Harry Potter Fan

(( Artemis in purple, Rhyme in yellow just for ease of reading since I will be having an internal dialogue))

Rhyme sat on a stump in the middle of the forest.  It was currently a very strange part of the forest since if somebody had the power they would have found that all the animals that were in a mile radius of the stump were suddenly gone.  They left of their own free will sensing it best to not be there. 

His eyes were closed and he appeared to be deep in thought.  If someone would have been watching they would see his facial expressions randomly changing as if he was arguing was someone though it was clear nobody was there.

No, just not ,we are not using that song.
Why not, it is a perfectly good song.
It's a girl singing it, and it's all about love
Well, it's the closest thing I found so far and I think it is a quite lovely song, and I am fine with singing a female voice.
Of course you're would, your gay!
Doesn't that technically make you gay?
Of course not, your one friend Cindy?  I would love to..STOP! Right there.  I don't need to hear that

Artemis chuckled at this which sounded really creepy in his mind since it echoed

How does my mind echo?
Don't ask me, it's your head.  Wait, were are off topic, anyway, I am not singing that song.
Come on, it gets you out for a short time period and I'll work on finding a better song later[/i]

With a grumble Artemis relented.

Fine

[/i]

Rhyme began to shimmer as if being looked out through a large amount of heat.  And as he sat there deep in a trance he began to rise into the air.  As he rose it seemed to be like there were two Rhymes there but one was slightly different, had a more aggressive tone and his hair and eyes were darker.  This other form was Artemis though under strict control by the song.  The song would let him out for a short duration only during the songs and let their powers merge.  From their heart a large orb of light began to emerge and grow. 

[/i]

The other Artemis pulled out more and turned staring at Rhyme with an angry glare for making him part of this stupid song.  The light near their hearts began to expand and grow encompassing more and more.  This effect continued for the rest of the song.  When it grew Rhyme closed his eyes and focused his mind on the change that he wanted.  His heart supplied the energy which wasn't a whole lot since the song wasn't that fitting but it would work, but his mind had to fix the effect. 

He decided on something simple, within his mind he held the image of the trees around him but as crystal, reflecting the bright light into rainbows that would turn back into light as it hit another tree creating a large mosaic effect that was blinding but amazing.  The effect continued to grow until the end of the song reaching about ¾ of a mile in diameter before finally at the end with a curse Artemis faded back into Rhyme's mind behind the monolith of Elandil and the crystal suddenly shattered and faded away leaving the trees intact though a few leaves remained crystal though alive. 

Stacey was just over a mile away, eyes closed and back pressed against the back of a tree. She was just sitting. She liked to do that sometimes, especiall in the forest. Deep in the forest, no one could interupt her. No powers would interfere with hers. She could test herself to her limit, and know what her limit really was. She could do whatever she wanted, and she loved that. She could feel free out here.

But something was off this time. Something interupted her deep concentration of power. Moment ago she could tell you exactly what was in this forest and where, but not now. Something had popped up on her mental radar, something powerful. She could just barely feel it, and it was like seeing something dark flee on the corner of your vision. She tilted her head, trying to feel for whatever it was. She couldn`t tell, so she stood up. Her eyes were still closed, but that didn`t matter. She could navigate her way through the forest easily.

She took about two dozen steps in a certain direction, and the thing turned into a pull. Whatever it was, it had to be both powerful and familiar to her for her to feel it from this far away. She took some more steps, running her hands over her arms to make sure her knives were secure. She was never without them now, not after Jonathan invaded her mind.

A few minutes later, she was only about a fouth of a mile closer to the pulse of power. It was doing something, because she could feel it radiating. She could hear the song, too. The words made her open her eyes with surprise.

"Rhyme?" She mumbled to herself, taking another step.

Just then brilliant light in the trees made her fall to the ground. The power came out with the crystal, and she was positive that it was Rhyme. The sensation of power was overwhelming and shocking. She peeked out, closeing her own powers down, like Ginny had shown her.

In the next second, she had transported to about twenty feet from Rhyme, her eyes a brilliant, electric shade that matched the way his power felt to her. She looked towards him, tilting her head. The unspoken conversation was resounding through the air, and she started to blush. Not only had she been talked-- or thought-- about, but it had been a private conversation, not something that she should have heard.

"Oh hello Stacy" he said as he opened his eyes and uncurled his legs from the Lotus position.  With that he stood and leaned back cracking his back. 

"Minding giving me your insight on powers?  I am not really sure what that is."

Your warping reality you loon[/color]

He paused a short random moment as Artemis spoke in his mind and then continued with the conversation.

"Artemis tells me it is warping reality but I am not sure if I can really do that, I know it isn't illusions though since the effect actually does physical harm and can hit those with strong wills such as psychics."

((It is warping reality though Rhyme doesn't really know it yet, that is why he can't do as much as Artemis, it is the understanding as well as the will that does the warping.))

((?))

Stacey tilted her head slowly, her eyes large and the strangest shade of purple. Purple, that was the color her eye were when she was confused or feeling different emotions at once. Right now, she was confused. She had just been minding her own business in the forset, and walked right into a kaleidoscope of brilliance. Now that didn`t happen every day.

"Uh, sure." She replied, taking a half-step forward and leaning against the tree. "And you can tell Artemis that I`m married." She added, feeling a sudden burst of rebelion. She held up her left hand, the diamond ring flashing. She smiled. She knew that Artemis could hear her, of course, but she didn`t want to just let him have free reign for calling her Cindy. Then she started to wonder... Rhyme and Artemis were the smae person, well, almost. Did Rhyme feel the same way about her?

"I don`t think it was either. You were producing a dazzling light that covered everything for almost a mile." She shrugged. "I`ve done something similar, but on a lesser scale. It`s not that hard to do, really."

((I was just letting you know that his power is actually warping reality but Rhyme just doesn't want to accept that just yet which is still limiting his potential))

Hun, married doesn't mean a thing.  I have known plenty of women pulled away by the lust of the preverbal milkman. he projected with a mental wink. 

I wonder if Elandil ever got tempted by the milkman, who knows Rhymy old bean, you may not be that bastard's son.

Rhyme's left eye twitched suddenly as if he had a tick.  Inside his mind though, a decent size crack formed along the monolith of Elandil that guarded Artemis. 

"Oh?  Was it only the light, I was trying to turn the trees themselves crystal.  I couldn't really tell if it worked though.  I thought it would be interesting to see if I could affect life a little bit since I know it wouldn't last."

As he said that a small snap was heard and a still crystal leaf thunked him on the head. 

"Oi! What's this?" he said rubbing his head and picking up the crystal leaf and holding it out in front of him to show Stacy and himself. 

((Ah. Sorry, my brain isn`t working right this week.))

Stacey smiled, easily hearing Artemis is Rhyme`s mind.
"And you are neither a milkman nor a man I have interest in. Sorry." She replied, her tone clearly ending that conversation.

"And it may not have been just light, but that`s what it looked like to me. I didn`t get a good look, really. Kind of surprised me." She said as she looked at the crystal leaf.

That`s really cool, though. I don`t think that I would ever be able to do something like that." As she spoke, she held her hands in front of her about six inches apart. A flash of white appeared and spirraled. A chunk of crystal floated between her palms, turning and sparkling witht he light.

 Nice, looks like she actually has some teeth

"Now you be nice Artemis or I'll find the gayest outfit that I can and sing YMCA in the Great Hall"

...you wouldn't dare...

"Stacy, do you have any fishnets and a nice skirt I could borrow?  Oh and maybe a pencil for my eyes?" he said giving her a wink to let her know he was only half serious.  He would do it to keep Artemis in place, he wasn't ashamed of who he was.  And who knew, he might actually find someone, he couldn't be the only gay kid in this school with Hufflepuff and all. 

Stacey grinned, hearing their argument.

"I don`t know about fishnets, but I have a skirt and make up I could help you with." She replied, a large smile flashing across her face. Rhyme seemed like a really nice guy, and she really felt bad that he was the one that he to be tortured with the burden of Artemis. She would help, if she knew how she could.

"And yes, the kity`s got the claws." As she said it, two foot long daggers fell into her hands. they had just seemed to appear, but they hadn`t. She always had knives on her now, and she knew how they would react to her every little movement. Her blades were specially made and deadly sharp. And she had used them before.

((LMAO!  Did you know Rhyme has a set of knives as well?  Old souvenir from his old school, 10 kunai that can be brought together to form a metal shield.))

Rhyme let out a small happy chuckle before he spoke.  

"Looks like great minds think alike"

After he spoke his let his one arm fall straight and kunai after kunai fell from that sleeve.  As each one fell he did a flip of his wrist and sent it to his other hand which began to juggle them into the air until all ten of them were moving.  

"One of these days I need to show you my Dance of 1000 Blades.  It can be quite entertaining to see."

Though you insist on just cutting paper instead of real people with it
"Though I must admit those blades are quite a marvel, Goblin made I am guessing since that seems to be the fashion in this area."

((Bet he can`t shoot a Muggle gun, though. =P ))

Stacey grinned, then flipped the knives upward. Her knives were absolutely deadly, and had to magic in them whatsoever.

"Sure, sure. Goblin made. Sounds good." She said with a smirk. More like the opposite of goblin made. Muggle made was more like it. She had enlisted in countless defense classes throughout her life, dotted with ballet and piano, of course. She knew how to shoot with both bow and arrow and a gun. She could throw knives and hit a target fifteen yards away. Plus who knew what else?

"When was the last time you practiced with them?" She asked. After Jonathan had started to threaten her, she had pushed her training up a notch. Jonathan wasn`t human, so that would make him harder to kill, but she wouldn`t go down without a fight. She plucked the blades from the air, her fingers on the sharp sides of the blades, and they disappeared up her sleeves. They became invisable there. Impossible to see without knowing that they were there.

"Eh, a couple weeks ago I think.  Though I have it down enough that the skills can't get too rusty." 

His gazed danced around as he tried to find some way to show off his accuracy.  Though in truth he thought, accuracy was never really what he worked on.  With his ribbons he could make even a really off shot hit home.  What his real skill was with control and speed.  He could make blades do thing only high skilled knife fighters could but they had to have physical wires that could be cut or tangled. 

He contemplated throwing a knife at her and making it stop but he didn't want to risk Artemis playing a little trick and locking a part of his powers from within.  He wouldn't be able to do it long but it wouldn't need to be long for it to go into Stacy.

He turned and faced a tree and as he juggled he attached a small nearly invisible string of his magic to each kunai.  Next he began to toss them higher and higher nearly hitting the tree above to give each blade a long air time.  Last, when all ten were in the air he waved his hand and sent all flying toward different trees.  A throb began to form in his left temple as he had to keep mental focus over ten objects at once but right as they were about to hit a tree he threw both arms out and splayed his fingers wide  making a stopping motion.  All the kunai stopped dead in the area a fraction of the inch near the tree. 

Suddenly his eye flinched bad and all the kunai dropped as he dropped to a knee. 

"That still gives me a bad headache."

She was silent as he contemplated on what to do. He had thought about throwing the knife at her, and that made her smile inside. Not only could she read his thoughts and tell exactly what he was going to do, but she had been taught to fight. If a knife was thrown at her, there was a very small chance that it would touch it`s goal. She knew how to protect herself. She had to, and it had proved very helpful so far.

Then he threw all ten of his knives at a tree, and her eyes widened slightly. Not one of them hit the tree. It looked so easy, and yet she knew by how strained his mind was and how he reacted that it wasn`t. How could he do that? It was so frustrating, being able to absorb powers and read thoughts. What good was it when you couldn`t learn anything cool.

"How did you do that?" Stacey asked, slipping a knife from her sleeve and turning it around, running her fingertip along the blade. She fought like a Muggle with these weapons, and she was good at it. Only being half-witch had some advantages. "You`ve mentioned something before about chakras, or something like that." She continued. "Remember that one night, when I was really tense and everything? You did something with your voice. How do you do that kind of thing? I`ve never seen or heard anyone do that." Her eyes were full of curiosity as she gazed at him.

As he stood up and began to rub his temples he answered her questions. 

"I control them with basically wires of energy.  I make them thin so they aren't obvious.  Kind of like how skilled knife fighters sometimes tie metal wire to their throwing knives to effect how they move.   I can just make that wire more complex than any real metal.  Though I must admit all ten at once without the help of a song really puts a strain on the mind."

"And my voice, I never figured out why I could, but I can change my vocal cords to hit nearly any pitch even those out of normal hearing range.  Certain things just have a frequency where they resonance or vibrate with it.  Most things have it, just a lot are way past normal hearing or creation."

He looked into her eyes and saw the small anger at herself and the amazement at his abilities.  That and what her powers were he made a guess at what as troubling her. 

"And absorbing ones powers doesn't mean you absorb their skill does it?  I worked hard to work with these knives and it took practice to master my vocal cords.  You have the potential to be great at many things, but even you need to practice with it.  If you are bored in class, think of what you can do with other peoples powers or things you can draw from at all times.  That is what I do.  If I am bored I think of what songs could do if I sang them"

Stacey thought about his last question. She had thought a lot about that certain power, and had tested it many times. Sometimes, she could come up to a person with an amazing power that took a long time to set, and she could use it perfectly to the full extent that the original person could use it. Other times she could only use the basic energy to her own knowledge, how much she knew about it. It had been quite a surprise to be able to use so many powers on that first day she found out about her powers. Thankfully, she had been with Ginny, so she hadn`t freaked out so much. Of course, the night had ended with being forced into a hospital bed...

