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

Started by Villain, June 18, 2011, 03:46:52 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Villain

The Fictionals: The Phantom of the Theatre

Larry had never understood why patrolling the school theatre was such a big responsibility. In his ten years of service at Woodmore high school Larry Kent had never once been ordered by a member of staff to patrol the theatre stage so thoroughly before he locked the school up.
  Apparently there had been talk of people vandalising the set and it had gotten the drama teacher, Ms Vander, quite riled up.
  He could still see the fury in her eyes when he had been called down to inspect props and backgrounds which had been sprayed over with black paint.
  ‘Be sure that this never happens again! We cannot possibly do a performance of Romeo and Juliet if our set is destroyed by these blaggards!’ She had screeched at him before storming out of the room and leaving him to wonder what a blaggard was.
  He stepped out onto the stage and shone his flashlight over the set. Everything had now been covered with a large white blanket and had a sign in front of it saying; do not touch without permission, in big black letters before being signed by Ms Vander. He let out a sigh and shook his head.
  ‘It’s not like a vandal is going to pay any attention to that’ he jeered before patrolling the rest of the backstage.
  As he double checked the props he couldn’t help but think that the arts department of the school had out done itself. They had always had a talented bunch of students work on costume and props but this time they seemed to go the extra mile. The costumes were authentic handmade Tudor clothes and the swords for the fighting scenes looked as if they had been taken right out of a museum. The set itself had been painted with buildings, vines, flowers and all sorts of wonders with absolute detail.
  ‘I can see why the old bag is so hissy about it all.’ He said to himself, before letting out a loud sneeze as the strong smell of fresh paint filled his nostrils as he passed by newly painted backgrounds.
  It was at this moment that he realised he was not alone. He was certain he had heard something loud clang above his head.
  ‘Hello?’ He called out, running a finger through his bushy grey moustache to clear the smell of pain that irritated his nose. He listened out for a response, but heard nothing.
  ‘Anyone there?’ He called out peering through the darkness to try and locate the source of the noise.
  A second clanging noise was heard. This time he knew where it had come from; the lighting rig, the large metal bridge that hung high above the curtains and allowed the technicians to manually alter the spotlights.
  His flashlight pointed upwards, cutting through the darkness like a sword as it cast a large circle of light on the metal grate.
  At that moment Larry’s heart almost stopped.
  A shadowy figure wrapped in a long black cloak dangled from the metal bridge. Violent red eyes staring out from behind a large white skeleton mask which shone in the light of his torch. The masked head cocked to one side as if judging whether Larry was a threat before he chuckled maliciously in a tone that seemed to echo through the silence of the theatre.
  ’They send you here to guard what cannot be saved’ It spoke to him, laughing cruelly as he stumbled back in fright.
  ’You will tell them that they will cancel this abomination that plagues my stage...or my next victims will not be mere toys and pretty outfits’ It whispered and before Larry could say anything in response a piercing light illuminated the room. He let out a cry of surprise and discomfort as he covered his eyes. For a moment he thrashed wildly as he was blinded by the sudden change in light.
  Soon his eyes adjusted to the scene and he let out a roar of frustration.
  The stage was a wreck. The blanket that covered it was now gone revealing the remains of a once proud set that was now illuminated by the bright spotlights which hung above his head. The phantom was now nowhere to be seen. He sighed and shook his head, trying to process the madness of the situation.
  ‘The old bats going to have my head when I tell her we got a Phantom in our theatre.’ He spoke before turning off his flashlight and making his way to the lighting desk to turn off the spotlights that had been used to blind him.

Monday

School had barely started at Woodmore high school, but the news of vandalism in the school theatre had already reached every student. Some people were horrified, some laughed, some were saddened and some pointed fingers, but no one talked of the Phantom. That had been kept a secret from the school. Well that was what they believed.
  ‘It couldn’t be more obvious if they put his picture on the front cover and had him handing out photographs of his work by the school gates’ Alistair muttered as he looked over the copy of the school magazine. He was sat on the front steps of the school building, circling sentences with a pen as his eyes scanned the article again and again for more information.
  ‘He’s not getting sloppy though.’ He mumbled to himself before sucking on the end of the pen as he thought over the facts of the whole mess before sighing and shaking his head.
  He so did wish that his friend Lulu was about. Even though she never listened to him due to constantly having her head in the clouds her silence often helped him concentrate even when hundreds of school kids were walking past him to attend their lessons.

Axenia

Casey stood looking in the mirror, wondering if dieing her hair dark would make her less noticeable.
"Well, you know the routine Case, time to be the new freak again." With a last glance at her reflection she grabbed her schoolbag and headed out the door.
"Casey wait a minute, I thought we agreed on me driving you today. It is you first day after all" Her mom was standing in the doorway, going through her handbag trying to find the car keys.
"It's okay mom, I'd rather take the bus." She could see the disappointment and worry on her mothers face. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself, she was 16 after all. Sure sometimes she had difficulties controlling parts of herself, but she kept telling herself that she was getting better at it.
She stopped for a moment to look at the school, in many ways it looked the same as all the rest. She took a deep breath and lowered her head before walking to the front steps. She noticed a tall boy sitting on the steps reading a paper, but thought nothing of it. Walking past him she was pushed and nearly fell into his lap.
"Sorry," she muttered as she steadied herself and hurried inside.

Villain

Alistair raised his head as he felt someone collide with him. He glanced at the stranger, his sharp eyes looking her up and down, but he didn't look as if he was doing this because he believed her to beautiful. He stared at her like a person would stare at a puzzle. For a moment she would be able to see the wheels turning in his head as they came to a conclusion.
  As she brushed past him he got to his feet and headed into the school he made his decision. Alistair got to his feet and combed his messy dark hair with his finger tips before briskly jogging inside. He spotted her immediately despite the large crowd of kids that surrounded her as they made their way to their first lesson.
  'Kansas City.' He spoke to her as he walked up beside her, 'Kansas city is where you're from right?' He asked, trying to keep eye contact as he walked beside her.
  'No wait that's not right. You don't have the look of someone who supports the Kansas city T-bones, you would look more stern if you did.' He continued looking her up and down again with his sharp hazel eyes, 'No no no very wrong, your not a city dweller, your a military girl. Or someone in your family is military, your dad most likely judging by your looks.'

Axenia

Casey looked at the boy, how could he know those things, was it that obvious? She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him with an annoyed glance, hoping he would leave her alone.
   "Look, I don't really think it's any of you business." Why was he talking to her? She heard the sound of a lighter and as a reflex her eyes went to the small flame. She forced her eyes to return and look up at the boy. She wondered how old he was, his clothing so unlike anyone else here.
   She looked down at her schedule, trying to figure out where to go next. The boys eyes were on her she could feel it, trying to stay in control of her temper she looked up at  him once again.
   "You were right, military dad. I lived in Kansas City for about two years, but then we had to move." She didn't wanted to smile at him, fearing that might make him try to keep the conversation going.

Villain

"I know." He replied before circling the girl. His piercing eyes never leaving her once. It was as if he was staring straight through her, like he could see every secret that she held. He had noticed the look she had given the lighter. That helped support the conclusion he had reached before he had started talking to her.
  "The way you hold yourself it says military." He spoke before tapping her on the back, "But your slouching a little so it can't be because of a military school, they would have drummed that out of you. You've learnt to hold yourself based off example. You must admire your dad very much."
  He stopped circling her and stepped out in front of her, "Is that why you feel so guilty? Do you hate yourself for making your family move?" he asked before cocking his head to look her in the eye. His messy hair falling over part of his face as he watched her next reaction.

