proceeded as though no awkward silence had just occurred, 'I heard Brent was planning on beating PJ to a pulp.' 'Tonight? How come?' 'I don't know; something about PJ cheating with Brent's girlfriend or something along those lines.' At this point, Hayden leant back against the lockers with a smug look on his face, like he thought he was providing Theo with a tremendous service by passing on this information. 'Well, if that's the case,' Theo replied, 'Brent should be planning on beating up every guy in school.' They both laughed as the bell rang. Miss Ainsley, Theo's teacher, stuck her head out of the classroom across the hall. 'Boys, class is starting. Hurry up.' 'Yes, Miss Ainsley.' Theo said goodbye to Hayden and they went to their separate classes.

There it was. Stefan could see the leather cord hanging around Natalie's neck; the oddly shaped pendant, roughly the size of an
!17

acorn, resting on her collar bone. It was shaped sort of like a tiny, upside down obelisk and had a strange rune carved into the base of it. Hed had it as long as he could remember, but had no idea where it came from. Whenever he asked his parents about it, they jokingly said, We got it from the hospital gift shop when you were born, and changed the subject. Stefan had no idea what to make of this so he forgot about it and stopped asking. He reached Natalie in the middle of the hall, and was about to ask for his necklace, when she wrapped her arms around him and drew him in for a long, passionate kiss. Stefan was stunned. Generally when he hooked up with a girl there was no expectation of commitment from either of them. Apparently Natalie's ideas were quite a bit different. She locked her lips firmly to his, like she was trying to make them as airtight as possible. Every time he tried to pull away she would pull him in tighter. And tighter. It wouldn't end. It didn't stop. She just kept going. If Stefan was to be honest with himself, it was getting kind of boring and oddly unsettling. He must have been very drunk the night before because she was a surprisingly bad kisser. Wow, he hadn't realised how many freckles dotted the high part of her nose. What was the top of your nose called? Was it the bridge? Or the hump? Stefan rolled his eyes to himself. Was that really important right now. Stefan looked at his watch. Yep, forty-five seconds had passed during this kiss. People walking by were starting to look at them weirdly. He let his hands fall limply to his sides and looked around awkwardly, his lips still glued to Natalie's. Finally, to his relief, she pulled away with an unfortunately loud slurping noise which made multiple bystanders turn around. 'I knew you loved me,' Natalie crooned. 'Last night meant everything to me and I knew you felt it too.'

!18

Stefan's mouth dropped. He had been told that she was unstable, but he hadn't expected this. She was insane. What was he supposed to say? I just want my necklace back. Yep! Sounded good to him. 'Um' 'Shh.' Natalie put her finger up to Stefan's mouth in a shushing gesture. 'Don't talk; don't ruin this magical moment.' Oh brother, she was loony. There was no other way to describe her; she was absolutely bonkers. Stefan proceeded with his sentence. 'I just wanted my necklace back.' Natalie's face fell. She looked at the ground, clearly trying to hold back tears. 'Oh. So you didn't mean it when you said you loved me?' Stefan looked at her awkwardly. Wow, this was horrible. 'Um... No, to be honest, I can't remember a whole lot about last night.' Natalie wiped her cheeks with her sleeve and looked up at him with wet eyes. 'Well then, could I keep your necklace as something to remember you by?' Aw man, what could he do? Did he do something nice for a really hot, albeit insane, girl? Or did he break her heart and take back his necklace? There was only one clear answer. 'No.' Stefan held out his hand expectantly, feeling quite guilty; but hey, it was his necklace. The bell rang as Natalie ripped off the necklace and threw it to the ground. Spinning around, she ran off, crying, in the opposite direction. Hmmm, what just happened? Stefan didn't know and neither did the people who were walking past, judging him with their eyes. All he knew was that he was never getting within thirty feet of her ever again. Stefan shook his head and went to class.