"I`m not sure." She finally replied. "Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn`t. I think it depends on the power, but I haven`t tested my powers like that. And as for throwing knives, I don`t use wires, and I hit what I want to hit. Haven`t missed in four years." She stated proudly. It was true, too. She never really knew why her father had wanted her to take so many self defense classes, and now she was starting to. Jonathan had been revealed to her, and his secrets were out. Her father was trying to prepare her for something she couldn`t have imagined.

As she spoke, her eyes had gradually flowed into a lime green, sparked with energy. She could feel power flowing to her fingertips, and she clenched her hands into fists. She had to control her powers. It was a lot easier now, but it used to be really hard. She could feel her fingernails dig into her palm, but she ignored it.

((Woot writers block broken for now!))

In the background of Rhyme's mind there is always music running, sort of like the worlds ipod set on shuffle.  As they were talking a song that would work with what Artemis and Rhyme were trying finally came on and Artemis spoke up telling Rhyme so.

Hey Rhyme, try that one.  It should work and better then that stupid Power of Love

Rhyme paused and got a blank look on his face as he concentrated on the song and grinned.  He almost forgot that one, it was a good one by Bon Jovi.  He needed as he heard it running in his head.  Its My Life was just dark enough to let Artemis out a small amount but not lose control.  That song would work well anyway since it had a good beat and enough changes for him to have some fun with. 

"See what I mean when I think of songs?  Right there is a good song for hand to hand combat.  But even more than that, I can tap into some higher power and if my guess is right fly a bit.  At least I could if they could, from what it sounds like I can match or even slightly beat anything my opponent could do physically."

((Yay!))

Stacey listened, tilting her head as the tune of the song ran though her mind. It sounded like a good song, even if she wasn`t familiar with it. Most of the Muggle songs she knew came from her years of dance.

"Yeah, I think I can see that. But what do you mean by "you can tap into higher power"? Whe you sing, are you more powerful?" She asked, her eyes glistening purple again with curiosity. So many questions, it seemed, and the range of answers was magnificent. She could hear Artemis, of course, and she knew that he heard what Rhyme heard. It made her smile that Artemis didn`t like the song Power of Love. It just sounded like the sort of song Rhyme would sing, and the complete opposite of what Artemis wanted.

"What do you have against the song?" She asked, now talking to Rhyme`s darker side. "It sounds like it would be a good song."

Because it is gayer then Richard Simmons in rainbow short shorts singing YMCA

Rhyme had to smirk at that.  He thought differently on the topic but the mental image he had to admit was very gay.  

Eww why did you have to imagine it?  I didn't want to see that!  Oh and for that higher power he means me!  I still have nearly half his power locked within my form.  Since he knows about me he can tap into a bit of it though I can still choose how much I give.

"What he said is true but also I need a song to tap into most of the ancient magic.  I am not very bardly but that is still one thing that ties me to the bards.  I need music of some sort to unlock my greatest powers."

Richard Simmons in rainbow shorts singing YMCA. Now that was funny, and Stacey laughed. Her laugh was sweet and bell-like; she had spent too much time around vampires, and had gained some very subtle things from them. Even she didn`t notice some of the side effects of her own powers.

"Okay, so when you sing the right song, you do get stronger. That makes sense. I haven`t exactly studied bard, but from what I`ve learned of them in my classes, that`s right. They have their own special little power that makes them stronger, right?" She didn`t know much about bard, and most of what she knew came from Rhyme.

"Does that mean when I combine my own powers with song, I`ll be even stronger? You said that you`re at your best when music is involved. I just have to be near any power source." She shook head head at herself. She couldn`t understand how her powers were as strong as they were. It all seemed to be much for her small self to handle.

"If you are copying my powers then yes, it would work the exact same way.  Not sure what would happen if you used a song with your own powers though.  At least it would give it some structure and hey, not sure about you but I always felt fighting should be an art form"

What good is art if you're dead?

Rhyme tried to remember what his mother taught him about bards.  He tended to zoned out when she rambled on about her past since the stuff she talked about never worked for him.  He didn't have any hidden knowledge of old songs or ones of great power. 

"The powers of a bard are finicky at time.  Traditionally a bard's power came from their memory.  A more powerful bard would be the one who either through ancestry or other means remembered more of the older songs.  These ancestral songs gave us our power."

"Let us see..there are the Songs of Construction, which can build up another person's powers or our own strengths and then there are Songs of Destruction which harm others.  And if I am remembering correctly there are Song of the Divine that were lost to even our most powerful bards.  These songs are tied to the earth itself.  It would give a person the powers of mother nature, father time, or even Death."

"Even Death."

The words rang through Stacey`s mind like a bell. A low, sad-sounding bell. She knew about death, and didn`t need any more help from anything to cause it. She already had the blood of a few people staining her hands. Not that they hadn`t deserved to die, and she only killed them in self-defense. She still felt a bit guilty sometimes about it though.

Stacey shifted her weight carefully and could pull the pull of the sheathed knives across her skin. She was heavily armed, for being so close to home, but she had learned that someone who was trying to kill you didn`t care when or where it happened. She felt safer with the undetectable knives on her. They were hidden the Muggle way, with a little boost with magic. Not even a vampire or spells could sense them. The only person who had never seemed to care they were there, and knew exactly how many there were, was Ginny. And, well, she was always an exception.

"So, music may or may not help? I`m usually strong anyway, especially around other people. Since I am basically copying your powers now without any way to stop it, would that mean music may help?" She asked. Her eyes filtered a shocking lime green as she lead leaned against a tree and crossed her arms. Now her left hand was pressed against a knife. It wasn`t that she felt in danger, she just wanted the reassurance that it was there.

"Truth is, I don't know.  My powers are a wild card at best.  It even infects people who sing too many songs with me when I use my full power.  I wouldn't be surprised if those Ministry freaks I tossed to bits...well Artemis tossed to bits Thank you find out they had a bit of music in them now.  It could take any form for different people and if those people already have their own powers it tosses more chaos into the mix.  You could have a full copy of my powers when I am nowhere near in range for you to copy or you could just have a better singing voice, or anywhere in between those too." 

As Rhyme talked he paced back and forth a bit and made huge hand gestures over his head in frustration.  It wasn't directed at Stacy, he was frustrated at himself for not even knowing how his own powers worked.  The funny thing was, if someone would notice, he paced in perfect beat.  Each step was on the quarter note while his turn would last an exact half note before he started again. 

Calm down you are making me dizzy and I am watching from your point of view

Stacey watched Rhyme pace. She instantly saw the relation to time, whether she knew it or not. Her lime green eyes focused on his feets, marking off the beats in her head. She lifted her hands without realizing it, and they started moving on their own accord to a tune she hand`t even heard yet. She let the song form in her head to the beat of his steps, her mind ticking off like a metronome.

[/i]

The word spoured out of her mouth before she could stop them, before she even formed them in her mind. It almost felt like someone had taken over her voice, and had decided to play with it. The song wasn`t really familiar, but it hit some long ago memory. maybe she had danced to it when she was young, who knew? All she knew was that the words fit against Rhyme a little too well for being spontaneous. She was still waving her hands like a conductor. She had never conducted anything before, this was also something new.

[/i]

She finished the song with a flourish, and she realized that she had pushed off of the tree so she could move her arms more freely. Stacey looked around for a moment as if she was coming out of a daze. In a way, she was.

((Oh and it is helpful just to cite any songs you use since that way anyone can look it up easily. You can either do it OOC or somehow work it in))

Rhyme stopped in his tracks when he heard Stacy start to sing a Muggle song.  The singer was quite popular though very modern and Stacy claimed to not know many modern singers.  He turned his eyes down as he let it wash over him.  Getting slightly depressed as it remembered how alone he once was, and still technically was.  When you are surrounded by many people can you feel the most alone. 

Ah, just what I need. as he 'said' that waves began to come off of Rhyme in a full sphere.  It was waves of warping reality.  Let you find a way to walk through this darkness.  Once again let us make this choice.  Where do I stand in your life!

Rhyme focused his mind hard.  But since he had no real training it wasn't as sharp as he would have liked it. 

No, not again.  This cannot be stopped but it can be changed.  Let it be but a shadow, the effect not negated only enhanced or reduced!

Rhyme added his will to that of Artemis' shifting the warp.  This way, if Artemis won this time around he wouldn't gain full control.  At most it could shift it 50% in any direction.  Artemis made it so they would redo the little fight they had after he left this plane to think over what he found out.  He hoped to gain control but he would take a bit more freedom. 

Even with the change it was a drastic shift.  Within a quarter of a mile from Rhyme it began to darken.  The light became subdued and then totally gone though for some reason one could still see fairly well.  It was like another world.  The trees that were caught in it seemed to die and turn withered and knotted. 

Suddenly next to Rhyme stood another version of himself though darker.  His hair and eyes were a darker shade of the same purple and he had many more piercings then Rhyme did.  Also it seemed like he had more metal everywhere including it on his coat and pants as well and instead of a modern softer rock band he had the old fashion heavy metal band T-shirt on. 

Both at the same time turned to look to see if Stacy got sucked into the warp as well. 

((Huh? You mean, like, say who it is? Learn to Be Loenly from the Phantom of the Opera.))

Stacey`s hand continued to move, and from somethere music began to play. Violins and timpani. A full orchestra. The song just kept going, although the words had stopped. The teenager was staring wide-eyed towards Rhyme, her irises the most electric shade of green most people would ever see. Her lips were slightly parted, and if you listened close enough, it seemed like the music was radiating from her.

She stared at Rhyme, feeling like she was watching some twisted Muggle movie, only she was inside the screen. She didn`t notice it when it got darker, she just kept staring. Glowing golden threads strung from her hands as she cunducted the invisable orchestra. But she didn`t notice it, either. And somehow she also missed the instant when Artemis appeared. She knew it was him, of course. She had heard him, and made a mental picture, but never saw him.

Suddenly the music changed, slowing slightly and getting quieter. It seemed more intense, stressed, maybe. The words again leaked from Stacey without her controlling them. She was mystified by Artemis`s appearance. She felt like it was her fault that he was here, but mostly she felt nothing at all. As if all of her had been erased except for her voice.

[/i]

She took a single step closer to the male pair. The threads flowing around her hands were turning black and white, and they were spreading. They pulsed around the clearing until they connected with each other on the other side. The music shifted again, continuing into another song. Stacey recognized it now. It was from an old play she had done. She had been in the chorus, and the lead dancer. Now she hit all of the notes perfectly.

[/i]

The music stopped and the silence that followed seemed too intense, like the air before a storm. Stacey`s eyes were locked on Artemis`s, full of wonder and something else. It wasn`t fear, but more like cation. This boy could hurt her, had hurt people before before her eyes. The glowing threads tightened slightly in response to her pause.

((Fireflies, Ocean Eyes))

Rhyme narrowed his eyes as he watched...himself.  Last time it was a close call since he was caught off guard and not used to the mental realm.  This time though they were on more equal footing though he still didn't trust Artemis as far as his twig arms could throw him.  Also Stacy being here complicated things. 

Artemis didn't give any chances to get prepared as he sent an ominous black ball of energy at Stacy.  He expected Rhyme to waste energy on something much more than was needed to stop the orb.  Stacy could probably easily stop it herself. 

Artemis' assumption was correct.  Suddenly in front of the orb a huge amount of....fireflies appeared absorbing the hit easily.  An upbeat pop-like beat began as the fireflies flew around Rhyme blocking him from view before clearing to show a small girl of around six.  In reality the girl would be twelve but the reasons for her current age was from the same cause as Artemis' existence. 

This young girl was one of Rhyme's twin sisters.  Not there in reality, she does play a large part in Rhyme's psyche.  Their father left a large scar on nearly every member of their family though his sisters got both a physical scar and a mental one. 


Rhyme did not sing these parts though they seemed to resonate in the place.  Instead he decided to talk to Artemis at this time, to show that it would not be as easy as the first time. 

"You caught me by surprise last time, this time you won't.  You are alone here, but I got people all around me who love me."

The words were simple but powerful.  What was not directly said was more powerful then what was said though.  Rhyme was implying that he was going to pull from the positive memories of his family.  It was a direct war of emotions.  Could Rhyme's feelings of love overcome Artemis' hatred? 

Rhyme then slowly closed his eyes and sang from his heart.  Sam, his sister, grabbed his hand lovingly and gave Stacy a wink. 

"
At the last word another wave of fireflies surrounded Rhyme and he and the visual representation of his sister disappeared becoming one with the swarm of fireflies.  This song was powerful because of its simplicity and childishness.  It best represented the image of Sam, as always loving and always kind.  Alina his other sister was always the aggressive of the two.  They were like two sides of a coin though together their musical power rivaled their mother.

((Angel of Music, I Remember, Phantom of the Opera.))

Her eyes were on Artemis, and didn`t waver, but she still saw-- more like felt-- the wave of energy come towards her. She raised both of her hands in a practiced motion, her own power bubbling up inside her. She almost wanted Artemis to fight her. It was very rare that she ever got a work-out with her abilities, and most of the time the odds were in her favor. This would be different, though.

