I've been busy with quite a few things... I apologize. 

Redd towered above me, radiating fury. "CAT!" she bellowed, "What is the meanign of this? Why are you trussed up on a leash like a common pet?" I lowered myself to kneeling on one leg and swallowed before I sad, "Your Majesty Redd, I am afraid the fault is mine. Please forgive me. I am a traveler from a foreign land and I know a great deal of the future. You must halt your attack on Heart Palace, as it will be unsuccesful. Yes, you will take control of Wonderland, and your sister, the Queen Genieve, will die, but your assasin here, the Cat, will fail in his duties. The Princess Alyss Heart will escape Wonderland with the Mad Hatter through the Pool of Tears. Your assasin will lie to you. You will control Wonderland for thirteen years, but your niece will return to Wonderland and overthrow you. You and the Cat will jump into the Heart Crystal and eventually reappear on Earth, the land the Pool of Tears leads to."

"That's a very good story, Little Boy," Redd snapped, "but how do I know any of it is real?"

"Perhaps you would be interested to know that I know of some of your more private secrets?" I asked. I was playing a dangerous game. If Redd didn't like what I had to say, she could kill me before I could get out of here. "I know how you wanted to be together with King Arch of Borderland. I know how you envisoned yoiur life together. You first met at a charity function when he was twenty-two years old. he introduced himself and you told him, 'I know who you are,' and he responded, 'And I you, Princess. I've heard of what you condiser fun.' You sadi, hoping to test him, 'You know what would be fun? To send this boring bunch into a tizzy by inviting Wondertroplis reporters with me to a Black Imagination seance.' He told you, 'You know what'd send them into more of a tizzy? If I went with you.' You left together and you began meeting each other in seret. You loved how he said, 'You haven't just strength of imagination. You have strength of will. Imagination is nothing without will.'"

Her face steadily turned paler and paler thorughout my speech. I jumped just then and unfurled my wings and narrowly missed a snarling vine that tried to grab me.  Flying out of the vine's way, I yelled, "You wanted to marry him. Be his favorite wife. You wnated to rule Wonderland and Borderland together. And when you were exiled, he dumped you! He was playing with you! He only wanted your power!"

"What do you want from me?" she snarled, her eyes blazing in anger.

"A deal," I called down to her, "you agree to assist me in the future and I will help you now and Wonderland will be yours. If you don't like those terms or try to double cross me," I begun to smile at her. Smiling confidentally or laughing always throws enemies off because it implies that you have a trump card in your sleeve. It's good to use, even when you don't actually have  the trump card. "If you try to double cross me, I shall broadcast secrets even worse than these to all in Wonderland and every other world I go to. You shall be the laughing stock of the many universes. Is that what you want," I paused for effect, "Rosie?" 

Redd gave a murderous scream. "I agree!" she bellowed. "Now show me what I must do!"

Wary, I still hovered in the air but pulled a small orb out of a hidden pocket in my backpack. I tossed it to Redd. "When I have need of your assistance, my voice will come from that orb and you should come to my aid. If you destroy the orb, I will know and you will have your innermost thoughts broadcasted to all the worlds I can get to.  If you need me, you can speak into the orb and I will help in what way I can. Now, about Alyss. Would you mind if I accompanied the Cat to Heart Palace? I'm confident we can take care of the Princess together and you can take over Wonderland as planned."

"Fine," Redd snapped stiffly. "Go, Cat, go, demon human, and that little companion of yours. Just go, all of you. Do your duty."

I bowed to her and smiled as I said, "Your Majesty."  

Come, Thready, to the top! And... darn it. I was going to write, but all my intentions to do so just flopped and said "meh". Meh to you too, intentions. I will write tomorrow! I promise!

I really meant to write several days ago, but my annoying intentions continued to say "meh". I sense Catherine's going to yell at Storm this time around.

Wow. Leave it to Storm to blackmail an enormously powerful villain. The orb he had given to Redd- where had he gotten that from? Storm often requested to go into books without giving me a reason. All this time I though he had simply been socializing- did Storm have an enormous army of powerful followers he had bribed and blackmailed into serving him? I hated to admit it, but I was actually scared. I had no idea just how much power he had. How many of those little orbs had been distributed around the worlds I had in my backpack?

I then realized exactly what Storm had just agreed to do. Kill Princess Alyss. "What are you thinking?" I yelled. 