'Shepard, you're late.' Stefan rolled his eyes. He heard those words so often he was beginning to think that "you're" and "late" were his last names. 'Sorry miss, it won't happen again.'
!19

'Yeah, yeah, where have I heard that before?' Miss Henry may have been telling him off, but she did it with the hint of a smile on her lips. She had a soft spot for Stefan; all the teachers did. Troublemakers all over school tried to figure out how he did it, but they never could. Likeable people were born, not made. As the school work began and the work sheets came out, Stefan leaned back on his chair staring blankly at his math equations. Think, think, think. 3x^2 - 4x + 1 = 0 Using the Quadratic formula -b + (or) - sqrt b^2 - 4 a c / 2 a- blah blah blah, Nope, nothing. Nothing came to him; what idiot came up with this stuff anyway? This kind of crap was the epitome of why Stefan hated school. Theo was definitely the brains of the pair. They sometimes joked that he had taken Stefan's brain while they were in the womb. All the teachers loved him because he knew everything. If you had a question, you could ask Theo and be sure that youd get the right answer. He was nerd; a cool, popular nerd. Stefan rested his chin on his hand and gazed sleepily out the window. He was still feeling the effects of the night before and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed. Maybe he'd ditch the next class and sleep in the sickbay. He'd only be missing gym and he was bulk enough anyway. He and Theo both sported well-toned, sizeable muscles from their daily weight lifting so gym class was a waste of time. Stefan yawned; he was so tired. 'Stefan, you need to get out of here.' 'What did I do? What the' Standing at the front of the classroom was a tall, muscular man. He looked like someone you'd see in one of The Lord of the Rings movies. He had dark brown, shoulder length hair and short, facial hair. The hilt of a sword could be seen sticking up from behind his shoulder. Stefan looked around at the other students. None of them seemed to notice that a potentially dangerous madman had just entered the classroom. In fact, none of the other students seemed to be moving at all. 'Who are you?'
!20

The man took a step towards Stefan. 'That's not important, what is important is that you need to get your brother and meet us in the abandoned factory around the corner from the shopping mall.' 'Who's "us"?' 'Stefan.' 'Yeah,' his head snapped up from his desk. Miss Henry had her arms folded in front of her chest and was staring at him with an annoyed look on her face. To make things worse, every person in the class was turned in their seat to look at him. 'Am I boring you, Shepard?' 'Of course not,' Stefan looked down at his math sheet, 'I can't get enough Quadratic formula.' Everybody laughed at that. Good, that made it less embarrassing. He went back to staring blankly out the window, thinking about what he had just seen. What a weird thing to dream about. Who was that man supposed to be? Yeah, he definitely needed to stop drinking so much. The sun shone off a sign post in the distance and reflected into Stefan's eyes. He lifted his hand to protect them until he noticed that the light was moving down his arm. Ok, so it wasn't a sign post. What was it, then? He looked out the window, squinting to see more clearly as the light was a good distance down the street. He wasnt looking for long before he found the source. The sunlight was bouncing off what looked like a dagger, which was being held by a girl about his age. She was staring straight at him. He sat back and looked quickly around the classroom to see if anyone else had noticed this strange occurrence. They hadn't. He looked out the window again to get a better look, but she was gone. What is going on here? Stefan thought. He got out of his seat and stuck his head out the window to see where the girl had gone. His eyes scanned the area as he looked up and down the street where she had been. 'Shepard, what are you doing?'
!21

Stefan jumped back, startled, and quickly sat down in his seat. 'Sorry, miss. I thought I saw something.' 'Well maybe you could see your math work, yes? 'Yes, miss, good thinking.' He looked down and face palmed himself while some of the other students sniggered at him from behind their books. What a weird day. First he sees a large, bearded man in a dream, then a dagger wielding babe staring at him in real life. Something felt wrong and this all seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't quite think from where. He pushed it all out of his mind as the bell rang.

Theo waited outside Stefan's classroom, willing him to hurry. An hour and a half of flying through unchallenging biology questions was tiring, and he just wanted to get outside for lunch. Stefan walked out looking troubled. 'Man, Ive had the craziest morning,' he said. 'Strange things have been happening.' 'You actually did some school work?' 'Ha-ha. No, I was looking out the window' 'As you always do during math class.' 'Will you shut up and listen! Anyway, I was looking out the window and this light was reflecting into my eyes and at first I thought it was just a sign, but then it moved and it was a girl with a dagger.' Theo cocked his head to the side. 'Really, that's your story? Ok, so you saw some girl on her way to Comic-Con; big deal.' 'No, but she was staring straight at me and then she was just gone, and this was following a really weird dream I had.' 'While you slept in class?' 'Yeah.' Stefan then went on to recount the dream he had had. Theo watched him patiently. His brother had always been a mystery to him. 'Wow, you really are hung over.' Stefan nodded dejectedly. 'Yeah that did occur to me, but there was something about that dream; it was so real and it felt really important.'
!22

