Part IV: Nightmares

Author's note

Hey guys! Yeah, took forever again, but it was fuuuuuuuuuunn :D

It might be a little confusing, though, so I thought I better tell y'all that it keeps jumping back and forth in time. Pay attention to what it says because that helps :P

I hope you like it! I'll try to be working on more soon xD

"Kallista! KAL! Listen to me! Listen to your dreams!"

Kallista shook, and she was soaked in sweat. She turned over in her bed, moaning. Her eyes were closed, but her brow furrowed and her eyes moved beneath the lids.

"I know it's hard, I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to use it like this, but just see me! You're my last chance." Kallista shook her head, growled in her sleep and focused. In her dreams, an image appeared, blurry, like she was looking through milky glass.

  It was Skyril, and she was looking back and forth like she was worried she would be discovered. There was blood on one side of her head, and strings of purple and black hair stuck to it. One of her arms was held in a makeshift sling made from some kind of sash. There was something clutched in the other, something at the end of a chain around her neck, but Kallista couldn't see what it was.

 "KAL! Thank you! Listen, you have to prepare!" Her green eyes were wide, serious and afraid. "Call everyone! Let them know someone- no something is coming! I can't say its name. Now that it knows it, everything here knows it, and they'll  find me if I utter it. But tell Israel that the legend of the silver bracelet is true! He has something about it in his library! I read it once, and that's how I know. And Kal, tell Israel first, ok? Find the book, read it, figure out what to do! You guys can do it, I know it!

  "Kal, I have to go. I don't know if I'll see you again." Tears appeared in her eyes. "Just make sure the world is safe, ok. You and everybody were always really good at that. Don't tell anyone, but you guys are much better at saving all of humanity than I am."

Kallista shook her head, barely finding the strength to speak in this dream state, "No..., Sky."

 "It's ok, Kal... Just, save the world once more, ok? Save it for me! I really have to go." She looked behind her quickly like she'd heard something. "I'll be fine, ok, just stay strong and be ready! ...Goodbye."

  Kallista sat up in bed, breathing hard. Her eyes were wide.

***

  "You're name," said she, "is Nightmare."

"Nightmare..." The little girl rolled the name around. She nodded slightly, "Fitting, I think." Her voice was sweet, childlike, and innocent again. Still, Skyril could detect a coldness in that voice that chilled her to the bones.

  "Yes, your name is Nightmare. How long have you been locked away, really? A thousand years, maybe? I read somewhere about you and your powers. Honestly, I wasn't so certain about the truth of what I was reading, but I think I believe it somewhat more now."

  The little girl's head turned to the side. "I don't know how long I was in the Purple World, but I was not 'locked'. Nothing can keep me trapped."

Skyril's eyebrow rose, but she decided against getting into an argument with the Nightmare him--her---itself.

"Well," she said, "I don't suppose since you've gotten the information you wanted, that you'd be willing to release me, huh?"

"Release? Nay, I wouldn't dream of it! I've so many little horrible adventures planned for you, you know. It's going to be so much fun!"

The child clapped her hands together, a grin playing at the sides of her mouth.

"Oh, yes," Skyril said under her breath, "I can only imagine how fun that will be..."

***

  There was a scream and suddenly a pounding on his door. Israel blinked, waking up. "What on earth?" His hand reached for his shotgun before he recognized Kallista's voice yelling on the other side of the door. He stood up, still picking up a knife out of precaution. Who knew why Kal was yelling. It might be a spider or it might be a pack of vampires trying to get in.

  He slid back the locks on his door, attempting to only crack it open a fraction to peak out at Kal. That didn't work out. She, rather determined, shoved it open, grabbed Israel's shirt, and yelled, "We have to read some books or the world will be destroyed! We have to go to your library now!" She started pulling him behind her while up and down the hall, lights started coming on as people awoke and poked their heads out of their doors.

  "Kal, Kal, Kal! What is going on?" Israel shouted, stopping in his tracks and making her stumble slightly. "Israel we have to go now! Come on!" She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him along again, but she didn't get more than a few feet.

"First, you have to tell me what's going on," he said.

  Kallista looked back and forth down the hallway as the viewers continued watching. "What?" Some of them blinked and went back into their rooms, but most stayed where they were. Kallista let go of Israel and looked around at everyone. Skyril had said to tell Israel first. She smiled and her eyelids dropped halfway as she looked back at him again. "Come on, my sweet! I was trying to get us in private without.. making it seem like we were... up to anything." Her eyebrows went up and down in quick succession, and she giggled.

  Israel's eyes widened, "What the-"

"I know it was a little extreme, but... I couldn't wait any longer, my little boo-goo-doobie-doo!" She reached up and pinched his cheeks.

  Snickers went up and down the hallway, and someone yelled, "How sweet, Israel! Or should we call you, 'boo-goo' now?"

More laughter ensued. Israel turned on them, his startling green eyes narrowed to slits.

  The doors shut immediately.

***

  Skyril was running. She was still in the city, but this was a different part. She wasn't really sure how she got here, for she had been talking to the Nightmare child a moment ago. She wasn't actually thinking about that much, though. For some reason, running seemed to make perfect sense to her at that moment. She leaped, landing on the next rooftop and kept going. She heard something behind her, jumped again over an alley twenty feet below, and craned her neck.

  There was something chasing her, but she couldn't see what it was. She knew it was catching up, though. She could feel it behind her. She screamed as something with claws grabbed her left arm and yanked, breaking the bone and tearing it backwards. She turned, tears in her eyes, to see some kind of enormous bird with a serrated beak and giant talons. She tried to use magic to take the monster's sight- at least to confuse it, but it didn't work.

  This was one of those creatures that fed on magic. The bird's crimson wings flapped harder, pulling Skyril from the ground by her broken arm. She screamed in agony, using her good arm to snatch a small dagger from her belt. It whipped back and forth, and sent the missile into the birds chest. The creature screeched, letting go, as purple blood dyed its feathers black.

***

  "Wait, what? You had a dream about Skyril?"

Israel and Kallista were in the library, having gotten there after Kal told Israel she would explain once they got there. The library was usually empty at this hour so they weren't particularly careful about being hushed.