Axenia

She clenched her fists, he had no right talking to her like that. She could feel the urge to slap him, wipe that irritating look of his face. But she couldn't help noticing that he was kinda handsome, with his hair like that.
   "What do you want?" That wasn't what she had wanted to say. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business, to leave her alone and never talk to her again. What was it about him that made her curious, it had to be the way he looked at her, like she was an open book. She straightend up, pushing some of her red hair behind her ear.

Villain

'I want to know more about you my dear.' Alistair replied in a soft voice as he stepped back and gestured to her, 'You spark my curiosity greatly. You're a person who intrigues me to no end and I feel a kinship to you.' He spoke before raising a hand to silence her before she could ask anything else.
  'Let me start from the beginning of my deductions.' He spoke before pointing to her chest, 'Look at your shirt, it has a swear word on it. Not a very friendly word, not a very friendly shirt, you want people to look at it and stay away. You want people to know you don't want them to talk to you. An odd thing for you to want on your first day.'
  He paused and looked over her again before shaking his head and pointing to her face.
  'The shirt is aggressive but you're not. You look at the floor while you walk. You're scared. You don't want people to notice you because that means they'll talk to you and if they talk to you that's bad because something bad will happen.
  When you were pushed into me you didn't shout at the guy who did it even though you seem to have a temper, your clearly angry with my questioning and have a rather dark look on your face and a sharp tone in your voice, but you don't raise it anymore than that. That would get you angry.'
  Alistair was now talking faster. He did not pause for breath and did not stumble his sentences. Every word he said he said with confidence. He knew that he was on the right track. That he had cracked the mystery of this girl, this fascinating girl.
  'It's anger isn't it? That's what can set you off. That's what made you and your family move. I saw in your stance the suggestion that you are a military mans daughter, but you don't have a look of worry because your afraid your dad is in the military, no, you have a look of guilt. You know it's your fault that you've moved here and why?' He asked and moved in a little closer to her, staring deep into her eyes and searching inside of them.
  'What happens when you're pushed too hard? Do you lash out? No. You're not a brawler your knuckles aren't scraped from forming fists and your hands haven't been trained to hold weapons. You use something else.' He spoke before taking a step back and scratching his head with one hand.
  'What could possibly be so dangerous? After all it would have to be big to get you to move, especially after two years of living comfortably' He spoke before clicking his fingers and pointing past her.
  'And that's when I noticed the lighter you looked at. I wondered if you were a pyromaniac. Then I realised that's not right. Pyromaniac's that have been released back into schools wouldn't look at a flame with fear. They wouldn't look at it at all. They would have conquered their dangerous impulses.' He spoke before his eyes narrowed on her. His hazel eyes growing dark as he asked her his final questions. The questions he was sure she would hate.
  'So why do you fear fire? Is it because you can do things with fire that no one else can? Do you have the power of a god running through you? And is it because of that gift that you burned down your last school because a bunch of brats tormented you?' he asked and paused to let the poor girl absorb every part of his deduction.
  'Alistair Croft' He spoke after a few seconds before offering his hand for her to shake, 'If what I have said makes any sense to you then you'll tell me your name and then tell me your true name. If you do I shall return the favour and tell you mine if you haven't already guessed it.' He spoke quietly. The corridor was now empty except for the two of them. Alistair was sure he was late, but he didn't care.
  This girl was like him and Lulu and he needed to find out more.

Axenia

   "Stop it!" Her voice rang through the corridor, when she looked down at her hands the were each holding a small ball of fire. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breath calmly, trying to regain control over herself. She couldn't believe what she had done, letting this strange boy press her far enough to make her reveal her ability. She closed her hands, suffocating the fires.
   "Never talk to anyone about this, I swear I'll." She never finished the sentence, it was an empty threat and he would know it. Insted she let a hand glide trough her hair, then she took his hand.
   "I'm Casey Valentine, as you can see I'm pyrokinetic." She had never said that to anyone, why did she trust him. He was a pain in the ass, no question there, but there was something else. She couldn't explain it, she simply trusted him.
   "I'm late for class and it is my first day, really not a good start. If you want to talk some more, meet me by the front steps after school." She turned her back on him, pausing. "Please don't tell anyone of this." She hurried away from him, looking for the right classroom. It took a while, she opened the door and entered. Everyone was looking at her when she stepped into the classroom, the teacher, a stern looking woman gave her an icy look.
"You must be the new student. I don't know what you were used to at your old school, but here class begins on time." She turned her attention back on the class.
   As Casey walked to the back of the classroom, she could feel the eyes of the other students on her. All through the day she thought about that boy Alistair. Was he always like that, or did he reserve that specially for the new students. She only talked to the others if she had to, when the day was finally over she went outside, curious if Alistair would be there.

Villain

'So she doesn't know her true name' Alistair spoke to himself as he watched her walk away. He and Lulu would have to offer what little they knew as an introduction to their world. He felt a stab of regret at the thought that it wouldn't be enough. He couldn't give her a real answer.
  He set off to class and for the rest of the day thought about the girl he had met. A pyrokenetic, now that was something for the books. He and Lulu had assumed that their powers came from novels, but to his knowledge he couldn't recall any classic literature which contained people who weilded fire.
  'Perhaps its something more...perhaps she's a fantasy' He mumbled as he sketched down idea's during class while he completed all his other work with his opposite hand. It wasn't too hard to complete lessons on the first day back when you had the intelligence of a mastermind.
  As the day ended Alistair took out his mobile phone from his coat pocket and text Lulu the news followed by an instruction. Hopefully she would be able to set up the club house by herself while he answered any questions Casey had.
  He walked outside and took off his trench coat before sitting down on the steps. He was dressed in a grey vest with matching grey pants and a long white sleeved buttoned shirt that wasn't tucked in and had its sleeves rolled up above his elbow. It was a strange outfit for a school that demanded no uniform. He looked like he belonged to some fancy boarding school.
  'You're not alone Miss Valentine' He called out as he recognised the sound of her feet against the concrete floor. Being able to keep a hold of minor details was one of his favourite perks.
  'Believe me you are not the only giant amongst mortals' He spoke as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a stick of gum before unwrapping it and tossing it into his mouth. He reached behind him and offered the gum to her but did not turn to face her.

Axenia

   "You know, it's really annoying when you do that." She sat down beside him, turning the gum over in her hands. Her knees showed when she sat down, her armes resting on them. All through the day she had thouht about what she would ask him, what answers she needed, but now she was completly blank. She tousled up her hair a bit, then sat quietly by his side for a moment.
   "So I'm not the only one? If you think you know so much, then please tell me who else has this curse. Do you know how I can get rid of it? She hid her face in her hands for a moment, then looked at him.
   "I don't like being like this, constantly being afraid that I will loose my temper and burn everything down, forcing my family to move again. I want to be normal." She unwrapped a piece of gum and handed the rest back to him, then she smiled. Her smile was sweet and charming, it had a playfulness to it. She leaned towards him.
   "But it is a really cool partytrick, and it comes in handy if you like to scare the local girlscouts." She hoped for a smile, he looked so serious.

Villain

His expression was grim as he listened to her pine for a normal life. Free of the curse of abnormality and fear. he couldn't say it was a burden he shared. He only felt the weight of responsibility. He had the mind of a detective so thus he felt that was what he needed to be. Any crimes he saw or knew of were his responsibility to solve. There was no other choice.
  It was only when she made the joke that a smile crossed over his face. He chuckled at the joke, his laughter timid and warm, like that of an old happy man. It strangely suited the boy even if he was only sixteen.
  'Your fire is not a curse Miss Valentine' He spoke before standing up and stuffing his school bag and jacket under one arm, 'It is a responsibility, a tool for good and even if you don't believe it makes you a hero. Believe me when I tell you that because it's the most important thing you'll ever know.'
  He walked down the steps before stopping at the end and chewing on the gum, the taste of peppermint filling his mouth before he looked back at Casey.
  'The school library. Ever been there?' He asked before motioning for her to follow him before walking off.

