*~*~*~*~*~*

Tyrell shot up from his bed, a cold sweat breaking out across his body as he struggled to comprehend what he had just dreamed. Once again, he hadn’t been in the dream but had been an omniscient bystander to the events portraying mystifying power and grisly demise. The sheer brutality of the whole thing shocked the boy to the core as he braced himself against the headstand of the bed, shivering with fear. This dream had almost mirrored the one that he had had before the whole mess with the Keys had reared its ugly head.

The people in his dream had seem so familiar, it was scary. Danae, the last living person in his dream, very much resembled his twin sister except that she was not half as assertive as Kathryn. But the boy that she had tried to save, Tavores, his resemblance to Lucian, whom he had met the other day, was simply stunning. Aside from the longer hair and the red eyes, Lucian looked just like the boy in his dream. Fortunately, their personalities were nothing alike. Tavores had acted a great deal colder than he believed Lucian could be, even if he tried. But both youths still possessed those same stunning eyes, eyes that drew one toward them almost as if under a thrall. They were the eyes of a master of manipulation and a pinnacle of dark charisma.

Tyrell rolled out of bed, still shaking, and stumbled into his bathroom, splashing some cold water in his face to ease the chilled sensation in his body. He hating having dreams like these, which usually succeeded in preventing him from falling asleep for at least the rest of the night. After the exhausting game with Lucian the other day, Tyrell felt that he could use a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately, fate had chosen otherwise. Even if he tried to return to bed, Tyrell knew that he could never doze off with all those violent thoughts rushing through his head. Realizing that rest was now out of the question, he walked over to his bureau and pulled out the bottom drawer, removing his tablet from within.

Sitting on his knees on the carpeted floor, he rested his back against the drawer and began to sketch the images in his dream. As he drew the winged Tavores, he was stunned at how much the picture made him think of the young Lucian. He recalled how that distanced look had appeared in the redhead’s eyes when he mentioned his crimson orbs. If he extended the grown-out fringe of hair that trailed down Tavores’s neck, he would have an exact portrait of Lucian Ambrose. Somehow the thought made him feel queasy and he set the tablet back on the floor, dropping his pencil to the ground.

He reached under his nightshirt and fingered the heavy cross that rested across his breastbone. Tyrell pondered whether it was the same cross that Danae had used to trap Vincient during the final stage of his dream. What was it that the people in his dream had called it? The Cruce. From a few scattered lessons in his high school career, Tyrell recognized the word as meaning cross in the Spanish tongue. But what was so special about it aside from the other relics possessed by the other youths that made Vincient covet it so? If this was what the enemy had sought for in his dream, there was always the possibility that the Chimera could be after the same thing, which explained why they attacked him time and time again.

But one thing still disturbed him. In his dream, Tavores had mentioned that only heirs of Alistar could harness the power of the Cruce. If the relic in his possession really was the Cruce, did that make him an Alistar as well? He recalled how Wolf had addressed him as such in one of his earlier reveries. Perhaps this was more proof that he was actually one of the heirs of the Alistars, which would explain a lot of things, for starters why he could read minds and why he had visions of the past and future in his dreams. Maybe these ancient Alistars were mediums or sorcerers in their own time. Lying against the bureau, he pondered the possibility late into the night and early into the next morning.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Sitting at the breakfast table the next morning, Kat noticed that her brother was being unusually quiet as if he’d witnessed something dreadful during the night. Knowing that for the first time in a week, a member of the Chimera hadn’t attacked Tyrell, she studied her sibling, wondering what else could have put such a dazed look in his eyes. Tyrell mouthed a bagel without really chewing it as Angelique too noticed his odd behavior and lifted a concerned eyebrow at his actions. The boy lowered his eyes, realizing that he still had most of the bagel left though he had been nibbling it for the past five minutes. He placed the bagel back down on his plate and reached over to down a glass of iced tea.

"Something up?" Kathryn asked, stifling a laugh as her brother’s wobbly hands resulted in him pouring half the cup on the table and his shirt. Tyrell jumped up at the feeling of the cool liquid and twisted his white shirt to ring the droplets out of the cloth that was beginning to fade to a dull tan.

"Huh?" Tyrell mumbled, grabbing a washcloth from the counter and scrubbing at the stained patch on his dress shirt.

"I asked if anything was bothering you. You seem sort of out of it today. Doesn’t he, Angelique," his sister pointing out, receiving a concurring nod from their cousin.

"Uh yeah. I didn’t get that much sleep last night," admitted Tyrell as Angelique gave him a knowing look.

"Did you have another bad dream, Tye?" the soft-spoken girl inquired as she cleared her plate from the table and dunked it in the sink.

"No!" lied the boy, jerking back as if he had been struck. "Why does everybody have to flip out whenever I’m feeling weird? Did it ever occur to any of you that I may have just had a headache that prevented me from getting any decent sleeping time?" He glared back at the two girls as he finished rubbing at the light stain on his clothes.