"No! Skyril sent a message to me in my sleep! She's in danger! There's something... I don't know what- a villain of some sort- trapping her and hurting her. Her arm Isreal! It was broken! And there was blood and I couldn't talk and I couldn't do anything! But she told me to tell you that there was some myth about a bracelet with purple amethysts, and it's real! And there's a book somewhere in this library about it! She couldn't say what it was because there was something after her, but I don't know what that was either. So we need to read these books! Now! The fate of the world- and more importantly, Skyril- depend on it! She said to gather everyone! Where are those secret ninjas I heard you were hiding in the basement?"

  Israel spoke dryly as his hand went to his forehead in aggravation, "There are no secret ninjas. This is seventh time someone has asked about them! Who keeps spreading these rumors? When I get my hands around his neck, I'm just gonna shake it until he feels so discombobulated, he can't even stand without collapsing!"

In the corner, Nights Raven slid down in her seat, hiding behind her book.

"Wait," Kal said, "you mean the ninjas aren't real?" Her eyes were wide, shocked.

Raven coughed, drawing their attention to her for the first time. "Hey, so, book about purple amethysts? I know that one, and if Sky wasn't mistaken, than we're in big trouble."

***

  Skyril was standing in a dark forest. The trees were gnarled and dingy, reaching out with claws to catch and devour strays. It was night, and the sky could only be seen above due the enormous full moon glowing brightly, friendly. Skyril was breathing heavily, again, not knowing how she came to be here but not thinking strange of it. She was afraid. She could feel the terror worming around inside her, making her body shake and her bones brittle. Her left arm was hanging limply by her side, and the pain was fresh and pulsing. When adrenaline had been pouring through her, she didn't feel it as much. Now, it was terrible.

  She groaned, beads of sweat on her forehead. She reach down with her good hand as gently as she could and untied the knot of the purple sash around her waist. No matter how careful she was, every movement throbbed and sent another wave of pain through her. She looped the sash around her neck, turning it into a makeshift sling to keep her broken arm out of the way. She'd always hated having broken bones.

  She leaned for a moment against the nearest tree, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes fluttered for a moment, and she realized she was tired, really tired.

  But then she heard something that woke her up again. There was a howl, not like a cat or a bird, but much more like a dog. She looked up, the enormous moon stared down at her, and it wasn't so very friendly now. There were werewolves in this forest. Another howl, definitely closer. Skyril stared running, having no idea where she was going besides away. More howls, more than one monster was in this dreadful forest. They must smell the blood, and sweat.

And fear.

  She saw a stream through the trees and ran for it, splashing into the waters in hopes of covering her scent. She trudged through it, having a tough time trudging through waist-deep, murky water. Something nipped at her leg, but she ignored it, probably a fish. Then she saw something big in the waters ahead of her. It looked like a log, but she knew better. The crocodile was just waiting for his midnight snack to walk into his jaws. She froze, looking back, hearing tree limbs cracking and more howls. Still, she'd rather face that on land rather than the monster of the bog. She splashed out of the water, avoiding the snap of those terrible jaws and, dripping wet started running again.

  How was she going to escape werewolves in their own territory? She heard them behind her, galloping towards her. She screamed, jumping to the side as she sensed one leap and kept running. Skyril was out of breath, and tiring quickly. Then she saw an opening in the forest and a building rising above it in the distance.

  The city! She was close. She could make it. She prayed she could make it.

***

Israel and Kallista read from the middle of the book- Legends of Your Darkest Dreams- Raven had brought to them.

  "According to myth, the Nightmare could change forms with a thought. Sometimes the beast would be a male, female, a child, or the elderly, but that's not all. The Nightmare's adept magic included changing form to anything, even the wind, although it's favorite form was taken from the appearances of its victims, particularly children."

They turned the page, skimming down until they found something useful.

 

  "The Nightmare was trapped approximately A.D. 1100 by exactly as many mages. The legend says that its prison was made special and in secret over about one hundred years. The prison was in the form of something beautiful- a silver bracelet in-hewed with purple amethysts and powerful, yet unknown, magic to keep the bracelet from ever being destroyed or releasing the beast. They made this bracelet in this form because the Nightmare, especially fond of personal charms and trinkets, would keep them to taunt any remaining relations or friends of the victims.

  With this in mind, the mages asked for a volunteer to be the Nightmare's final adversary. Someone who would wear the bracelet until it became so important to her that the Nightmare would savor in taking it; however, no one stepped forward for three years until a young girl, who finally understood what the sorcerers were planning, agreed to be their sacrifice.

  The mages assembled and trapped the Nightmare and the child, according to plan. The Nightmare took her, devoured her humanity, stole the bracelet, and was trapped because of it. There are many myths that this child had done what she did out of love for the mages around her. She couldn't bare to see them suffer any longer by its torments, and with her last breath, she thanked the Nightmare for what it had done to her because she was so happy she could save her friends and family."

Another few pages flipped over as Israel ran his finger down them, scanning for useful information. He paused again on one section.

 "There was one fatal error the mages didn't see, however, and that was that one of the mages had been turned by the Nightmare. Fortunately, the bracelet had been taken and hidden and soon lost to those few who knew the whereabouts when the grand mage of the time had them executed before killing himself.

  It is said that the sorcerer with the secret to the Nightmare's release passed it down through the generations to his children and their children's children, and that somewhere today, there are still those- those few- who know how to release this terrible monster.

 Fortunately, despite many attempts at discovering the whereabouts of the purple amethyst bracelet, no one has found it. Well, that is to say, no one has found it and had both the power, and the knowledge to release it.

  At least not yet."

***

  Why must there always be fields between cities and forests? Skyril huffed in irritation, running as fast as she could through that empty space. The werewolves were pounding behind her, growling and woofing and generally having enormous fun hunting their delightfully fretful prey. If only the situations were reversed, Skyril thought.

  Something heavy hit her in the back, and she went down, rolling and getting up again before the second fastest werewolf caught her. She was almost there. So many buildings and alleys to get lost in and to lose the monsters behind. 

