The Fictionals: The Phantom of the Theatre (Villain and Axenia)

[Villain]

'I'm all right.' Lulu spoke in a slurred voice as Alistair pushed open the library doors and hurried inside. Lulu managed to follow him in, stumbling a little as she tripped over her own feet, before sitting crosss legged at the foot of one of the book cases.
  'Wonderland magic is difficult to reproduce.' Lulu spoke and smiled faintly at Casey before reaching into her pocket and pulling out what looked like a cake with bright blue icing. On top of it, written in red icing, were the half eaten words; 'EAT ME'.
  'The cake helps me grow and the drink helps me shrink. It's made from ingredients you can only find in wonderland. I've been trying to figure out how to recreate it, but I'm no chef, my results have varied.' Lulu explained before lifting her hands in front of her face and letting out an airy giggle.
  'I'll probably be out of action for a bit, but at least my hands didn't grow mushrooms like last time' She chuckled before slumping back against the book case and closing her eyes.
  'You rest up Lulu. The sooner you rest the sooner you'll be back on your feet and ready to lend a hand.' Alistair spoke from behind the library desk that sat in the corner nearest the entrance. He was riffling through a box of paper slips, checking through each individual slip of paper before throwing them over his shoulder.
  As Casey came up to him and brushed hair out of his eyes he stopped for a moment and managed to smile a little at the girl.
  'This has been some first meeting hasn't it?' He asked with a broad grin on his face, 'You've met the incarnation of Sherlock Holmes and Alice, you've found people who understand you, you've blown up a school theatre and now you and me are about to face a villain that wants to kill us because we know too much.'
  He laughed to himself and shook his head in disbelief, 'It's really bad. I know I should be scared out of my mind and that I should hate that my life is on the line like this...but I love it.' He spoke before turning back to the box of paper and continuing to search through it.
  'I love facing villains with strange abilities and evil motives. I love being able to use my power for good instead of wasting it away on driving my step dad insane. I love having a life that isn't normal and most of all I love that I have friends that aren't normal either.' He stopped for a moment and looked back at Lulu, she had now fallen to sleep and was curled up on the floor. He turned to Casey and gave her a big happy smile, a smile that was so full of excitement and joy that she would wonder if he had ever had a look of seriousness on it before.
  'I love that I met you Casey. You and Lulu are just...brilliant.' He spoke before turning back to the box once more as he pulled out a slip of paper and read it.
  'This is the one.' He announced before vaulting over the desk, 'This has been a great day Casey. I've enjoyed solving this mystery with you. Only thing I haven't figured out is who you really are.' He spoke as he looked over the paper a few times to double check what it said before looking towards the door way.
  'When were done beating that guy up. Would you like to join our book club?' He asked as he watched the smoking figure of a youg man of about seventeen years old walk through the door. He was wearing the charred remains of a black suit and his face was covered with soot. His blond hair was dirty from all the ash that had gotten caught in it.
  The boy was obviously the phantom that they had encountered, but despite being thrown into an inferno he did not look in any way harmed. In each hand he carried long thin metal swords that looked as if they belonged to the school theatre, but the blades seemed to have been sharpened to a fine point. His eyes, that had onced looked mature and beautiful, were now full of rage.
  'You'd love the book club Casey. It's where we go on adventures like this and try to figure out who we are.' Alistair spoke, gulping as he gazed over the boy. It as if he had finally realised what a threat this boy was.
  'I would love for you to join Casey.' his voice trailed off as he reached back and curled his hand around hers. Her hands still felt warm even though she had been drenched by the sprinkler system. He only realised by holding her hand how cold and soaked he actually was, 'I hope you will.' He spoke softly as he took her hand. It wasn't just a gesture of affection, it was a warning for her not to try and burn the young man who stared at them with a mixture of fear and resentment.

[Axenia]

Casey stared at the young man, then at the sleeping Lulu and last at Alistair. She knew he was trying to stop her from starting a fire again, but he didn't have to. The last fire had used up her energy, trying to start one now could possibly be fatal to her.
   "I don't think this is the right time to discuss weather or not I will join the book club Al." She gave his hand a little squeeze, then let go of him. She moved to stand between the phantom and Lulu, ready to defend her if necessary. She looked relaxed, but her eyes didn't leave the boy.

[Villain]