Theo furrowed his brow. He had never seen his brother worried like this before and it was very disconcerting. By the time they stepped out of the school doors and into the sunlight, Theo had changed the subject; now they were talking about Natalie. 'She really thought you were going to admit your love to her?' Theo was laughing raucously; this was hilarious. 'Are you sure she wasn't just joking?' 'Dude, I'm telling you, she is not playing with a full a deck of cards. She is one sandwich short of a picnic. She is' 'Ok, I get the picture. You can stop with the stupid metaphors.' Theo wiped the tears from his eyes as Mouse walked up to them from a nearby water fountain. Mouse was a freshman who had clung onto Stefan since the start of the school year because Stefan had stopped some bullies from beating on him. As Stefan was a senior, it was odd that he let Mouse hang out with him at all. He would have people believe it was only because Mouse worshipped the ground that he walked on and wanted nothing more than to please him, but Theo knew that he secretly liked the kid. 'You better watch your back tonight, Stefan.' Stefan looked at Mouse in surprise. 'Who's got it in for me this time?' 'Brent. He's pretty big too.' 'Hang on,' Theo interrupted, 'I thought Brent was after PJ tonight?' 'Yeah he was, but PJ told him that it was Stefan who fooled around with Holly and not him.' Stefan's eyes widened in shock. 'What? Why on earth would he say that?' 'Probably because you're the only person in school who could take him in a fight.' Theo rolled his eyes. 'One of the only people,' he said. Stefan and Mouse ignored him.
!23

'Great,' Stefan shook his head, 'I don't really feel like getting my nose broken to be completely honest.' 'You don't think you can beat him?' 'No, I can beat him without a doubt, but I've sparred with the guy and he deserves credit where it's due. He has a real hard punch.' 'Well, that's going to put a damper on the evening for sure. Thanks for the heads up Mouse.' Theo mussed Mouse's hair affectionately. 'No worries. I guess I'll see you tonight, yeah?' 'You got it, buddy.' Mouse dawdled off in the opposite direction, leaving Stefan standing there with a scowl manipulating his features. 'Man, I just wanted to have some fun tonight, but I guess that's out of the question.' Theo looked his brother in the eyes with a serious expression on his face. 'Look, if I have to I can pretend to be you and make out with Ashley while you're off getting your nose broken.' He burst into laughter while Stefan made a face at him. 'Na, she'd know it was you, I'm the' Theo stopped mid laugh and groaned, 'Stefan we've covered this, we are identical twins you are not the more attractive one.' 'Whatever, but I'm definitely a betterDamn it, hide.' Stefan ducked down behind the water fountain, but Theo stayed standing and watched as Natalie walked past with tears flowing down her face. She took one look at him, gave a high pitched squeak, and took off in the opposite direction. 'Wow, you really did a number on her,' Theo joked. Stefan ignored him. 'Stefan?' Theo looked down at his brother, who was staring blankly into the distance with his mouth hanging open. 'That's the girl.' Theo stared confusedly at Stefan. 'What girl?' 'The girl I saw out the window. Get down here. He grabbed Theo's sleeve and yanked him roughly down to his knees. He pointed
!24

to a shiny new motorcycle parked outside the school boundaries. Next to that motorcycle was one of the hottest girls Theo had ever seen. She was dressed all in leather: leather pants, leather jacket and high heeled knee high leather boots. There was a lot of leather. It took the boys a couple of seconds to realise that she was looking right at them and waving them over, like something from the best dream a guy could ever have. Stefan looked at Theo. 'Is she calling us over?' Theo shook his head slowly. 'No, she's beckoning.' 'Beckoning? That's even sexier. Let's go' Theo grabbed Stefan's shoulder and held him down. 'Hold on, big guy. We don't even know who this girl is.' 'So? Look at her. I don't care who she is.' 'Don't you find it kind of strange that you saw this girl spying on you in class, and now you see her spying on you again and she wants to talk to you?' 'Why? Do you think she wants to kill me?' Stefan replied, sarcastically. 'I'm sure I'll be fine.' Stefan stood up and made his way over to the schoolyard fence. Theo rolled his eyes and ran to catch up to him. They reached the fence and boosted themselves over it one handed. Upon closer inspection, Theo noticed that the girl was even hotter than he had previously thought. She had light brown hair that flowed down to between her shoulder blades, vivid blue eyes, full red lips and perfectly sculpted features. When they reached the mystery girl, she was leaning back against her bike, absentmindedly swinging her keys around her finger and staring at them in a calculating manner. Stefan looked her up and down in a very different calculating manner. 'So, why are you' 'Following you?' she interrupted. She clearly had attitude and Theo knew that it would just make Stefan like her more. 'I need you to come with me.' 'Well, if you say so,' Stefan said, winking at her flirtatiously.
!25