Axenia

She liked the smile on his face and the laughter, made a note to herself to try and make him laugh more often. The words he had said stuck with her, planting a seed of hope in her mind. A hero, the words sounded so strange to her ears. but she couldn't help wonder if he were right, if maybe her ability wasn't necessarily an evil thing as she had always believed. She started following him.
   "No not yet, why?" She caught up with him. Even though she still hadn't decided wether she liked Alistair or not, she enjoyed the company. This was the first time she had ever spend time with anyone after school, until now she never realised she had missed it. She also knew that her mother would demand an explanation when she got home, as to why she was late. Worst case scenario was that her father would start looking for her, she loved him, but she would rather face a fiering squad, than her father when he was angry.

Villain

'Well here's a bit of an unknown fact about Woodmore School. It has two library's; one which everyone uses and one which everyone barely uses' He spoke with a small smirk, a tone of arrogance in his voice; 'It's because that part of the library is full of books which have long words in them like; automysophobia and xenodocheionology.' He chuckled as they walked around the building and across long paths which seemed to stray away from the main school building.
  They walked for ten minutes; traipsing corridors, walking through doors and walking up and down various stair cases. Eventually they came across a large doorway that had two stone lions placed on either side of it's entrance.
  Alistair nodded at the two lions, as if asking permission to go through, before striding past them and through the doorway.
  'The other reason why no one comes down here is because it's a very long walk and nobody can be bothered to try and find the place' He spoke and chuckled again at the lack of initiative the other students showed. He reached out to the right side of the doorway and flipped a switch.
  The room before them was filled with light revealing row after row of book cases. Some of the books cases had fallen over and some had simply collapsed leaving books spread all over the red carpet floor of the library. The room almost resembled something from a fantasy book. The light was dim due to large lanterns which hung from the ceiling and glowed orange like burning torches. The walls were a musty yellow and there were big red curtains covering the windows.
  'That's a bit odd...I would have thought Lulu would already be-' Alistair began before being suddenly cut off as a light haired blond girl suddenly climbed on top of one of the book cases and punched her arms above her head.
  'Welcome to the jungle!' She yelled before giggling with glee and grinning widely at the two of them. She was wearing a large frilly dress that made her look like a ballerina and over that she wore a coat with lots of patches sewn all over it.
  There was a silence as Alistair stared at the girl. Then there was a creaking sound and then the book case bellow the girls feet collapsed.

Axenia

The look of the library med her speechless, this must have been the most beautiful place she had ever been. She had never cared for pretty flowers or paintings, her life had been dedicated to reading. To see all those books, and the way the colors mixed and books all over the place. She had jumped a little when the girl had called out. Casey couldn't help smiling when she saw the girl, there was just something about her. The giggling and the way she looked. She was just about to ask Alistair if that was the girl he had meant when the bookcase collapsed. Casey didn't think about it but ran to the girl.
   "Are you alright?" There was a worrying tone to her voice. She knelt beside the collapsed bookcase, looking back at Alistair.
   "Are you sure this is a safe place to hang out, you could get seriously hurt if you get caught under one of those bookcases." She started removing the books on the floor, looking shortly at the title before putting them in a pile beside her.

Villain

Alistair tutted at the girls behaviour. Not phased by the amount of wood and books covering his dear friend. This had been the fourth book case Lulu had destroyed. It was starting to become a habbit.
  'I'm fine thank you Miss, I fell from greater heights than that when I was in my diapers' The girl chuckled as she emerged from the heap of books. She beamed at the stranger, her face was so white it almost shined in the dull light of the library.
  'Honestly Lulu when are you going to learn that you are not immortal' Alistair asked as he joined Casey in pulling the girl to her feet before brushing her strange outfit down. It was almost like watching an older brother looking after his sibling.
  'Oh you worry too much Alistair. You know as well as I do that danger doesn't mean anything to us.' She chuckled before rolling her eyes playfully at him and winking at Casey before stepping out from the carnage of literature that lay around her.
  'I swear the great Sherlock Holmes has really gotten paranoid of heights ever since he fell off a waterfall with that looney professor.' Lulu chuckled and grinned at Casey before pausing as she felt Alistair freeze up behind her.
  'Oh...you haven't told her your true name yet have you?' Lulu asked timidly before looking back at Alistair who had now grabbed his head between his hands in frustration.
  'No but you seem to have taken care of that quite well.' Alistair spoke with a sigh before dropping his arms and looking towards Casey. He smiled grimly at her before pointing to himself with one hand.
  'This is surprise number two' He said before offering her his hand again 'Good evening Miss Valentine. My name is Alistair Croft, but you know me better as Sherlock Holmes the great detective.'.

Axenia

Casey could see that he meant it, this boy really believed he was the great detective Sherlock Holmes. This had to be some kind of joke, someone playing a prank on her. Before she could stop herself she started laughing. It really wasn't that funny, she knew that, but she just couldn't stop herself once started. The tears began running down her cheeks. This was the first time in years she had really laughed, and now she couldn't stop. After a while she regained control of herself, the laughter subsided to a small giggle.
   "You're serious? Do you really expect me to believe that you the great detective Sherlock Holmes? He's just a character from a book. What's next, you want me to believe that this girl, Lulu is actually Hermione Granger form the Harry Potter series?" The words had barely left her mouth when she regretted them, Lulu seemed like a sweet girl, and she honestly didn't wanted to offend her. She looked from Alistair to Lulu and back again.

Villain

'Hermione? Oh no I'd probably be Luna Lovegood if I was a character from Harry Potter' Lulu spoke, not taking the slightest offence from what Casey had said. Instead she just seemed to beam contently at her. Annoyance seemed to be unknown to her.
  'I assure you I'm quite serious.' Alistair spoke as he dropped his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, 'I know it's impossible to suggest but unfortunately rational explanation isn't a luxury we have. I possess an interlect that knows the process of deduction and observation more than any other person in this world-'
  'Al your deductions are only right eighty percent of the time'
  'Yes but that's eighty percent more than anyone else in the world'
  'What if we encounter an incarnation of Sherlocks brother Mycroft?'
  'It doesn't matter!' Alistair snapped, his pride obviously hurt by Lulu correcting him. He breathed in and exhaled calmly as he turned back to Casey and pointed to her.
  'This morning you got a look at what I can do. I know it's not firm evidence, but it's a start. I do plan on presenting something more solid' He spoke before looking towards Lulu who was now staring a a fly that was buzzing around in the air above them.
  'This girl is my friend Lulu Carol, but she's also a very famous character that has been in thousands of childrens stories, games, activities, merchandise, films, television shows and every other form of media entertainment known to man.' Alistair spoke, his voice firm and serious despite the fact they were staring at a girl who found a fly more fascinating than them.
  'I'm Alice' Lulu spoke before looking at Casey and grinning, a curl of blond hair falling over her face; 'Alice from Alice in Wonderland....hello!' She spoke before going back to examining the fly.