She could also feel when Rhyme`s conflicting power appeared, and it was a moment before she actually saw the thousands of fireflies. She barely noticed it when the little girl appear; she was just a little burst on her mental radar. Then Rhyme began singing. Stacey closed her large eyes, taking a few steps towards Rhyme and the girl. Their powers felt alike, maybe they were related. All the time her hands were trained towards Artemis. She would know when he would attack next, if he would. His power felt... different.

Stacey stopped about halfway to the pair, her eyes opening as he started speaking.

"You caught me by surprise last time, this time you won't.  You are alone here, but I got people all around me who love me." He had said. She looked at her hands, thinking. Suddenly glowing red ribbons exploded silently from her palms, appearing out of nowhere and nothing. Unlike Rhyme`s powers, what she made was real, no illusion. The threads of color danced around the clearing in less than a second, enclosing them in a circle of light, just as the black and white threads had.

As he finished the stanza and the girl disappeared, her own voice sounded, her eyes orange and again on Artemis. Music seemed to flow out of her, as if a whole orchestra was held inside her.


The music changed, just as it did the last time she sang. It had the same basic tune, just slightly different. The red ribbons pulsed and grew. Black and white ribbons soon joined them.


Stacey had raised herself onto her toes, retorting back to her ballet lessons, and at the end of what she sang, she did a neat bow, bending at the knee with a flourish. She didn`t know if the song really meant anything to Rhyme, but it did to her. He was like her Angel of Music, even if he didn`t try to be. It wasn`t his fault that she absorbed his power of sound. And frankly, she hadn`t exactly heard Artemis do anything musical. She basically thought that it stated she was on Rhyme`s side-- a warning. Her hands were poised all the same, her body half turned so she could see both of them.

((This is Halloween, I used the one from the movie but any version I think is good.  Oh and this will make a lot more sense if you think of it as an extended metaphorically.  Artemis is using the idea of Halloween to represent his dark side of Rhyme since Halloween is when everything evil is supposed to come out))

Artemis stood and watched the light display.  Rhyme only threw a twist into their little game, he didn't win it.  

"You may have love little Rhymy, but remember, I am what goes bump into the night for you.  I am your dark emotions that you don't like to admit you have and all those evils hidden deep within your heart" Artemis said darkly over Rhyme's music.  

As he said this a strong base beat began.  And even stronger dark aura started to roll out of Artemis as the flock of Fireflies flew higher to try and see what was going on.  The aura flowed near Stacy but could not overcome her own form of magic.  It was so like Rhyme's so he could not change it but was not the correct song to try and overpower it so it was easily burned off keeping the area she was effecting safe.  


((Warning this will get a tad bit dark not for those disturbed by thoughts of fictional rape.  If you are Stacy let me know and not read until the safe warning and I'll give you the important details you need to know))

Artemis seemed to disappear into the mist of darkness like Rhyme was absorbed into the flock of fireflies.  Both hit full force with a crash of thunder and flashes of lightening.  

On the mention of pumpkins screaming a little girl's voice could be heard letting out a pained screech of "No!  Stop it daddy" coupled with sobs.  Stacy wouldn't know the voice but Rhyme did.  It was of his sister Sam and with that the fireflies dispersed for a quick moment letting the darkness push further before reforming but much dimmer.  

After the scream within the darkness the dark outline of a man on top of a bed way too small for him with hands going in all directions one scratching sharply down the man's back.  It was very difficult to see though if one looked closely it was clear what was going on.  It was such a tragedy that it happened but it did.  It was a low blow for Artemis to use but after the last time, he decided to not hold any punches.  

With the second mention of screaming the voice again could be heard though this time it yelled/sobbed.  "Rhyme, why did you let this happen?  Why didn't you protect me like you said you would."

((Darkness over you may start reading again))

That was the last straw for Rhyme and with the audible cracking of glass the fireflies vanished, throwing Rhyme and Sam toward Stacy.  Rhyme got there, Sam did not.  Sam disappeared after a strong crack appeared going straight down the middle of her body before vanishing.  This represented Rhyme's vision of purity breaking as well for his poor sister.  And since that purity is what he based his vision on, it too broke.  

((Not sure how Rhyme would interact with whatever Stacy was doing so I left it open for you to fill in.  Feel free to RP Rhyme's landing))

((I got so confused. That happens a lot, in case you didn`t notice, but right now I`m majorly confused...))

As Artemis`s words sank in, Stacey stood up a little strighter, her chin raised a little higher. She was strong, and she didn`t like it when her weakness showed, so she forced it back. Whatever Artemis would say, she would take it full in the face, not to her back as she ran away.

The glowing strings that circled the clearing became brighter, but the white one changed to a royal purple. They seemed to lighten the darkening trees, but Stacey knew that they grew brighter because she was pulling energy into herself. She had put down most of her mental sheild, the full force of Rhyme`s power flowing into her. She shuddered as Artemis sang and the projection appeared. The scream had startled her, and it somehow hit home. It made her angry. She didn`t know why or how she knew, but she knew it was Rhyme`s sister. Maybe it was because she was absorbing so much from him when he didn`t even know.

But then she heard the second scream. She realized that she was clenching her teeth together and she had one of her throwing knives in her hand, her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle. Stacey realized that she hated Artemis, just then. Not only had he threatened her on one of her greatest fears, but he had brought back memories from Rhyme`s past and forced him to remember them.

She had to think quickly, and she knew it. She had to think of a song to bounce back from him, it was obvious Rhyme wouldn`t-- or couldn`t. Then Rhyme and the girl were thrown towards her. Her free hand automatically made an exploding motion and a cushion of energy caught him. She looked back at the image of Artemis, her eyes blood red. Her knowledge on nice songs was limited. Most of the songs she knew were from tragic plays. That wouldn`t exactly help right now. But she did remember something, a shadow of a song, really. It would have to do.


Stacey belted out the words loud and clear. She took a defiant step towards Artemis, the knife still in her hand. She knew that she couldn`t really throw it at Artemis and expect it to hit him. She didn`t even know if he was really there, or just an image. Her mental map of energies didn`t help, either. Everything within a half mile was messed up.

The music that pulsed through the air changed again, it`s beat getting faster and more pop-sounding. Stacey slipped the knife up her sleeve and used both hands to do a wave-like movement to the music. Purple swirls pushed their way around her, casting a soft light over her. Before she began singing she spoke.

"You may be what goes bump in the night, but so far, I`ve killed everything that`s brought out my dark emmotions." She replied darkly.


She had only heard the song recently. Some band in the Three Broomsticks had made a parody of it one night, but she could easily read the real words in their minds at the time. It seemed to fit now, though. The evil clown obviously represented Artemis, and the line 'I`m gonna burn it down' clearly stated her insistence on winning, and since she was on Rhyme`s side, he was included in that.

((You Raise Me Up- Josh Groban. Fun House- Pink.))
((And this time the purple swirlies do relate to Rhyme`s powers inside of her.))

((Wow, your posts are getting really good, see what you can do when you try?  Now you can show this off to other people who have yet to see the light of good RP))

Even though his landing was cushioned Rhyme hit the ground hard and passed out for the moment.  When the warp of reality broke a small part of his mind broke as well which would take him a few minutes to recover from.  He hit the ground like a limp doll and flipped and rolled a few feet behind Stacy.  As he passed her though, his MP3 player fell out of his pocket and rolled to Stacy's feet. 

Artemis smirked as he coalesced back into a human form a few yards away from Stacy.  He made a clicking sound with his mouth as he shook his head.  "Tisk tisk what a pity.  Looks like poor Rhymey here pushed his poor mind a bit too far.  Looks like it's just you and me toots."

Artemis pulled a knife from his coat pocket which glowed with dark energy.  He smirked at her once again with an evil glint in his eyes. 

"Come on, let's see what cha got." He said as he  motioned her to attack him with his hand. 

((I know, but it`s hard to post like this with another person who only gives a couple lines. Look at Put This Fire Out by Toni Childs))

He`s just an image. He`s just an image. He`s just a image.

Stacey chanted this in her mind, tryint to make herself believe it. Part of her did; Artemis couldn`t really be here, he was just part of Rhyme`s mind. But the other part disagreed. He had a knife, and he was provoking her. Her animal instints were screamin at her to fight back-- she never ran when given the choice of fight or flight.

"Got a lot more than you`ll ever know." She retorted as she pulled off her jacket. Her eyes were brown for once, her natural color. She felt their color and smiled in her mind. She was ready, and she knew it. She knew that she had about eighteen perfectly good knives hidden on her bodice, and more were hidden in her shoes, even if they were harder to get. Her hands raised again, not not having the object that touched her foot, and the lines of light tightened, and suddenly burst into flame. Her eyes responded by flashing a bright orange that matched the color of the fire. She found that she wasn`t scared of him. She had faced her fears her whole life, and he wasn`t really all that different. He couldn`t hurt her as easily as he could hurt Rhyme. He couldn`t bring up painful memories and torture her with them.


The song had a certain meaning to her, one most other people didn`t understand. For her the song meant power. All her life she had hidden behind the dream her mother wanted her to be, the mask of perfection. Stacey was deeply attatched to the song because it meant she could be herself. To her, it meant that she didn`t have to hide any more.

The fire around the clearing was blue with heat, and her eyes changed to match. Her eyes were locked on Artemis`s, and she took a half step forward in defiance. She was tired of feeling like she had to give in to other people. It was that step that made her notice the small thing at her feet. She looked down without thinking, breaking her concentration. She quickly looked up again, trying to collect herself. She knew that that could have been a mistake. She pulled a knife from her sleeve and twirled it through her fingers, showing off a little.


((Masquerade- Phantom of the Opera.))

((Just for reference, Artemis is there.  Normally he wouldn't be since he made the small area like Rhyme's mind; he can come out and have a physical body...kind of.  If that made any sense at all.))

Artemis flinched at both the heat of the flames and the power from the song.  This girl was something, but he wasn't sure what.  She had all the powers of the bard and more so.  Also it was a lot like Rhyme's but not a straight copy either.  Then again, he thought, everything around Rhyme changes a little bit.  The kid was just never observant enough to notice all the time. 

The song meant power to Stacy but to Artemis it sounded a lot like deception so that is what he used it as.  He closed his eyes and concentrated on the music and as he did he began to duplicate.  It was half way between full form duplication and an illusion.  The duplicates did have form though they didn't have much of a mind and their form was easily disrupted.  Anything more than a glancing blow could destroy them. 

Each duplicate, about twenty in all that ended up surrounding Stacy had on a different colorful yet dark costume and a different mask.  Each could have been thought to be happy at first but at closer inspection were found to be more twisted and disturbing, like an evil clown.  The costumes and masks were made out of very thin paper. 

Artemis grinned evilly when he opened his eyes but then they widened when he saw the flames go blue and the heat burning up the paper of the duplicates.  Before they could do a single thing they burst into flames from the light paper garments and quickly fading away. 

Out of anger Artemis made a slashing motion with his blade which sent a dark crescent out of it flying at the flames.  As before though, his power could not penetrate Stacy's. 

"What are you!" he screamed in frustration letting loose another few crescents of dark energy at the blue flames which followed the first at being unable to penetrate. 

Stacey`s eyes were glowing an eerie blue, and they gave her kind face a twisted turn as she grinned darkly. She liked power a lot, and the fact that Artemis was confused made her feel a little greedy. She refused to awknowledge the edges of exhaustion that were starting to appear. She might have great powers, but she couldn`t hold out forever. She pulled more energy from the earth, taking in it`s pure energy.

"I am Stacey Amelia Gray, daughter of James Black, an Immortal. I am the niece of Jonathan, the evil bastard trying to destroy my mind." She crossed her arms and put her wieght on one foot, tucking the knife into the fold of her arm. "As for what I am, I don`t even know. So it wouldn`t really be fair for you to know." She tilted her head to the side, glancing back down to the ground. There it was, that little object. She couldn`t tell what it was, so she bent down to pick it up with a quick glance toward Rhyme. It was cool to the touch and off-white. She turned it over and pushed the little button. Immediatly it turned on, shining a dim blue light. The song Stacey had previously sang came to mind, and within seconds she heard it play.


Stacey smiled again, her eyes tracing the lines of her power that were wrapped around the clearing. She felt so full... so powerful. She liked this feeling.

((Alpha Dog—Fall Out Boy))

A very fast beat could be heard to start to play from Artemis' side of the area.   Suddenly though the music began to come from all over the place creating weird harmonies in the darkened area.  

((Listen to this if you can since it makes more sense since it has lots of odd voice combos))


Each time a different voice was used or multiple voices at once they came from all around Stacy giving the creepy feeling of being surrounded.  Around Artemis the power began to build.  He fed off the same energy as Rhyme so his power grew when he made a song appear.  

The dark energy made the manifestation of dark wings that grew from his back.  They were energy though they had a strong appearance in the dark background of being physical feather wings.  When the words spoke of times passing he was referring to Rhyme's time of controlling the body and how Rhyme said Artemis would 'never' have control.  


This held so much power for Artemis since he is one of the few people who could actually see the relationship between Rhyme and his father.  Rhyme if he really tried could be the alpha dog, he was much stronger than his father but his father was so obsessed with himself he made up a big image.  When Rhyme caught him that night, he finally saw the man behind the curtain but blocked it away.  