  With her last burst of energy she ran with everything she had, but it wasn't fast enough. Nothing was faster than a werewolf on the hunt, and she'd only lasted this long because she was so far ahead of them in the beginning. Claws raked across her jacket, and she sent thanks above to Ghastly for making her clothes so strong.

 Buildings! She turned down the first alley, losing the closest werewolves with the sudden change of direction. She went left, heading deeper into the heart of the city, but just when she thought she might survive after all, something landed on her from above.

 The werewolves knew how to climb stairs. Or maybe they just went up the side of the building. Fangs gnawed down on her shoulder. They didn't pierce the clothing, but the pain was still awful. She screamed when the heavy man-dog hybrid leaned on her broken arm and bit the side of her neck. She grabbed at her belt and swung the first thing she found. A finger knife that didn't get past the werewolf's hide. 

  Skyril squirmed, tearing herself from its grip, but losing her jacket in the process. She grabbed a hefty dagger from her belt with her good hand and stabbed twice then ran, leaving the weapon behind. The howls were terrible, especially when the other werewolves smelled the blood and found their fallen comrade.

  Tears sprang into Skyril's eyes as she kept running. They were tears of pain, fright, and disgust, all mixed into one. She shook her head, trying to keep herself from losing it. She needed to focus. What was she going to do? What could she do? She needed to catch her breath. She couldn't run any longer. She slammed against a door and got in, running upstairs and collapsing in a mass in the corner of a bedroom. Then she heaved and fell on the bed, curling up and taking breaths. She felt hot blood on the side of her face and almost started crying again.

 She needed to do something. What could she do? She had to warn everyone, had to tell them what was coming. She sat up, pulling out her phone and turning it on. Typical, she thought, no service in the world of the Nightmare.

  The werewolves howled in the distance. Skyril had to tell her friends now, or she might never get the chance. She sprung up and reached into her shirt, pulling out the chain with the charm on the end. It was simple, nothing elegant. A circle with a purple orb in the middle. She realized the Nightmare would take this from her when it was done with her. Skyril didn't want that to happen. With new determination, she decided it was time she used it for better or worse. 

  She would warn them what was coming.

***

  Israel fell back in a chair, his hand on his head. He was thinking, trying to figure out how to proceed. There was an actual person, or rather thing, that was the reason for all nightmares? How was that even possible? He almost laughed at the ridiculous thought that everyone in the world might have the same nightmare and just not know it.

  Raven nudged Kallista and whispered, "What's he doing?" They were standing a few feet away from where Israel was sitting. He was sprawled in an armchair, with one hand propping up his head and the other slapped upon his forehead. Raven and Kallista stood beside each other, arms crossed, and expressions serious.

"He's.., well, he's... thinking." 

"Ah," Raven nodded slightly and went back to her serious stance. Then she leaned back a moment later, "Does he do this often?" Kallista shrugged.

"Actually, yes."

"So he gets in that position whenever he thinks?"

"...Yeah..."

"I wonder if it helps. I tend to just think all the time." Kallista stifled a giggle. 

"Maybe it helps to sit like that. We should save all our thinking for later." Raven nodded again, serious.

"Yeah, then we can save all our energy for when we sit the right way." Kal slapped her hand over her mouth, really trying not to laugh as Israel continued sitting their, not moving in the slightest.

 How could you defeat a nightmare? Israel wondered about that. He doubted the whole, "realize your dreaming and start doing whatever you want," thing. He'd tried that. It didn't work. 

  Wait, the book had said something about the Nightmare's "adept" magic, which must mean it was a person some time in the past. So if it was a person, that must mean it could be killed. 

  Kallista, disguising it as a slight shift in position, poked Raven in the side. Raven looked at Kal, her expression saying everything, "So you want to get into battle with me, huh?" Kallista wiggled her eyebrows, which was her version of, "Come and have a go if you think your hard enough."

  So if the nightmare could be killed, then all you had to do was have a lot of guns, and hopefully, grenades. The only problem was finding it. How could he find some monster that could change form into anything? Even the wind? 

  The best thing to do, Israel decided, was to find out where it was most recently. Skyril was chasing after Ominous Ebony. He'd discovered that last night due to his contacts getting the information for him. Ominous was most recently seen in Dublin. So that's where Skyril would go.

  Raven and Kallista were having a dreadfully hard time not falling into full out laughter. They were poking each others. Secretly. Like ninjas. They were ninjas pokers. Raven couldn't contain her giggle when she thought about that. 

  Then Israel stood up, and immediately, Kallista and Raven went back to their arm-crossed-side-by-side-serious-expression stance. They looked at him, their expressions totally focused, determined.

"Alright," he said, "I've thought about it and-"

  Kallista and Raven burst out laughing hysterically before falling onto the floor in giddyness.

Israel stared at them for a moment, "I finally understand how Skulduggery thought of his companions as four years olds."

Part III: Nicknames and Pooky Lips

Author's note
Hey, this is kind of a short chapter, sorry, but I'll be working on the next bit. Uh, I'm not going to say it will go faster than last time... seeing as last time I said that, it went slower instead............ But let's not be pessimistic, you know? 