Axenia

"So what you're saying is that I'm in the presence of Sherlock Holmes, and Alice from Alice in wonderland?" Casey had to sit down, and lacking a chair she placed herself on the pile of books removed from the collapsed bookcase.
   "So why am I here, do you think I'm from a book? Am I Charlene McGee from Stephen Kings 'Firestarter'? She hid her face in her hands, but a thought had begun to stir in her mind. She knew that she wasn't from a Stephen King novel, but another name came to her, like a whisper in the back of her mind. She wouldn't say it out loud, couldn't.
   "Alistair or Sherlock, whatever you prefer. I think I better go, this is a bit too much, and whatever you're up to, I won't be a part of it. She turned to Lulu, smiled at the girl, not knowing if she noticed it.
   "It was nice meeting you Lulu, please be careful in the future." Before any of them could answer she hurried out the door and past the stone lions. But her head was full of different thoughts, and that name, sounding louder and louder in her ears. She didn't even notice that she had left her schoolbag at the library, she was confused and she could sense the fear again. Someone knew her secret, what would happen if he decided not to keep quiet.
   She had barely entered the front door when she wished for the fiering squad. Her mothers voice drowned out all her thoughts.
   "Where have you been, I've been worrying sick when you didn't got of the bus. Your father is out looking for you, I was just about to call the police."
   "Why?" She looked at her mother "I was only about an hour late, why would you call dad and the police?" She thought it was a fair question, after all, wasn't it normal for teenagers to be late?
   "You know why," her mother shouted. "The things that you can do, God knows what could have happened." This was too much, her own mother didn't trust her. She didn't say anything to her, she simply left the livingroom and locked her in her own room. She didn't answer when her father asked her to come out and explain herself, she didn't want to talk to them, feared that she wouldn't be able to control her temper if she did.

Villain

At this moment Casey's phone went off as she recieved a text. The number was unknown to her but the way that the text was written would be all too familiar to Casey.

You can't run from what you are Miss Valentine. You may not believe us but you know that there are few that understand what you are going through. If you want further proof that we are who we say we are please meet us outside the school library at midnight.

Sincerely, Alistair Croft

PS. I added my number to your phone when you went to help Lulu out from under those books, so don't be too amazed by how I know your number.

For a moment all was quiet as the text sat in her phone unanswered. Then mere seconds later her phone went off again as her phone recieved another text.

Hello Casey (is it ok if I call you that? Alistair's manners brush off on me. I get sick of being so formal)
I really enjoyed meeting you today. Al tells me you're special and probably one of us, but he won't explain why. Apparently you asked him not to tell anyone? Well I hope you can trust me. After all I'm a weirdo too
:P
Hope we meet agin, Lulu Carol

Axenia

Casey sat staring at the two messages on her phone for a while, then she got up. Alistair was right afterall, she couldn't run, god knows she had tried that for many years now. She got up and jumped into a pair of tight jeans, a green shirt and a black jacket. She waited for her parents to go to bed, then she climbed out the window and walked towards the library. It was dark she freed her left hand from her pocket and formed a small ball of fire to light the way for her. She was early, suffocating the fire she leaned against the library, waiting in the dark.

Villain

'You know you're rather strange Casey' Lulu finally spoke. She had been waiting outside the library for the last ten minutes. When Casey had arrived she had been tempted to greet her, but for some reason she hadn't felt quite comfortable with greeting her early. She had hoped that Alistair would show up, but she knew that Alistair rarely showed up early or late. He was always on time.
  'I was sure that you wouldn't talk to either of us ever again, but here you are.' She spoke, obviously sounding pleased that she had come. She was wearing exactly the same outfit that she had worn when Casey had saw her last except entirely black. It was as if she had spray painted her clothes black in a fool hardy attempt to be sneaky.
  It looked as if it had worked considering Casey hadn't seen her.
  'What made you change your mind?' She asked as she stepped out of the shadows and stood next to the fire weilding girl.

Axenia

Casey looked at the odd girl, couldn't help smiling when she saw the clothes. She opened her right hand, palm up, and ignited a fireball. She looked at i for a moment, then turned it into a rearing horse and next into a phoenix. Then she closed her palm and the fire disappeared.
   "Alistair was right, I can't run from who I am forever. Besides, I never had friends before." She smiled at Lulu, then looked around to see if Alistair was coming. At that moment she knew that she had made up her mind, she wouldn't run anymore. The confident boy and the strange girl was the closest thing she had to any kind of friends, and she wasn't ready to let that go.
   "What's the deal with Alistair, he doesn't seem to like anybode. And does he always analyse people like that?" She let her hands glide through her hair and gathered it in a tight bun.

Villain

'Oh don't mind him he analyses because he's hoping to meet Watson' Lulu spoke before smiling sadly, 'Alistair has always felt a loneliness when he realised what he was. He feels...incomplete.' She spoke before shuffling uncomfortably on the spot.
  'We've been friends for a while now.' She said, managing to keep the positive tone in her voice, 'Infact we've been on adventures you wouldn't believe. We've taken down witches and criminals and mad scientists and-' She paused as she realised she was getting carried away.
  She paused and cleared her throat before continuing her explanation.
  'Alistair just doesn't know how to act around people that don't appreciate what he is' She said with a frown 'Think about it. You're a girl that can summon flame and, if you're willing to believe it, I'm a girl that can stumble upon an alternate dimension full of magical creatures that can do amazing things'
  'Alistair on the other hand is just smart.' She sighed 'Smart in a way that makes people paranoid of him. That makes people hate him. In the stories of Sherlock Holmes, Watson was someone who admired his talents. Alistair has always wanted that'
  She turned to Casey and managed to beam at the girl as she had done before, 'He also has no idea how to talk to girls. I swear that brainiac may be able to figure out what I had for breakfast just by looking at my shoes but he has absolutely no idea how to read through the lines and figure out a girl is trying to ask him out.'

Axenia

At that Casey started to laugh, holding a hand to her mouth trying to muffle the sound.
   "That just proves that there are different ways to be smart. Alistair is very hansom, the way his hair fall in his eyes sometimes." She shook her head, trying to rid it of the picture in her mind. The handsome serious boy, his head slightly to one side and the hair falling in those wonderful hazel eyes that saw right through your pretence. She could feel her cheeks blush and was suddenly grateful for the dark hiding it. She cleared her throat and look at the girl once more.
   "I do believe you Lulu, who you really are, but I just can't see how that i possible." She took a deep breath in the cold night air, gazing up at the stars.

Villain

'Hopefully I'll be able to show you tonight. Al usually needs my help when it's dangerous so it's likely I'll have to show you what I can do.' She spoke cheerfully, a strange thing considering she had said that what they were doing would be dangerous.
  'Until then just forget about the impossible and be a normal teenager breaking into a school at midnight' She spoke mischeviously, not even bothering to hide her excitement. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a brass pocket watch and checked the time.
  'Its midnight. Al will be here right about now.' She spoke and as if on cue the sound of foot steps echoed through the dark night as Alistair walked down the stairs before the libraryl. He hadn't bothered to change since she had seen him last. The only thing that was different about him was that he was carrying a large leather bag in one hand and was wearing a pair of rubber gloves..
  'Good evening Lulu. Miss Valentine.' He spoke and gave the two of them a curt nod, 'It's good to see that you've joined us. I trust that you still don't believe a word I've said? I also trust that you've realised you're not a character from a Stephen King novel?'.

Axenia

Casey couldn't stop the smile from forming in the corner of her mouth, his entrance had been so perfect. As she looked at him she tried to see the physical resemblance to Sherlock Holmes. She could see it if she tried, the tall figure in the dark, ready to solve a new puzzle. The only thing he needed was a pipe, maybe that would come later, he was still to young to smoke.
   "Alistair, I prefer if you would call me Casey." She looked at the rubber gloves he wore, it was an odd thing to be wearing. She couldn't say she knew him, but she was certain of one thing. There was always a reason for what he did.
   "And you are wrong about one thing Mr. Craft, I think I'm starting to believe you. If I didn't I wouldn't have come here tonight." She liked that, telling this allknowing irritating boy that he was wrong about something. But eventhough he knew how to press her buttons, there was something else. She liked being around him, found him fascinating in so many ways. She had never met anyone who could do what he did, only read about one other person with that ability. it had been a story by Edgar Allan Poe called 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'.
   She turned to Lulu again, remembering what the girl had said just before Alistair showed up.
   "What did you mean when you said that it would be dangerous?