The girl rolled her eyes and looked at him in disgust. 'Don't flatter yourself. There's an abandoned warehouse around the corner from the shopping mall. Meet us there.' She swung her leg over the seat of her bike and started the engine. Theo took a step towards her. 'Wait a minute. We don't even know who "us" is. We're not meeting you anywhere until we have some answers.' 'Look, now is not the time and I'm not going to stand around explaining things to you. You either meet us at the warehouse or you don't. Either way, we'll be seeing each other again, I assure you.' With that, she twisted the throttle and roared off down the road, kicking up dust in the process. Theo stared after her in absolute shock. What was that all about? He looked over at Stefan to see his reaction and was surprised to find him staring ponderously at the ground. Theo snapped his fingers under Stefan's nose, bringing him out of his stupor. 'What's up, Stefan?' Stefan looked at Theo, appearing slightly troubled. 'The man in my dream told me to get you and go to the abandoned warehouse around the corner from the shopping mall. So either that girls a mind reader, or the "us" she was talking about are messing around in my head.' Theo looked down at the ground in thought. After a minute, he broke the silence. 'So, what, you think we should go to the warehouse?' 'No, you were right before. Until we have answers, we don't do a thing.' The boys gazed down the road as the dust left behind by the motorcycle settled to the ground.

The forest was dark and the tall trees swayed serenely in the gentle breeze. He could feel soft skinned arms wrapped lovingly around him and hear the clip-clop of horses hooves against the dirt
!26

path. He looked up and saw the face of a beautiful woman with silken black hair looking down on him with tears of sadness in her eyes. He blinked and he was lying in a tent with another boy his age. Nearby lay a baby girl in a cradle. They were all crying, while outside the tent they could see two men frantically throwing things into a large fire. Once again, he blinked and he was sitting on a stone platform with the other boy. Tears streamed down their faces while they watched the anarchy that unfolded before them. One of the men was running towards them, stark terror in his eyes, while the other did fierce combat with a group of hideous creatures. At the base of the stone platform the beautiful woman was being torn to shreds by more of the monsters. The man running towards them screamed out to her in emotional agony as a furious howl of rage arose from a distance. Stefan's eyes snapped open as he jolted awake. He had had this dream before. It occurred quite frequently and he had already had it three times that month, but didn't know what to make of it. He knew that dreams came from your subconscious, but where in his subconscious this dream came from, he had no idea. He always woke up at the exact same point like a lightning bolt had hit him, but this particular time it felt more like a slap in the face. Oddly, his left cheek was actually stinging. He looked up to see Theo standing above him with a grin on his face. 'You've had your beauty sleep, Stef. Get freshened up so we can go.' Stefan looked around his room, confusedly. He knew he had gone to bed for a nap after school, but going to sleep when it's light and waking up when it's dark is quite disorienting. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

By the time they reached the party it was already in full swing and the boys could hear the heavy beats of club music pulsing from Jed Wiley's house. Jed's parents were away on business so he was taking advantage of the situation and putting the empty house to good
!27