Artemis narrowed his eyes as he rose of the ground to try and take this Stacy down.  To truly protect Rhyme he would need to beat him since he was too weak minded himself to do what was needed all the time.  Now that he was focused, he pulled out another knife and made an X slashing motion which hit the fire and instead of breaking it, swept it aside.  


He broke the song slightly as he went finding the next stanza useless and starting it again after the next chorus.  He flew right at Stacy with his knife held at chest level with her to try and take her far away from Rhyme for the moment or at least break her stance, hoping it would shake her power for at least the moment.  

((Don`t Trust Me- 3oh!3))

Stacey watched Artemis carefully, her eyes trained on him. Her feet were spread shoulder-width apart, one slightly farther back than the other. She was balanced perfectly; years of dancing and training made balance an instinct. The words of the song meaned almost nothing to her, but she could read their meaning in the boy`s mind. For once, she was glad that she was close enough to the school to read his mind and that Rhyme didn`t have hardly any mental abilities.

Her eyes twitched as the song began and the voices cascaded around her, but they didn`t move from Artemis`s figure. She swallowed heavily, her eyes slowly getting redder. Then he swept the fire aside with his knife, and that made her flinch. The sensation of him touching her energy likes that... it made her shiver. She blinked slowly, trying to make the feeling go away, and when she opened them he was flying towards her, one of the knives leveled to her heart.

It was a good thing fighting techniques had been drilled into her mind for the past three years. She ducked down onto her knees and fell to the side. He shouldn`t expect it--as har as she knew, Rhyme didn`t know how to fight-- and she hoped he would trip over her, maybe even drop the knife. Her own blade that had been tucked close to her elbow was still in her hand, her fingers wrapped tightly around it. She landed close to Rhyme and she looked at him again, wondering when he would be able to get up. She felt something else in her hand and looked down, surprised to see the MP3 player still there. Another song started to boom from her body, and she scrambled onto her feet, dashing away from Artemis to the side of the clearing her had been on moment ago.


Stacey wasn`t singing the song, but it still made her smile. She walked sideways along the side of the clearing, making complicated motions with her hands, the knife suddenly gone.

The flames had morphed into large orbs and were pulsating with the beat of the song, splitting and growing again. Scarlet orbs flashed up beside them, sliding closer witht the words. Stacey`s eyes were glowing a devilish orange again, and her face was light with the fire she produced.


This song was just fit too well. When Stacey had first came upon Rhyme in the forest he and Artemis had been having an interal argument about sexuality. While she had been a little embarrassed to come upon them at that exact time, she had offered to lend Rhyme a skirt and make-up/

"What about you, Artemis?" She asked happily and she smirked. "If you keep this up, you`ll be the one alone at the bar. Don`t you want someone to love you like they love Rhyme? You don`t have to be a masochistic ass." Her words were a little risky to say, she knew, but she hadn`t been known for holding her toungue.

((The Music or the Misery Fall Out Boy))

Artemis was too worked up to see the fighting move and went skidding through the dark but still oddly wet grass before he let out a blast of energy that sent him spinning around like a break-dancer and with a flap of the wings getting him back up on his feet on the other side of the clearing.  

Artemis flinched from his scrapped up arms as he brushed the grass from his coat as he glared angrily at Stacy.  This was the one downside of being in even a somewhat physical body, things hurt.  Before he didn't have to deal with much physical pain since Rhyme took the blunt of it.  

"Love?  Love is a pathetic emotion that can easily be corrupted.  You would not believe how many crimes were committed because of a twisted form of love!  You may even know of this one since they made a musical out of it.  Everything in Sweeney Todd, based off a true murderer in London is based off of love.  Sweeney did all he did for his love of his wife and child, Mrs. Lovett helped him since she loved him.  And all the motion was set into motion because of the judge's love of a married woman.  Haa, love." He said spitting afterward on the ground angrily.  



Artemis grinned at her as the music played showing a very twisted form of love.  A person who knew he could toy with women and chose to do so.  Above him formed many sharp pieces of paper which he sent flying at the pair.  

Also red ceramic hearts appeared above him and with a wave of his hand sonic waves shattered them into little pieces.  It was starting to show though that he was losing his touch.  Having to come up with new things all the time was starting to wear him down.  But after shattering the hard he sent them flying as well at them.  
//

((They Say It`s Wonderful- Annie Oakley and Frank Butler))

The music that poured from the MP3 player faded out, and the clearing suddenly felt empty. Stacey stood tall, her feet placed apart so she could balance perfectly, and began to sing. Her eyes were a grey shade of red; she hated it when people doubted love. She had Aiden, and that`s all she needed. She could get pretty defensive when people tried to push against the tight bond they had together.


It was the first song that came to mind, but she knew that she had picked the right one. She didn`t remember at all, so maybe it came from Rhyme. Right now, she didn`t exactly care. The song worked for her. As she sang she thought about Aiden. She moved out of the way as the little papers and heart shattered and went flying. Her hands were already moving.

Glowing, pulsing blue heart appeared all around her in a circle. They grew bigger as her voice carried on.


Now, she did modify one of the lines. It leaned more towards Artemis`s point of view, but her rewrite was unnoticeable. Stacey formed a flame in her hands and her eyes pushed against her limited control and glowed as red as the fire.

"Only someone who`s never known real love would say that, Artemis. Love is the greatest emmotion there is, and it holds the world together. They say that love is hard, but it`s really the hatred and betrayal that people confuse for love that`s hard." The girl was surprised to find tears in her eyes, but she wasn`t going to wipe them away.

((I Write Sins not Tragedies, Panic! At the Disco.  If you can find the music video watch it, it is really interesting))

Artemis let out another laugh at Stacy's naïve thoughts.  He may be trapped in Rhyme's head but he saw more than the child ever would.  He saw the things hidden behind people's eyes that Rhyme never learned how to see.  Rhyme would crack every few hours if he could see the hatred and the lust behind people's eyes.  Lust ran the world, love didn't. 

"Please, listen to some of the darker music on that little toy of Rhyme's.  Your soon find that the more recent the music, the more it shifts from the true picturesque idea of love to the more real version.  Have you noticed how many people get divorced anymore?"

Artemis made a motion with his hand as he raised it.  It appeared as if he was holding a cylindrical object in his hand.  He raised his hand in an arcing motion and at the top of the arc a dark whip suddenly appeared filling his hand and he brought it down in the air with a sharp crack. 

When he did this music began to play, a triangle and the plucking of a guitar.  As the whip fell between him and Stacy his clothing changed.  It went from dark to more twisted.  His eyes now had a thick layering of make-up and he gained the garb of a circus conductor.  He had a high top hat and red overcoat.  Also, if Stacy didn't resist the change she would find herself in a wedding dress. 


The first part was building power but it was also a small shot at Stacy if the wedding dress stuck around.  Since technically with the scene she was now a bride. 


With a crash of music like that of waves on a beach and with a much faster beat the music hit, creating a large number of full conjured but still illusion-like beings.  They weren't living in the normal sense though they did have a pretty robust form.  They all had strange garb, looking like different types of circus folk.  There was a sword swallower and a flame eater as well as a man on stilts.  Though they were all very different one thing was the same, they all had painted faces and those who didn't look dangerous had knives hidden away. 


And as the music slowed, they all stood still and sat there, waiting for a command.  With the first line about the marriage being saved Artemis vanished and appeared behind Stacy to run the back of two fingers down her cheek before vanishing again into the crowd. 

Then when the music sped up again the creatures stood and tried to attack Stacy and Rhyme to a lesser extent with what they had.  The flame eater let loose a jet of flame from their mouth and the lion tamer sent his beasts.  One could hit would make them disappear but their sheer number, about 20 in total made it slightly more difficult. 

He could do so much with this song because of its meaning.  It represented the idea of twisted love perfectly since it was the third in a trilogy.  The main man of the song dated a girl, found her cheating on him, and forgave her, to be cheated on again.  Also the singer of the song was a lot like Artemis, the words of reason within the man's brain finally realizing that this girl wouldn't change.  It was something both Artemis and Rhyme wished would be seen by their mother.   

((I`ve Been There from the Phantom of the Opera. Mob Rules- House on Fire.))

Stacey squeezed the little player between her fingers, concentrating on not breaking it into pieces. Both of her hands were curled into fists, her glowing a deadly red saved for when she was really pissed. Her eyes were still locked on Artemis, trained on his every movement, but she herself was planted in the spot. She felt an odd sensation like silk being draped over her skin and a faint white glow was coming from her body. She looked down to see the wedding dress. A low growl met her ears and it took her a moment to realize that it came from herself. She ripped at the dress with a claw-like hand, and it fell away it streams of smoke.

The ever-moving glowing lines that had been circling the clearning had disappeared. Stacey still hadn`t moved except for her arm, which was back at her side. She bared her teeth, surprising herself in the fact that she felt so much like she did when she was in her Animagus form. She felt dangerous and... predatory. Just the sight of the dark boy across the clearing made her want to break something. She remembered to drop the
MP3 player before she did break it.

Instead, music rolled from Stacey herself, drawing power from both Artemis and the player. She started in the middle of a song, getting to the point before he could make anything else happen.


Her metaphorical words filled the air, somehow mixing with Artemis`s song and forming a sort of backround noise. The random figures had appeared around the edge of the trees now, and Stacey watched them from the corners of her eyes. They made her wary. Were they real, or not? Could they hurt her if Artemis wanted them to? Well, Artemis was here now. That answered her question enough for her.

She listened to the last stanza, looking around now. Some of the figures looked freaky-- Stacey had never likes the circus-- and rather dangerous, but she didn`t undrestimate the fact that they could easily have weapons hidden on them like she did.

Then Artemis disappeared.

She felt his chilly fingers on her cheek before she could even process her next thought. She gasp, thrusting her elbow back where his stomach would have been. The momentum of her arm pulled her backwards and she stumbled, surrounded by snarls and flames, it seemed. She growled again, raising her hands instinctively. Fire exploded out of her palms, creating a large cloud of blue-white flames. The heat rolled over her skin, but didn`t burn her. In her mind she commanded it to surround the animals and Artemis, hopefully making him disoriented enough to make what she hoped were illusions disappear. She closed her red eyes, picturing Rhyme and matching the word safe to him. She also remembered the little player, which was probably safe anyway since her cloud of heat was about six inches above the ground.


Stacey really did hope that Rhyme could hear her. She was singing this for him, and from him. It just seemed to sort of fit. She squinted through her fire, lowering her hands and the flames dying down. She glanced around quickly, then ran over to where Rhyme lay on the ground. She kneeled beside him, putting her hair behind her ear so it wasn`t in her face. With a pale, warm hand she reached forwar to check for a pulse.

((Two words..."Finals Suck!"))

Rhyme groaned as his eyes slowly opened.  His head was killing him and his ears were ringing.  Shattering the effect took a major chunk out of his mind and it took him this long to finally recover enough to wake up.  He sighed though as he felt all the music around them.  It seemed like Stacy and Artemis were busy and since Stacy wasn't dead she was probably holding her ground.  With all this energy around him he could easily hold himself together for a bit until he was fully back to normal. 

He pushed himself to a kneeling position with a wince and closed his eyes purposefully before opening them quickly this time glowing with a bright yellow.  He looked at all the creatures and saw that they were weak conjurations, easily dispelled; he just didn't have the time to hit them on all with energy.  As he finally got to his feet he heard a jingling in his coat and grinned, he knew a way he could do it.  He was really glad he practiced at least a bit in the forest or else this could end badly. 

"Stacy...Stand still...very still." He said warning her and having a firm look in his eyes.  He was done playing games. 

"Artemis, you may have more control over my powers then we do, but I am actually used to having a body and there is more to what I can do then just my powers." He said as he took a few steps forward away from Stacy. 

Rhyme began to tilt back and forth to a beat as his arms hung lose at his sides.  He hummed lightly to himself not for energy but for peace.  This wasn't something that he needed his powers for directly though they would make the effect more powerful.  He was never one to win in a pure brawn fist fight; he was too lithe for that, though he did know how to use his flexibility to his advantage. 

He looked around slowly, purposefully and then starting to run forward before throwing himself forward on a flip.  His hands hit the ground and launched himself upward with a blast of yellow energy and while he was in the air he began to twist and twirl in complex patterns and as he did his kunai began to fly out of his coat at all the creature around them.  When he came out of the flip he landed on his hands again and began to spin by kicking his legs out and in and began to actually break-dance.  This time daggers came out from nearly every opening in his cloths.  It was clear he couldn't hold that many which was another effect of his powers. 

The reason he told Stacy to stand still was because as the attack went on some of his blades went very close to Stacy to get the creatures behind her.  The attack was so fast by the time Artemis could hit him with a force blast sat sent him rolling back toward Stacy all the creatures were gone. 

Rhyme gave her a goofy grin as he brushed himself off showing how bi-polar he really was.  He was so serious before and now grinning like a fool. 

((Don`t have to say that twice. Living on a Prayer- Bon Jovi.))

"Finally," She muttered as Rhyme moaned. She took her fingers from his wrist and sat back on her heels, only standing when he did.

"Stand still... very still."