   "... Greetings! This is Skyril! I'm probably either doing something really clever or really stupid, but either way, I obviously couldn't get to the phone! So leave a message! No, seriously, don't hang up! Why'd you call? I'd really like to know! Is this about some debt I forgot to pay because if it is, well I'm likel- Beeeep!"
"SKY! Where ARE you? I'm hanging out with Israel at his mansion, and it's BORING! I've been trying to reach you for... like... hold on, what's the clock say? TEN minutes! What can you possibly be doing? This is my FIFTH message! *gasp* Wait! Are you being held captive by someone or... or... or.... Are there pirates? OR WHAT ABOUT DRAGONS? What's going on! DON'T DIE, SKY! I'll come rescue you! But wait, where ARE YOU? You have to call me to let me know so that I can come rescue you! Oh, wait, knowing YOU I bet you're being held up by some cute guy *giggle* Hey, does he have a friend? Don't forget to tell him about your besty Kallie-wallie! But you would never do that! I mean, you would never-"
Kallista Pendragon didn't notice the electronic voice that said, "End of message." So she kept chattering for about five minutes before she hung up, thoroughly convinced she was going to a ball next week with a hunk of a guy.
   She grinned and skipped into into the common room, humming "Buh-Rum-Pum-Pum" from some old movie called The Happiest Millionaire. When she got there, she saw Israel Elysium reclining on one of the couches reading And the Darkness Rained Upon Them, this being one of the few times he didn't have to save the world or all of humanity or anything. "Hiya, Israel! I just got an idea! Mind if I call ya Is? Is-rael is so loooong!"
   He glanced up at Kallista. "Um, I would prefer it if you called me 'Israel,' Kal." Kallista frowned, "But everyone has nicknames except for you! You need a nickname too, I think. It could be like your code name for when we go on some secret mission, see!"
Israel, figuring he wasn't going to get a whole lot more reading done today, stuck a bookmark depicting Hellboy in the book and glanced back up at Kal. "Oh, really? Well, what do you suggest... Besides 'Is...' that is."
   Kallista grinned, having the perfect idea. "HELLBOY!" We should call you Hellboy or HB for short! I mean, you have a bookmark of him and everything! Hellboy is perfect."
"'Hellboy', hm? Well, I guess I'd be ok with that... Although, you DO know it's not a whole lot shorter than 'Israel.'"
"Don't ruin the moment," she said with a frown. "Your nickname is now Hellboy!" She did a little spin- her midnight black hair whacking Israel in the nose- and sat down beside him.  He blinked, about to say something, before a girl's voice from off to the side said, "Hellboy, huh? I like it." She nodded, and Israel and Kal looked to see who it was.
   A strawberry blond walked into view from a side room, her hair bouncing slightly. "Raveeeeeeeeeeen!" shouted Kal, jumping out of her seat and hugging her. Raven laughed, "Hiya, Kallie! What's up? Oh, by the way, have you guys heard from Skyril?"
"Well, no..," Kallista grinned, "But if you ask my opinion, I think she's being held up by some cutey!"
Israel frowned slightly, "Well, last I heard, she was going to try to catch some... Ominous something-or-other. Have you called her?"
 "Oo, oo," said Kal "I've called her! Ominous, huh? Funny name, what does he do for a living? OH, is he some kind of Halloween man?" Her eyes, a mix between blue and green, grew large. "I've heard about these creepy dudes who jump out from under your bed and use your screams to power themselves! Isn't that horrifying? Or, wait... Maybe I'm thinking of a cartoon I watched..."
Israel coughed, deciding to re-ask his question to Raven.
"Yeah," Raven said, sitting down opposite from him. "I've actually called her a few times the past two days, and she hasn't answered or called back. It's strange for her not to call back." She shrugged slightly. "Do you know where this Ominous person was?" Israel ran his hand through his slightly shaggy brown hair.
"Well, I'm thinking he was in Dublin, but I'll have to make some phone calls to know for certain.... It will be kind of tricky to find out."
   He looked up. Nights Raven's big, dark, brown eyes were wide and sparkly. Her bottom lip poked out slightly. Israel arched his eyebrow, and Kallista looked back and forth between the two of them, and jumped up suddenly, bouncing on the couch Israel was on. "Hey, what are you waiting on? I want to see a picture of the guy Sky's hanging out with! ON THE DOUBLE! MARCH! MARCH! MARCH! Or, rather.." She said as Israel laughed, sighed, and pulled out his cell, "CALL! CALL! CALL!"

... Urrrrm.... Yellow Llama Poka Dots O_O

Hey, guys, SORRY!
I know I'm taking forEVER!
I just got sort o'... bogged down :P
I'm working on it, though.
I kinda threw out what I had already written... I mean, I used a few of the same IDEAS, but I'm changing it up a bit.
And yes, I know, this part isn't getting out any quicker than the last part, is it?
Oh..., really? It's taking even longer than the last part??
Heh.... heh.... ~cough cough~
~mutters something about having to find an invisible plane and disappears into the shadows~
~hopes everyone doesn't know I'm just sitting there, staring at them~
~sneezes~
~tries to pretend is was the tree~

Rant

So, Kal and I were talking about rants the other day, but I'm not really good at ranting and laying it all out there... So I wrote a rather terrible and vague poem instead xD
Despite what any reads this may think, I'm ok. I was just feeling depressed. And this poem is actually about more than one thing and more than one person in case you thought I was specifically... specifying someone....
Again, don't worry! It was night right before I fell asleep that I wrote this, and I almost always get depressed around that time xD


A snarl and huff and a puff
She breathes, but it's tough
Her body aches, but her mind is lost
So this is what her choice has cost
What a cruel pitch of fate
What a way to come by hate
How could it be for things like these
She wouldn't have guessed she'd be tossed to the seas
Shaking, swaying, going with the waves
So this is life outside the caves
At least she knows now
She knows it's futile to bow
Forgive? Oh, please
Just listen to the seas
Rocking, pitching, tossing about
How could you not be full of doubt?
Shut up! I beg you!
Everything I said was true!
Why would you ask?
I never wore a mask!
You know! You all know it all!
I won't lie down and bawl
Not anymore...
What did I say that for?
I know it's a lie
For weak is the Sky
The Sky you know,
She quickly falls low
And weak is the Sky that none have seen
She needs such strength to merely lean
And she's tired
Burning faster than fire
She's falling
And no one's calling
She's reaching a hand
But no one pulls her to land
And she just doesn't understand.
She's lost
But that's what her choices have cost.

Part II: Discovery

Author's note
Sorry for the delay, guys. Hopefully it will be quicker next time.

      Skyril was falling through the black. Tumbling and plummeting down. Or maybe she was floating. She couldn't tell, but it seemed she was going downwards at some particular rate in the blackness. She still couldn't speak. She would open her mouth and close it again, screaming off and on silently. She couldn't breathe, and life was fading from her, melting away like an ice cube over fire.

How much longer would she last? A minute? She didn't know, but then again, she really couldn't possibly tell how much time passed in this black world. It seemed to Skyril that she had been falling for an eternity, but on the other hand, it was only moments since she took her last breath.