use. As always, Stefan and Theo entered the festivities to enthusiastic greetings and pats on the back. Being popular definitely had its perks and they always enjoyed the attention. 'There's Ashley,' Stefan said, pointing to a corner of the living room, which Jed had cleared of all furniture and turned into a large dance floor. Ashley was with a group of her girlfriends, talking animatedly with big hand gestures. 'Yeah, good luck with that,' Theo called out as Stefan trotted off towards the girls. He walked over to one of the couches that had been moved to the edge of the room and sat down. That was the difference between Stefan and Theo's social habits. Stefan would make his way around to all the different groups of people, actively keeping up his popularity, while Theo would just sit and wait for people to come to him, which they always did. Right on cue, Mouse strolled over and plonked down on the couch next to him. 'What took you so long?' Theo smirked at him. 'Hey buddy, it's nice to see you too.' 'Yeah, yeah, but you missed the good stuff. Emily Donaldson ran in before, screaming something about how she'd seen a monster and everyone just laughed at her so she ran out the door crying.' Theo looked at Mouse curiously. 'When you say monster, are you talking about the big, furry kind with red eyes and fangs?' Mouse nodded his head enthusiastically. 'Well, I don't know about the red eyes and fangs, but that seemed to be the general idea.' 'Wow, it's not even ten o'clock yet. How much had she been drinking?' Mouse chuckled softly for a moment then said, rather seriously, 'I don't know, but she seemed pretty shaken up.' 'Well, unless there's actually a monster roaming the street, I'm sure it's nothing.' Mouse smiled. 'I know she didn't actually see a monster, but Im just curious to know what she actually saw. Anyway, where's Stefan? I need to tell him something.'
!28

Theo pointed in the general direction Stefan had walked off in. 'He's off talking to a bunch of girls, somewhere.' 'Of course he is. Thanks.' Mouse ran off, leaving Theo sitting on the couch, waiting for someone else to approach him. Now he kind of regretted getting to the party late. That whole monster thing sounded like something he'd have liked to have seen. But it was strange, though, because Theo couldn't see anyone else who was drunk just yet, so why would Emily have been so off her face that she'd have an hallucination? It really didn't make a whole lot of sense. As he was mulling that over in his head, a cute, blonde girl came over and sat down next to him. She looked quite distressed as she had her eyes scrunched shut and her fists clenched by her sides. She looked kind of familiar, but he couldn't quite put a name to the face. Maybe he should ask her if she was ok. 'Umm, are you ok?' Her eyes snapped open and she looked at him awkwardly. Now that he could see her face properly, he noticed tears gliding morosely down her cheek. 'Not really. My sister just flipped out and took off down the street screaming and I can't find her.' 'So, you're Emily Donaldson's sister?' 'Mm-hmm, Brianna.' She looked around the room in distress. 'What if she gets herself hurt? Something is definitely wrong and she's out there in the dark alone and I can't find her. What am I going to do?' 'Had she been drinking at all?' Theo hoped this didn't sound heartless, but he had to know. 'No, that's why I'm worried, because she's gone crazy and I'm really scared.' Theo looked at the floor thoughtfully, for a second or two, considering whether or not he'd give into his hero complex. He succumbed. 'Alright, we'll go and grab Stefan to help us find Emily before anything happens. I'm sure she'll be fine; this is a good neighbourhood.'
!29

'Oh, thank you so much,' she said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. They both stood up and went to find Stefan.

Ashley was standing in the corner of the room with a bunch of her friends. They were all females and, of course, Stefan had no problems with that. He ran a hand through his hair to make sure it wasn't sitting flat against his head and gave himself a mental a pep talk before approaching the group, confidently. 'Ladies, how are we, today?' Ashley turned to look at him and flashed him a self-assured grin. He could already tell that she could play the game and he liked that. She looked him up and down. 'Stefan Shepard, fancy that.' 'Well, the pleasures all mine, I can assure you,' he said. Wow, what a smooth talker. He never failed to impress himself. 'I was just walking past and thought I'd come and say hi.' Ashley gave a short laugh. 'Oh, really? Is that why I saw you standing over there looking at me for about a minute before you finally came over to say hi?" Uh-oh, this had never happened before; but that's fine, this was salvageable. Stefan caught himself mid shocked expression and turned it into a sly smile. 'Ok, you caught me. I had to fix my hair.' 'Really? I thought you were just building up the nerve to talk to me.' Ashley stared at him with a self-satisfied expression on her face, waiting for him to return with a witty comeback. Stefan's face went blank. This could not be happening; girls never gave Stefan attitude like this. Normally, they were lining up to talk to him. 'Don't flatter yourself, you're not that special.' What are you doing? Don't insult her. Ashley raised her eyebrows at him. Is this your idea of flirting?' 'Well, in my defence, you kind of threw me off with all the back chat. I was just trying to' 'Hook up with me?' Stefan looked at her through squinted eyes. 'Wow, you are relentless.'
!30

