Dance of Moonlight

Liam screamed. It wasn't in his nature to do so, but he was frustrated. What was Heilyn doing? Making nice with the pretty girl? Didn't he remember that he wouldn't be able to stay very long? Or was he getting caught up with her? Granted he had helped raised her from the time she was a small girl, but that was no reason to get re-attached to her now. And why did he try to stop him? What Liam was doing wasn't because he wanted their powers, no, far from that. He didn't think that the ones chosen could keep themselves safe. If anyone tried to get to them, they wouldn't stand any chance of survivial. Mathayus was closing down on them. It wouldn't take him much longer to find out where they were. Or at least three of them. The fourth one hadn't been chosen yet, but he had a pretty good idea who that was going to be; the young girl who had helped Heilyn. If she lived that is. She had given up a great deal of her power and strength to save her friends. Liam was actually a little awed by her act. He wasn't used to people who would give their life for others. It just wasn't how the world worked where he came from.

He sighed and turned away from the altar in front of him. It was where he called most of his power from. He was going to have to have some words with Heilyn. Explain to him exactly what he was doing and that Heilyn couldn't see the four of them again. It was too dangerous. He didn't want to lose one of his most powerful people. That would be a terrible shame and he wouldn't have it. Liam looked into a mirror that wasn't very far from his altar. He looked tired. His brown hair that hung to his waist needed a good washing, his green eyes were sunken into his skull and had dark bags under them. Even his posture wasn't the same as it used to be. He was slouched over and barely holding his head up. What troubled him most was that he didn't know why his body was doing this. A week ago he had been in the best shape of his life. And it had been a long life. He was almost eight thousand years old, his body should be just the same as it was all those years ago. He was disgusted with himself. He looked away from the mirror and headed for the door. He opened the door and couldn't walk any farther.

One of his guards was lying at the foot of the door. His head had been bashed in. Blood was pooled around him along with pieces of his brain. Liam's heart picked up pace. There weren't that many people who could have done this and not let Liam hear it. A chill filled the air around him. "No, he can't be here. It's impossible." Liam thought. He slowly raised his eyes. There was a man standing before him. At first Liam thought he was looking into a mirror because all he saw was himself. The only difference was that instead of brown hair, this man had darker hair, almost black. Then it hit him. "Mathayus." He whispered.

"Yes, brother. I am here." Mathayus said with a smirk. He grabbed Liam's throught and pushed him back into the room. The door slammed shut behind them.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asked. Mathayus laughed.

"Disturbing your happy home for one. Finishing what I set out to do years ago for another." Liam shook his head, which was a little difficult with his brother holding onto his neck. This couldn't be happening. Mathayus shouldn't be here. He had taken certain precautions to ensure that Mathyus couldn't find him. He had even moved himself and all his people into a different realm to avoid him. How could he have found him?

"You'll never be able to get to them. They may be new at their powers, but they're more powerful than you will ever be, Mathayus. And you know it." Liam said. Mathyus clenched his teeth together. Liam could see the muscles in his jaw strain. He squeezed a little tighter on Liam's neck.

"Of course I know that. That's why I'm here. You're going to help me destroy them. And if we cannot destroy them and take their powers, then we will take the four of them and force them to do my will. One way or another, I will have them."

"You think that will really work? They'll defeat you. Besides, there are not even four of them yet. Only three. The last has not been shown their powers. If you take three you'll still have to wait until you find the fourth."

"I've thought about that. Truly, I have." Mathayus said simply. "What I know is that the three that are already chosen would do anything to save each other and that you have a pretty good idea who the fourth one will be. You forget that I can read people's thoughts. Especially yours. So me and you are going to sit down and have a little talk. You'll tell me what you know and then we'll go after them." Liam closed his eyes.

"I will not help you do this. I am not going to help you destroy that realm." Mathyus erupted into laughter.

"Oh, brother, how little you really know. I don't want to destroy the realm. I want to take control over it. And you will help me. Whether you like it or not. You will." Mathayus said, his voice turning cold. Liam opened his eyes.

"No, I won't." He said firmly. Mathayus shook his head.