Villain

Alistair was thrown as Casey corrected him. He stared at her with a dumbfoundered expression on his face, his hazel eyes wide with shock as he stared at her. He hadn't been expecting her to start believing him. He had thought that it would have taken hours to convince the girl that their powers had such a perculiar origin.
  'W-Well that's very good of you Miss Val-I mean Casey' He stammered before swallowing and nodding to himself.
  Lulu couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. She knew that Alistair was not usually wrong about things, but when he did get things wrong his reaction would always be priceless. She couldn't help but take a liking to Casey. It felt nice to have an odd friend, especially one who was a girl. Plus the way she made Alistair act was so much fun.
  Alistair had now opened his leather bag and fished out a torch and what looked like a small metal wire that was bent in all different directions. Lulu saw Casey gaze at the object and mouthed the words; lock pick.
  'This will be dangerous because tonight we are examining a crime scene' Alistair spoke, managing to regain his composure and go back to talking in his serious tone of voice.
  'The criminal may also be one of us and that brings new complications to the matter' He spoke as he inspected the tools he had taken out of his bag. He checked the batteries to the torch and checked the lock pick for any damage to the bumps and groves that would work at the lock. When he was sure that the torch was working and the lock pick was in perfect condition he pocketed them inside his coat.
  'So lets hope we don't encounter him, because if we do then we could either end up hanged or be tortured to death by listening to one of his bloody songs' He explained before motioning for them to follow him as he made his way up the stairs.

Axenia

Casey tried hard not to smile when she saw Alistair fumble for the right words, in a way he look so endearing, like the boy he still was. The torch, she thought, was unnecessary. If he wanted light she could have made him a small fire, she had done that lots of times.
   She mouthed a small thanks to Lulu for her help as to what the second thing was. She had never tried to pick a lock, or breaking into something. But there was a first time for everything, and it sounded like it would be exciting.
   "Alistair, isn't there something you have forgotton to tell us, or are we just going to have to guess what you have figured out?" She looked at him with her arms crossed. She had heard rumours about what had been written in the newspaper, but hadn't read it herself.
   "I really hate sounding dumb, but why on earth would any dangerous criminal start to sing?" She looked at Lulu to see if she was the only one who didn't get what Alistair was talking about. But she didn't get any help from the girl, who was staring at something propably only she could see.

Villain

'Because this criminal isn't like me and Lulu.' Alistair spoke as he looked back at Casey from the top of the stairs, 'If this criminal is who I think he is then he didn't get his power through a novel - even though his character did start off as a character from a novel - he got his power from the more popular stage adaptation that has proceeded to entertain and annoy a lot of people'
  'Alistairs not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber' Lulu spoke. She was now staring at the ceiling, watching a spider crawl along it's surface before dangling off a light bulb.
  'His songs are too repetitive, he should be shot.' Alistair grunted before turning on the torch to see if it would work. For a moment his face was illuminated with light as the torch switched on.
  'I believe Casey that we are dealing with the Phantom of the Opera' Alistair spoke as he posed with the torch under his face. His features glowing eerily as the light from the torch outlined his face. He waited for Casey to start laughing again. If she had laughed at the idea of him being a fictional character from a book this would probably give her a laughter induced heart attack.

Axenia

This time Casey did not laugh, she hated to admit it, but she could see the logic in what he was saying. If she, Alistair and Lulu all had the abilities of a fictive character, the surely this person haunting the stage could be the Phantom. She was looking at Alistair, the little smile on her lips did not come from what he had said, but rather at how he looked. The way the torchlight hit his face reminded her of a child out camping with his friends, telling scary stories. She almost expected a lightning to illuminate the night skies.
   "Alistair, I can see that what you say make some kind of sense, but why on earth would the Phantom haunt the stage of this school? And then she send him at teasing little smile.
   "If it is him, I really hope he will sing 'Music of the night'." She winked at him. In her left hand she formed a light of her own, shaped like Christine, the lead female character from 'Phantom of the opera'. She liked teasing Alistair, trying to figure out how to push his buttons like he had pushed hers.
   "You know Alistair, it could have been worse. It could have been a character from the musical 'Cats'. I would rather listen to the Phantom singing, than see a grown man in tights." She turned her eyes from him, carefully studying their surroundings. She had overlook Lulu standing in the dark outside the library, she wouldn't want to be caught of guard by the Phantom.

Villain

Alistair dropped the torch from his face. He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment as he mulled over what was worse; a swinging homicidal phantom or a singing man in a leotard who believed he was a cat.
  'You have a good point.' He spoke before pocketing the torch. It was clear the only reason he had brought it was the sake of making his face glow ominously in the dark.
  'For the last few weeks the school theatre has been the target of random acts of vandalism' He began to explain as he turned to walk up the stairs and make his way towards the school theatre. 'They are currently putting on a play of romeo and juliet and keep on finding their props and set smashed to pieces'
  'The other night a security guard stumbled upon a dark figure swinging from the rafters. He demanded that the play be canceled otherwise the consequences would be most dire. The staff have tried to keep this a secret, but I have my ways of finding these things out.'
  'He hides in the staff room during lunch time and listens to all their conversations' Lulu announced cheerfuly causing Alistair to let out a frustrated sigh.
  'Thank you Lulu. I was trying to create an air of mystery about my methods but whatever' He mumbled bitterly before proceeding down the corridor.

Axenia

Casey laughed at Lulus comment, but at the same time she felt a bit sorry for Alistair. She softly laid her hand on his arm, looking up into his eyes.
   "My dear Sherlock, you are wrapped up in mystery, that one of your methods has been revealed doesn't change that." She gave him an encouraging smile. But she quickly turned her face away from him, she didn't want him to read her. While she had been looking up into his eyes she had realised something, even though she hadn't known him very long, she was beginning to fall for him. It had something to do with the mysterious person he was, but she also liked that he irritated her and the way he could look at her, or anyone else for that matter. She let go of his arm and began to move a bit closer to Lulu.
   "So what are we going to do if we find the phantom?" She collected herself so that she was able to meet his gaze again.

Villain

Alistair felt frozen to the spot as Casey laid a hand on his arm. Something stirred inside of him that felt alien and strange. It sort of felt like something was telling him that he should be very very happy that that had just happened but yet at the same time was warnng him that that was one of the most dangerous things he had ever had happen to him. It was a peculiar feeling to have and it unerved him a little, but he managed to shake the feeling off for a moment as he realised she was expecting an answer.
  'When we find him we give him an ultimateum; join us or we hand you over to the authorities' He replied before coming to a halt outside two sets of large wooden double doors. Above the doors was a large sign that read; school theatre. On either side of the doors were posters that advertised the upcoming play, but the date on them had been altered several times with a black felt pen.
  'This figure hasn't hurt anyone so far, so we don't have to deal with the issue of bringing him to justice. Hopefully he'll comply and take a liking to the idea that there are other people like him who are willing to understand him.' Alistair spoke as he fished out the lock pick from his pocket and began to work at the locked door, 'Perhaps when we find him you should try singing 'Music of the night'. He may take a liking to idea that there's a pretty girl who is a fan of his songs'.
  Lulu couldn't help but grin mischeviously and nudge Casey with her elbow as Alistair finished talking. She held back a chuckled as she watched her new friends reaction and mouthed the words 'he thinks you're pretty' at her.

Axenia

Casey felt like her heart had stopped for just a single moment, pretty, he really thought she was pretty. No one had ever called her that before. She looked at Lulu and felt her cheeks burn red, she shook her head a bit mouthing 'Just being nice'.
   "I really don't think you want me to sing, i couldn't carry a tune to save my life." She hadn't noticed the smile on her face, this was the first time she had ever been that happy. She waited for him to pick the lock, noticing how his hands moved, the look of concentration on his face. The figure in her hand burned with a bit more intensity to give him more light. She was nervous not knowing what was behind the door. She hoped they could reason with the phantom, otherwise she would have nothing to protect her but the fire. And she was afraid of using it, not because of her she was immune to the flames, but her two new friends were not.