"Hey! We’re just acting like a concerned family should act!" snapped Kat as she wiped the spilt tea from the table and bent down to clean up the puddle that had trickled on the tiled floor. "Why don’t you try showing some gratitude?"

Her phrase hit home on Tyrell as he remembered shouting the same sentiment to Dominic after his unpleasant treatment of Nadia. Perhaps, Dominic was just trying to hide something dangerous from those he cared about just like he was. If that was the case, then Tyrell had acted very hypocritical in scolding him for his manner around his sister, seeing that he was acting the exact same way as the older boy had been acting. He considered the option of trying to apologize to the dark-haired youth if he encountered him during school that day.

"Sorry," Tyrell mumbled to his relatives as he slid out of the kitchen and ascended the staircase to collect his books from his room.

"He’s definitely hiding something," Kathryn noted, turning to Angelique for confirmation. The silver-haired girl still hadn’t completely forgiven her cousin for refusing to share his other secret with her. She looked back at Kat and nodded slowly.

"Yes he is and believe me, I’m going to find out what."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kat skipped down the hall toward the gym, eager to get to class before the other girls so she could hang out with the boys by herself. As she hurried toward the girls’ locker section, she noticed an unfamiliar boy arguing with the PE instructor. He was pointing at the PE uniform, consisting of a pair of ugly gray shorts and a light gray tanktop, and making agitated movements to show his disapproval of the attire, frequently yanking on the shirt. The PE instructor regarded the new boy with disdain as he tried to calmly explain to the raving youth that this was the chosen style of the school and that everybody had to wear it, no matter how unattractive it may seem. Huffing in fury, the boy whirled from the instructor and began to stomp off into the opposite direction.

Laughing at his antics, Kat raced up to him and grabbed his shoulder. Surprised by the touch, the youth turned to her, revealing his set of entrancing garnet eyes. Kat swooned under their glow as she presented the new boy with a sweet smile. "I couldn’t help but notice that you seem to have some problems with the PE uniform," she stated with a languished toss of her strawberry blond braid.

"Problems? This thing goes way beyond problems. This is more along the lines of disgusting lack of common taste," griped the boy looking down again at his uniform in repugnance. "Do they honestly expect us to wear these things three days of the week?"

"I’m afraid so," giggled Kat as she saw the appalled expression on the other youth’s face.

"That’s cruel and unusual punishment," griped the other youth as he lifted his eyes once more to meet her curious sapphires. "What do they call you, princess?"

"Well, my friend’s call me Kat. But my real name is Kathryn. Kathryn Arteme."

"Ah, I see, you’re Tye’s sister, right?" quipped the other youth, a spark of recognition shimmering in his eyes. "Your brother’s a funny guy. And not that bad a basketball player, if I do say so myself."

"Yep, that’s my twin brother all right. You say you already met him? I wonder why he didn’t mention anything to me," Kat pondered, silently cursing at the notion of her brother keeping the knowledge of meeting another boy from her.

"Well, I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm by it. Must have just slipped his mind. Oh and you can call me Lucian Ambrose."

"Ambrose. What a lovely name," cooed Kathryn, curling a loose strand of her braid in her fingers. "Doesn’t ambrosia mean ‘food of the gods’ in Greek?"

"Probably. I’m not big on that much Greek mythology," Lucian laughed as he stepped back from the daydreaming girl.

"You know, coincidentally, Arteme is short for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt."

"Really? You sure know a lot about his stuff, Kathy," the boy gulped, growing more and more uneasy around the blue-eyed girl.

*~*~*~*~*~*

But as Lucian stared at her, the feeling of nervousness began to fade as her figure awakened a forgotten corner of his mind. That silky hair and those yearning eyes. They reminded him of something that he couldn’t quite recall. All he knew was that he didn’t want to leave this girl despite the strange words that continued to pour from her mouth. Something inside him seemed to be urging him to bring himself closer to her.

The feeling drowned his senses, causing his head to swim with confusion, as he fought to stand on his feet. It was almost as if he was swooning, yet he personally didn’t feel anything special for the girl. Sure, she was attractive and sweet looking, moreso than some of the other girls he had seen around the school so far. But she just didn’t seem to draw him in any way.

Still, some part of him seemed to insist that he make a significant attempt to get to know her. Involuntarily, his eyes examined the young lady, taken in her eager chatting and her sensuous body movements. She was obviously trying to flirt with him. It was a bit irritating. Her words faded into the air as the only thing the boy could focus on was the form of the young girl. She suddenly appeared so beautiful as she flashed her eyes and waved her hand before his face, seeing if he was even listening to her anymore.

"Danae..." Lucian whispered as he felt his legs go out from under him and he sank to the floor much to the shock of the watching Kat.

"Oh my god!" shrieked the girl as she fell to her knees and shook the dazed Lucian, staring in wide-mouth shock as his eyes regained their clarity. "Are you okay, Lucian?"