'And you're a pig.' Stefan opened his mouth in preparation for another comeback, but nothing crossed his mind so he let his breath out slowly and shut it again. Ashley laughed loudly. 'What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?' What was her deal? What did he ever do to her? Stefan was just about to lose his cool when Theo's hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his arm. 'Come on, lover boy, we have to go.' He dragged Stefan away from Ashley and out the front door. 'Thank you, Theo,' Ashley called after them. 'Don't mention it.' The door slammed shut and they made their way down the path to the front gate. Stefan shook his head. 'Well, that didn't go as planned.' 'Really? She looked like she was enjoying herself.' 'Ha-ha, anyway we just got here. Why are we leaving?' 'Well, Brianna's sister seems to have had a mental breakdown and shes run off somewhere, said Theo, gesturing to Brianna on his left. I said we'd help look for her.' 'Why'd she crack?' Stefan asked, rather unsympathetically. 'Its a long story; I'll explain later.' They had just reached the gate when they heard a voice shouting from behind them: 'HEY, SHEPARD!' Stefan and Theo rolled their eyes simultaneously and turned in the direction of the voice. As they assumed, it was Brent. He stormed over to Stefan, which, were it not for his self-assured arrogance, would have sent him running in the opposite direction. Brent was a typical meat-headed quarterback. He was a good six foot four and about twice as wide and filled with muscle. Stefan was five foot eleven. While the twins had impressive physiques, they would have to be described as athletic, if not a bit bulkier. Brent, on the other hand, looked as though he lived on eggs and tuna and held a permanent residence at the gym. He approached Stefan, stopping so
!31

close to him that they were practically nose to nose. Stefan stared calmly into his eyes, waiting for him to make the first move. 'So, what,' Brent fumed, 'you think you can just fool around with another guys girlfriend and get away with it?' Stefan widened his eyes and looked around theatrically at the growing audience. He loved making a show of things, which made Theo roll his eyes. 'Who, me? he said. Sorry man, I'm not sure I know what you're talking about.' This made Brent tense up and you could almost hear him growl like a rabid dog. 'You're dead, Shepard, dead.' 'Have at me, big boy.' Brent took a wild, clumsy swing at Stefan, who ducked easily out of its way. Hold on there, boy. Come on, you can do better than that,' he said, dodging another of Brent's hits. 'Ok, let's not do this because you know how it's going to end.' 'Yeah, with your brains smeared across the ground.' Brent rushed Stefan and took yet another swing, which Stefan again ducked. This time, he followed it up with a strong kidney punch to Brents side and a left hook to his right cheek. Brent grunted in pain and spat blood onto the path. Cheers of encouragement arose from the crowd encircling the brawl, egging Stefan on. He confidently went for another hook, but hit nothing but air as Brent dodged out of its way and spear tackled him to the ground. They rolled across the pavement and onto the grass, but Stefan stopped mid roll, grabbed Brent's shirt, and heaved him through the air onto his back. He straddled Brent's chest and delivered a few good blows to his face, the last of which Brent blocked with his forearms. Stefan delivered one more hit before Brent grabbed him by the shirt and, with a bellow of rage, threw him five feet through the air before he crashed to the ground. Getting to his feet, Stefan shook his head vigorously. That wasn't fun. He brushed grass from his shirt and glared at his massive enemy.
!32

It was time to kick some heinie. Brent had picked himself up and looked hellbent on murder. He ran at Stefan, again, and took another two wild swings at his face, but Stefan was far too quick for him and skipped easily out of harms way. Stefan dragged the fight on for five minutes. Brent became more desperate and furious with every failed attempt at a blow, and Stefan became more irritating and cocky each time he dodged a swing or landed a hit. The crowd was quite large by now, becoming boisterous with excitement at the performance he was giving, but he decided that it was time to finish it off. Brent's right fist came fast towards his face and he visualised the finishing moves in slow motion, as he always did. He dodged left, landed an uppercut hard into Brent's stomach, left hooked him to the side of the head and brought his knee crashing into his face, knocking him out cold. As Brent fell to the ground, unconscious, Stefan put his fists in the air and welcomed the cheering that followed his victory. He had expected a far better challenge than that when he heard that Brent wanted to fight him. He wasnt complaining, but he wasn't very impressed. Stefan walked through the throng of people, who were patting him on the back and congratulating him for a job well done, until he got to Theo who was waiting for him impatiently. Theo had his arm around Brianna, who seemed to be sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder, and by the look on his face he wasn't impressed. 'You're a dog, Stef,' Theo griped. 'What? It's not my fault that Brent started a fight.' Theo used his hand that wasn't comforting Brianna to knock the dust off his brothers shirt. 'We both know that you could've knocked him out in one minute, you didn't have to show off. We have girl here who's having a full blown panic attack and keeping her waiting isn't fair. He was right. 'Sorry, I got carried away. Back to the problem at hand,' he turned to Brianna. 'Which way did Emily go?'
!33