Her last breath. Would that be the truth? Would she never breath again? She screamed mutely again, wondering how she felt about death. She wished she could see her friends again... Kallista, so fun and such a wonderful sister, Israel, humorous and kind, Bridget, the vampire on the good side, Thalia, Lego, Mar, Lydia, Phoenix, Rose, Raven... oh, she couldn't list them all... so many... so many... and... Gepard, her lovely Gepard.... Even if he hadn't spoken to her for days... she would miss him. Her green eyes closed, her mouth not having enough strength to scream again. Goodbye, my  love...

But then, the falling stopped, just stopped. She was frozen on the edge of death, but no longer drifting downwards. Her hair was splayed around her face, still, in the air and not limp. She was like that for a some time, but none could say how long. She was fixed in place in the midst of oblivion. Then Skyril gasped, sucking in a great breath of air, coughing, and breathing more, breathing sweet air. Breathing. She coughed a few times more and would kill for something to drink but was slowly feeling better.

Her boot shod feet touched ground, her eyes opening slowly with each ragged breath. The ground was paved with stones. It was a road. She looked up, hoping. There were people all around, everywhere, but something was wrong with them. She was standing in the middle of a giant crowd of people whose movements were suspended. Most of them were in the middle of taking a step, but some others were lifting a hand to wave to someone or else taking a bite of ham and cheese at a deli. Not only that, but the sky was shades of green with a great emerald sun giving off light. Skyril was fairly certain that the sun was yellow in her world.

She gazed at the closest person to her, not a foot away. She was a young girl, about seven years old with auburn hair, green eyes, and freckles. Tentatively, Skyril touched her cheek. The girl blinked, looking up at Skyril. Then everyone turned and looked at her. No one said a word. It was completely silent. Skyril looked at them all. Their eyes were vacant, dead, but at the same time, they were gazing definitively at her.

"Um, hullo.." she said, her voice a bit hoarse. They didn't reply, but only watched her. She stepped one way, then the other. Their eyes continued to follow her. Swallowing stiffly, she knelt down in front of the girl whom she had touched. Quietly and a bit nervously, Skyril said, "Hey, there, what's you're name?" The child blinked at her.

"I have no name."

Skyril tilted her head, replying gently, "Oh, but you must have a name! What do your parents call you?"

"I have no parents. I have no family. I killed them all a long time ago in their sleep." The child turned her head this time, looking at everyone in the crowd. "I only have ourselves." She looked back at Skyril, who was standing up again, hands on her belt where daggers hid beneath her coat. The child spoke again, "I have no name, for they that see me either go insane, die, or stay with me. The question is...," she paused, an eery grin curling her lips, "Will you be lucky and live in insanity? Or perhaps it would be more merciful to have death, for you don't want to stay with me."

"I've heard of you," Skyril butted in grimly before Freckles could continue. "I was afraid you would be whom I thought you were. The legends... there are a lot of gruesome tales- Common or magical, people of all ages walking on some silent road, disappearing and reappearing either within seconds or years. Some have aged, some look the same, but all..." Skyril paused, "All are insane. The others who don't make it are found far away, their bodies torn, barely recognizable as humans, while the rest... don't come back at all."

The child inclined her neck to one side, the rest of the crowd simultaneously repeating the action, listening as Skyril spoke.

"There are myths, that speak of your world," she continued. "It is said that the reason everyone has bad dreams is because of the ripple effect after you have your fun with someone. Your power is so strong it can't be contained within one being's mind. It spreads across the earth to everyone and lasts forever. The worst part is, you've been here from the beginning, and won't ever die so long as you have a body to inhabit, will you? 

The strange thing is, one of these occurrences hasn't happened for so very long. No one has disappeared and reappeared insane or mangled by your hands. You were bound, weren't you? I heard that story too. You were bound in a beautiful piece of jewelry. One of silver and purple amethysts.
I chose to dismiss Mrs. O'Leary's bracelet believing all this was a fable. I trusted nightmares were just ghosts from the past and the imagination lurking around to frighten, but now Ominous has this bracelet. He's let you loose, the fool. Loose on me. You're his backup plan. He's very clever, but he won't get away with it, he mustn't. Oh, by the way," Skyril blinked as if an idea had just occurred to her, "You do have a name. It's been there forever, for you are so very old." The child spoke commandingly, but her voice wasn't just the voice of a little girl, but the voice of all, "Tell me, what is my name?"

"Your name," said she, "is Nightmare."

Part I: Arresting Time

   Author's note

Hey, guys, so I know I haven't posted forever...., and this is a new story.. sorry about that :P, But I hope you like it! I intend to actually finish this one :P Hopefully that will work out properly. :] I'm going to try anyway! ~thumbs up~

  Ominous Ebony was a black man, exceptionally slender and fashionable. He wore a white shirt with puffy sleeves like a pirate's, black pants, boots, and a dark vest. At his throat spilled a lacy white cravat, and on his head was an ebony and ivory checkered fedora.

If there was nothing else to admire, Skyril could at least enjoy his sense of style. "Nice hat," she muttered, right before punching him. He stumbled back, flinching, "Oi, why did you hit me? I thought we were here to reach an... arrangement on a few items you want... confiscated." His voice was like dark chocolate, silky but bitter, and touched with the flavor of African descent. "Well..." Skyril paused, tilting her head a little, "I'm afraid I lied. I'm with the sanctuary and our meeting has been canceled do to... a lot of things, as a matter of fact, but let's just call it your unpuritanical deeds and leave it at that."

"Ooh," a mischievous grin spread across his lips, "you're referring to that small payment I got from Mrs. O'Leary, aren't you?

"Actually, yes, that's a good example." Skyril rolled her eyes, and Ominous laughed, "Why, that was irrisistible, and you would have done the same thing, darling. Truly, it is..." his grin got bigger, "I mean was a beautiful thing of deepest violet amethysts studded in a pure silver bracelet." He sighed as if remembering a day with a lover. "Besides," he continued, "I just saved the life of the owner so the bracelet was but a small payment for life, don't you agree? Truly, I believe I got less than what I deserved." He smirked.