Lucian blinked at her and then shook his head roughly, pushing away the odd feeling of nostalgia that rushed up to engulf his mind. Who was Danae? He had never heard of name before, yet it had seemed so familiar as it had rolled off his tongue, almost as if it were something that he was accustomed to speaking. He put a hand to his head and pressed against the front, staring at Kat with bewildered crimson eyes.

"Yeah...I’m fine. What were you saying a moment ago?" he responded as Kat backed away from him, allowing him to crawl back to his feet.

"Oh. I was just mentioning how you’re the only one who has ever called me Kathy. It sounds much nicer than that wretched Kat thing everyone else calls me. By the way, what happened? Did you black-out or something?" the girl asked, leaning closer to the youth and tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah...something like that. I guess I must not be feeling too good right now. Result of playing too much basketball with your brother in the morning and than sitting through all those mind-numbing classes. Hey, did I say something strange just before I collapsed?"

"I didn’t hear anything. What did you say?"

"I’m not sure. Never mind, it’s probably not important anyway," Lucian replied, badly wanting to change the subject. "So Kathy, what lunch do you have today?"

"Second. But I’ll probably be eating with my brother and his friends today since my usual clique is working on the dance committee. If you have the same lunch, do you want to join us?" Kathryn suggested, giving Lucian an innocent bat of her eyelashes.

"Sure! I’d love to have someone to talk to other than Shira. I’ll find you guys when we come into the cafeteria today."

"All right! Well, I better go and get changed before class starts. You know they give you detention if you don’t wear your PE uniform during class," the girl added before whipping around and racing back to the girls’ locker.

Lucian waited until she was gone and fiddled with the back of his ponytail. Now that the girl had vanished, the strange affliction that had overwhelmed his mind had faded and he was back in control. What was it about her that had brought up the bizarre reaction? It was almost as if he knew her, though he was certain he had never seen the girl before. Not only that, the feeling of knowing her was much stronger than the simple act of knowing her. The feeling was deep and painful, almost a feeling of yearning and desire. Was it love? Lucian wasn’t even sure he wanted to find out. He had enough problems already to have to worry about an involuntary love affair.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"You know, brother, you really shouldn’t hassle the school about their dress code. You’re just going to get us into trouble," a silky voice warned as Lucian looked up at the speaker.

It was a young woman with an incredible length of wavy white-silver hair that glistened under the dull lights of the cafeteria as it cascaded down her back and reached to her upper thighs. Though most of it rolled freely down her skin, part of it was wound up in two small buns on each side of her head. The girl tossed her head, shifting the delicate gray tresses so that a few strands trickled over her shoulder. She took another sip of her soda and gazed at her brother with bright silvered eyes.

"But then again, you live to get us in trouble, don’t you Luce?" she scolded as her sibling waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and poked at the potatoes on his plate.

"It’s the school’s fault for having a crummy sense of style. Why should I have to suffer for their atrocious taste in clothing?" he grumbled, shooting his sister a pitiful glance.

"Well, you should also quit playing basketball with that boy before school. You’re too loud and going to attract too much attention to yourself," the girl complained as she leaned back and rolled her eyes around the room.

"We’re not that loud, Shira! And this dull place could use a little more excitement, if you ask me."

"That’s no excuse for you to act like a reckless fool."

"If I thought you were going to spend our lunch break preaching to me, I would have stayed in math class," Lucian as he rocked the chair back on its metal legs.

"Sometimes you need a little reminding that we’re not here to make a big showing to the school. We have a job to do and that’s it," Shira continued, leaning over to grab her brother’s shirt and pull him and the chair back in the normal position. Lucian crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant manner and began to mope when he saw a familiar face waving to him from the front line.

"Tye!" he called out as he jumped from the table and ran over to the young boy, snatching his wrist and dragging him back to his seating arrangement. "Jeez, am I ever glad to see you. Finally, I get to have some stimulating conversation." He ignored Shira’s withering glare and scooted closer to Tyrell. "So, what’s up?"

"Is this a friend of yours?" Tyrell questioned, motioning toward Shira with a turn of his head.

Lucian grinned and threw his arm around Shira’s shoulder as the girl looked at him in surprise. "You bet. This is my twin sister, Tashira. She and I were just discussing our basketball games, Tye. Apparently, Shira doesn’t think we should be playing so loudly in the mornings."

"I didn’t say that," denied Tashira as she lifted her brother’s hand from her shoulder and looked back at Tyrell. "I was just saying that Luce acts far too hyper-active in the mornings. Maybe I should get him some drugs."

"You never know, Shira, drugs might actually make me worse," joked Lucian nudging her side as Tyrell laughed softly.

"Heaven forbid," his sister remarked, rolling her eyes and turning back to Tyrell. "He’s a little crazy in the head, but I still love him. By the way, how did a nice quiet boy like you run into the ultra energetic entity that is my brother?"

"I met him when he was playing basketball the other day. And I don’t mind if he’s a little over zealous, he’s a welcome change to my usual company, especially Dominic," Tyrell responded as he growled out the name at the end of his sentence. "That guy just pisses me off."

"Oh. And who’s this Dominic guy anyway?" Lucian inquired, leaning on his elbow and staring at Tyrell with inquisitive slanted eyes.