She lifted her head from Theo's shoulder and pointed a shaky finger down the road to the right. 'She went that way, towards our house. I thought maybe she'd gone home, but I called and no one was there. I'm freaking out, guys.' 'Ok,' said Stefan, putting a reassuring hand on her back, 'we'll go check your house to make sure. Maybe she just wasn't answering. If she's not there, we'll split up and search around the surrounding blocks and anywhere you think she might've gone, ok?' Brianna nodded in agreement. They started walking down the road when Mouse ran up behind them. He had a slightly wounded expression on his face as he said, 'Are you guys leaving already?' Stefan grimaced; he'd totally forgotten about Mouse. How awkward. 'Sorry, man. Yeah, we're going to look for Emily.' 'Why didn't you come get me.' 'Well, I was a bit distracted, in case you couldn't tell.' Mouse seemed to brighten a bit after that. 'Yeah, nice KO by the way. You make it look easy.' Stefan agreed with that remark, but didn't want to sound arrogant so he just smiled and nodded humbly. 'Thanks, Mouse.' 'Do you mind if I tag along?' Theo interjected at this point. 'No, actually that might help. We can cover more ground with an extra person.' Mouse's face beamed and his walk seemed to gain a new spring to it. He loved feeling like one of the boys. They walked for a while before they reached Brianna's house. No sooner had they reached the front porch steps than Brianna ran into the house yelling her sisters name, hoping for an answer. She searched all the rooms in vain before admitting defeat and returning to the rest of the group who were waiting on the porch. She shook her head hopelessly. 'Where the hell is she guys? This is ridiculous.' Stefan stood up from the patio chair he had been waiting on. 'We'll find her; don't worry. Mouse, you keep heading down this street. Theo, you go down Belcliffe Avenue. I'll check down Bronson
!34

and Brianna, you look any place that Emily likes to go when she's upset.' Theo started down the steps. 'We'll meet back here in half an hour and I'm sure one of us will have Emily.' They split up.

The night was brisk. The trees rustled in the cold breeze and threatening shapes loomed out of the darkness. One of the street lamps flickered and Theo pulled his hoodie tighter around himself to chase away the chill. He had been searching Belcliffe Avenue and the surrounding blocks for twenty minutes and was ready to give up. Emily was nowhere to be found and he hoped the others had had more luck. He kicked a can into an alleyway just off the side of the road and stopped to watch as it disappeared into the dark shadows. The street was not a busy one and the silence was quite eerie so Theo turned and kept walking along the cracked pavement. From behind him, an abrasive clanging sound rang through the night, like a can bouncing along the footpath. He furrowed his brow. Must just be the wind. He turned and saw the can he had kicked, teetering on the edge of the gutter, about eight feet from the alleyway. There was only a slight breeze, which was definitely not strong enough to blow a tin can that far along the ground. Probably nothing to worry about, but, to quench his curiosity, Theo took a step towards the ominous looking alley. The gap was between two ratty looking, four-story apartment buildings and only four feet across so that the moonlight was completely barred from entering it, which resulted in unrelenting darkness. This did nothing to calm Theo's nerves as he edged a little closer and squinted through the gloom. At first there was nothing to see, but when his eyes adjusted to the lack of light he could make out some slight movement. It could have been anything; it was nothing worth freaking out over. He took some more tentative steps until he was half in the shadows and half under the welcoming light of the street lamp. He stood there, listening for any hint of an unnatural sound for a good
!35