The words sounded faraway, but Stacey followed them. All she did was turn her head towards Rhyme. She watched with ember eyes as knices flung from him. The first one that came close to her face made her flinch, suprising her after watching the knives hit home in the different creatures. Automatically her body tried to push out with a cloud of energy, a deep part of her wanting to be the one who got rid of all the monsters, but she pulled it in, knowing that Rhyme knew what he was doing. Her eyes never left him as he flipped and blades continued to spin from him.

The blast of energy that Artemis produced pushed her back onto her butt, not having been prepared for it and not standing for balance. She glared over at the darker person, her eyes flashing red again. She stood up without using her hands and a guitar appeared in her hands. It was black and white, electric, but she didn`t need an amp for it to be heard. She started to play a steady riff, the song forming in her mind. Her fingers danced across the strings, still staring straight at Artemis.


The words spilled right out of Stacey, not even having to think about it. Her eyes narrowed and her stance made it clear that she had no intention of giving up. She looked over to Rhyme tilting her head to the side as if inviting him to join in. She wondered idily if it was in the right key for a male voice-- she had automatically changed it to her key when she started playing--  but then she remembered that he could make his voice do almost whatever he wanted.

"Artemis, don`t you get it?" She asked, looking back to him. "Love is what makes the world work. People thinks love`s hard, but it`s not. The lying and sneaking and hrurt that come with what people think is love is what`s hard. If you really, truely knew what love was you wouldn`t dare think the way you do." The image of Aiden filled her mind. She was completely lucky to have him. He made her a better person, and he made her happy. Before she met him she always thought that things were just black and white, simple. Then he had shown her the colors of the rainbow, and had thrown everything into perspective.

(("Its My Life" Bon Jovi))

Artemis snickered at her comments about love.  The odd thing was, this was what Rhyme used to think of love and still thinks happens with some people.  Artemis was still a part of Rhyme, twisted, but still part of him.  Rhyme saw some dark parts of love like the relationship between his mother and father but he also knew deep down that it wasn't always like that. 

"Hun you know what most guys say love they mean something more like..." he said before vanishing and reappearing behind Stacy and groping her butt, "sex"

Rhyme's hardened to near slits of anger as he saw this, reminding him of his sisters and his father and especially of Alina, the strongest of the pair, she put up with so much. 

"Not...again" he nearly growled as he threw his hand out freezing Artemis in place with sheer will.  He made this place it finally hit him, he can control it.  "I will not see another women I care about abused."


The music started overpowering Stacy's by his sheer anger and will and that the power was actually his own.  Experience makes up a lot even though most of it was instinctual, that and he actually knew where the energy for these songs came from. 

He held Artemis firmly in place for the first four lines, the freeze was so firm the veins in Rhyme's forehead was starting to show and Artemis couldn't even move his jaw to make a snide comment.  Then with the last line Rhyme threw him hard into a wall of hardened darkness that seemed to just form there.  He put all the energy from his sister that got crushed and crushed but would never break.  This hardened his will and gave him the type of power he needed to face Artemis.  Sam was good for protection, it was so pure and sweet nothing could corrupt it, Alina though, was hard as nails. 


Artemis got up and spit out a good bit of blood from his mouth.  When he hit he felt a few ribs almost crack and he flinched hating that one downside of having a physical body. 

"Looks like Rhyme finally grew some balls." He laughed as he made a claw with his hands and the glowed with dark energy.  Rhyme did the same but this time his hands glowed with yellow energy.  They slowly started to walk toward each other, Rhyme with cold determination and Artemis with fake optimism.  At the last line they flew at each other energy flying from their heels.  They collided with a shockwave from their auras as they started to exchange a flurry of blows.  They flew into the air as they punched and kicked each other.  ((If you ever saw Dragon Ball Z think of something like that but without the energy blasts))

This continued for the rest of the songs with Rhyme holding the edge and plowing Artemis into the ground leaving a crater a few times.  At the end of the song though the power suddenly left Rhyme and he landed on the ground breathing hard.  That felt good but now his anger was sated and he had nothing really left to go on. 

Artemis though was battered and bruised and he dragged himself out of his crater holding one arm with the other.  At this moment he really, really hated having a body. 

"This is one each buddy boy, got what it takes to pull off a third round and break the tie?" he asked seeing how tired Rhyme was. 

((You Can`t Take Me- Bryan Adams))

Before Stacey`s eyes could even shoot red after Artemis had replied to her, he disappeared. God, she hated when he did that. Then she felt him behind her, his hand on her butt. She spun around, her eyes personifying pure hatred. They weren`t even a real color, they kept on changing, morphing from red to black and any other color that her mind could come up with for disgust. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it around behind his back, teeth still bared like the animal inside of her. Her own energy was pulsing around her along with heat waves. She couldn`t feel the heat, but she knew that anyone else could.

Stacey pushed Artemis`s arm up farther behind his back, and she knew from experience that it hurt. In fact if she would just twist it a little further...

Then Rhyme froze him. She growled, realizing that her map of powers was spread out a lot farther out than she usually had it. She could feel everything within her range, could tell what living thing was where. She unconsciously pulled energy from some distant monster, her hands curving into claws. She suddenly heard Rhyme singing, the words running through her mind later than he had sung them. Before she could stop herself the words spiled from her mouth when he wasn`t singing, matching the tune and tempo.


She watched with no mercy as Artemis was flung into the ground numerous times, itching to join in the fight but holding herself back. Her eyes had settled on a red that would have put blood to shame. Images flashed through her mind from a few years past. Flashes of Niles leaning over her, trying to convince her that he had always loved her. Images of Nate, nice, but too old. More of Niles: pushing her tightly against a tree, trying to get her to go with him to Romania; pressing his lips to hers while she wanted to be in someone else`s arms. He had never done anything too serious with her-- she could have easily killed him if he tried-- but he was patient. He had hurt her mentally. Had given her a bond so strong then disappeared, only coming back years later after she was already married and wanting her back, saying he was sorry.

Stacey had always tried to block him out, erase all memory of him, and here Artemis was, bringing it all back with a few quick words. How was she supposed to fight that? The way she always fought everything-- fire with fire.

When Rhyme finally landed on the ground, breathing heavily, she began to sing again.


"I think I can handle a round." Stacey said, projecting her voice to where Artemis was. She narrowed her eyes as she took a few steps forward. Her arms hung loosly by her sides as if she was going to start doing ballet, but her fingers were curved as if they were holding knives. energy was moving around her again, coming off of her in iridescent blue waves.

((Listen to your Heart, Roxette.  Not sure how you listen to these Stacy but if you want a guy version of this send me a message, I found a cool retuning on youtube though I know it hates your computer))

Rhyme shook his head when he heard Stacy saying she could go for a round.  When he sang the last song it finally became clearer.  His power is more than emotion, it is also will, that is what Artemis always provided, since his mind is split, not all of it can go into his songs since there is always that part of his mind holding Artemis in place.  As he realized this his presence and power grew to that of Artemis or even higher. 

"No." The words were not in anger but they were firm and hard to argue with. 


"Ah it seems like Rhyme finally understands; now this will truly get fun." Artemis replied feeling Rhyme's power. 

"Stacy, thank you for all your help" Rhyme said simply, "But this is my fight.  If we beat him in anger, that is what will seal him.  He knows anger and he can use anger to break the seal, I am going to use something he can't understand."

Artemis narrowed his eyes to near slits at this, for the first time actually worried.  It looked like Rhyme actually grew some balls which meant he could put out some force now.  As a preemptive strike he tried to throw an energy ball the size of a bowling ball at Rhyme but it didn't gear anywhere near him before blowing up into a flock of birds. 

"Artemis, this is my mind you just live here.  And Stacy," he said giving her a kind look "Listen carefully, this is the core of my power"

A soft white light spotlight fell on Rhyme giving him a very peaceful and angelic look.  This song came straight from his heart and as he sang the power could be heard.


The light on Rhyme began to spread outwards but not from the spotlight but from Rhyme itself.  It truly was like he was an angel; the light was going everywhere repelling the darkness of Artemis.  When it touched something it had a warm and loving feel like that of a mother. 


As he sang cherry blossoms even began to fall setting the peaceful mood.  Artemis even tried to banish them or turn them into blades or something dark but Rhyme held them as they were.  As the light spread closer and closer Artemis got more and more desperate and threw more and more at Rhyme which fizzled as soon as it hit the light.  On the last lines of the stanza Rhyme tilted his head back and with a bright sparkling of light his cloths turned to powder blue bardic robes. 


As the song started to finish and hit its climax at the end the light was all encompassing and only a small circle of darkness remained.  Within this circle Artemis clawed like a feral animal trying to get out.  Then, bars began to appear vertically and a geometric design appeared at his feet binding Artemis in place and on the last "goodbye" Rhyme blew a kiss at Artemis with sad eyes and Artemis vanished. 

Rhyme then slid to his knees.  Very tired but content.  The world was still warped but now it was in Rhyme's control not Artemis'. 

"I bind you Artemis but do not change the limits only the rules.  Don't try and escape again since more than just Stacy will know you are not me." 

It was funny.  Rhyme added a little clause into the binding.  If Artemis ever took full control of his body a song would always play around him, "Its Loose" from Young Frankenstein, a very fitting song and very funny too. 

((`Kay. And since you`ve gotten into the habit of spelling it wrong again, it`s StacEy. =D And just to warn you, I`m getting writer`s block. And the lyrics are mixed lined from the Phantom of the Opera to the tune of Angel of Music, and I changed "angel" to "demon" in a few places. Jonathan in bold.))

Stacey`s eyes moved to Rhyme as he spoke to her, falling back to her "natural" shade of brown. She nodded her head, but more to herself than to him. She suddenly felt... young. It was a surprising feeling, something she hadn`t felt since she was fifteen. But she felt it now, and there was something else there, too, a thing that she wasn`t used to at all. It came from the fact that she didn`t know what was going to happen. She had become used to knowing what was going to happen, when, and what to do to change it. But that feeling was gone and forgotten.

The light that passed over Rhyme drew her attention, still alert even if she was feeling more humble. Her mouth dropped a little, amazed by the simple sight of the light. It seemed so special, even if it was so simple. She watched with amazement as the light drew closer to Artemis, not noticing when it passed her. The song seemed to cascade around her, the words just spinning around. She wanted to do something-- made her want to dance, to sing, to do something-- but she didn`t want to ruin it. It just seemed so... from the heart, so real. That wasn`t something you could get by absrobing powers, it was something that had to be real. you couldn`t fake love.

As the song ended, Stacey realized that she was on the ground. She looked around, wondering how long she had been there. The air seemed to tingle with the memory of Rhyme`s voice. She slowly stood up, looking around. She saw that her friend was on his knees and she walked over to him, looking for anything wrong. Before she could stop herself words came spilling out of her.


As she sang, a slow mist built up behind her, quickly growing darker and swirling with some unfelt wind. Stacey didn`t notice it, her eyes fixed on Rhyme and her memories. She had been involved in a lot of music when she was younger, and he had always said she had been gifted by an angel of music, had promised her that he would send it to her when she needed help.


She looked at Rhyme purposely, holding out a hand to help him up. The mist behind her had turned into a deep cloud, and the shadow of a body was inside it. The person had to be at least six feet tall, and was obvious it was a man. He stepped forward, still  half-hiddden by the darkness around him.


Stacey froze, her hand still held outstretched. Her mind was suddenly flickering quickly. The voice was so familiar, so fatherly, but there was just... something off about it.


She refused to turn and see who it was. It sounded so much like her father, but she realized for the first time that Jonathan had sounded so much like James. The fact scared her, the unknown scared her.



Stacey was suddenly standing upright, her eyes dark again. Her whole body was tense, and she stared off into un unknown void. It was Jonathan behind her. Her father would have never appeared on school grounds, especially after the what happened the last time the Ministry tried to pin him down. Jonathan was harder to catch than smoke, and he had a seven hundred year old brother to prove it. Stacey turned around slowly, a knife already in her hand.

Rhyme slowly rose to his feet with the aid of a little push of energy and with an oddly duel voice spoke. 

"You are not of our mind and you were not invited, so who are you?"

Rhyme was a good bit calmer then Stacey not knowing the danger this person held.  He did see her draw a knife so he did the same.  His eyes always flicked to a few places around the clearing as he prepared.  For the time he still controlled this space, so he could warp it as he wished so he could prepare a few spells to move them if needed. 

Rhyme brushed off his cloths as Artemis watched the man.  For the moment they were in sync and with the binding of love, Artemis would help until he got bored again and tried to have his version of fun.  Rhyme left him to watch since Artemis was better at reading the evils of a person then he was. 

Careful buddy boy, this guy isn't normal Artemis warned Rhyme. 

((Jonathan in green. Night Drive by the All-American Rejects.))

"You are not of our mind and you were not invited, so who are you?"

Rhyme`s words seemed to echo around her head, and the voice it came from really didn`t sound like him at all. She realized that she was shaking ever so slightly, and her breath was loud in her ears. She closed her eyes and shook her head, taking a few backward steps towards Rhyme and away from the cloud where she knew Jonathan was hiding. A fear was flooding through her, which was unlike her. She was always the strong and outgoing one, she never cowered at the thought of a fight, she embraced it. But for some reason Jonathan brough back a buried, instinctual fear. One that screamed enemy.

Stacey clenched her free hand, opening her eyes. Her irises were flooded black-- her emotions wouldn`t be for all to see if they were just black. The cloud had become even thicker, way beyond being able to see through it. There was just a shadowy figure shaped like a man, and only Stacey knew what he was capable of.