'Shame.' Alistair breathed as she stepped in front of Lulu. The boy before them raised the swords and swiped them through the air in front of him in a threatening manner. He stepped back a few paces as if afraid Casey would burn him again before regaining his composure and pointing one of the blades at Casey accusingly.
  'You tried to kill me!' Ryan Black yelled out, a tone of disbelief evident in his voice.
  'No. That implies that she wanted you dead. Besides I gave the order. From the conclusion I had reached I believed it was very likely that you would survive, so that was why I asked her to attack you.' Alistair spoke, stepping forwards and watching as the boy flinched and took a step back.
  'It was a risk I know and I'm sorry that I took it, but you were trying to kill me and you needed to be shown that there are people like you' Alistair explained. His face was no longer full of joy, it was grim and serious again. His eyes were narrowed and sharp as he watched the boy continue to wave about the sharp metal points.
  'You've known for a while what your are...or at least what your fictional counterpart was capable of' Alistair spoke softly, his voice cutting through the silence. He held up the slip of paper, Casey would now notice that it had Ryan's name on it.
  'You knew you were different so you went looking for answers and your search led you down to this library where you took out a book that just happened to tell you almost everything you needed to know' Alistair spoke before handing the piece of paper to Casey. It was a receipt that logged what books Ryan had taken out.
  Alistair paused for a moment as he watched Ryan squirm on the spot. Ryan knew that he had been found out, but he still waited for Alistair to continue. There was something in Alistairs voice that made him curious enough to not immediately lung at him with his swords raised.
  'Sherlock Holmes.' Alistair spoke before pointing to himself, 'That's my true name. My fictional counter part. Tell me yours Ryan Black'
  Ryan froze on the spot and stared at Alistair. He was clearly considering his options. His blades had now begun to lower towards the floor. The announcement Alistair had made had clearly thrown him.
  'Dorian Gray' Ryan spoke softly, pausing for a moment before shrugging, 'That's me. Dorian Gray, from Oscar Wilde's; 'A Portrait of Dorian Gray''

[Axenia]

Casey looked at Ryan, or Dorian, whatever name he preferred. She had been right, when she had seen the picture, that was the book she had thought of. In a way she was proud of herself, but she also knew that this was not the time to look for any kind of praise.
   "Ryan, you are amongst friends, your weapons are not necessary. I'm sorry if we scared you, but you gave us no choice. Please, lay down your weapons." Her voice were calm and friendly, she moved a little closer to him, holding her hands in front of her.
   "I'm not going to start any fire, and Lulu will not grow. Alistair may offend you, but that's just how he is." She gave Al a short glance." Sorry Al, but you know I'm right."

[Villain]

'No offence taken. To be honest I'm surprised you haven't hit me already Casey.' Al replied before turning back to Ryan who was now looking back and fourth between him and Casey. One of the swords was now pointed at her and one was pointed at Alistair.
  'When did you find out that you were immortal?' Alistair asked softly, trying his best not to provoke a violent reaction from the scared young man.
  'When I was six. My dad got a family portrait done.' Ryan spoke, his voice trembling, 'I used to come from a rich family. My dads was a pretty good businessman so he liked to spend his money on useless and expensive things.'
  'We kept that damn painting in the front room for three years and during those three years I didn't grow an inch.' He cursed his grip tightening around the handle of the swords.
  'Until the day Mom left home.' Ryan spoke and swallowed as he recalled the bitter memory, 'You see they had been arguing about me. Mom wanted to take me to see a child doctor, thought that I may have stunted growth, but Dad didn't like that, he just said I was the small one of the family. They kept arguing and eventually Mom had to leave.'
  'That night Dad tore the painting off the wall and covered it in paint thinner.' Ryan spoke before smiling bitterly, 'When I woke up I found that I had aged by three years. Shocked my Dad a ton but he didn't question it. Just said he was glad to be rid of the painting, apparently it made me look ugly'.
  'He was ignorant but you knew what had happened and it scared you' Alistair spoke before frowning, 'So you avoided being painted whenever the opportunity arose...and then several years later, when you were performing in a play of Romeo and Juliet. Someone painted you without your consent'.
  'That bitch had no right!' Ryan roared, slashing through the air with one of the swords, 'She had no right doing that! She jeopardised everything! My entire way of life!'
  'The rumours are true then. You use girls and dump them' Alistair asked.
  'Yes. Turns out when your mother walks out on a family you don't really respect the female gender' Ryan snarled before smirking cruely 'I figured out at a young age that I was a hit with the ladies. In hindsight I guess it's due to Dorian Gray's natural charisma.'
  'So when you saw the painting you not only feared that it put your age on hold but also you noticed that it was turning ugly from all your sins'
  'Exactly. So I had to get rid of it before anyone saw' Ryan spoke before looking back and fourth, 'And I'll have to follow the same pattern and get rid of you three so you don't stop all my fun'
  'You don't have to do that Ryan. No ones been hurt and you've admitted your crime. You can make amends and we can help you through all of this. We can help you.' Alistair warned before cauciously taking a step back as Ryan waved the point of one of the blades towards him.
  'No. No. Not at all.' He replied with a nervous chuckle, 'If I do that then people will know I'm a bad guy. I can't be thought of as a bad guy. I live for my life of anonymous sin.'

[Axenia]

"I could never hit you Al I lo... like you too much for that." She smiled at him, but was aware of the sword pointed towards her. She had once attended a self defence class, but she didn't think that would help her now. Ryan was immortal so she couldn't hurt him, but he was still human so he could be tricked. She thought about the things Lulu had brought back from wonderland, wondered if they would work on him. He couldn't be killed, and he definitely wasn't about to join them. But maybe he could be shrunk, and Lulu being the only one able to return him to his normal size, could leave him like that if she wanted too. But the question was still how to get to him without getting hurt.
   "Ryan we can talk about this". She moved another step closer to him, soon she would be within the reach of his sword, but that was a chance she had to take. She wanted to give Alistair the time to come up with a plan.