minute, and stared into the nothingness to be sure that it was actually empty. He stared long enough to see a pale face staring back at him. Theo let out a startled cry and fell back onto the path, cursing as he scraped his elbow on the rough asphalt Stefan burst into hysterical laughter and stepped out into the light. 'Screw you, Stef; that hurt.' Theo stood up and brushed himself off. He hated himself for falling for Stefan's trick and glared at his brother in annoyance. 'Oh, man, I'm sorry, but that was hilarious.' Stefan doubled over and slapped himself on the leg with mirth. 'There is a special place in hell reserved for people like you.' Theo's initial shock was slowly ebbing and his anger with it. He hated to admit it, but it was kind of funny. 'I'm guessing you had no luck?' 'Nah.' Stefan wiped tears from his eyes. 'Let's get back to the others; they should've found her by now.' He shoved Theo playfully and Theo shoved him back, almost playfully. He still wasn't completely thrilled. Above them, the street lamp flickered once again, before going out completely. Looking up at it, the boys felt a chill run down their spines and they wrapped their arms around themselves to keep warm. All humour had left them suddenly as if the silence was sucking it away and Theo got the creeping sensation that they were being watched. A rustle came from a large cluster of bushes on the edge of the grass across the road, accompanied by a low, throaty growl. Stefan emitted a small squeak. 'Probably just a dog.' 'Yeah,' Theo agreed, 'a huge, angry one that probably wants to kill us.' The rustling stopped. They shot each other nervous glances and started to back away, keeping their eyes on the shrubbery. Yeah, just that dog again, that's all. Theo was determined to stay cool. The bush gave another violent shake and something burst through the leaves, something that Theo had never seen the likes of, or could even dream about. It had the legs and torso of a man with grey,
!36

leathery skin. It was covered in deep, disfiguring scars and red, weeping sores. If that wasn't disturbing enough, its lower jaw looked to be made of rusting metal that had been welded onto its face. Its bald scalp was torn in places, revealing patches of decaying scull underneath. But its arms, they were the most shocking part of the creature. Its arms were swords. It still had its upper arms, but its forearms were blades that looked as if they had been grafted into the mangled stumps. It looked like a creature from a horror movie that had been created by a sick, experimental butcher. The boys stared at it and it stared back with dead, black eyes. It emitted a low, half human, half bestial growl. It even bore its teeth menacingly, like an animal about to attack. Its back was hunched quite severely, but, far from making it look weak, it added to the threatening demeanour. They stood deathly still, too shocked to move. The creature held their gaze, dragging out its menacing growl. Stefan came out of his trance and took a badly judged step backwards, tripping over a slightly raised piece of pavement, which sent the creature springing into action. It charged them down, bellowing like a raging bull. Instead of running on just its legs, it used its sword-arms to propel itself forward, not quite running on all fours, but still looking like a vicious animal. Theo frantically pulled his panicking brother to his feet and they sprinted, faster than they ever had before, down the alleyway and away from the terrifying creature. As fast as they were, the thing was still gaining on them, no matter how much effort they put into their pumping legs. They had almost reached the street at the other end of the alley, with Stefan at the lead. The sound of steel on stone was ringing through the air as the monster pulled itself onwards, rapidly catching up with them. They burst out of the alleyway and Theo's desperation mounted as he waited for the creature's steel arms to stab into his back. They had been running for less than thirty seconds, but Theo could tell there was no way they could keep up this pace for long and the creature was gaining on them as it was. He knew their only chance
!37

was to turn and face their pursuer, look it in the eye and fight with everything they had, but his heart leapt to his throat as he tripped over the curb and fell against Stefan, sending them both sprawling across the sidewalk. Fear choked the breath out of their lungs as they turned to face the monster and their deaths, but it had stopped chasing them. On the other side of the road, the creature was distracted, locked in battle with a large, bearded man wielding a long sword. The leather clad girl from the schoolyard was there as well. They danced around the ugly beast, parrying and jabbing, sword fighting with well-honed skills. The creature put up a good fight, lashing out with its swordarms, and snapping at them with its rotting teeth. After a good five minutes of furious fighting, the man overwhelmed the beast with three strong swings of his large, hefty sword. When its defences were down, the girl jumped elegantly onto its back and took off its head with a swift motion of her dagger. The boys stood there in absolute shock, too shocked even to feel ill at the sight of a beheading. The man turned to look at them while the girl dragged the monsters bloody remains into the shadows of the alleyway. 'Stefan, Theodore,' he greeted them both. Sheathing his sword and standing up straight, he gave the impression of regal nobility. 'My name, is Thaigan.

!38