Villain

'A pity, I'm sure you have a lovely voice' He spoke before stepping back as the doors swung open revealing a huge dark room behind them. Alistair stepped forward and cauciously thumbled around in the dark for a light switch. The stage would probably require them to use the spotlights but there should be a switch to switch on the lights above the audience.
  'Let there be light' Alistair spoke softly as he located the switch next to the door frame and the room became filled with light.
  'Oooo pretty' Lulu said with wonder as she gazed over the room. There were rows of seats sat before a grand wooden stage with deep blue curtains crossing over the front of it. The seats were blue to match the curtains and the walls and floor were old and wooden, giving it a old fashioned but very professional appearance.
  'So far so good. We're not dead yet so I dare suggest that we may be alone tonight' Alistair spoke before motioning for Lulu to follow him.
  'Do you want me to go and open the curtains? I think I remember how to do it.' Lulu asked before turning to Casey and pointing to herself, 'I was the stage hand on their last production of Wind in the Willows. They said I was excellent, but apparently the curtains weren't supposed to shut half way through the first scene'.
  'No we need to make our way backstage. I need to see the crime scene exactly how it was when the security guard found it' Alistair spoke before motioning for them to follow him as he walked down the aisle and climbed onto the stage before disappearing behind the curtains.

Axenia

"No, I think you're supposed to wait until the scene is done Lulu". Casey said smiling at the strange girl. She went down the row of seats, looking for any sign of the phantom. She couldn't help it, she started humming 'Angel of music', another song from the musical. Her voice was soft, clear and melodious. She went down to the front of the stage and waited for Lulu to draw the curtains, looking up at the metal bridge. When the curtains swung back and revealed the stage Casey stepped onto it.
   Her eyes searched the theatre from the stage. She was reminded from when she was eight, standing on the stage trying to remember my lines at a school play.

Villain

'Here we are' Alistair spoke as he pushed back a large piece of scenery; a large fake stone wall with torches and an arch way. Behind the wall was a large pile of objects covered by a great big white sheet. On top of the sheet was a large piece of paper tha read; 'Anyone caught damaging theatre property will be dealt with in the harshest of manners. Signed, Ms. Vander'.
  'You know I've always wanted to sing on stage' Lulu spoke as she wandered around the stage whilst admiring various bits of the stage.
  'My mum and dad used to send me to singing lessons every tuesday evening' She said with a content smile on her face as she recalled her singing teacher Mr Blake. He had been a wonderful teacher. He was tubby spanish man that loved to make jokes and would always burst into applause everytime she finished a song. He never put her down and was always patient when she had difficulty understanding the more challenging points of a song.
  'Mum and Dad stopped my lessons after two months. They said they were afraid I would damage my voice' She spoke gloomily before turning to Alistair as he tore off the white sheet and threw it over his shoulder.
  'Oh now that's odd.' Alistair spoke immediately, his eyes gazing over the scene with interest. Before him was a pile of broken props and set pieces. They had all been smashed to pieces and in some cases had been sprayed with black paint. On some of the bits of the set were the words; 'Cease this show or face my terrible wrath'.
  'That's very odd indeed.' Alistair spoke before pushing large bits of vandalised scenery to one side and making his way through the destruction.

Axenia

Casey turned around to see what Alistair was doing.
   "Please be careful Alistair." She hadn't intended on saying it out loud, but the words just slipped her mouth. She didn't want him to know that she had started having feelings for him, this was all so new to her. Sure, she had sometimes looked at a boy and thought he was handsome, but this was different. Everytime she looked in his eyes she wished he would put an arm around her, kiss her. She shook her head to rid it of the image, took a deep breath.
   "Maybe he just doesn't like that play. Romeo and Juliet is a love story, maybe it reminds him of the play in which he was created." She didn't believe Alistair would listen to her ideas, she could never be as great as he was, and maybe that was in some way a blessing. She followed him through the destroyed scenery, accidentally bumping into him once in a while, when she didn't noticed that he'd stopped.

Villain

'No no no. Look around you two. What do you see?' Alistair asked as he moved a large fake tree that had been broken in two. Lulu looked over the objects curiously. There were a lot of props; swords, torches, fake food, masks, costumes, canes, bottles and vials all of which had been sprayed black or smashed into pieces.
  'Mindless destruction?' She asked before shrugging and picking up a masquerade mask. She examined it before putting it on and checking her reflection in the pieces of a shattered mirror.
  'No Lulu. This is calculated destruction. The phantom destroyed these things because he wanted to everyone to think he had no agenda other than canceling the play' Alistair spoke before nodding to the two of them, 'Check again. What is the only thing that stands out amongst all these things? What took the most time and effort to make out of all of these things?'
  Lulu looked over the props again. Now that he had said that she felt something nudge at her curiously. She felt as if she had missed something that had been staring her in the face. She looked over the bits of set that lay amongst the props. There were large fake walls that would be dragged onto the stag to show scene changes. On some of the walls hung large pictures that contained paintings of young men and women dressed in old tudor clothing.
  'Wait...hang on a minute.' Lulu mumbled as she looked at the portraits. There was something familiar about the people in the pictures.
  'Wait these are paintings of the cast members.' She spoke softly. She recognised the face of Mina Harp, the talented girl who had played Mr Toad from last years production of Wind in the Willows. She had been painted in a beautiful blue dress, but now there was an ugly black spray paint mark all over the lower half of her body.
  'Someone took the time to paint each cast member indiviudally. Probably from copying a photo given the lighting and tone of the paintings. This took a long time to do and was very thoughtful gesture, but unfortunately the artist has made an enemy by doing it' Alistair spoke before shoving a fake wall violently to one side. He knew that he was close. He could feel the excitement bubbling inside of him.
  'There are twenty characters in Romeo and Juliet and the artist painted them all for the sake of them being used in the set. How many can you see there?' He asked turning back to Lulu.
  'Nineteen.' Lulu replied after quickly counting the portraits.
  'Exactly. Which raises the question. Why is Romeo's picture hidden all the way back here?' He asked before pointing to a large portrait that stood behind him. The frame of the picture was a glorious gold, but the man in the picture seemed to outshine the beautiful frame.
  The young man in the picture was not handsome, he was beautiful. A well built gentlemen dressed in a fine red tudor outfit. His face was striking, his cheek bones were perfect, his blue eyes were perfect, his blond hair was perfect and his smile was even more perfect than the rest of his perfect features. The only thing that wasn't perfect was the ugly black spray paint mark which criss crossed over his chest.
  'What do you think Casey?' Alistair asked as he looked back at her 'What do you think is wrong with this picture?'
  The portrait seemed to join Al and Lulu in staring at Casey. Although she may not be able to see what Alistair saw, she would notice immediately that something was strange about the picture. It's surface seemed to shine with a glossy look, unlike the other paintings which had been rough from the canvas and paint which had been used to capture the cast members.

Axenia

Casey walked closer to the painting, looking intensely at it. What did the others see that she didn't, what was it about this painting of the beautiful boy. he was beautiful, almost too beautiful. She lightly touched the picture, so smooth with its glossy surface.
   "I have never seen anyone looking like him around school, he's to perfect, no one is that perfect." A story came to her, one she had read a couple of years ago. The story was that of Dorian Gray. But while in the novel the picture had changed, this one still was as beautiful as it propably always had been.
   "I'm sorry Alistair, I just don't see it." She felt like she was letting him down, like she didn't belong. How could she be so blind to something that was obvious to the rest of them. Had she just been kidding herself when she had thought that she finally had belonged somewhere, that having friends wasn't that impossible. She took another look at the painting, It looked more like a picture than a painting to her, something done in photoshop. She turned form the picture to look at Alistair and Lulu, feeling like she had disappointed them. She looked into the hazel eyes belonging to Alistair.