"He’s...well, Dominic’s basically a huge jerk. He has no respect for anyone and he hardly ever talks. As a matter of fact, the only time he does open his mouth is when he wants to say something mean, usually to me."

"Sounds like a real winner? Where’d you pick him up?"

"I ran into him while I was at the..er..He’s in my Physics class this year," stuttered Tyrell, realizing that he almost told the twins where he had really seen Dominic.

"Well, today must be your lucky day, Tye, cause I just got my schedule changed, and from now on I’m going to be taking Physics instead of my previous course in Chemistry. So I guess I’ll be able to protect you from big bad Dominic now, won’t I?" Lucian snickered as he ruffled Tyrell’s spiked hair.

Tyrell smiled and attempted to straighten his hair from the other boy’s touch. "Thank god. I don’t know how much longer I can stand such a cold personality."

"Now Luce, you’re not going to go starting trouble again. Remember that’s what got us kicked out of the last school," Tashira pointed out as her brother held up his hands, passively.

"Whoa! That was not my fault. How could I have known that we weren’t allowed to climb up on the roof? I just wanted to see the view," argued Lucian as his eyes flashed a brilliant garnet.

Tyrell looked up at Lucian in muted disbelief. "You didn’t do anything really bad, did you Lucian?" he asked, a hint of worry in his tone.

"No! The principal just freaked because he said I was causing a scene and acting unstable and some other crap like that. I think the guy was just pissed at me for telling him his wig was crooked."

"Luce," Tashira sighed, patting the redhead’s shoulder and shaking her head in a chiding manner. "When are you going to learn that people don’t like it when you point out their little mistakes?"

"But it was so obvious. Everyone could see and I felt bad for the guy, I just wanted to give him some constructive criticism," Lucian explained as he brought a spoon of now cold potatoes to his mouth. "That’s makes sense, doesn’t it Tye?"

"I guess," the other boy mumbled as he stared back at Lucian, emerald eyes blinking in puzzlement.

Lucian gave his sister a triumphant nod as if to say, ‘so there’ and then returned to eating his quickly cooling lunch. He stirred the lump of potatoes in attempt to restore some of their original warmth and then began shoveling them into his mouth. Suddenly, he swallowed his bite and raised his eyes to a certain area of the room. That odd dizzying feeling came back to him as he watched Kat urging Maren, Cyrus, and Gayle toward the table where Tyrell and the others sat. Lucian brushed back his hair with his hand and turned to Tyrell, trying to push away the feeling that he should run over to Kathryn and throw his arms around her in an affectionate embrace.

"Yo Tye, isn’t that your sister heading this way?" he said to the other boy, finding it hard to take his eyes off the approaching girl. Tyrell’s head shot up from his plate as he looked at Kat and groaned aloud.

"Oh no. Not now." Then the younger boy glanced back at Lucian and added, "How did you know she was my sister?"

"She told me."

"You talked to her? Man, Lucian, I’m so terribly sorry," uttered Tyrell as he tried to shrink down in his seat.

"Aw Tye, she’s not that bad. Aside from being a bit aggressive, she’s actually a nice girl," Lucian corrected the boy, trying to push him back up.

"That’s an understatement."

He bowed his head and Kat slapped her bag down on the table, waving to Lucian as she bounced over and plopped down on the seat right next to him. She threw her braid over her shoulder and leaned against the table, staring up at the boy with hungry sapphire eyes. Lucian gulped and made an attempt to avert his eyes, as he was starting to feel light-headed again. He produced a faint wave in Kat’s direction and pushed himself to the right of the young girl, elbowing Tyrell in the process.

"Hey Kathy. Nice to see you again. I guess," he greeted as the girl gave him a ecstatic grin and moved closer.

"Oh Lucian, I’m so sorry I’m late. I know you were probably worried about what was taking me so long," she purred in a forlorn voice as Tyrell grimaced in disgust.

"No he wasn’t worried about you and your tardy self, Kat. He was busy having an intellectual discussion with me. Now, if you wouldn’t mind I would like to finish what I was saying," her brother snapped, reaching across Lucian’s lap and shoving Kat away.

"Why off all the nerve!" Kat hissed as she slapped at his hands and stepped away from the table to yank Tyrell out of his seat. "How dare you act as though he’s just your friend? Lucian just so happens to be my friend too."

"Oh yeah! How long have you known him?" asked Tyrell, leaning his head back and glaring into his sister’s face.

"It doesn’t matter! I was the one who invited him here in the first place. You’re just butting in! Now get lost Tyrell!"

"Make me!"

"You’re such a spaz!"

"Well, you’re a shameless flirt!"

"That’s a bit hypocritical, wouldn’t you say Tyrell?"

"Shut up!"

Lucian stared at the two youths in dismay as he realized that they were fighting over him. He looked back at Tashira for help but the silver-haired girl just shrugged her shoulders and continued eating her lunch. "Sure know how to pick them, eh Luce?" she chuckled as her brother snorted at her reply.