"Ok," Skyril shook her head irritably, not in the mood for a smirking moron. She glanced to the side down the barren road, then back at him "First off, don't ever call me darling again. There's only one man who can call me that, and he's not you. Secondly, I would not have stolen from ancient Mrs. O'leary, bless her soul, and lastly, no, you have not yet gotten what you deserve. But you will." With that, Skyril blinked, and Ominous's eyes turned pure white with blindness.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily, fumbling with his face, trying to figure out why everything had gone black, then cursed, realizing what Skyril had done.

"Ominous Ebony," Skyril pulled out a pair of cuffs, "You're under arrest for the robbery of Mrs. O'Leary -thanks for bringing that one up, by the way, I may have forgotten otherwise-, attempted murder of John Gregory, robbery of Helena Pompous, and... what else? Breaking and entering perhaps?" Skyril shrugged, "Why not?" She pulled an arm behind his back to cuff him, but before she could, he said, "You know, they don't call me 'Ominous' for nothing." His grin was back.

"Yup, I wouldn't suspect so. Actually, I know why they do because, seeing as I'm here to arrest you for the Sanctuary, I've read your file. Is that surprising to you? Seems like it would be kind of obvious..." She shrugged again, peering at him.

Ominous's grin had turned from mischievous and clever to monstrous. His mouth was huge, and his teeth were jagged like broken glass. He was looming over Skyril, taller than he was before, and black, ragged bat's wings had sprouted from his back. His fingernails curved, sharp, and yellow while his blind eyes had sunk in to reveal black holes instead. His voice was raspy, and a slithering snake's tongue appeared when he whispered, "I'm getting... hungryyyy..."

Skyril looked frightened for a second then laughed as Ominous's grin grew wider. The she said degradingly, "Seriously? That's the best you can do? I have to admit, I was hoping for more... and no, by the way, your illusions won't work on me." The cuff clicked into place on his wrist, instantly returning Ominous to his previous appearance.

Skyril shoved him in the direction of her car on the desolate Dublin road, littered with trash and debris. This was one of those hotspots for the magical communities- a no no for the mortals. Still, it seemed awfully quiet for this time of day-between the light and dark-twilight. 

"Curious," Ominous muttered, "It seems to escape me how you knew my magic involves illusion and no actually physical change. I thought for certain I had switched the old files out for my -slightly changed- variation."

"Oh, you did, but see I have contacts who... well, who also have contacts, and the contacts informed the contacts who informed me that the Sanctuary files were inaccurate. At which point, I located the proper files. It wasn't all that hard, honestly."

"Ahh... contacts who have contacts.. nice idea... there's one small problem, though..." Skyril gave him another shove to get him walking towards her car again. "What's that, Ominous?"

His only reply was a quiet pause before, "Hm, sure is awfully quiet..."

Skyril blinked and stopped walking, staring at Ominous whose grin was there again. "You don't mean... no... it couldn't possibly... you're making this up, right? That's all just a myth... No one has actually been able to summon it..." She glanced back and forth. "It... it's not that quiet..." she shook her head, "You're just trying to unsteady me, and I'm being ridiculous. We've got to go. Come on, we're getting in the car." Skyril grabbed his arm with alarming strength, practically dragging him after her brisk pace. 

"Oh, I don't think we are, agent Skyril." Then he started laughing.

She took another two steps, then everything went black and silent, almost everything, anyway. She could look down and see herself, but all around was blackness. The sky was black, the ground was black, everything... black. Not only that, but Ominous was no where in sight. He had still been laughing then he was silenced like someone pressed mute.

Skyril looked back and forth and spun around. There was nothing, absolutely nothing but her and blackness. She called out, "Hello!" but no matter how loud she yelled, it seemed her voice was small, like a whisper or groan consumed by the black. The more she yelled, the quieter her voice. She started panicking, terrified that she'd never see anything but darkness. She touched the ground to see if it felt real, but it didn't. It felt mushy and dark.

She started running, running and running, no sense of time or direction. Nothing, no sound at all. not even the sound of her footsteps. She tried to speak again, but couldn't. There was nothing but her. Nothing at all.

Not even air.

The Hunt... Part One[?]