"Very well. Have it your way." He pulled Liam in close to his face. "I let you have your choice, but now I must do what needs done." He squeezed Liam's throat tight and flung him backwards. Liam crashed into the far wall and fell to the ground. It had been awhile since he'd been thrown into the stone wall. He started to pick himself up but Mathayus was already there. He grabbed Liam's shoulders and threw him straight up into the air. His back slammed against the ceiling before he came back down to the floor. He covered his face with his arms so his head didn't smack the ground. The imapct swept through his entire body. Mathayus rolled him over onto his back and straddled Liam. He pressed Liam's wrists to the ground and the stone began to shift. It churned under them, melting around Liam's arms. Mathayus shoved his brothers arms down into that liquid stone. He removed his hands and the stone began to harden over Liam. He struggled against it but Mathayus had drove his arms down too deep for him to pull them back out in time.

"I didn't want to have to do this this way, but you've left me with little choice." Mathayus told him. He lifted his right hand into the air. It started to glow red. Liam started to panic. He did not want Mathayus touching him when he called on his power.

"No! Don't do this! Mathayus please!" Liam shouted. He wasn't normally a coward. But he didn't want Mathyaus to touch him, to get control of him. Mathayus's hand stopped glowing.

"Are you going to give me what I want?" He asked. Liam opened his mouth to say yes, but he couldn't betray them like that.

"No."

"Then I'm sorry." Mathayus's hand glowed red again and he brought it down into Liam's chest. Liam screamed. The pain was so intense. Mathayus dug around in Liam's chest while so much blood spilled out of him and onto the ground. When he finally found Liam's heart he grabbed a hold of it. Liam spasmed underneath him, his screams filling the room. Mathyus shoved some of his power directly into Liam's heart. It was the most effective way to get him under his control since they shared the same blood.

Mathayus pulled his hand free from Liam's chest. It was drenched in blood. Oh well, he didn't care about it that much. The wound in Liam's chest was glowing red. Perfect. Now if Liam would stop screaming. He sat there until he did stop. "Liam, Liam can you hear me?"

"Yes, Master." Liam said, his voice filled with pain. Mathayus felt a smile form on his lips before laughter bubbled out of him.



Heilyn had just gotten Faye back to the couch and had had just enough time to wake the other three up before he started to feel the change in him. There was no pain, but something inside of him began to twist, to form itself into something else. He dropped to his knees and held his head in his hands.

"Heilyn!" Brett called.

"Wait." Jacob said grabbing her arm, preventing her from going to Heilyn. Kristian was still in a slight daze. Not as bad as he was earlier, but he was still acting a little slow.

"Something's wrong." Kristian said. The words came out slow. As if a child were speaking them. It caused both Brett and Jacob to look at him. "He's changing." The words came out just as slow and childlike as the others. Brett turned back to Heilyn. He was rocking back and forth on his knees. She broke free of Jacob's grip and came to the ground in front of him. She put her hands on his wrists and turned his face towards her. His eyes were closed tightly and he kept whispering something. It took her a moment to realize what it was since he was speaking it in french: "I won't let you have them." He said over and over again.

"Heilyn, look at me." When he didn't she shook him. "Look at me." Heilyn flew his eyes open, it caused Brett to gasp. The whites of his eyes were glowing red.

"No hiding anymore." Heilyn said, but it wasn't Heilyn's voice. Behind her, Jacob's face paled. He knew that voice. It was Mathayus. The sound of it was enough to jerk Kristian out of his daze. Heilyn shut his eyes again and when he re-opened them they were normal.

"We have to get out of here. Now." Heilyn said. He came to his feet and brought Brett with him. Jacob couldn't move. He didn't know what to do. What the hell was going on? "Don't just stand there. Move!" Heilyn shouted. Kristian grabbed Brett's arm and started to pull her towards the door. Heilyn picked up Faye carefully in his arms and followed after the rest. Jacob still couldn't move.

"Jacob come on!" Kristian called over his shoulder.

"I can't, I can't move." Jacob told him. He tried to pick up his feet but they were stuck to the floor. He knew Mathayus was keeping him in place. There was no other explanation.

"Fight him." Heilyn said from the doorway. "You have to or you won't get out of this house alive. He'll have you." The light in the room darkened. Outside the sun was shining brightly but inside the house it was black as night.

"They're coming." Faye said in Heilyn's arms. Everyone looked at her. Faye's eyes were still closed and she was still unconscious.