He looked over at Maren and Gayle, but they seemed just as helpless at him. Maren was staring at Tyrell disdainfully, too stunned for words as Gayle whimpered and put a hand to her mouth in shock. The other boy, Cyrus, just shook his head and returned to the homework he was engaged in. Obviously, they weren’t going to provide Lucian with any aid. The red-haired boy hung his head and lifted himself from his chair. Grumbling to himself about how he managed to put himself in these situations, he walked over to the two youths and tapped on Kat’s shoulder.

"Children, do you think we could possibly be somewhat more civil? People are staring," he whispered as the fighting twins turned their heads to see most of the cafeteria’s customers watching them with interest.

Kat blushed a deep red and removed her hands from Tyrell, rushing back to his seat and resuming her meal in absolute silence. Tyrell also turned a bit pink as he gazed back at the hundreds of peering eyes. He situated himself in his seat and laid his head down on the table, covering his face with his hands. Lucian sighed in relief and returned to his old seat, confident that he would no longer be in the middle of the shouting crossfire of the two siblings. Tashira presented him with a comforting smile as the group continued to finish their lunch in peace.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Having refused to speak with his sister for the remainder of the day, Tyrell trudged on his way to Maren’s. For once, he was early as he didn’t have to wait for Angelique since she had mysteriously disappeared sometime during the course of the day. He usually didn’t have lunch with her this year so it wasn’t that much of a puzzlement that he hadn’t seen her most of the day. After all, he was only a junior while Angelique was a senior. They didn’t have a single class together. Still, he couldn’t help but feel that Angelique’s decision to walk home by herself without telling anyone was a little odd.

He glanced up at the afternoon sky and noticed that storm clouds were beginning to fill the air with an ominous presence. The sun vanished behind the wisps of a dark foreboding cloud and a brisk wind began to stir. Tyrell bit his lip to take his mind off the knife-like cold that followed the wind through the area. All he needed now was something to make him feel even worse than he already felt. The whole lunch fiasco with Lucian and Kat had been bugging him the whole day. He had no idea why he had acted so defensive when his sister showed up. Maybe it was due to the fact that she was always hogging his time with his friends. Yet, he certainly hadn’t meant to lose his temper and make a complete fool out of himself as he had done. What was worse, he had seen the baffled look on Lucian’s face and realized that his actions were embarrassing the older boy as well. A drop of rain plummeted from the air and smacked him in the eye, culminating a day of grief.

The rain began to get harder as it pounded on his skin and soaked clear through his book bag, drenching his papers inside. Tyrell moaned and struggled to run toward a nearby building as the rain continued to pelt him in angry bursts. As he ran, a foot slipped out of nowhere, tripping the young boy and causing him to topple to the ground. His face scratched against the asphalt street as his book bag smashed against his back, causing him to cough harshly. He lifted his head from the puddle of rainwater he had been lying in and wiped at the dirty smears on his cheeks. Raising his eyes to determine what had happened, he was shocked to come across a set of dull cornflower blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, young Key," a voice greeted him with a touch of malevolence, as Fang knelt down before him. He reached out a hand to help Tyrell to his feet and Tyrell refused, backing away from him, spraying his school pants with mud and tar from the road. Fang looked offended as he pulled back his hand and used it to brush a few rain pellets from his finely combed hair. "You refuse my help. I’m hurt."

"I don’t want any help from the likes of you," Tyrell remarked in a frightened voice as he tried to keep his distance from the Chimera.

"Oh that saddens me, Key. It really does and after I came all this way to tell you something so very important," Fang moped, batting at a piece of his bangs like an bemused cat.

He seemed a lot less vicious than the other day when Tyrell had first ran into him. Now, he just seemed melancholy and playful. He was so much different than his older brother, Lionelle. Then the blue-eyed man grinned at Tyrell, revealing his upper set of tiny pointed fangs. Tyrell gulped. Maybe the two brothers weren’t that different after all. Fang pressed one of the sharp canines with his tongue and turned his head to the side, rolling his eyes upward as if contemplating something. A moment later, he laughed to himself and shifted his eyes back to the wet teenager.

"You do want to know don’t you?" he asked cryptically, scratching his jawbone with one long fingernail.

Tyrell gave him a nonplused look and began to slide his arms from out of his book bag straps. He pressed his feet against the street to give him added leverage if given the reason to run. Fang watched the boy’s actions with amusement, drips of icy rain slinking down his face. His expression was that of pure innocence and childish enchantment as he stared down at Tyrell. The docile smile he offered unnerved Tyrell as he weighed the prospect of asking Fang to clarify his initial statement.

"What do you have to tell me?" Tyrell ventured, staring at the man with focused emerald eyes.

"Why, where to find your young friend, of course."

The answer startled Tyrell and he clambered to his feet, feeling a cold prickling feeling at the base of his spine. He started to move a hand toward his chest as a flash from Fang’s emotionless blue eyes made him pause. His hand dropped to his side as he drummed his fingers against his hip, anticipating the other’s next move.