[Villain]

'No...no...' Ryan mumbled, his voice trembling and swords shaking in his hands. It was as if the fear inside of him was actually making him sick. He gripped the swords tight before raising one back above his head, 'No we can't! We can't talk about this!' He shrieked before slashing down at Casey with the sword.
  'Center of gravity leaning forward. Sword will be light being made of cheap metal but he isn't trained to hold it properly, it will still shift his weight forwards.' Alistair thought rapidly before lunging forward and sliding himself in between Casey and Ryan.
'Course of action; use body weight to advantage.' He thought before turning his hips into Ryan's chest and grabbing the the swinging arm with his right hand, 'And neutralise.' He thought before pulling down on the arm, using Ryan's momentum to lift him into a shoulder throw and hurl him into the floor next to Casey.
  Ryan let out a yelp of surprise as he felt his feet leave the ground and the swords came tumbling out of his hands. He obviously hadn't considered Alistair to be a fighter. The truth was Alistair hadn't considered himself to be a fighter either, but when he saw the sword swing towards Casey he couldn't help but act on instinct.
  'Stay down Ryan.' Alistair warned as he placed his foot on the boys chest, 'You may be immortal but we can still restrain you.'
  He looked towards Lulu who still slept quietly on the carpet floor. Hopefully she would be back on her feet soon and the symptoms of her experimental magic would vanish. Until then him and Casey would just have to do their best to keep Ryan at bay.
  'Ok Casey I'm going to need you to get Lulu's shrinking potion. It should be in her right-' He began but was cut off as he felt something hard plow into the side of his rib cage and send him flying into the wall on the other side of the library. He crashed into a shelf of childrens books before landing on the floor in a heap.
  His vision was blurry and his body ached from the pain of the assault, but he somehow he managed to pick himself up off the floor. He crouched onto his feet, breathing deeply to try and get the back the air that had just been knocked out of his lungs. After a few breaths he looked towards Ryan, who had now gotten back onto his feet.
  He couldn't stop himself from gasping at what he saw.
  'Surprise.' Ryan chuckled maliciously before stretching out his arms. The charred black blazer that went with his suit had now fallen to the floor in tatters, for Ryans back had just sprouted six spider legs which had ripped the item of clothing to shreds. They were striped with black and orange and on each leg was a sharp claw. Ryan gestured to the legs with a wide smirk.
  'Didn't see this coming did you? For all that deducing you do you never considered the other posibilities of my portrait' Ryan spoke before flexing the legs, 'You see when I use paint thinner on the painting then the painting will fade and the curse is lifted...but if I paint something on my portrait, if I add to the original painting, then that will become part of my body'.
  Alistair stared at Ryan in shock. Of all the things he had expected from Ryan he had never imagined that he would be capable of doing something so terrifying.
  'Your flames can't hurt me and your deductions are useless. After all...you're just mortal.' Ryan spoke before stabbing all six legs towards Casey.
  'LULU WAKE UP!' Alistair yelled out his voice sounding sore a croaky from the damage of Ryans attack.
  Ryans spider legs swipped at the air in front of him and for a moment he stared in confusion at the empty space that used to contain Casey.
  'Why is Ryan a spider?' Lulu yelled in alarm. She had just woken up from her coma and had manged to knock Casey to one side before Ryan could impale her with the sharp points of his new legs.

[Axenia]

Casey looked at Ryan, fear and disbelieve was written all over her face. Why would anyone do that to themselves? Then her eyes went to Lulu.
   "You had to wait till the last moment?" She smiled at the girl to hide her fear, then got up slowly. She tried to figure out what to do. Her fire couldn't hurt him, but if she could get to his painting. She looked at Alistair, smiling a little.
   "I got a riddle for you Sherlock. Where would a 10 legged freak hide its painting?" She looked around for something sharp, in case he decided to come at her again. She hoped Lulu had heard Al asking for the shrinking potion and tried to keep Ryan focused on her so Lulu could get it.

[Villain]