It was an old fashioned party in America. A young girl in a blue dress waved her arms in the air and laughed with glee as she danced across the dance floor doing the Twist. Teenage boys and young men danced with the girls to the music from a band standing on a flimsy stage. A disco ball spun from the ceiling, spraying everyone in sparkling lights. Oh yes, it was, indeed a party.
It was, at least, until three people, two guys and one girl, entered the room. All three were wearing exquisite clothes, obviously made by an excellent tailor. They wore suits that were dark from head to toe, but for an almost black, violet mask that was tied behind their heads under their fedoras and a cravat of the same color. A trench coat with long tails going to their ankles in the back and warm boots completed the look.
The girl wore close to the same, but a couple things were different. Her outfit was as dark as her black, purple-striped hair which was falling to her shoulders. Her shirt looked almost like a spider's web with criss-crossed strands slashed back and forth, and it fell down from her wrists in lacey sleeves. She had a skirt that went to just below her knees, and it was as beautifully and intricately designed as her sark.
She stood next to a man with blue, thunderbolt eyes, whose tar hair spiked from beneath his fedora. The other man had curly, blond hair and stood a bit behind the other two. The man with blue eyes, who seemed to be the leader, glanced at the girl and spoke in a smooth, yet commanding tone, highlighted with an Irish accent, "Well, what a lovely party. It's almost a pity we have to stop it, but then again, I, personally, don't really care very much for parties, especially ones I wasn't invited to."
"Yeah," the girl replied in a bit of a southern American accent, "And let's hope for their sakes that they don't like parties very much either, seeing as we're crashing it an' all."
The man grunted, turned his head to the side, and nodded to the gentleman behind them. "William, if you would?"
"Yes, sir." William bowed slightly, walked around the room to the makeshift stage the band was playing on, stepped up, and took a handgun from his coat which he turned on them. "If you could please shut up, I think things would be a lot less messy, don't you?" His English accent cut through the roar of the music and stopped it abruptly to angry, then alarmed, cries from the crowd. He turned the gun towards them, and the place grew suddenly quiet.
"Well," said the man with the blue eyes from the back of the room. "That went smoothly. Now," he took a step forward, "If I could please have everyone's attention-"
"Attention, please!" cut in the girl "We need everyone's attention right here! Please look this way! Yes, you too, mister! I see you looking over there! Face this way now! Good... Everyone, attention this way! Look at this man here! Bore your eyes into his eyes! Stare at him! Glare directly-" William rolled his eyes, and the man that was previously talking looked back at the girl, "Em, Skyril, I think we've gotten their attention...." She stopped mid-sentence, "Oh..., well if you say so..."
The man cleared his throat a bit, glanced back at the crowd, and continued speaking, "Now, I'd like to know who here goes by the name Mary?" No one said anything. After a moment, his look turned to a glare. "I said, 'Who here goes by the name Mary?'. I know there's a few here..." still no reply and an ominous growl slowly emanated from the man. At this point, Skyril started laughing, almost hysterically, and said, "Ah, sorry, Gepard, but I just couldn't keep up the act." He glared at her. "I'm such a terrible actress, you know!" she winked at him as everyone turned back to Gepard to see his reaction. "Oh," he said, "right."
And Skyril went on, "What we're really here for is the winners of these tickets!" She pulled something from a pocket. "They're tickets to a masquerade and the host of it just pulled the name Mary from a hat, meaning every Mary here gets a free ticket to Le Grand Monte Masquerade and party!" After a moment of silence, someone's hand went up tentatively. "Are you a Mary?" asked Skyril. "Um," the girl said, "No, I just wanted to know what the man with the gun is here for if you're supposedly simply awarding Marys with free tickets."
"Oh, William? Haha, don't worry about him. It was a prank I couldn't resist pulling on you folks. I'm such a prankster!" She still looked doubtful so Skyril went on, "It's not even a real gun, actually." She turned her gaze to him. "You should probably put that away now." William had a thing against orders from girls so his eyes darted to Gepard, who had fallen into the shadows and was circling the room. A small nod got him to put it back into it's holster under his coat.
"See?" Skyril went on. "Now, we checked out who was invited to this party and we saw 3 Marys on the list- Mary Butcher, Mary Rouse, and Mary Slaughter."

***

Gepard knew it was she the moment he saw her. Her pale face, the way she held herself, and the way she walked all gave it away. He would have known she was one of them even if he hadn't been searching for her for the last few weeks. She wasn't very good at blending in with a crowd, to say the least. It wasn't much of a challenge, but at least she was here.

Gepard needed this girl. She had very important information, and he was going to get it. He remembered when he first heard about her. He had almost died just uncovering her name, but he hadn't. He'd been saved and made a useful alliance because if it.

He glanced at Skyril. She was still putting on her little charade with elegant words and gestures. That girl often leaped before testing the water, but she knew how to pull herself out..., most of the time, anyway. When Gepard realized that she was giving him a nice distraction on this particular occasion, he'd slunk into the shadows and began circling the crowd as everyone looked to her.

Now he'd found whom he was looking for, and he decided now was the time to throw his die and make his move. He knew Skyril didn't particularly like talking in front of crowds or being the center of attention so it was doubtful she'd continue her speech for very much longer.

He would capture the one Mary Skyril had intentionally not mentioned- the vampire, Miss Mary Mayfield.

***

"So, you three lucky lasses, if you could come up here I'll award you with your prize tickets!" Skyril said with a smile and a theatrical flourish. She saw Gepard in the back of the room leading a woman through a door. Well, "leading" might be too soft of a word, Skyril thought. It was more like, "forcing," what with one hand clutching her neck in a tight grip and the other holding a wooden stake he must have taken from the inside of his trench coat where it was concealed. William was slinking off the stage to follow him.

But all eyes were on Skyril and the young girl who had just come up to say, "My name's Mary Butcher and I'd like my ticket now, please."

"Certainly!" chirped Skyril. "I give to you, our first Mary, a ticket to Le Grand Monte Masqerade!"
Skyril, her brilliant smile still in place, handed her one of the three and went on, "The place, date, and time are right on there! Don't forget your mask!"
With a slightly disbelieving expression on her face, Mary Butcher looked down at the ticket. She turned back to the crowd, glanced up, shrugged, and said, "Looks real to me!" A small cheer went up and the other two Marys appeared in quick succession.

Skyril rewarded them with their tickets. As they returned to the crowd, Skyril said "Well, I must now apologize for interrupting your party! Please, continue and have fun! Adieu! I hope you Marys will have a lovely time at the masquerade!" The band started up again and Skyril slipped out the front door before anyone could ask any questions about the fictitious Monte Masquerade.
The glare from the falling sun caught her off guard for a moment, but she shielded her eyes to wait for them to adjust. Autumn was setting in with alarming ferocity, and the chill air bit at Skyril. She didn't mind it, though. In fact, she quite loved it. She spread her arms wide, sucked in that lovely smell that springs from the leaves in this season, and did a little joyful spin.
Sadly, she knew she had to get back to work.
So, onward she went to the abandoned warehouse across the street where William was leaning against the wall, waiting outside for her, as instructed by Gepard. "You took long enough," said William with a sigh. Skyril laughed, replying sarcastically, "Oh, I'm so sorry for making you wait out here in the cold! Haha! I know you love autumn as much as I do!" she poked him. "Stop pretending to be perturbed."
Nothing but an annoyed grunt came from the English man so Skyril stuck her tongue out at him and walked by into the warehouse. He went to follow, but she told him to wait outside. He was angered further to be ordered around by a girl, but did as she commanded nonetheless. Skyril knew Gepard well enough to know he wouldn't want any unnecessary people around during the questioning, especially William, since he was only working for them for money and in hopes of finding the vampire that had killed someone close to him in the past.
When she entered the building, musk filled her nostrils instead of the pleasant scent outside. The place was dim, but she could find her way well enough before her eyes adjusted further. She walked up the cement steps in the corner. The sight that greeted her when she got up there was Gepard standing in front of Mary Mayfield who was tightly bound to a chair.