"It`s Jonathan." She said quietly, answering Rhyme`s question, "It`s my uncle." Her voice was flat, no emotion, even though she was scared. It was actually an odd feeling. Feeling fear was just something Stacey didn`t have. She hadn`t even really felt it before; everything she was scared of had ended up in worse shape. Before Stacey even finished speaking, another voice rang out.

"Stacey, Stacey, dear, you mustn`t answer questions that aren`t directed towards you. It is most unbecoming." That is when the man finally showed himself. He stepped out of the dense mist, running his fingers through his dark blond hair. His green eyes were sparkling with mischief. "And dearest Rhyme," Jonathan`s voice was thick with a girl-like tone that was obviously making fun of his niece, "you should know better than to think you can push me out of this little space. And really, I am of Stacey`s mind. I am here because she let me be. If she would have kept her simple shields up, she would have been just fine." He grinned rather evilly, tilting his head to the side.

Stacey shook her head, again opening her mind to Rhyme`s power. She knew that she probably should have just closed her mind, but she didn`t. In fact, all of her shields were down except for her very basic ones. But she was smart enough not to take those vital things down. Her hands tingled as energy flooded into her body and she couldn`t help but return Jonathan`s smirk. Filled with a borrowed energy, her feeling of fear left her. Music started and what sounded like clapping sounded. Ribbons of light surrounded the clearing again. They were lime green, pink, and white, their light filling the space with a sort of kaleidoscope effect. She smiled and waved her hand. The music got a little louder, and she started to sing.


Stacey was glaring at Jonathan now and breathing heavily. There was a hint of something in her face, something like hunger. Not hunger for any real substance, but for power. She had to beat her uncle. It didn`t register with her that he was much older and much stronger, she was her mother`s daughter, the only female child to an immortal, even if no one knew it. She had the upper hand so far, but she had always been close to a power source. Now she only had Rhyme and almost nothing to hold her mind together. She simply refused to acknowledge the fact that it was her fault Jonathan was here. She could have kept him out, she had to all the time now. But she had been reckless. She knew all of this, but she wasn`t going to admit it.

((Grats!  We hit the forth page!))

"You are right," Rhyme alone said as he took a few steps closer to Stacey and put his hand on her shoulder.  "I can't get rid of you as simply as someone like Ginny could." Then his voice changed to that of Artemis "But I can make you wish I could"

Rhyme then leaned down and whispered quietly into Stacey's ear.  "It's okay, he is on our side for now.  Oh...and hold on."

Rhyme tilted his head down and closed his eyes as he focused.  When he did the area grew a bit hazy and any attacks thrown would slow down as if thrown into clear pudding.  Suddenly they vanished with a bang of displaced air filled space and reappeared a good distance away from Jonathan and this time with Rhyme next to Stacey instead of behind her. 

For anyone not used to the warp it would have felt like being on a very fast amusement park line tossing the person upside down and all around with high gravity from the warping of space. 

Rhyme didn't pick up the thing about the guy coming from Stacey's mind but Artemis did.  He noticed it right away and also saw it as being a bit twisted to try and get Rhyme to blame Stacey.  They were just kids, it was absurd to expect them to have perfect control of their powers. 

"Maybe you don't get it" Artemis and Rhyme said in sync "when we said this is our mind.  This is OUR world, you just exist in it."

"You know Rhyme, you should have really paid attention more in your physics classes, that or science in general.  Now let's see what he can do, I'll try a neat little trick you will have to remember" Artemis said as he waved his hands as a black aura began to form around his hands.  It didn't have the same evil aura though.  It changed from uncontrolled evil to that within every person's soul. 

Suddenly with a snap of his hands, the aura vanished and when it did, the area within a foot radius of Jonathan had its gravity turned off and unless he moved or did something to directly counteract it he would find himself floating in mid air. 

((Okay, just to be clear, they can change the rules of the area but can't decide who gets it.  So the gravity field is just a small area or else it would hit them all.  And Jonathan can use any tricks he has to counteract the changes Rhyme/Artemis does))

((Major confuzzling... I`ll figure it out. I`m just slow today. Can you just clarify what you meant by "they can change the rules of the area but can't decide who gets it"? I`ll fix anything if it needs to be.))

When Stacey heard Artemis`s voice her head swiveled around to look at Rhyme, just to make sure he hadn`t become the evil, darker version of himself. She turned back around quickly, though, having almost forgotten about Jonathan. Her nails were digging into her palm as she clenched her hands together, and she couldn`t help but wince. Clenching her hands was something she did rather often, and there were still shallow wounds where she had done so before.

Then she was totally caught off balance when they warped. If his hand hadn`t been on her shoulder she would have fallen over. Stacey did gasp, though, slightly dizzy.

As response to Rhyme and the warping, Jonathan just chuckled lightly. "I think you aren`t the one that doesn`t understand. You did not make this world." He motioned around by waving an arm. "You have just manipulated it beyond the power most people could have. It is still part of the real world, but not quite. I am not part of the real world, therefor I can come and go as I please. I am of the mind, as far as this place is concerned. Thankfully for you, my little Stacey has kept up her little shields and has her mind preoccupied enough so that I can`t take it over." He this he turned his deep gaze to his niece, hatred being more than obvious.

He didn`t move from his little circle of gravity, either, but he could sense it. There was a slight pull from the air around him that alerted him of the lack of certain energy, and he laughed again.

"Do you think that someone who`s lived over seven hundred years can`t notice when someone not even seventy flips gravity?" Stacey realized that that was the first time he head ever told anyone what he was, the first time she had it confirmed by both her uncle and her father. It made her angry all over again at her dad; he hadn`t told her a thing until she was in the worst kind of danger, and she would never forgive him for it. Jonathan shook his head and raised his arm slightly, pulling back on it like he was pulling a rope. The gravity turned again with a barely audible hiss, but there was another noise. Like the sound of a row of explosives burning, the glowing chains that Stacey had produced around the clearing were burning off, starting on one side and quickly continuing until it was all gone. A certain darkness filled the air, one that was aided by the darkness that just came with Jonathan`s presence.

Stacey immediately took a defiant step forward and raised her hands. Her eyes were deep red, her hate of opposition filling her faster than her loathing for Jonathan. Her hands had just barely started moving before her uncle laughed again, and loudly.

"Oh, Stacey, have you not learned by now? Have you not realized that every time you fight against me you make yourself weaker and more vulnerable to me? Especially now, that you had that big long session. I must say, some of your tactics would make you a good assassin, but you really need to work on your form."

Stacey wrinkled her nose as she blushed, but lowered her hands and took a step back. She knew that he was right, but he was right. She did want to fight him. She wanted it so bad that she almost didn`t care about the fact that she would lose herself to him in the worst way. She knew that he would take over her mind from the inside out and destroy her being, turning her into a zombie-like protector. But she wanted to win. It was unbelievably hard to take that step back and do nothing. Sure, he was probably trying to make her angry, hoping she would go off and try to attack him. She knew how to kill him, and he knew it. How could he not when he lived his recent life through her eyes?

That was when she realized she had a problem. How had she not noticed it before? She always had to be the best. She had even tried to beat Ginny, when her chances of winning were probably less than zero. She had always been the best in her class or group in dance, theatre, and magic. She just had to be. Maybe she was more like her mother than she thought.

((It meant that Rhyme can't make it so the change only works on Jonathan.  Like if Stacey stood in that spot she would also float))

"She has never had access to this type of magic before sir" Rhyme alone said "Something even older then you, something so intertwined with nature it was once believed to be able to change the seasons.  And there is nothing stopping me from fighting."

Toward the end of his speech his hand clenched a bit harder on Stacey's shoulder and Artemis' voice spoke barely above a whisper. 

"Don't let your anger cloud.  Though you don't like, take my advice, I know anger.  Rhyme's last song was a big hint on how the power works.  We can't tell you out right since it is something that must be learned by each but it may be the key."

They then took a step around Stacey letting their grip go as they stared coldly at the man. 

"Behold" they said in sync "The power of the bards"

Rhyme swung his left leg around leaning back as he did so.  At the top of the arc of his leg his foot began to glow with yellow energy and as he brought it down an arcing blade of yellow energy sharper than any knife was sent at Jonathan.  Then after his foot was back on the ground he straightened quickly and with a blast of dark energy in his fist punched the ground and sent a shock wave of crumbing and cracking earth right after the blade.   

Jonathan carefully watched Rhyme with his emerald green eyes. He realized that the boy was more dangerous than Stacey was. True, his niece did have great potential and deadly powers, but Rhyme knew how to work the magic. The girl had magnificent energies swirling around her, blind to the human eye, and her aura was the pure purple only the most powerful had. But there was always the boy. His aura was also purple, but it was darker, somehow, like he had been touched by an extreme sadness or great terror, he wasn`t`t sure which; it was a bit harder to read people when you weren`t inside their mind all of the time.

Stacey flinched a little when Rhyme put his hand on her shoulder, not expecting the contact. Her mind had been too busy plotting to notice the person behind her, which was a major fighting mistake. She watched as Rhyme stepped around her, her eyes moving to the back of his head and stared at his purple hair.

He was just trying to help, and she knew that, but part of her argued against that. Why had he done that? Why was he putting himself before her? It actually made her angry. She could take care of herself. Did he not know that? Many questions ran through her mind, most making her angrier. She stepped up beside him so that she could see Jonathan, her eyes narrowing.

Jonathan barely glanced at his niece, more worried about Rhyme. and he was right, because as soon as he looked back at the boy a shot of yellow blade-like energy was shot towards him. He lifted one hand and there was a sort of ripple in the air around him. The blade suddenly stopped as if it had hit something about a foot and a half in front of Jonathan. It moved up and out like it was struggling against a dome shape to get rid of its momentum. He lifted his other hand and there was a strange sort of crackling sound, and he was pushed up into the air, standing on a large chunk of earth. Small clumps of dirt were raining down from the pile of soil and torn-up roots.

"She may have never used this kind of magic before, but she gathers all she needs to know from you, whether you want her to or not. But I still like to think I have the upper hand, because while she can only take energy from you, I can take it from both of you." He grinned down at Rhyme, his eyes a sick-looking yellow. "You see, unlike you said earlier, I am of your mind. That`s why I am able to be here. She lets her little imagination get away from her, and I am able to break through her simple but effective defenses. As for you, you might be able to do a few tricks, something I`ve probably seen before, but you can`t control magic like I can. There`s no possible way. You have seventeen years to my seven hundred. You are so young, and yet so powerful. It amazes me." He got a strange look on his face, as if he had realized something. Whatever it was, Stacey could feel it-- he was in her mind, after all-- and gasped suddenly, jumping a few steps forward.

"No! Don`t you dare even think about taking him. You can get in my head, but you can`t get in his. I won`t let you." She yelled.

Jonathan just rolled his eyes and waved his hand forward, like he was catching a little bug. Stacey was thrown forward and a white line appeared on the ground, quickly forming a large circle around her and the floating man.

Stacey hit the ground face first, but managed to land on her arm. She moaned in pain, already telling that it was broken. She rolled onto her back and quickly stood up like the fighter she was, just cradling her arm to her stomach. Her eyes were a lime green again, but there was pain in them. Jonathan laughed, his eyes again emerald green, and waved his hand once more.

It was like she had been shot in the stomach.

Stacey leaned slightly forward suddenly, her irises perfect white, the kind that was obviously not just plain white, but a combination of all the colors, like it was supposed to be. It was a color that she had only very recently realized that her eyes could change to. They never changed white before, but she realized that she had to be feeling an extremely strong emotion. Like now, and the feeling was pain. Pain was shooting through her body, pulsing. She couched hard once, then crumpled onto her side and curled into a fetal position.

"Stay there, my boy, or you`ll just hurt her more." Jonathan said to Rhyme, still atop his high perch. "If you, or anything, passes that white line there, she will hurt much more." Just by looking at her, you couldn`t tell that Stacey was in any pain except for the position and grimace. In fact, there wasn`t anything wrong with her, really. It was all a state of mind.

Jonathan was in a state of Stacey`s mind, that was how he was here. Part of him was attached to her, and therefor he could manage her mind a lot better than anyone else. He could make her think she was in a lot of pain, but he doubted Rhyme would know the difference.

((Bravo! Bravo!  Very nice post))

Rhyme was about to take a step when Artemis intervened with what must have been a strong act of will since Rhyme felt a shooting pain behind his eye when the deed was done.  He stared at Jonathan with burning anger in his eyes and as he stared he dug his finger nails deep into his hands to try and keep himself from rushing off mindlessly like a berserker. 

He was beyond frustrated at the moment since he knew of a great song for this time but only Stacey could sing it.  And he couldn't tell her what it was, it was a song powered by pure desperation that gave another person nearly unlimited power for the duration.  He would have laughed at Bonnie Tyler's face if she knew what her song if he wasn't worried for his own life. 

There was something intrinsic about bardic magic that made it hard to teach outright.  At most the teacher could offer guidance to the pupil until the pupil learned it for his or herself.  It came from a special place in the heart that once you located it, it never left you. 

"d**n it" he cursed as he wracked his mind for something, anything that could help him.  He came up with a good number of songs Stacey could use, but again, he couldn't tell her them.  They had to come to her on her own. 