'Simple Miss Valentine' Alistair chuckled weakly, watching Ryan carefully as he looked back and fourth between Alistair and Casey and Lulu. It was as if he as deciding which person was more important to get rid of first.
  'Those spider legs of his must have been painted recently. He wouldn't have had them today during class otherwise someone would have noticed. I did wonder whether he used them to get up to the rigging but then I realised that if that were the case then he wouldn't have needed to hold onto the rigging with his hands, he could have just used his legs.' Alistair explained before leaping to his left as Ryan mind up his mind and lunged at him. Ryans legs speared the war behind him, sending books tumbling down off the shelves.
  'So that means he's painted them on in the few minutes between now and when we blew him up. Now seeing as the nearest place with paint is a supply cupboard on the same level as the school theatre I would say that it's very likely that he hid it there.' Alistair announced before ducking as Ryan let out a cry of rage and sliced at Alistair with the legs.
  'SHUT UP!' Ryan yelled out in fury and wildly stabbed at the floor causing alistair to roll left and right to avoid the sharp points.
  'Well I guess that means that I was right!' Alistair called out before yelping as one of the legs grazed his leg sending a bolt of pain shooting through him.
  'Why has Ryan got spider legs?' Lulu asked again. She was now on her feet and rummaging through her bag whilst staring at the horrifying sight before her.
  'Nevermind that just go get the painting! It's in supply cupboard ten!' Alistair barked before lifting his foot up and kicking Ryan in the chest.
  'And leave you to fight tarantula Ryan? I don't think so!' Alice growled before wrenching out an object from her bag. She held it high above her head before thrusting it towards Ryan, who was now staring blankly at Lulu while brushing off his chest.
  'A comb? That's what you're going to fight me with?' He asked as he gazed over the silver comb Lulu held in her hand. It was a nice comb, the teeth were made from silver and the handle was made from a lovely bleached wood that had flowers engraved into it, but it was still the most unthreatening object in the world.
  'Yes a comb Ryan' Lulu spoke as she began to walk towards him, 'Now leave my friend alone or else!'
  'Or else what?' Ryan asked with a smirk as he readied the six spider legs. When Lulu was with a good metre or two of him he lashed out with one of the legs.
  'Snicker-snack.' Lulu spoke before swinging the comb. In mid swing it transformed into a long silver blade with a jagged edge and a handle of strong white wood that was encrusted with silver flowers. The sword struck the leg and deflected it, knocking Ryan off his feet and sending him spinning to the ground. Although the move had been quick, Casey and Alistair would be sure that they heard the peculiar indescribably sound of snicker-snack.

[Axenia]

"ALISTAIR!" Casey screamed his name when she heard him cry out in pain, her first reaction was to run to him, but Ryan was in her way. She wanted to help him, he had saved her from Ryan, and now she wished she could do the same.
   When Lulu threatened Ryan with the comb she thought the girl had finally lost her mind. She was about to call out to Lulu when she heard her saying a strange word and the comb turned into a kind of sword. There was nothing she could do, her powers were useless here. She turned around and ran out of the library, praying Al and Lulu would still be in one piece when I got back.
   She still didn't know her way around school yet, so it took her a while to find the supply cupboard. Almost in a panic she searched for the painting until she found it, she grabbed it under one arm and the some paintthinner almost as an afterthought. The she ran back towards the library.

[Villain]

When she returned she found the room empty. For a moment she would wonder whether they had gone to a different room to fight. Then she would feel the hairy legs of a spider slide under her arms and wrench the portrait out of her hands.
  'Naughty.' Ryan mocked as he jumped down from above the door way. Two of his legs were wrapped around Alistair and Lulu while the other four handed him the portrait. He smiled as he looked over it before glancing up at Lulu and Alistair.
  Lulu was struggling against the legs. Ryan had managed to curl a leg around the arm carrying the sword and was now shaking her like a baby would shake a rattle as she tried to claw at the sword. Alistair on the other hand seemed to have given up and merely crossed his arms over his chest as the leg held him by the waist.
  'It's an ugly picture isn't it?' Ryan asked, his confidence seemed to renew now that he was holding the portrait. He turned it to face Casey and smiled as he watched her flinch. It would surely be the most ugly thing she had ever looked upon. It was a mess of ugly yellow teeth, sunken eyes, twisted features, scars and bruises and boils and all sorts of horrible features that seemed to make up the picture of what used to be Ryan Black.
  'Drop the paint thinner or I'll hurt your friends.' Ryan warned, his browing darkening as he watched Casey cautiously.
  'Don't be silly he'll just kill us anyway!' Lulu yelled as she was shaken about visciously by the spider leg.
  'Don't drop the paint thinner Casey and don't do anything stupid Ryan' Alistair spoke softly and raised his hands in a sign of surrender.
  'Lets just all calm down for a moment and assess the situation.' Alistair said calmly and motioned for Lulu to stop struggling.

[Axenia]

Casey looked at what she now considered a monster, taking a few steps back.
   "I think I'll hold on to this just a moment longer." She took a firmer grip on the paint thinner, never looking away from him. But her eyes went to the painting, her face showing the disgust she felt when seeing it.
   "I really wouldn't recommend that painter to anyone, look at you hair in the painting, it's a mess." She shook her head a bit still creating a distance between them.
   "You know Ryan, I really don't need the paint thinner. I may not be able to hurt you, but I can burn that painting." Her eyes had turned cold and calculating, she no longer showed any emotion.