Villain

'Casey this isn't a painting. This is a scanned image that was printed out using a high detail laser jet printer.' Alistair spoke as he walked up to the portrait and examined the frame.
  'Look at the frame more closely' He spoke before grabbing the portrait and lifting it off the stand in which it sat on. With some effort he managed to turn the portrait around and show Casey and Lulu the back of the frame. There were clear signs that some of the bolts which held the back in place had been tampered with.
  'Someone broke into the frame and stole the original painted canvas. Then they scanned it and printed it out onto a piece of photo paper the same size as the canvas.' He spoke before placing the picture on the ground and staring over it with interest. He placed his hand on his chin and scratched at it as he thought over what he had just found.
  'They vandalised the rest of the stage so that that way no one would notice the picture had been swapped...but why steal the canvas? What was so terrible about having Romeo's picture painted?' He asked himself before turning to the two of them.
  'Who is he Lulu?' Alistair asked, watching her with interest as Lulu stared wonderously at the portrait.
  'That's Ryan Black' She replied and sat down on the stage floor before reaching into her bag and fishing out a rolled up poster.
  'I've always held on to this poster. It had my name mentioned in the credits. Ryan played Badger in Wind in the Willows. Here's his photo.' Lulu spoke before unraveling the poster. On the front of it was a picture of every member of the cast, all boys and girls in their teens, dressed up in fantastic animal costumes.
  Standing in the center of the picture was the same young man in the painting, except this time his face had been covered with black and white face paint and tufts of black and white fur to make up the costume. He was clearly still an attractive young man, but the costume seemed to mask over his natural good looks.
  'Is he popular with the ladies here?' Alistair asked as he walked up to Lulu and gazed over the photo with interest.
  'Not really. He's never been known to date anyone from this school....but then again I have heard rumours that he dates girls from other schools...but those are just silly rumours' Lulu spoke before shaking her head, 'He's a nice guy, he gave me flowers for helping with the play. He's not the type to play around with girls hearts.'
  'Then why has he tried so hard to make sure you believe that?' Alistair asked and frowned, 'This boy's kept himself out of the social line of fire so that he doesn't attract the attention of girls - but on stage he's playing a whole different game. A clever game...and that's why this bugs me. He's not clever.'
  'Alistair that's mean!' Lulu snapped defensively. For the first time she seemed to actually look angry. Her eyes weren't peaceful and happy, they were narrowed and fierce.

Axenia

Casey looked at Lulu, choked that she could look that angry. Stepped between Alistair and the angry girl and look at her.
   "Lulu, can I please talk to you for a moment". She smiled at her, then dragged the girl aside. When Casey was sure Alistair couldn't hear them she made the girl sit, and sat down beside her.
   "What's the matter, I have never seen you this angry with Al." She talked in a calm voice. You know Al is right when he says something is wrong about him." She removed a lock of Lulus blond hair and looked her in the eyes
   "Do you like him, or do you know something about him that Al doesn't" She didn't know if the girl would answer, but she knew that the anger Lulu felt had to come from somewhere.

Villain

'L-Like him?" Lulu stammered as Casey asked her the question. She had been glaring at Alistair as she had been dragged to one side of the stage. She had looked as if she was about to punch him, but when Casey asked the question the anger melted away and she blushed brightly.
  'N-No! I-I just think people make up a lot of bad stuff about him.' Lulu murmured nervously as she broke eye contact with Casey and started looking at her shoes.
  'People don't just say he dates girls from schools. They say he collects them like trophys. He makes sure to get the prettiest, richest and most popular girls and then once he's bored of them he dumps them' She explained timidly, a big frown on her innocent pale face.
  'But that isn't right Casey! He's nice! He was so friendly to everyone in the play. He couldn't do such terrible things!' She exclaimed, almost pleading with Casey to believe her.
  'Terrible things would make him look very ugly on the inside' Alistair spoke under his breath. He had now pulled the portrait open and was examining the paper closely. He had guessed right. There was no canvas under the frame, only photo paper.

Axenia

Casey felt sorry for her, she smiled as kindly as she knew how.
   "Sometimes people will surprise you, and It won't always be for the better. But I hope you're right Lulu, I really do." She felt sorry for Lulu, wished she could be more comforting.
   "Don't be Angry with Alistair, you know how he is. The day he starts talking nice about people, is the day we have to worry." She gave Lulu a hug, and walked over to Alistair.
   "I need to talk to you for a second." She turned him so he was forced to look at her. Her green eyes were glowing with a small fire, and although she didn't intended it, her hands were much warmer than a normal persons.
   "Do you have to insult everyone who is not as smart as you? If you just for a moment took the time to look at a person, look but not analyze the way that you do, you'll see that they care about each other. Lulu cares for that boy, so you will be nice when talking about him, no matter what you think he might have done. Remember, you may be right most of the time, but not all the time. You could be wrong about him." She looked in his eyes, trying to read him. It was hard for her to talk to him like this, a sudden feeling of fear struck her when she realised how much she wanted to kiss him right now.
   "Talk nice about him, or I will get really angry, and you wouldn't like that." She let go of him, the shirt had started to yellow a bit where she had held him. It hadn't been her intention.
   "Sorry about the shirt, I'll get you a new one tomorrow." She turned from him.

Villain

Alistair was at first perplexed as to why Casey was taking such a stern tone with him. It hadn't been his intention to upset Lulu, but unfortunately he couldn't help it. If his thoughts were right then the boy that was commiting this crime was not very smart. That thought was what worried him. The boy had clearly not thought through his plan for there was a gaping floor in the logic behind it all.
  As Casey let go he frowned at the yellow marks on his shirt and brushed himself off. He glanced from his shirt to Casey. Another perplexed feeling ran through him as he tried to consider what had made Casey loose control of her powers. Had she been that disapointed with him? Or had she lost control because of something else.
  A strange pang of guilt began to run through him as he considered the thought. He looked over her shoulder at Lulu who seemed to look glumly at the floor.
  'Lulu. Casey. I apologise, but this Ryan character is an idiot' He began and held up his hand as Lulu got to her feet to protest.
  'Please hear me out Lulu' He asked sincerely. Lulu stared at him for a moment as if she were considering whether to hit him or not. After a moment of silence she sat down.
  'Thank you' Alistair spoke before turning back to the painting 'He's not very smart because this plan of his has noticable flaws. You see he realises that someone is going to stumble upon the swapped painting at some point. More than likely the artist herself will examine the picture and realise what happened.'
  'Now a smart person would feign ignorance if they were questioned. A smart person would suggest that the thief was just very strange. There's nothing linking them to the crime other than the fact that it's their picture.'
  Alistair turned back to them and smiled broadly before pointing to the painting behind him forcefully.
  'But this young man; Ryan Black, has been driven stupid by fear. He's so afraid that someone will discover the painting that he puts on a costume and poses as the Phantom of the Opera. Why? To scare everyone away - and it'll work on the staff and the students if he keeps this up.'
  'Now he could just step down as Romeo and walk away from the play and hope that no one notices the painting's secret, but he doesn't want that. Stepping down may mean he won't get cast for the next play and that means everything to him because that's how he shows off to the unsuspecting girls from other schools that come to see his show. He shows how talented and perfect he is on stage and then they fall to his charms.' He smiled apologetically at Lulu. She was now squirming uncomfortably in her seat. It was clear she didn't like what Alistair was accusing Ryan of.
  'So there's only one option.' He spoke softly, 'Sabotage. The play gets canceled and he gets a thrill off being the phantom and getting away with his crime'
  He frowned for a moment as he considered everything he had said. He had enjoyed investigating this intriguingly bizarre crime, but now he was beginning to get to the part that worried him. The part that he would have to explain a little more in depth later on.
  'He's made a mistake that he could not hope to avoid.' He began, 'Because you see he doesn't realise that by doing this he's attracted the attention of others like him. He's not aware they exist and that have amazing abilities and that they'll try to bring him to justice. He doesn't know that their onto him and that they know a genuine Phantom of the Opera when they see one.'
  At that moment there was a thunderous crash as a large figure dressed in a black cloak landed behind Alistair. His face was covered with a white skeleton mask and he was wearing a black suit and gloves. He stared at Casey and Lulu with glowing red eyes before grabbing Alistair around the waist from behind.
  'And he doesn't look like that.' Alistair said casually and pointed back at the masked man before the two of them flew into the ceiling above.
  They hung from the solid metal frame of the rigging. One of the phantoms hands was around Alistairs waist while the other held on tight to the metal bars.
  'Leave now or I'll drop him and you'll watch him crack like an egg!' The figure hissed in a low voice. His red eyes flaring with rage. His voice didn't sound like that of an angel of music, it sounded like it belonged to a rat or a serpent.
  'Casey when I say the word hit him with everything you've got!' Alistair called out ignoring the villains threat. He remained as still as possible, holding his arms up to motion for the two of them to stay still until he gave the order.