"What are you talking about?" Tyrell gasped, his stomach churning from his anxiety.

"The girl you’re always with. You know the cute one with silver hair. I’m sure you want to know where she is," Fang teased, moving closer to Tyrell as the boy’s eyes widened in horror.

He snatched his cross from inside his shirt and instantly forced it to revert to its Divinity form. Snarling, he held the sword up to Fang’s throat causing the other to smile and step back a pace. Tyrell fought to hold his sword steady as a burning rage built up inside him, mixing with the fear that had been there moments before.

"Where is Angie?" he demanded as Fang flicked the blade with his fingernails as he swerved around the boy’s side, Tyrell’s blade following his throat every step of the way.

"Sorry little Key, I don’t want to play now. It’s too crowded here. Unlike my brother, I know better than making a scene in a public place," the Chimera replied sweetly, reaching out and caressing Tyrell’s shoulder. Without warning, his sunk his nails into the yielding flesh as the boy whimpered in pain and collapsed to his knees, his sword slipping from his hand at the shock. He looked up at Fang with hurt gray-green eyes as the man dug his nails even deeper, leaning close to Tyrell and whispering in his ear. "If you want to save your friend, come to the place on this card." He reached into his shirt pocket with his free hand and dropped a black piece of paper on the ground. It was a bit water-worn but Tyrell could still make out the letters on the surface as he tried to pull away from the Chimera’s boring claws. Tears were building in his eyes as Fang smirked and withdrew his nails, pushing the boy onto his back. Raising the crimson-coated objects to his mouth, he slowly licked each nail clean and shot Tyrell a feral glare.

Tyrell was in too much pain to think straight as he brought his hand to his shoulder and pressed down on the wet wound. With his other hand, he slowly bent down and lifted the black card from the street, running his eyes over the words as he winced in pain. Fang turned from the boy and lifted his arm as a stream of pulsing orange fire flowed from his hand and coiled around his form in a grotesque helix of flame.

"Be seeing you soon," he laughed as both he and the flame disappeared into nothing.

Seeing that the Chimera was gone, Tyrell grabbed a strap of his book bag and hoisted it onto himself, taking off down the road at a sprinting speed. Rain that struck him viciously in the face as raced against the slick road, still clutching the edge of the black card in his forefingers as he hurried home to warn Kat of their new problems. By the time he reached home, he was gasping for breath and freezing from the glacial drips clinging to his skin. Tyrell quickly sped past his mother and stumbled up the stairs. He flung himself against Kat’s door and pounded on it with his fist, slumping to the floor as his strength left him. The second Kat opened the door, a nasty grimace on her face, he held up the black card and fell to his hands, a tremble rising all over his body.

"They’ve got Angie."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kathryn and her brother opened the heavy door and entered the dimly lit building. The night sky shined in through the glass skylights in the ceiling, only serving to darken the room more than it already was. Some decrepit canvases lay by the sides of the walls, indicating that the place might have once been used as an art showcase. Tyrell fumbled along the wall for a light switch. He didn’t trust this whole situation as it was and having some manner of seeing what was around him would make him feel a whole lot better. Kat had been unusually reluctant to come, explaining to Tyrell that she sensed a trap. She had insisted that they bring out their weapons the instant they entered the building and Tyrell had complied. But even with his Divinity clenched in his fist, Tyrell still didn’t feel a bit safe. He knew this was a trap, but he also knew that the Chimera had somehow gotten a hold of Angelique. They had to risk their chances if it meant protecting her.

But as Tyrell crept around the wall, he realized that he felt really stupid for mouthing off to Dominic the other day. He could probably use the older boy’s help right about now and Dominic was nowhere to be found. He was definitely shunning Tyrell because of the disrespectful and ungrateful behavior Tyrell had shown toward him at the cafeteria the other day, just the day after he saved his life, yet again. Breathing hard, the boy continued to trace his fingers along the wall until they came in contact with something flat and jutting upward. He pressed down on the switch as the room flooded with bright white lights, causing the two youths to blink as sparks danced before their eyes.

Focusing his eyes, Tyrell saw Fang standing on a lofted stairway, holding the unconscious form of Angelique. He heard a low curse at his side as he saw Kat clamp her fingers around her Dragoneye. Fang waved to the two youths and set Angelique on the ground, motioning to them to come closer. Tyrell held back, wary of the method of Fang’s tricks but Kat dashed forward and leapt to the loft opposite of the Chimera. Her fingers caught on the edge and she kicked her legs forward, pushing her body up on the loft as Tyrell cringed at her recklessness. She was going to get herself killed.

"Well aren’t we the feisty one?" Fang joked as he leaned back against the pole holding the loft in the air. His movement jostled the loft and it shook a bit under his feet. His eyes sparked with momentary alarm and then returned to their customary glazed veil once the loft stabilized. The Chimera looked down at Tyrell and chuckled. "Lionelle says I get to pull this job off. He told me I had permission to off your little friend unless you told us what we wanted to know."