"About what?" Storm asked.

"About-about-You just agreed to kill the Princess!" I screeched.

"I did no such thing," Storm scoffed. "I promised to make sure the Cat doesn't fail"- the cat hissed- "and there was nothing about me actually killing the Princess."

"You know what?" I yelled. "You can spend your whole life wriggling through loopholes, and that won't change the fact that you're evil! You can't do anything without me! If I left right now, you'd be stuck here in this rotton world that's just as bad as you are!" I knew why I was so mad. It wasn't right for one person to hold so much power and be able to control so much. With something that powerful, how could you ever feel safe again in your life?  I started running, running far away from that thing. I know I could jump into a book at any moment, but I had no idea which ones were safe and which ones weren't. At some point or another, Storm had been in virtually every book, story song, video game, and movie that I owned. Who worked for him and who didn't?

I crawled under a bush near the palace and started to cry. Would I ever have a chance to see my family again? Would I ever feel safe again? I don't know how long I stayed under that bush before Storm crawled under it as well. "It's not going to be safe here much longer. Redd's attacking."

"Where do you want to go next, Your Highness?" My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I don't know. I don't. Really. I just want to talk for a bit... I want to feel safe again."

I looked over at him. Storm was curled in a ball, his head resting on his bunched up knees. He looked miserable, but then again, he always looked miserable in the rain. I hadn't noticed, but a soft mist had begun to fall. Redd had probably created it, as I couldn't remember it occuring in the book. 

"Well," I wasn't sure what else to say. "You have a lot of explaining to do. You remind me of a monster and if you don't make youself seem like a human again, I'm leaving you and running away."

"You can't run. You're not strong enough by yourself. We need each other if we want to get anywhere," Storm said. "I'll talk to you... once we're out of here."

There, Ruby, you better be able to write something deep or else Catherine's  going to run off! 

Interruption. It must be Nathaniel's job to interrupt any serious moment. Sorry.

Nathaniel, you're on~

It seemed like they were walking through thick wades of jelly on their way to the alley entrance, their exit. Nathaniel wanted to run, he wanted to scream. He could tell something was about to happen. Elexhiia and himself walked, as fast a they could. They walked, every moment taking them one step closer to an exit, and one step farther from Brooke.

"Why are we doing this?" Elexhiia asked. "Why are we leaving her there?"

"There's no time to question her," Nathaniel said, though on the inside he was doubting himself. "We have to get out of here fast."

"And why exactly would that be?" A policeman turned the corner in front of them, confronting them with a bright flashlight.

"Oh no," whispered Elexhiia. "What are the police doing here?"

"There was a police line outside of the building." Nathaniel winced. "We kind of broke into here."

"Well, that's great and all," the policeman seemed unmoved, "but why are you here?"

If only we could run, thought Nathaniel. But Elexhiia's in no condition to run. 

"We, uh," stuttered Elexhiia.

There's no way to explain. No way without revealing the whole super-powered community and causing a downfall. Of course, maybe they could help us with John.

"Hurry up, I haven't got all day!" the officer snapped at Elexhiia.

On the other hand, maybe they can't help us with John.  

Nathaniel and Elexhiia stared at the policeman hopelessly. "I'm going to have to march you two outside." He pulled out two pairs of handcuffs, and strapped one of the cuffs to either of his arms. "Perhaps," he smiled slowly, snapping the cuffs around Nathaniel and Elexhiia's hands, so they were on either side of him, "you two would like to accompany me for a search of the building."

Brooke and John, thought Nathaniel.

Oh no. Oh no, please no.

Interruption. It must be Storm's job to interrupt a serious moment. Also, Red, you stuck me with a hard part on purpose, didn't you? Shame on you.

Catherine dug in her backpack and pulled out *runs to my bookcase* If You're Reading This, It's Too Late. She took hold of my elbow and we jumped out of the warped looking glass world and into the other world. We landed in a picturesque park, sullied only by the sight of a girl "Cass" dragging an elderly basset hound "Sebastion" across the park. "Explain," Catherine hissed. Why didn't I just sic Catherine on my enemies? She could certainly be venemous enough.

I found a park bench and sat down on it before giving out a shaky sigh. "I didn't want to see her die. It was one of the most horrible things I've ever seen in my life and I've been forced to do some pretty horrible things.