***

"I warn you, this will be the last time I ask nicely. Things will get most unpleasant if you continue this charade of ignorance." said Gepard, his voice low and dangerous. Mary sat in her seat, arms yanked behind her and bound to the chair. More ropes and even a chain wrapped around her waste and legs, rendering her movement to the barest shift. Tears leaked from her eyes and down her cheeks in streams, and the mascara she'd been wearing was completely smeared. Gepard went on, "Where. Is. Malcolm. Reaper?"

"I told you! I told you!" she shrieked, her voice high pitched.  "I don't knooooow! I don't know who you're talking abooooouuut!" Gepard sighed and walked to the side of the room where his wooden stakes, his broadsword, and a small, sharp dagger lay carefully on the floor. Skyril was leaning against the wall and watching with an expressionless face. She leaned over to Gepard and whispered, "Are you sure this is the right girl?"

"Yes!" he snapped, "I'm certain, alright?"

"Okay, okay..." she backed off for a second, then leaned back over. "But is this absolutely necessary? I mean... the torture and all?"

Gepard sighed. "She's obviously not going to talk without a bit of help, so I'm going to provide some for her." Skyril couldn't detect any hesitation in his voice. "Look," he went on. "She's a vampire and her name is Mary Mayfield. I'm certain about that. Somehow, I doubt there are two vampires that identical, which means she's the one we're looking for, which means she knows where Malcolm Reaper is or at least the last place he was, which means we can find him, which means we can interrogate him, which means he can lead us to Dusk, which is exactly what I want. That's what you want, right, to get rid of Dusk?"

Skyril shuffled her feet. "Well..., yeah..."

"Alright then. Now please stop questioning me and let me do what I do... The door's right there if you want to leave."

"Oh," said a voice that wasn't Skyril's or Gepard's, "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere until I drink my fill from the both of you." Gepard spun around. The chair Mary had been occupying was empty; the ropes that had bound her, broken. Gepard cursed and grabbed two wooden stakes, one in each hand. Skyril took a large dagger from it's sheath by her hip where it had been hidden under her coat and stood at the ready. She whispered to Gepard, "Um, sorry."
"Not your fault" He mumbled and took a step forward, eyes searching the shadows.
The girl couldn't be seen. She must have leaped behind a broken machine or swung up onto the pipes running underneath the ceiling. A flash of white overhead and a fun-filled laugh were the only signs she was even there. Gepard and Skyril looked back and forth, trying to spot her.
Mary dropped from the ceiling in front of them. Her tears were gone and were replace by a malicious grin. "Y'all didn't even notice the sun going down, did you? How pathetic."
Gepard snarled and pushed at the air, but she was already gone, leaping backwards and landing perfectly on a pipe above. It was obviously inhuman. Her hands went to her skull, and she shirked her flesh, revealing the slimy white beast beneath. Its eyes were black, its breath reeked of old blood, and its fangs were yellow.
It fell down to the ground from the pipe and glared at Gepard as it growled and walked around him. Gepard watched and stood still, not daring to move, for he knew this was not yet the time to attack. A drop of sweat formed on his brow and slid down to his blue eye. He blink. A roar came from the vampire, and it leaped.
Skyril closed her eyes and took its sight; Gepard leaped to the side and rolled to a knee. The vampire shook his head and roared again, but sightlessness only paused it for a moment. It could smell its pray, and it loped for Skyril. A yelp came from her, and she stumbled to the side, the vampire's claw raking against her arm, bruising it painfully, but not slicing the skin thanks to Ghastly's clothing. However, it wasn't done with her yet. It leaped on top of her and barred it's fangs. Gepard sprung towards it, electric bolts wrapping around the stakes in his hands, and brought them down on the back of the beast.
Can a monster shriek? Skyril found out that day that they can, indeed, and it's terrible. The vampire, once, so many years ago a simple country girl named Mary Mayfield, screamed as the stakes sunk in and the electric bolts coursed through its body. For a moment or two it bucked and thrashed, trying to get Gepard off. He hung on viciously for several seconds but was finally tossed off by the wild thing. It turned and roared in his face, saliva splattering everywhere, and sprang away again onto the the pipes above, blood seeping and dripping from its wounds.
Those wounds. though, were mortal, and it fell off again a  moment later after slipping on its own blood. It landed hard and writhed in pain. Gepard stood and watched it for a second. Skyril was standing to the side, gasping slightly. Her face was stricken with sad confusion, not knowing what to do with the agonized monster. Gepard walked back slowly and picked up his sword. He returned to the vampire, and he finished it off, relieving it of the pain it would have had to endure in the last minutes of life.

He and Skyril stood still for a moment, she in slightly stunned silence and he regretting having to kill the beast without getting the information  beforehand. He wiped off the sword and walked past Skyril to the stairs. On the first step he muttered. "Come on," and left without checking if she was following. Skyril sheathed her dagger, expression changing from one close to sadness to one of resigned and regretless.She went down the stairs.
When they exited, William  looked up from where he leaned against the wall and asked "Did you get what we needed?"

Skyril glanced at Gepard who was standing in front of her. "No," he said. "We're back where we started. In fact, we're even worse than when we started because we have no leads and the trail is cold!" William frowned, deciding not to reply. After a moment, Gepard walked away, speaking over his shoulder, "Skyril and I are going to base. You clean up the mess and meet us there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I drew a drawing of Gepard and Skyril :P

I tried to draw the vampire, but I really just couldn't.

Oh, and know the clothing isn't right, but I can't draw cravats or skirts O.o

I suppose the one with Gepard is right before Mary the vampire leaped at him.

And the one of Skyril, I suppose, is when she's taking the vampire's sight. 
Pretty much the only thing I'm comfortable with these is the hair xP

Hope you enjoyed the story! Um... I don't know when I'll get back to it [if ever]. I've got so many things I need to write right now xD

And plus, a lot of this poofed in my head when I started writing, and I don't have anything past this. So I wouldn't really know how to continue it...