"What the..." Brett said. She never finished what she was going to say, something had caught her attention. Behind Jacob there were two pairs of glowing eyes. One of those she was familiar with. She had seen them inches above her face. Only then she was trying to fight for her life. "Kristian," She whispered, not taking her eyes off the eyes. He looked where she was and instinctively moved in front of her, his eyes locked on the eyes of the animals. The eyes vanished.

"It's only mind tricks. He's trying to keep us in the house." Heilyn said. "Kristian, make him move."

"How am I supposed to do that?" He asked.

"You're the master of beasts. Move his feet. You can control him." Heilyn explained. Kristian looked dumbfounded. How could he get Jacob to move? He didn't have the slightest idea how to access his power. He turned to Jacob. "Touch makes power stronger." Heilyn said. Kristian moved in front of Jacob. He reached out and held onto his arms. Jacob did the same thing to Kristian, it just felt like he should. Kristian closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He was using all his will to try and get Jacob's feet to move from where they were. He could feel the power bubbling up inside of him but it wasn't doing what he wanted. He was beginning to get frustrated. He flung his eyes open.

"Damn it, why won't you just move!" Kristian practically yelled. As soon as he said the word 'move', a crack of sound flooded the room. It caused Brett to cover her ears. Jacob felt a powerful pressure on his body and he flew back, falling to the floor.

"Well that's different." Heilyn said. He'd never heard of this certain power working by speaking what you wanted. He'd have to remember that. Outside the sky was starting to become just as dark as the inside of the house. "Hurry up." He told them. Mathayus was getting angry, and being in his path when he was angry wasn't a good idea. They all found their way outside. "Don't get in the car." Heilyn said before Kristian was about to open the door. Where we're going we can't get with a car." He made sure that he had a tight grip on Faye. "Run." And he did. The other three watched after him for a moment before they realized that he was serious. They began to run after him as fast as they could. It didn't take long before Brett knew she wasn't going to be able to keep up with them. They were much too fast. Heilyn looked back over his shoulder as they ran. They three of them could run so much faster than this. Fast enough to get where they needed to be in a matter of seconds. "Pick her up and run!"

Kristian and Jacob looked at each other. "You get her!" Jacob yelled. He wasn't sure if touching her was a good idea yet. He didn't know if he'd try to still eat her. Kristian slowed down enough to catch up with her. He grabbed her arm, bent down and scooped her legs out from under her without stopping. "Keep your eyes closed." He told her. She clamped her eyes shut and felt him fling himself forward. She had never been moving this fast before. Something hit Kristian and he cried out. The force was enough to knock him down and Brett came out of his arms. She rolled about twenty feet down the road. It took a moment before she could pick herself back up. To her surprise she wasn't injured from what had just happened. She stood up and swayed. She was a little dizzy. Kristian was down the road being attacked by...something. Brett couldn't see anything but Kristian was fighting with all he had.

"Kristian!" She screamed and started to run for him. As she ran she could hear the fight. There was someone else there but she still couldn't see anyone. Claw marks slashed across Kristian's chest, leaving four bloody marks.

"Brett stop!" Her legs stopped so abruptly that she almost fell down. Had he done that? Or had she just stopped that quick on her own? Right now she didn't really care. "Keep going!" He ducked and rolled across the ground and came to his feet again. He ran for her. She was thrown to the ground. Something was on top of her, clawing at her body. She covered her face with her arms. The last thing she needed was damage to her face or neck. She screamed as her stomach was clawed. Kristian threw the thing off of her, still not seeing what it was. He grabbed her arm and brought her to her feet and started to run. "Just run."

"Where?" She said breathing heavily.

"The school. Now go!" He shoved her forward. "Don't you dare look back! I'll catch up!" She ran with everything she had. Behind her she heard Kristian let out his cat scream. She wanted to turn around, to see what was going on. She didn't. She had to keep running. The sky had turned green above her, the clouds becoming black. That's when the rain started. It wasn't a light rain. The rain pelted down on her, coming in sheets. The wind was fierce, forcing her to the side. Running against it seemed impossible but she made herself keep going. She was not going to let herself die. Not like this.

She ran past the Elementary School that was only a few blocks away from the highschool. The children stared at her from their windows as she ran. Suddenly the sirens started to fill the air and the children were pulled frantically away from the windows. It wasn't smart to be by them if a tornado was coming. Brett kept running. When she turned onto Snedicker she could have started crying. She was so close. A howl erupted behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see what it was. Nothing was there. When she looked in front of her, a car was only a few feet from her. Brett didn't even have time to scream. She jumped straight into the air and landed on the hood of the car. She ran up the windsheild, across the top and down the back to jump off the trunk. She was too shocked at what she had just done to stop or question it.