[Villain]

'You won't do that. If you try to burn the painting I'll just put these two idiots in the way and you'll roast them instead' Ryan spoke with a satisfied smirk and shook the two of them for emphasis.
  'I hold all the cards here bitch' Ryan snarled before extending one of the spider legs forwards and motioning for her to hand over the paint thinner.
  'Actually I wouldn't say you do.' Alistair spoke softly, a hint of a chuckle in his voice.
  'What do you mean? Of course I do I have you at my mercy!' Ryan exclaimed, beginning to look very confused as he watched Casey cautiously.
  'Well you don't. You see this whole plan of yours is riddled with flaws and now I'm beginning to understand that you realise it' Alistair spoke with a small smile as he watched Ryan shuffle nervously on the spot.
  'You didn't come up with this plan did you?' He asked, 'Your not smart enough to come up with this plan Ryan. Your certainly smart enough to charm the ladies but you are not smart of to think of this.'
  'Yes I am! I thought of all of this and now I'm going to beat you!' Ryan declared with a roar.
  'No you didn't. You see if you were that smart then you would have realised from the get go that this plan would never work. Especially if you knew someone like me existed' Alistair spoke and watched as Ryan glanced at him nervously.
  'You knew even before I told you that I'm Sherlock Holmes. There was no reason for you to come back to the scene of the crime dressed as the phantom. Unless you knew that I was snooping about.' He paused for a moment to judge his reaction, 'They promised that this would work didn't they? They gave you the plan and assured you that I would be the only obstacle...I'm sorry Ryan they lied to you and they did it because they wanted you to fail and they wanted you to get our attention. They used you to let us know that theres someone out there pulling strings.'
  'SHUT UP!' Ryan barked. The confidence had now completely disappeared and once again he was reduced to a shivering sack of nerves, 'I'm not an idiot! I'm behind all of this! I planned every step!'
  'No you didn't you would have noticed the flaws.'
  'I'm aware of every flaw!' He yelled.
  'What about this one?' Lulu asked before letting go of the sword. It fell from her hand and in one quick movement Alistair forced his body weight forwards causing him to tumble out the spider legs grasp as it fumbled to grab him. He caught the sword in mid air and whacked at the spider legs holding Lulu before bashing it against the side of Ryans head.
  As he stumbled backwards Lulu pounced onto the floor and snatched the painting that had fallen out of his grasp before throwing it at Casey's feet.
  'Quick Casey use the paint thinner on it!' Lulu exclaimed as she watched the creature stumble back whilst cursing loudly at them. He may have been immortal but he could still be made dizzy and right now his eyes were spinning before his head.
  Victory would seem to be in their hands at this moment, but that would be until casey noticed that the bottle of paint thinner was now empty.
  She wouldn't be able to figure out when it had happened, but now there was a few small hole in the side of the bottle and the paint thinner had drained out in mere moments. Perhaps the spider legs had swiped at it when it had wrenched the painting from under her arms.
  'Oh dear...' Alistair spoke as he looked back and realised what had happened. He turned back to Ryan and held up his hand motioning for him to stop, 'Ryan don't do anything we have the painting and with one click of her finger Casey can burn it up!'
  Ryan's vision had managed to return to him. He looked at Casey fearfully, his body trembling as he watched her hold the painting in her arms.

[Axenia]

Casey held up the painting for him to see, then she snapped her fingers and a fiery figure of the phantom burned in her other hand. She look Ryan straight in the eyes.
   "I really wouldn't do something stupid right now, I'm quite unstable at the moment and just a small irritation can set my whole body on fire, and that includes your painting." Her eyes told  him that she wasn't bluffing, if he moved just an inch, she would burn the painting to ashes.
   "We really wanted to help you Ryan, with your immortality you would have have the ability to help a lot of people. So why this hate? I know your mother deserted you, but you are not the only child to lose a parent. I almost killed my father once, he still have the scars to prove it." There was no emotion to her voice now, her usually melodious voice were flat and hard.
   "You are just a teenager Ryan, why don't you wait til you grown before destroying your eternal life. I am only going to ask this once, if you do not answer correct, then you may kiss your painting goodbye. Who is behind all this, and why?" She moved the flame closer to the painting, her eyes narrowing.
   "Just one more thing, freak, don't you ever dare call me a bitch again."

[Villain]

Ryan was frozen to the spot. He stared at the three of them as if trying to figure out what the the best thing to do; fight, run, surrender or just start crying at how insane this all was. He felt exhausted now, both physically and mentally. Exhausted from all the effort he had put into the scheme and how hard he had tried to keep it all conealed. He hadn't liked the idea of screwing everything up for the play, he may have had impure motives for acting but he still enjoyed it as much as anyone in the production. He hadn't meant to make such a mess of everything just because of his curse.
  'Come on Ryan. They'll be time for reflection later. Fess up.' Alistair spoke softly and gestured for Ryan to tell them. There was a silence in the air as Ryan shuffled on the spot before he cleared his throat.
  'He had such dead eyes. He's not that old but yet he has eyes like that of an ancient old man' Ryan began, trying to keep calm as he regaled the story, 'He knew what I was. Don't know how, but he did. he knew everything about me. From the curse to my mom leaving...everything. I haven't told anyone but he knew'
  'But who is he Ryan? Tell us...we can help you' Lulu spoke softly, trying not to look to sympathetic as she watched the young man tremble.
  'He calls himself Mr Spring.' Ryan spoke finally before chuckling bitterly, 'Mr Spring...always wears black and white. Has a face that looks so calm and cruel that you almost start begging for mercy the moment you see him.'
  'Is that his true name Ryan? Is his true name Mr Spring?' Alistair asked and was surprised as Ryan let out a laugh and point at Alistair accusingly.
  'You mean you don't know who he is? Oh come on Alistair even I know! I found the book after all!' He chuckled before pointing to the piece of the paper that lay on the floor before Caseys feet. The reciept for the books that Ryan had taken out.
  Slowly Alistair picked up the paper and read it through again. The first time he had read it he had been suspicious of the other books which had been put down on the piece of paper. Ryan had taken quite a lot of books out, proably to avoid suspicion.
  When he read the list again he froze on the spot. Now he was trembling just as much as Ryan was as he read the final book on the small piece of paper.
  'Sherlock Holmes, The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle' Alistair read, his voice sounded so quiet and his sharp eyes seemed to look weak and powerless as he spoke two single words in a whisper; 'Professor Moriaty'.
  'Exactly and I hate to break it to you Alistair but he's twice your age. You may be good at deducting crime but he's got over fifteen years on you.' Ryan spoke before curling his spider legs around himself in a hugging motion, 'He's so powerful. I can't believe how powerful that villain is.'