"What are you talking about?" hissed the boy as he began to step forward, considering leaping onto the loft with his sister.

"Give us the Cruce. We know you have it."

"What? Why would I have it?"

"Give me a break. Everyone knows that those who hold the Shards are associated with the Alistars. Now be a nice little Key and tell me where it is," persuaded Fang nudging Angelique with his foot.

"You leave Onyx alone," ordered Kat as she raised up her sword and began to whisper a few words.

Brushing aside the fact that Kat had just used the ridiculous name when referring to him, Tyrell turned to his sister and yelled, "Kat don’t! You’ll get Angie!"

Fang chuckled at the pair's antics and then grinned at Tyrell, playing his fingers across his jawbone. "Onyx? That’s original. Where did you come up with that one?" Tyrell blushed a fierce crimson and turned his head to the side to avoid the Chimera’s mocking eyes. Seeing that he had abashed the youth for the moment, Fang turned back to Kat and tossed his head, pushing back the smooth fiery red strands of hair. "So what do they call you, blue-eyes? Zircon?"

"Very funny. They call me Garnet," Kat asserted with a haughty raise of her chin, her sword’s energy lowering as she recalled her earlier command.

"Garnet? That’s even better. You kids are great! And I was beginning to think Fang was lame."

"Shut up, you big poser! You’re just here because your big brother told you to come!"

At Kat’s slur, Fang’s eyes became incensed and he growled at her, lip curling in an animalistic snarl. "You’re going to pay for that, sweetie," he warned as he held up his hand, which instantly began to glow as a sphere of fire materialized on his palm. He sneered and flung out his hand, hurling the burning ball at the young girl.

"Kat!" Tyrell roared as the shattering of glass drowned his cries out. He heard Fang shout an array of curses as the fire slammed into Kat’s loft, tossing her off the edge. Still screaming, the boy raced toward his sister, seeing her plunge off the lot and plummet toward the ground. He knew he could never reach her in time since he was at least ten yards from her. But before he could get very far, something jumped in front of him, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

Dazed, Kat opened her eyes and realized that she was in someone’s arms. Startled, she lifted her head and gazed into a pair of gentle crimson eyes. Lucian. Smiling she reached up and caressed the side of the redhead’s cheek. Lucian looked like he was having some trouble standing as she raised her eyes and whispered, "You saved me."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Staring into those seductive sapphire eyes, Lucian felt himself being pulled into a spinning whirlpool of emotions. The old feeling of desire and yearning returned as he tried to turn away from the young girl. His knees were feeling weak and he felt like he was going to pass out if he didn’t do something soon. The proximity of their bodies was too much for him to handle. As Kat tried to climb out of his hold, his arms seemed to have a mind of their own. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand reached around the girl’s neck, pulling her forward and at the same time lowering his face to meet hers. Kat’s eyes widened in absolute shock as the boy suddenly kissed her deeply. Shivers of passion raced down Lucian’s back as his mind snapped back into gear. What the hell was he doing?

His eyes were wild and frightened as he jerked away from Kat and lowered her to the floor. He glanced back at Tashira who was mouthing something angrily at him. Shaking his head, he backed away from the young girl, his head feeling like it was going to explode from the myriad of thoughts that rushed through it. But one thought rang through, clearer than all the rest. Danae. There was that enigmatic name again. Where did it come from and what the hell did it have to do with him and Kathryn Arteme?

"Who the hell are you?" a caustic call from Fang shook Lucian from his thoughts as he looked back up at the man. Fang was gritting his teeth, looking rather bothered at the moment.

At the sound of the man’s nasty voice, another part of Lucian’s mind kicked into place. He grinned at the man maniacally and ran his fingers down his neck, hooking them around the silver chain draped around his throat. With a slight tug, he withdrew a dazzling ruby globule from his shirt and wound the chain around his forefinger.

"We’re the Guardians of these Keys. I see you like picking on young boys and girls. Care for a real challenge?" the boy purred as Tashira came up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder while holding a silver sword at her side.

"Luce, don’t play this now. He’s got one of their friends, remember," she whispered to him while Lucian elbowed her to the side, his eyes flashing with a sinister gleam.

"Don’t worry, sister. We’ve got him outnumbered, he’s not going to try anything. Are you pyro-fiend?"

"I wouldn’t be so cocky, boy. I can fry this whole place in a matter of moments," the Chimera threatened, whispering another spell.

"Really? Well, I have quite a talent for playing with fire, myself," Lucian replied with a smile as he ripped the chain from his throat. As with the others, the globule burned with crimson light and became a ominous sword in the boy’s hand. Its hilt was a deep blood red as its blade glistened of pure obsidian. He mumbled a phrase under his breath as the blade became alive with vermilion flames.