Teeth sunk into her ankle and she tumbled to the ground. She rolled a few times but she immediately came back to her feet. Where she was getting this endurance and numbness against the pain she didn't know. But she was grateful. She veered right and ran for the glass doors that would lead her behind the gyms. From the corner of eye she could see a black figure running to meet her at the door. It was a panther. She reached the door and threw it open, letting Kristian run inside before she did. She closed the door and ran for the bigger of the two gyms. It was the quickest way to get to the front of the school. The glass of the door shattered behind them as something broke through it. Brett opened the door to the gym and Kristian sprinted into it.

Hundred of students were there. The gym was one of the strongest places of the building. It was ideal to go to when the tornado sirens sounded. A lot of girls screamed when they saw Kristian. It wasn't everyday they go to see a real live panther. Everyone in the gym looked at her as she ran through it. She was almost to the door when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Brett! Where have you been? I've been so worried." Rhys said. Rhys was Brett's best friend and was probably her only friend. "What the hell's happened to you?" He could see that she was shaken.

"I'll find you when this is over, Rhys. I promise." She kissed him on the cheek and was about to turn away but he wouldn't let her go. Kristian growled up at Rhys and raised up on his back legs and smacked his hand away from Brett. At the other end of the gym students were being tossed aside as something ran through the crowd. Rhys backed away from Brett. "I promise I'll explain everything." She pushed through the door with Kristian running after her.

"There they are! Brett!" Heilyn yelled. They were about to go into the office.

"Run!" Brett shouted at them. Two things happened at once. Something slammed into both Brett and Kristian, sending them sliding through the lobby, and all the glass shattered from a sudden explosion of sound. Students could be heard screaming from all parts of the school. Heilyn placed Faye on the countertop in the office and rushed from the room. Brett tried to stand up but glass was digging into her hands causing her to slide instead of stand. Her hands left blood trails behind her. Kristian grabbed her arm in his mouth and came up to his back legs so she could stand.

"Where is it?" Jacob yelled.

"I don't know." Brett told him. What ever was after them grabbed her arms and lifted her into the air.

"Brett!" Heilyn and Jacob yelled together. Jacob headed for the stairs to get to the second floor and Heilyn followed.

"Let me go!" Brett yelled. The hands that held her dug in tighter.

"You want me to let you go?" The voice asked. It was the same voice that had come out of Heilyn back at the house.

"Yes." She said.

"Very well." Jacob stopped and jumped onto the rail that prevented anyone from falling to the first floor. Shapeshifters had excellent balance. He looked down to see Heilyn standing directly under Brett. He hadn't followed Jacob like he thought. Kristian was standing next to him looking up at Brett. Jacob's eyes locked with Heilyn and he nodded. "Have it your way." Mathayus said. He let go of Brett's arms as Jacob lunged into the air. He grabbed a hold of what had been holding Brett. His hands lengthened into claws and he dug them into Mathayus's side, or into the side of what ever he was on. Blood poured from the wound that Jacob had made. On the floor Heilyn hadn't moved. He reached out his arms and caught Brett so she wouldn't hit the ground. The creature above them shrieked and Jacob let it go. He landed on his feet and shifted his hand back to normal.

"Let's go." Heilyn said. The four of them ran back to the office and this time Jacob picked Faye up. They bolted for the principal's office and once they were all in, shut the door. Heilyn placed his hand on it and muttered something under his breath. This was all too familiar for Brett and for Jacob. He couldn't help but glance at her. When Heilyn opened the door again the hallway with all the doors was there again. "Brett, find the door we want. Look for light." Heilyn told her.

Brett closed her eyes and searched for light. She felt herself race down the hall the door she wanted. In her mind the door was glowing. She ran back into herself and opened her eyes. "Come on." She started to run down the hall. The creature was beating on the door they had just come from but none of them stopped to wait for it. Brett stopped in front of the door they wanted and it threw itself open. No one had touched it. Well, that was nifty. A bright white light shone out of the door. The door at the end of the hall crashed opened and they ran in to the white lighted room and slammed the door in the creatures face.