[Axenia]

Casey was shocked, she gently laid a hand on Alistairs arm and removed the paper from his hands. She recognised the name, and she could understand why Al had gone all pale.
   "Al, it's going to be alright, you got Lulu and you got me. It might be hard catching him, but it isn't impossible." She looked him straight in the eyes, her hand that still held the paper cupped his face in her hand. She leaned a little bit closer to him, wanting to kiss him so badly.
   "I know what happened in the book Al, but it doesn't have to be that way again. You've got Alice, and if Ryan will join us, then you've got Dorian Gray. And then you've got me, Al. My name, my real name is Elizabeth Sherman. I don't come from a book, I come from a comic book called Hellboy." Her lips were close to his now, she could feel his breath on them. Then she slowly backed away and turned her gaze to Ryan.
   "Please Ryan, help us. If not from kindness then think about all the girls who would love to be with a hero. But maybe this is a part that's just to big for you, perhaps you're not that good an actor that you can make Mr. Spring believe his plan has worked." She looked at Alistair again, her heart beating wildly at the sight of him.

[Villain]

'A hero?' Dorian asked sceptically as he watched them cautiously. He looked back at the spider legs the protruded from his back and frowned grimly, 'I'm not a hero Casey I'm a monster.'
  'No you're not!' Lulu cried out causing Ryan to jump as she walked forwards, 'You're not all bad Ryan I can see it in you. You've made mistakes but that doesn't define you!'
  'Lulu I'm a character that lives for sin.' He spoke half smiling and half frowning at the idea that he was bad by nature.
  'True, but even Dorian Gray repented during the last few chapters' Lulu spoke and gave him an encouraging smile before extending a hand, 'You can be better than that Ryan Black. You can be the better Dorian Gray. I mean look at you! You've got powers that Dorian wasn't even aware he had! Imagine what you could do!'
  Ryan shuffled on the spot. The idea was tempting, he could feel the idea of a new way of life excite him. Perhaps it may have been his darker side that found it appealing, after all his dark side lived for new thrills and experiences and being a hero was perhaps the most thrilling of all.
  'I-I can't...he'll get me. I could see it in his eyes when he walked with me.' Ryan said nervously and shut his eyes as he recalled the mad man that walked back and fourth before him, 'He had the look of a devil. Those eyes just screamed; if you betray me I'll slaughter you....god he had such a spring in his step. I could tell he was enjoying the idea of killing me'.
  At that point Alistair seemed to wake up from his moment of shock. He had had so many conflicting emotions flowing through him as he heard the name of his nemesis.
  Part of him was excited. It seemed strange but the idea that he could do battle with a genius like Moriarty again was such an exciting feeling that he almost couldn't wait for the chance to start their war...but then there was the other part of him. He didn't know why but he couldn't help but remember the feeling of falling. The feeling of struggling with his nemesis, their lives on the lines, before losing their balance and plummeting into the waters.
  After that came the other feeling. The feeling of Casey's breath against him. The smell of her perfume and the sight of her pretty face amongst the beautiful red hair. It sent something running through him that seemed to fight away the fear. The cold feeling of water seemed to be burned away by an intense warmth than touched his heart.
  It was at this moment that something had stirred inside of him as he heard them talk. This moment of focus allowed him to realise that something about what Ryan said hadn't agreed with him. He wasn't sure what it was but something that Ryan had mentioned felt out of place. He didn't suspect him of lying. He could tell that Ryan was serious about everything, but yet he couldn't help but feel something was off.
  'Dorian' Alistair spoke softly and looked Ryan in the eye with renewed passion. He could feel the excitement of a mystery welling up inside of him. There was more to this than Moriarty. He could feel it in his bones. There was a secret amongst the shadows and he was going to find out what it was and they were going to take him down.
  'Dorian Gray, immortal and eternally young. Are you aware of what you used to be before all this?' He asked softly, watching Ryan who was now gawking at him.
  'You were once a good man and when it came down to the final moments of your life your sought redemption. Don't you realise how lucky you are now?' He asked before striding up to Dorian and smiling at him, 'You have a second chance. You've been reborn into this world to do some good. It's been a rocky start but no one gets it right on the first try.'
  Alistair extended his hand forward. Him and Lulu were now side by side offering Ryan their hands with smiling faces.
  'This is a request from Me; Sherlock Holmes, Alice and Elizabeth Sherman. Join us.' He asked and for a moment there was a silence as Ryan stared at the hands before him.
  'Do we have a name for ourselves?' Ryan asked with a chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief as he realised that him joining the club was inevitable.
  'We haven't got that far yet. We've never had more than two members until today' Lulu spoke before laughing. She couldn't hide her excitement over the idea that Ryan was going to join them.