Fang snarled at the Guardian as he heard a noise at his side. Tyrell was climbing along the scaffolding, using Fang’s distraction to make his way toward Angelique and grab her in his arms. The Chimera shifted his range and lifted an arm to send a blast of magic at the boy. As he did, two things happened at once. There was a blur of black as something plunged down from the skylight and there was a flash of red as Lucian swung his sword in an upward arc. Fang screamed in rage as the combined attacks caused him to lose his balance and tumble off the loft, crashing into Tyrell with the unresponsive Angelique. The impact of their bodies forced them rolling down the scaffolding and smacking into an ungainly pile of limbs on the floor.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Tyrell pushed Fang’s still body from his chest and crawled toward Angelique as a low growl from the side caught his attention. There was Wolf, bleeding from a nasty gash in his side, probably due to the crossfire Lucian’s attack, and snarling in fury as he glared across the room. His fur bristled on his back as he drew back his lips and bared his dangerous fangs. Tyrell climbed away from Fang and moved closer to Wolf as the animal’s voice bellowed in his ears.

<What the hell do you think you’re doing? The Keys are under my protection. They don’t need any bunglers like you interfering in their lives!>

The young boy winced as he saw Lucian tilt his head in bewilderment and then stare hard at the wolf. He whispered something to Tashira who shook her head sternly. Then he shrugged and glared back at Wolf, choking up on his sword as his eyes seemed to light up at the idea of being challenged.

"I don’t know who you are, but I was chosen to guard the Keys. They’re under my protection now, wolfie," Lucian replied, looking as if he was feeling somewhat stupid for talking to a wolf.

<Damn it! Another freaking telepath! This is all I need! Look whoever you are, I suggest you find someone else to watch after because Tyrell is mine!>

"Hey, I have a name, you stupid beast. And you have no right to tell me what to do!"

"Uh guys," Tyrell spoke up as both creatures eyed each other with contempt, "Don’t I get a say in this?"

<Back off, Tyrell! How do you know you can trust this guy? For all you know he may just be another Chimera.> Wolf snapped his jaws at Tyrell whose hand had ventured a little too close for comfort.

"Don’t tell him what to do! He doesn’t have to listen to you! He can choose his friends on his own!" yelled Lucian as Tashira looked at him in puzzlement, her face expressing her desire to know who the hell the boys were talking to.

"Yeah Wolf. Where have you been all this time anyway?" snapped Tyrell, growing very angry as he realized that most of this mess could have been avoided if his Guardian had been around.

The wolf whirled on the boy, his eyes flaring a darkened violet. <Why you ungrateful little brat! How dare you expect me to be at your beckoned call? If that’s the way you’re going to treat me, then fine let this dumbass be your Guardian from now on.> With that, the wolf spun around and leapt onto the remaining loft. Using the added height, he bounded through the skylight and disappeared from the youths’ view.

Lucian looked at Tyrell and shrugged. "So what are we supposed to do with the Chimera?"

As if answering his question, a thick mist formed beside the unconscious Fang as Tyrell leapt back in alarm. Through the mist he could see the form of an elegant woman with long reddish-brown curls. She leaned down and lifted Fang into her arms. "Lionelle isn’t going to be pleased with you, Fang. You’ve backed us into a situation where we’re outnumbered for the time being," the woman scolded softly as she gazed at Tyrell with alluring green eyes before vanishing back into the mist as she had done time and time again.

His eyes blinking in wonder, Lucian turned from Tyrell to glance at Kathryn who had come running up from behind Tashira. Tyrell picked up Angelique from the ground and struggled to hold her in his arms. He watched as Kat walked up to the perplexed Lucian and touched his arm gently. Lucian’s eyes filled with excitement as he looked down at the girl by his side.

"In the midst of what happened back there, I forgot to say thank you," Kat said in a soothing voice.

Not wanting to see anymore of this, Tyrell turned from the pair and trudged toward the building’s door. He opened it but decided to take one last look before he went. Lucian was staring down at the floor, avoiding Kat’s eyes, as he made a large swallowing motion with his throat.

"What’s wrong?" Kat asked, seeing his strange reaction to her appreciation of his chivalry. Lucian backed up quickly, knocking over Tashira who was watching him with vexation.

"I...I think I’m in love with you Kathy," the boy stuttered out as Kat gasped aloud. Lucian’s eyes shone with an intense dread as he raised them to Kat, still backing farther away from the stunned girl.

Tyrell cringed at the sound of Lucian’s confession as he heard a muffled curse. Before he could decide where the sound came from, he saw Lucian’s chaotic expression as the youth wiped his shaking hand against his feverish head. Then, without warning, he turned on his heels and fled out the door, snatching Tashira’s wrist on the way. He pushed past Tyrell and vanished into the night, leaving Tyrell and Kat both gaping with incredulity.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Comments: Ack straightness! Run for the hills! I know, I know. Giving Lucian to Kathryn is very very wrong. But there’s a good reason for it, which you’ll learn more about later. I already gave a lot of hints throughout this chapter. Sorry, this chapter has a lot going on and is kind of disjointed, but I want to devote next chapter entirely to the full introduction of Dominic and Lucian. It’s going to be fun! I must warn you though, they’re definitely not sweet and cuddly with each other. Like I said no WAFF for me. No, no, and hell no.