His eyes flamed with yellow and black magic as their anger surged. 

"Even if you live for another seven hundred years you will NEVER! see another person like me.  A person whose mother loves him as much as his father hated him and who has the powers of old and new, sometimes Blues and now even borrowed."

Artemis I need your eyes  You just locked me back up and you want to let me out again?  Wow how rich.  Don't tell me you trust me enough to let me out in this world. I don't got much choice in the matter and we need to help Stacey.  Eh you got a point there Rhymey just don't expect me to be this nice all the time.

"Not sure in your wisdom you noticed, but there are more than just three of us here.  Stacey, if you can hear this, don't worry...'he' is on our side"

Rhyme tilted his head down and let out a long breath and a sigh as he felt the energy leave his body.  Completely opposite Rhyme equal distant from Jonathan Artemis appeared in all his glory but this time he had ribbons of yellow running down his arms torso and legs. 

"Bleh, yellow never did seem to work for me." Artemis said annoyed as he saw the new addition. 

"Well since you made a costume change I guess I should too" Rhyme said as he nodded his head quickly and his hair straightened and he now had a Santa coat on.  At this Artemis just rolled his eyes. 

Rhyme grinned a very evil smile for him which made Artemis laugh out loud since it reminded him of something he would do.  "Oh boy are you in for it now!" Artemis said as he laughed.  But suddenly Artemis gave Rhyme a weird look as La Vie Boheme started.  "This?  Really? Are you sure?" Artemis asked but shut his mouth when he saw Rhyme nod. 

Rhyme was doing it for the pure energy it gave off.  It was all about cutting loose.  He was doing it to try and spark Stacey's revelation on how to use his powers.  As the music played the power built and crackled of energy like lighting were going off in random areas around Jonathan.  This was the perfect song to spark her ability to use his power since bards were always with the Bohemian movements in cities and the arts.

"Please muses of music and arts grant her inspiration" he prayed under his breath for Stacey. 

As the power built his hands were kept tense and if observed space was oddly warped near them.  Not like that of a reality change but that slightly of a black hole.  It was purely empty space where reality didn't exist.  It was in preparation since living with his father taught him everything about loopholes.  Nothing could cross that line, but, he had been working with moving without traveling through space.  It took him a while to do it for his complex body, but something as simple as a knife, could easily be moved quickly.  If Jonathan tried to do anything to Stacey he would find a knife magically appeared right in front of his neck. 

((Few notes.  Didn't post the lyrics for their language and I wasn't using them for anything important.  And if you didn't know the coat reference, he pretty made himself look like Angel))

((Livin` on a Prayer- Bon Jovi.))

Jonathan clenched his teeth when Artemis appeared. He didn`t have to turn around to know he was there; there was a pull in the energy in the air. It was like something popping up on a radar. He rose higher into the air. The white circle turned yellow and started glowing. Energy pushed up into the air, and slowly started to form a visible dome shape.

He turned so he could see both Rhyme and Artemis and smiled. "Odd of you to use another language for that song, boy. And I have seen many of your kind of people, child. Very many indeed. Every one has their own copy of themselves somewhere. Maybe not in this time, but they are there." He grinned happily and crossed his arms.

Stacey managed to open her eyes and look up at her uncle. Her eyes were still white with pain and tears were trying to poke their way out of her eyes. She slowly pulled her arms away from her body and dug her fingers into the ground.

*I`m okay.* She pushed the thought into Rhyme`s mind. *And he`s not kidding. He`ll want you, too, if you show off too much. He`s not going to give up easy. Oh, and the knife won`t do anything except slow him down. You can only kill him by burning his body and freezing his head.* She thought quickly, still wincing in pain. She trembled slightly, trying to push the hurt from her.

*I`ve got to put the shield back up.* She suddenly thought to herself. She looked up at Jonathan again. She knew that he could hear her, he had stronger powers than she did. It was all just inevitable.

With a burst on energy, Stacey pushed herself off the ground and onto her knees. Her eyes were quickly turning red again, the pain fading. Jonathan was too busy thinking about Rhyme and Artemis to force pain into her. After a moment of dizziness she stood up and raised her hands. Carefully she began waving her hands like a conductor to an unheard beat. Slowly music started to play.

With a loud snap the air was suddenly dark, like the color of night. Stacey snapped her fingers and a thousand little stars explodes from her hands, filling the dome she was trapped in. Behind Jonathan was a replica of the girl, just slightly different. The new copy appeared a little transparent, and she glowed faintly. Stacey moved her hand over her front and a black and white electric guitar materialized. The music grew louder and she started to play and sing.

*When I say now.* She pushed to the two boys, her eyes changing to purple.

Jonathan was quickly looking from two copied girl to Stacey, then to Artemis and Rhyme. He was floating higher and higher so he could see all four of them better, but he still had to rotate to have a clear view. His hands were engulfed in glowing red orbs, and the shield around the dome was wavering slightly.


Stacey`s fingers were flying over the guitar`s strings, and she somehow managed to play to bass and treble part. Her eyes were a strong purple as she stared up at her uncle. The yellow shield around her was swelling with the music, and was bubbling like it was really hot. Jonathan was frowning, his hands still glowing.

*Now.* Stacey thought, concentrating on only letting Rhyme hearing it. The copy of Stacey on the other side of the clearing was conducting, her hands waving back and forth with the beat of the music.

All of a sudden figures appeared behind Stacey, distinct at first but growing into focus. They were people, and all in the same uniform-- black pants and shoes, fancy red button-up shirts and black hats with red feathers, marching band uniforms. They were all holding instruments, too, and at the start of the next count they all began to play. The yellow shield exploded with a silent whoosh of air.

Stacey stood in front of the girl, her eyes glowing and casting light. The many stars cast a soft light over the metal of the instruments. Stacey started singing again, belting out the words like any pro.

It pained Rhyme inside to not be able to help more.  This was Stacey's demon and only she knew how to truly hurt Jonathan.  This was an area built on emotions and wants, and only someone close to another could know how to fight effectively here.  Rhyme and Artemis fought so hard since they knew how each other works and knew which emotional buttons to push.  Rhyme didn't know who Jonathan's mind worked so he couldn't really affect him. 

He could add power to Stacey's song but that wouldn't help her learn and he desperate wanted her to figure out that last little bit.  If she didn't she would only be able to use his power like a dull sword.  It would still hurt but it could be so much more.  It was also like playing a piano with only one hand.  You can play, but there was a deeper level of rich harmonies that couldn't be done with only one hand that needed another. 

Artemis felt the pain in Rhyme's heart and rolled his eyes.  He believed Rhyme to be too emotional for his own good.  A bard needed to be in touch with his emotions but they shouldn't rule him.  It also made him want to gag since it was too touching. 

Swallowing a growing lump in his throat after Stacey singled him he nodded to Artemis and in sync they reached into their sleeves and pulled out the ten kunai within.  The blades dangled from their fingers from glowing strings of energy one yellow one purple.  This time the blades also began to glow with each of their energy. 

This was the first time they did it as a pair but somehow, they knew it would work.  They both began to spin at high speed propelled by their magic and suddenly at the next high point of the song they released and the blades went flying at Jonathan.  Those that went straight by would be caught by the other still spinning and sent flying back.  Those that were deflected would be wound in by the spinning and sent back.  Eventually as well as the blades to worry about a thick net of magic would be wound around the enemy. 

Jonathan looked around, watching, as the marching band appeared and his shield started to waver. He looked up to see the highest part pulling away from itself, slowly melting down.

He looked around, a little confused. What was going on? How was she doing this? He looked over at the boy, and saw him push up his sleeves and reach for something. Instantly he shot back towards the ground on his lump of earth. The chunk landed in the hole it had come from, and the force of it pushed some of the surrounding earth away. Jonathan had fallen forward when the two parts connected, but he quickly stood up again. His eyes were that sick-looking shade of yellow, and he turned them on Rhyme, not bothering to look up. He growled and took a few steps forward, but a knife suddenly whipped past his nose. He flinched back, alarmed.

In on smooth movement his lifted his arm and caught one of the other blades, throwing it towards the ground sharp edge first. It pushed into the ground and Jonathan stepped over it, advancing on Rhyme.

Stacey couldn`t help but smile. It was a little odd seeing Jonathan off balance after being around him so much. He had always been cat-like and graceful, but he hadn`t ever been under attack when she was around, either. She pulled off the guitar she was playing and passed it to a waiting band member. Her copy on the other side of the clearing had disappeared, but she hadn`t really expected it to stay up that long. She was surprised that the marching band was still there. But she pushed those thoughts out of her mind, she had to concentrate on getting her mental shield back up to keep her uncle out. The yellow shield was quickly melting and would be gone a few minutes, and she could see the start of a net coming down over Jonathan. She took a few steps back into the darkness and looked up. Her stars were still there, too, surprisingly. She had always liked stars. They were always so peaceful and calming. Now they seemed to give her confidence in herself.

She lifted her hands up, but didn`t move them. She just held them there and they soon began to tremble ever so slightly. Putting her mental shield back up required her to be focused, and this wasn`t exactly the ideal place for it. She kept getting distracted by different flashes of light or sound, but she knew it was the only way to make Jonathan disappear.

Jonathan meanwhile was dodging the kunai. He would jerk one way then swipe at another. Even though it wouldn`t really hurt him, he never got hit. His reflexes were a little too good for that. He glanced up after a while and saw a net-like material descending over him. He made a sort of growling noise again and tried to walk backwards to the safety of the trees while still avoiding the knives.

Rhyme stopped spinning and glanced at Artemis.  Something not exactly telepathic crossed between them, more of an understanding.  Rhyme didn't even try and send it with his mind since he guessed both Stacey and Jonathan would pick it up.  Stacey would try and stop him and Jonathan would try and protect himself. 

"Artemis, protect Stacey." He said simply as he slowly turned to Jonathan. 

Artemis jumped and did a flip as he landed near Stacey.  When he landed he went right into a lotus position on the ground and put his hands together with all but his forefinger intertwined.  With this extreme focus a small bubble appeared over Artemis and Stacey.  Within all sound was muffled not to an eerie calm though slightly disturbing. 

"You are fast, I will give you that, but let's see if you can dodge sound itself." He flinched from the knowing of how he will feel later but hardened his will.  This was one move that would make it hard for anyone to focus. 

His vocal chords shifted and morphed to that beyond any human.  Then, he opened his mouth wide and let lose a horrid sound that resembled a banshee.  This was his ultimate move.  It would leave him hoarse for a week and mute for the rest of the day but it was very dangerous.  It could kill a person hit directly from pure kinetic energy and deafen anyone who got anywhere near the blast.  He pushed his body to its limits.  The direct path between Rhyme and Jonathan had the ground torn asunder sending chunks of earth here and there as the energy tore through the clearing. 

The leaves of the trees nearby shook violently from the motion of the displaced air and if this wasn't a warped area of space every creature for miles around would be running in pain and most likely the windows of Hogwarts would have shattered if he was facing the school even from this distance. 

It could now be seen very easily why Rhyme told Artemis to protect Stacey.  For anyone currently charged with musical energy, their hearing got better and more susceptible to the move.  He could tell she was trying to concentrate and her hearing this wouldn't have helped.   

"Artemis, protect Stacey."

Stacey looked from Rhyme to Artemis, her eyes suddenly purple with confusion. *Protect me? From what?*  She looked to Artemis in time to see him flipping towards her. Surprised, she took a step back. She couldn`t help but tilt her head as he sat down in front of her. She flinched forcefully and suddenly, and she jerked backwards.

"Wh... what`s going o-- oh." She saw the shield ripple around her. Carefully she sat down besides Artemis, running her hands over her arms. There was a cold chill running through her, and she didn`t know why.

She saw Rhyme open his mouth, and although she couldn`t exactly hear him, the hairs on back of her neck stood up. It was like she could feel the sound waves running through her. Her whole body shook, and she clenched her hands together. She didn`t really like the fact that she couldn`t help, but she knew better than to try and take the chance of ruining everything.

"Uh, so... you`re on the light side for now?" She asked Artemis.

Jonathan automatically turned to Stacey when Rhyme first spoke. He lifted his hand, which had started glowing blue, to get ready and create a shield of his own-- one that would keep Artemis from his niece for a while. But right as he went to push the power from him, a shock went up his arm. Stacey felt it too, and that`s when she jerked. He didn`t have time to wonder why, he knew that Rhyme was going to attack, and the boy wasn`t going to wait for when he was ready.

He turned to Rhyme, outstretching his hand again. This time his hand was glowing orange, and the light pulled away from his hand, forming a dense wall in front of him. He moved his other hand in a circle motion. A large bubble surrounded his head just as Rhyme started screeching.

Jonathan turned around suddenly and crouched, disappearing. A cloud of blackness spread out from where he had been, flowing farther and farther out until it almost touched the place where Stacey and Artemis were. Then it stopped.

"Not exactly light, just think of me of a nicer shade of grey" he replied.  "Though I will tell you something Rhyme won't.  Only you can beat him here or really hurt him.  This place was built upon emotions and only emotions can really hurt here.  Take what you know he can't take and smash him in the face with it.  I still can't get the taste of love out of my mouth" he said ending with a face of disgust. 