[Axenia]

Casey stood back and watched them, she didn't like Ryan but maybe that would change later on. She knew he would join them, she could read it in his face. She smiled and placed his painting on a nearby bookcase, the empty paint thinner thrown on the floor. Her eyes then went to Alistair, how young he looked when facing an adventure. She loved him, it didn't help telling herself it was just a crush and that it would soon be over. She had known it from the moment he was in danger, her heart screaming for her to help him.
   She made no sound when she left the library, the cool night air on her face felt relaxing and somehow comforting. She could smell the burned down theatre in the air, afraid of what would happen tomorrow when the teachers would come to work. She started feeling cold after a moment, sure she could warm herself up, but she didn't wanted to. For the first time in a long time she wanted to be cold, anything that would make her think of something other than Alistair.
   She started walking home, it had been a long night and she was tired. besides, it would soon be morning and if her parents found out that she hadn't been in bed all night, they would ground her for life. She looked at her phone, wondering for a moment if it had survived the sprinklers.
   The walk home was long, dark and very cold. When she finally crawled in through the window she undressed immediately and jumped under the covers. She laid in bed for a moment, then grabbed her phone.

Hey Al

I'll bring you a new shirt tomorrow, sorry that I ruined the other one.
Look, I think it would be better if I stayed away form the bookclub for a little while, I'm sure you know why.

Casey / Liz

[Villain]

'Ok then. Count me in' Ryan spoke with a nod before reaching forward and shaking their hands. Lulu cheered and almost made a move to hug Ryan before pulling back at the last second. Alistair just smiled and thanked him for reconsidering.
  'Well I guess finding a name for our club should be somewhere on the list of things to do, but first-' Alistair begun before turning round to look for Casey. He looked around blankly as he realised she was missing. The smile on his fade faded away as his eyes landed on the painting.
  'Hey Lulu why don't you go and take the portrait with Ryan and find some paint thinner to wash it with. We can't have Ryan looking like a spider for class' He spoke before handing Lulu the portrait.
  'What about the theatre? It's going to be ruined for the show.' Ryan asked and bit his lip as he remembered that it was technically his fault for causing the fire in the first place.
  'I'm going to go and set it up so it looks like some freak accident. You spend the rest of the night thinking about how you're going to make it up to you're friends in the theatre club' Alistair spoke before walking through the doorway without another word. He felt confused and that was never good. Being confused meant that he was having trouble figuring things out despite having all the information he felt he needed.
  What was it about Casey's abrupt exit that made him feel so strange?

Outside the School

'They did well' Mr Spring spoke with a smile on his face as he walked away from Woodmore school. He was dressed in a long black coat and white trousers. His bleached bone white skin glowed in the moon light as he trotted along the path, skipping every now and again as if both restless and excited at what he had just seen. It had been an entertaining show to watch from the sky light of the library. Plus there was the lighting room that stood above the doorway of the school theatre that he had sat in and casually watched the performance of Alistairs deductions, Lulu's monstrous growth, Casey's inferno and the over all failure of Ryan's phantom performance.
  'You mean Alistair did well uncle. The others were thick.' Spat the young man that walked by the side of Mr Spring. He was a teenager, probably the same age as Alistair. He had very dark black hair and his eyes were pale green and seemed permanently fixed in a vicious scowl. He had the look of a rocker. His clothes were black and studded and his shirt had the logo of a violent sounding rock band. His ears were pierced a few times and there were silver hoops and skulls poking out of them. In his hands was a game boy that he tapped away at with such ferocity that it was almost as if the machine was insulting him.
  'Now now my boy they all did their part.' Mr Spring lectured with a warm smile on his cracked lips.
  'All did their part? Uncle they think your Professor Moriarty! I mean come on! Why would the arch nemesis of their little group make it that easy for them to figure out?' The boy growled before cursing as he lost a life on his video game.
  'Oh my boy...' Mr Spring sighed, 'Heroes are supposed to be oblivious to the mysteries. If they knew everything what would be the point of making them jump through hoops?'
  'But uncle they're thick. Why can't we kill the spares off and make Alistair fight us with some better heroes?' The boy whined causing his uncle to laugh merrily at the notion.
  'Oh my dear boy' Mr Spring chuckled and ruffled the young mans hair, 'Are you jealous of me using your identity?'
  'No!' The boy mumbled awkwardly with a frown. Mr Spring just laughed at his reaction.
  'Silly James. Your not ready to fight them yet. You still have a lot of things to master before you can call yourself Professor Moriarty.' Mr Spring spoke.
'Your certainly progressing at mastering your abilities of manipulation, deduction, crime resources and of course marksmanship - especially marksmanship, you did a wonderful job shooting through that bottle of paint thinner without Miss Valentine noticing.' He said pleasantly and patted the boy on the back, 'But if you go rushing in with the rest of your pals without preparing like I told you to then you will be killed'.
  James seemed to scowl at the notion before grudgingly grunt in agreement. They had now reached the end of the road and were now standing before a long black limo that seemed to blend in perfectly with the darkness of the night.
  'They didn't kill Dorian uncle.' James spat bitterly as Mr Spring opened the back door of the Limo and motioned for him to get in.
  'I know my boy which is understandable. I guess we villains sometimes forget that heroes can be so weak' Mr Spring looked back at the school and grinned as he watched Casey walk out and head in the opposite direction.
  'Don't worry though. There's far more fun to come yet.'