Axenia

Casey was frosen to the spot, how could Alistair be so calm dangling high in the air. The words he had just called to her echoed in her head, and fear filled her entire body. 'Hit him with all she got.' That would kill him, worst case scenario, she would loose control of the fire and kill them all. But she couldn't back down now, she nodded.
   "I hope you know what you ask of me Al." She looked up at him and started gathering all of her energy. She could feel it building up inside her, making her body tingle all over. Then she felt it, the point of no return. She wouldn't be able to stop it now, not even if she wanted to. Her eyes slowly started changing from green to a burning fire, flames started licking up her arms then covering her entire body. She kept looking up at the phantom and Alistair, waiting for him to give the signal.

Villain

'What the hell are you doing?!' The phantom asked, but this time his voice didn't sound fierce and monsterous, it sounded childish and scared. Alistair turned his head to look into the eyes of the masked man. He could see the fear in his red eyes. The contacts may have made him look like a demon, but he was still just a boy.
  'Oh? You don't know Ryan? We're monsters. Just like you' Alistair spoke before pointing out towards the audience, 'And she's the biggest one of all of us.'
  At that point the masked man let out a scream. Alistair wasn't pointing at Casey. He was pointing at Lulu, and she was now rapidly growing in size.
  Her fists were clenched together tight and her eyes screwed shut as she grew to the size of a car, then a bus and then eventually a house. In mere seconds she had grown so big that she almost filled the room.
  Her pale blue eyes opened and narrowed on the figure that was now screaming at the sight of the giant. She took a step forwards, crushing a row of seats. Her clothes had ripped and torn, but somehow had managed to stay in one piece. It was as if she had designed the clothes to be able to fit anyone, even if they did have a sudden violent growth spurt that made them the size of king kong.
  'Stay away from me!' The phantom yelped before dropping Alistair and lifting himself onto the rigging.
  Alistair didn't scream as he fell, for falling had been part of his plan. Lulu lashed out and caught Al before he could break every bone in his body.
  The moment he landed on her palm he sprang to his feet and pointed up at the phantom that now stared down at them from high above his head.
  'Casey fire!' Alistair shouted, looking down at his friend with a determined look in his eye as Lulu lifted him from the stage, leaving Casey enough room to do as much damage as she wanted, 'Trust me he won't die and neither will we!'

Axenia

Casey, who had been fighting to hold back the fire, now let it all out. An inferno soon consumed the theatre, she fought to hold it back from Lulu and Al, creating a safe circle around them. But she couldn't hold it forever, as soon as she felt about to loose control of it, she started extinguishing it. She could no longer see what happened to Lulu, Al or Ryan, the fire had used up her energy and she felt herself falling to the floor.
   "Al, Lulu are you guys okay?" She hit the stage and rolled onto her back. She wanted to close her eyes for just one second, but as soon as the closed she felt herself disappearing into darkness.
   Most of the fire had died out, but there were still small fires burning here and there. The Stage and sets were all gone, burned to ashes, so was the first seven rows of seats. It was hard to breath in there, the fire had eaten most of the oxygen

Villain

The phantom screamed as the blaze consumed him and the rigging. He tumbled from the metal bridge as it gave away and was sent swirling into the heart of the inferno. Strangely however he did not sound as if he was screaming in pain, only fear.
  'We're fine' Alistair called from in between Lulu's giant hands. He was now rummaging through Lulu's bag, the only thing that had no enlarged from her sudden change. He pulled out a small vial of clear blue liquid which had the words 'DRINK ME' on the side of it.
  'Here we go Lulu' He called up to her and uncorked the bottle before passing it to her. She took it between her giant fingers before gently lifting it to her mouth and pouring the vials contents into her mouth.
  'You may want to get off my hand Al' Lulu spoke as she wiped her mouth. He nodded and jumped down, landing on the floor bellow him.
  Lulu began to immediately shrink however this time she shrank in small bursts, unlike her explosive growth from earlier which had been rather smooth. She landed on the floor with a thud as she shrank back to her normal size before letting out a groan of discomfort.
  'Still haven't got the dosage right...' She whined and clutched her head in between her hands.
  'Nice work.' Alistair spoke to Casey but didn't relax. He ran to the stage and gave her a pat on the back before taking her by the wrist and pulling her through the rows of seats, making sure to grab Lulu by the wrist as well and pull her along too.
  'That won't stall him for long. It'll scare him but if he's who I think he is then he's going to be back soon and filled with murderous vengeance' Alistair spoke as he dragged them out of the theatre and into the corridor. The sprinklers had now gone off in the theatre and had soaked all three of them down to their skin, but this didn't seem to register to Alistair as they ran down the corridor.
  'We have to head for the library!' Alistair announced as they hurtled down the stairs.
  'Why?' Lulu groaned, trying her best to keep up with Al as she was dragged. She looked groggy and a little sick. Her head swung around her shoulders in a drunken manner.
  'I have one final bit of evidence to gather. Once we have it I'll know how to combat this guy.' He called back to them before turning the corner and coming to a halt before the two stone lions that stood before the library entrance.

Axenia

Casey had trouble following Alistair and Lulu. The sprinklers had woke her up, but she had used op a lot of her strength. She started being cold when they got out of the theatre, the green shirt clinging to her body. The fire had been intense, so why hadn't Ryan screamed in pain. Was her abilities not as strong as she had once believed?
   "Al, I need to rest, please, just for a moment." She leaned against one of the stone lions, taking of her soaked jacket. Her hair stuck to her face, her skin pale from exhaustion. She looked pleadingly at ham, then turned to Lulu.
   "Are you alright Lulu?" The concern in her voice was clear, she was really starting to like the girl. Casey took in a deep breath, then straightend up, they had no time to rest eventhough she really needed it. She went over to Alistair, removed a small lock of hair from his eyes.
   "Are you sure you're okay?" She looked him in the eyes, biting her lower lip as she always did when she was a bit nervous. She really couldn't say why she liked him. He was a know it all, never noticing if he had hurt someones feelings. But maybe that was it. It was safe having a crush on him, he would never repay her feelings. She knew that already, so he wouldn't hurt her later. And then there were the eyes, those hazel eyes. The way they saw through every lie and deceit. She smiled to herself, not caring if he did see it.

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.