"Oh one second getting a page.  And shush about the little hint." He said jokingly with a wink as he looked down and faded until the ground to be replaced with Rhyme.  The two simply switched places within their own mind.  Rhyme saw the darkness coming and new Artemis didn't really know much about light. 

Muse of music please let her have heard this song when I played it before.  Let it show her what the power of music can truly do

Since Rhyme could no longer speak he gave Stacey a weak and slightly sad smile before he turned and waved his hands as the song that began this whole encounter.  From the thin air came the light and happy tune of "Power of Love" from an old Japanese cartoon.  He did find it very fitting now though he was sure his mother would call it clichéd. 

Stacey stared out of her transparent bubble, eyes wide as they took in the dark cloud. She barely noticed it when Rhyme took Artemis`s place, but somehow she knew he was there. The dark cloud looked heavy, like it had real substance. She found that she couldn`t look away from it, mesmerized by the fact that Jonathan had disappeared.

Only you can beat him here or really hurt him.  This place was built upon emotions and only emotions can really hurt here. Stacey knew it was true, despite how much she wanted it to be different. Because as much as she wanted to be in the middle of the fight, the one in the most action, Jonathan scared her. He was ancient. He was stronger and better than her. It would be hard to make him go away.

Distantly she heard Rhyme sing. She tried to shake off the feeling of being trapped. Slowly she started to sing along, hesitant. She rememered the words from when Rhyme sang it before, but it felt like something was closing in on her.

Then the whispering started.

It was just like she remembered it. The fleeting whispers, cries for help, and moans of pain-- mental and physical. She knew without needing to ask that she was the only one who heard them. Jonathan might have, but he wasn`t exactly there to ask. He was causing them, just like always. He was forcing those horrible things into her head.

"Let me out." She exclaimed suddenly, standing up. "Let me out of the shield. Now." It was a command, not a request. She had to get out from under the shield now and get into that black cloud. She had to get to the center of it. She didn`t know how she knew, but she knew that it was what she had to do to beat Jonathan.

Upon her words the shield shattered and faded.  Rhyme was in the process of waving his hand to do the same but stopped mid-gesture and just stared.  He just stared mouth agape.  He wasn't sure if it was Stacey or Jonathan that broke the shield or if it was even Artemis.  He couldn't hear the whispering in her mind so he had no idea what was really going on. 

I swear by the muses if he hurts her he will have to dig pretty d**n deep to escape me.  He may be ancient but music goes back even further. Rhyme thought angrily his eyes burning as he stared at the seething blackness. 

d**n, looks like Rhyme is growing some balls Artemis thought back to him hearing the thoughts. 

The emotions of these thoughts though rippled out shifting the zone slightly.  It was starting to destabilize since Rhyme finally made a decision for himself, instead of working around it or running away, he made a stand against someone that was more than just a figment of himself.  Artemis flinched at the feeling of his eventual death since that same feeling if full accepted and integrated into Rhyme's personality would doom him.  He was spawned from Rhyme's need of help against those who he couldn't face and he was now learning to stand up for himself. 

"Toots if you are going to do something, do it quick, this place won't be around much longer!" Artemis called out after the ripple went by. 

((Italics are thoughts in the mind, italics with the stars are Stacey`s thoughts.))

Stacey stood up as soon as she was the faint waver of the shield pass over her. There was a flash in the corner of her vision, and she turned. It moved, always just out of sight. She turned all the way around, oblivious to everything else.

It`s just Jonathan messing with you. A reasonable voice said in her head. Ignore it, it won`t hurt with you. The voices won`t either. Too bad they weren`t just voices anymore. It looked like a light fog had built up, except some areas were darker, thicker, than others. They slowly took the shapes of people. Oh, so many people. And they were whispering. Stacey spun around, trying to find a spot where she could break free. The whispers were just like they were in her head, saying those horrible, soft things.

Everything else was blocked out. She didn`t hear anything except those voices. She didn`t hear Rhyme or Artemis, and definitely not Jonathan. She lost all sense of direction in the mist. For once, her mind was almost clear. There was just nothing. Nothing there, nothing pulling her in another direction, nothing calling her name.

Except the voices in the mist that only she could see.

She knew that Lavy and Ginny had heard the voices, but they had never appeared before. It scared her a bit that she didn`t know anyone who had seen them. Before, she had always had support, someone who knew what was going on. Her problems were always different from the others. She always had to be difficult and dangerous, even when she didn`t know it.

It`s just Jonathan. Stacey stopped turning, not seeing anything that was in front of her. *Dad?* The voice in her head sounded so familiar and kind. So fatherly.

She looked up to see the fog thicken even more. Faintly she saw a splash of color, and realized that it was Rhyme. She lifted her hand out to him even though she was easily three yards from him. Just as she was going to step forward she felt an arm wrap around her stomach, then another over her chest, pinning her arms to her sides.

"What a touching little notion you had there, my dear."

His voice whispered into his ear. Stacey was instantly paralyzed, completely unable to move. Her golden eyes stared straight out ahead into the fog where Rhyme was. The mist was real now, and it was almost impossible to see through.

*You sick bastard.*

Rhyme's eyes flamed when he heard Jonathan speak.  His eyes were not a deep red and his aura checked to an orange.  He was letting his anger get a hold of him and with this the degrading of the area sped up.  The small rips started earlier were being pushed open from the waves of energy rolling off of Rhyme.  From the edges of the area real light started to flood in with piercing beams.  Artemis just smirked at this enjoying the show.

When Rhyme rose his arm though to fire a beam of energy at the mist where he heard Jonathans voice come from he found his arm tied in place with a black ribbon.  He glared daggers at Artemis who just held his hands up in an act of submission. 

"Do it if you want but I doubt you want to risk hitting Cindy."

The energy drained from Rhyme's frame as he fell to his knees wishing he could do something to help. 

((Sorry. I guess I didn`t leave much room for you to do anything there.))

Jonathan laughed and ran his fingers down Stacey`s arm. She shivered, suddenly able to move. She jerked away to face her uncle, but all she saw was the dense grey fog. She looked around wildly, trying to see anything besides the grey. Getting nervous she started circling around, twirling and twirling.

*Where is he?* The thought echoed around her mind, frantic. A cold breeze pushed through the fog and Stacey shivered. Her whole body jerked when she did, and her eyes flashed lime green.

*He`s gone.* She started shaking, her hands trembling, and turned on her heel. "Rhyme?" She called. Without waiting for a respone she started running. She had to get away from the mist. It was like staring at a perfect white wall with no bumps and no visible paint lines; it was maddeningly the same.

"Get out, get out, get out." She chanted under her breath. The bodiless voices were closing in around her. She could feel them getting closer and closer, moving in. The temperature dropped rapidly and her breath formed large clouds in front of her face. It was just maddening, and when she felt something graze her arm she screamed-- not just any scream, but high-pitched and at the top of her lungs-- and fell to the ground, wrapping her arms around her head to cover her ears.

((Sailor Moon—Carry On))

When Rhyme saw Stacey run toward him randomly as if she couldn't see him he latched on and knelt trying to bring her down with him.  He wrapped his arms around her protectively as he flinched from having her screaming right in his ears.  He couldn't really talk but he began to hum a simple tune he remembered to be very relaxing.  (The Sailor Moon locket song)

He rocked himself and her back and forth trying to calm her down wishing in all his heart he could dispel illusions as easily as his old boyfriend could.  He rested his head near hers and unknown to him though a small sphere surrounding them, protecting them.  If he knew later he would probably say it was caused by his heart wanting to keep her safe above all else. 

Artemis' eyes widened when he saw a semi transparent women approach out of nowhere and lightly touch Rhyme on the shoulder before vanishing form sight.  It was one of the muses, giving someone who worked hard in their name some much needed inspiration. 

A small tear left Rhyme's eye as he let the music take over him hoping this sound would bring Stacey back.  It reminded him so much of her and hopefully it would bring her back to herself. 

((James in blue.))

Stacey stopped screaming when she realized it was Rhyme. She wrapped her arms around him, so glad that he wasn`t some monstrous creature, and let him rock her back and forth. Her whole body was shaking violently, and her eyes were an unnatural green, staring off into nothing.

She didn`t see the clearing any more. She didn`t see Rhyme or even the mist. All there was was blackness, completely surrounding her. She was floating in an endless void.

She`s sucked into a black hole, limbs flailing, unable to stop or slow down. Freefalling into the darkness, her horrible high-pitched scream the only sound. And just as she`s sure that this fall has no end-- it stops. The scream, the fall, all of it. Everything. Leaving her to hand there. Untethered. Suspended. Completely alone in this solitary place with no beginning or end. Lost in this dark and dismal abyss with no trace of light coming in. Abandoned in this infinite void, a lost and lonely world of permanent midnight. The horrible realization slowly dawning on me-- This was where she lived now. A hell with no escape.

She tries to run, scream, cry for help-- but it`s no use. She`s frozen, paralyzed, unable to speak-- completely alone for all eternity. Purposely held apart from everything she knows and loves-- cut off from everything that exists. Knowing I`ve no choice but to surrender as her mind goes blank and my body limp. There`s no use in fighting when no one can save here.

She remains like that`s solitary, eternal, a shadowy awareness creeping upon her, tugging from a place just outside of her reach--

"GET OUT OF MY DAUGHTER`S HEAD!" The word was a pure command. No room for negotiation or questions. Jonathan was out of line, and James was in Stacey`s mind.

Stacey, herself, jerked into awareness in Rhyme`s arms. She pulled out their protectiveness and stood up. Her head swiveled around, looking for any sign of James or Jonathan. The thick fog was gone, along with the voices. It made her angry that her father had been listening in on her mind all this time, but she was gratefull for his interference. She shuddered at the thought of that blackness. There had been nothing there. No air, no heat, no cold. Nothing.

Then her eyes landed on something that made her freeze with... well, fear. As much as she hated to admit it-- even to herself-- she really was scared. She knew it wasn`t real, but that made it all the worse.

Jonathan stood on the other side of the large clearing, holding a person in front of him. The thin, rather gangly torso and strong arms, soft black hair. Aiden.

*No! It`s not real! He`s just in my mind, d@mmit! Just like in the chamber with the mirror!* She stumbled back, almost running into Rhyme. Her hands stretched out behind her, but her eyes locked on her uncle. The figure he had conjured looked so much like Aiden. The image struggled against Jonathan, pulling against the strong arm the pinned him to the man`s chest.

"Rh--Rhyme, please tell me now how to make that go away." She stuttered it out, not once looking at her friend. Without really thinking about it-- pushed by her extremely strong instincts to fight back-- her hands and forearms glowed with a blue energy that sparked every now and then.

((Quotation from Alyson Noèl`s Shadowland but changed from first person into third person.))

Rhyme went to say that he didn't know how to end the zone but when he tried to speak he remembered how wrecked his vocal chords were at the moment.  He grimaced and clutched at his throat as the burning pain filled his throat and mind. 

Before Stacey could even ask Artemis appeared beside then and gave an explanation.  "The vocal chords are like any other muscle, they can be stretched and strained, Rhyme strained his vocal chords by hitting notes that are even high for him at a loud volume.  If it was a normal singer their vocal chords would have been snapped in half from the strain."

Artemis sighed as he knew he was about to go back into that dark place called a mind but it wasn't as painful as before, it was still dark, but oddly it was softly light by a light of hope and love.  Maybe this wasn't all bad for him. 

"The song is done from start to finish, all the bars were sung. 
The sharps were sharp, the flats were flat, and nothing can be argued. 
By this spell reality is ever shifted.
I wait again, till we have another dance through time and space."Artemis said simply though his words held a strange power. 

The silence that followed was all encompassing becoming solid until suddenly with a crack the weakened zone shattered like a glass dome letting the light of the sun flooded the clearing once more, the normal sound of the forest returning.  Their watches probably said much longer, though everyone else barely an hour has passed. 

As the one vanished so did Artemis, no longer having the energy to manifest.  Rhyme gave Stacey a soft smile then flinched at the pain but still with happiness in his eyes. 

Stacey looked around as she felt the energy shattered. She blinked a few times, her irises slowly turning to a warm brown color. Her gaze raked across the clearing and back over to where the image of Aiden and Jonathan had been. It was all gone. Her forehead wrinkled in her confusion.

"It... it shouldn`t have gone. He should still be here." She said softly, turning to Rhyme. All of a sudden she felt so tired, like something had been dropped over her. The physical effort of the past hour or so was heavy on her, and she slouched forward and rubbed her fingers to her temple. "He should still be here. There`s nothing to block him out." Her voice lifted in tone, all of her frustration and worry running to the surface. It felt like her whole body was full of so much pressure, and she was getting a terrible headache.

"I don`t understand." She moved toward the coolness under the trees and sat down. Without really thinking about it she was rebuilding her mental shields up. She didn`t know why Jonathan had disappeared; logically, he should still be there. He was part of Stacey`s own mind, nothing else physical that was there. Through his niece`s mind he could have a body and substance, but he wouldn`t truly be there. The fact that he had just disappeared didn`t make any sense.

Rhyme got himself to his feet and sat beside Stacey.  He wouldn't have said anything if he could have.  He was beyond worn out and he would have a fun time trying to go to class tomorrow.  He tried to think of his schedule and decided on just skipping his courses for the next day.  He would be mute for the next two days and horse for about a week. 

He just sat there next to her keeping her company.