Alistairs House

Alistair slumped down onto his bed and immediately regretted it. Even though Ryan had apologised a thousand times for hitting him and thanked him a thousand times more for setting up the stage to look like a gas explosion his inside still hurt. He felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, but before he went to sleep he managed to kick his window closed with his foot.
  'No wait Alistair not done yet.' He chided before yanking off his grey woolen vest and working at the buttons of his white shirt. He lived on the bottom floor of his house so sneaking out was never a problem, but his mother absolutely hated it when Alistair slept in his clothes.
  'You are not a homeless man you don't sleep in your clothes!' She had snapped when she had found him lying on the floor in his best suit, a necessary costume which he had needed for a battle against a villainous mad scientist.
  It was as he unbuttoned his shirt that he noticed the text message that appeared on his phone. He gazed at it curiously before picking up the phone and reading the text.
  'What...but...I?' Alistair stuttered as he read the text over and over again. What had been an enjoyable danger filled night had now turned into a gloomy mess of confusion. He rapidly wrote back, trying hard not to make any spelling mistakes or accidental turn on predictive text.

I'm very confused. Have we done something wrong?
I mean I know that near death experiences aren't exactly fun, but I thought you were ok with that?
Have I done something wrong?
Al/Sherlock

He paused for a moment as he sent the text. He thought over what he had put before typing out a new text.

Don't worry about the shirt. I have plenty.
Appreciate the thought.
Al/Sherlock
x

After sending that text he paused for a moment again and then slapped his head as he realised that he had put a kiss on the end of the text. That was weird, why had he done that? His brain felt all muddled up as he began to obsess over the texts. He just wanted to go to sleep.

[Axenia]

Casey had almost fallen asleep when the sound of her phone woke her up again. She turned over, trying to ignore it when the second text came. She sighed then reached for the phone, dropping it on the floor. She cursed under her breath, fumbled for it in the dark for a few moments before her hand felt the cold metal on her fingertips. She grabbed it and read the first text, smiling when she saw it was from Al. The next one she looked at for about ten minutes before she understood what she was looking at. The kiss at the bottom of the text. Her heart was beating faster and she could feel her cheeks getting warmer eventhough she was alone.
   'Calm youself girl, this doesn't have to mean anything.' She tried to tell herself that, but her heart didn't care. What should she answer him, surely he must know how she felt. He was a master at deduction, reading her feelings for him would be a piece of cake, even a girl so easily distracted as Lulu knew how she felt about him.
   She looked at the phone for a long time, thinking about what to write back to him.

You haven't done anything wrong Al, you have done everything right.
Think Al, what happened today?
I didn't run from Ryan, or from Lulu. I ran from you, Al I...
Just think about it Al, what happens to my eyes when I see you? What happens to my breathing when I'm near you?
Please Al, if you haven't figured it out tomorrow after school, then I will tell you.
Casey/Liz

[Villain]

The text came through just as Al felt his eyes shut and his mind begin to slip away as he began to succumb to sleep. He sat up boltright as he heard the sound of his mobile vibrate in the darkness of his room. He immediately grabbed it from his bedside table and checked the message.
  Once he had read it through once he stared at the text blankly before reading it through four or five more times. His eyelids felt heavy, his brain was turning to mush and his body longed for the idea of just collapsing on the bed, but now after the reading the text Alistair wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep at all.
  What did she mean? What was she talking about? What did happen to her eyes when she looked at him? What happened to her breath when she was near him?
  An uncomfortable feeling began  to build in the pit of his stomach as he gazed at the text. Something was nagging at him but he wasn't quite sure what it was. It almost felt as if he felt he was missing something very vital and just couldn't connect the dots no matter how hard he tried.
  'Go to bed.' Alistair spoke before falling back into his pillow and closing his eyes. For the rest of the night he tossed and turned but eventually he managed to get to sleep.
  He would be glad he got it even if it was for just a few hours. Tomorrow was going to be one of the hardest and most bizarre days of his life.