"The only reason why I went to Shane's Academy was to serve as a spy. I've been bound by a debt to serve HUNT and they wanted me to find out as much about it as possible. Dr. Modddington found out and forced me to be her spy as well. I was a double agent, bound by debts. I owed Giovanni my life and Dr. Mods my place in school. If I didn't spy for her, she would throw me out. If I didn't spy for HUNT, they would kill me. I was stuck. And then you came up. I wanted a chance to escape and I think that's what you meant to me at first. A chance to free myself from this trap. Then you explained the principles of jumping- how we're all part of a story being written in a higher world. I realized that I would never have a chance to be free, because somewhere up there is a writer writing about our lives. And until I meet that person, I'm never going to be free.

"You can't jump into our higher world becuause you need more power to do so. I want to gather up as much power as I can so that the writer will have to take notice. They will have to adress me and tell me exactly why they are making me do this. I don't want to kill children. I don't want to be evil. The author is forcing me to do this. That makes the author the truly evil one.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I really am, but you're the only chance I have to ever facing the reason why I am made to serve people and be used in the most malevolent way possible. We can't exist with out each other now. If you leave me, I'll be stuck in one place and I will literally go insane from being in only one spot. If I leave you, you'll never be safe. You don't have enough powers to escape all the things that would try to hurt you. Run away and you'll die. The author has made us dependant of each other and I don't like it any more than you do."

Catherine finally said slowly, "That's all you're trying to do? Adress your author? That's your goal?"

"Yes," I replied. "I realize that that's exactly what the author wants me to do. Become powerful and then come to it. It also wants me to be aware of that fact and I suppose in making me tell you this, it wants you to be aware as well. I want to know why it wants me. And that's why I'm going to continue. I lived without a purpose for many years. Now I want a purpose, I need a purpose badly. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing."

Catherine didn't say anything for a long moment. "I suppose I've always wanted to meet my author as well. I guess... we really don't have any choice. Let's go find our author together." She smiled then and I realized that I had never actually seen her smile before. A purpose does a lot to a person.

Ha! Was that good enough for you, Red? 

Yes, that was just fine, Lord Sakura (I'm going to call you that from now on). 

Understanding someone's motives is a lot like understanding a full person. I felt like I've finally come to understand Storm. He was pushed around his whole life and ordered to do unpleasant tasks. He had burdens placed on him that most children his age never had to face. Storm had a father- Giovanni- who never treated him like a son. He used Storm as a tool and carried for Storm's well-being the way an author treats their computer- a vital tool, no more, no less. If it broke down, it could be replaced with another one. 

I had heard that a lot of kids were persecuted for their superpowers. I never was. I remember the fun I had growing up. When there were unpleasant chores to do, I would run off into a book and hide. When the dinner was horrible, I would find another more delicious one and eat that. I had lots of friends in all my books and they liked playing with the travelling girl. My superpowers had always been a gift to me. 

I remembered the day my parents told me they were sending me to Shane's Academy. "We can't do this anymore, Catherine." My mother looked so tired as she said that. "We simply can't do this. I know you enjoy yourself, gadding off in books and such, but we're worried about you. There's bad things in books and I'm afriad you're going to get yourself hurt."

"There's bad things here, too," I said.

"But not where we live," my father finished. His voice was as gentle as always. "Catherine, we love you, but we can't protect you in the places you go to. That's why we think you'll fit in well at this school. There, people can protect you and make sure you're safe. You'll make lots of friends, honey, friends in our world. Okay?"

I had cried that day. For the longest time, I thought my parents hated me. Now I knew that they loved me- loved me so much, that they thought they weren't good enough. They truly thought the people at Shane's Academy could take care of me better than they could. I told my parents I wouldn't forgive them but now I understand why they did what they did. I forgave them. I understood them. 

Understanding. That reminded me of A Tale Dark and Grimm. Did I under-stand my parents? Johannes had said under-standing was "planting your feet beneath them and taking upon your shoulders their burden-their choice, their mistake, and their pain". (Note: I changed the tense and the persoange to fit the sentence, but otherwise it's all there.) I understood their choice. I understood the mistake they had made and how much it had hurt them to see me leave them. I had hurt them by not forgiving them. I understood them and now I was ready to under-stand them.

"Can we take a slight detour, Storm?" I asked.

"Where do you want to go?" he wanted to know.

"Home. There's something I need to do there." 

Nathaniel, you're on.

John didn't mind being cuffed.

It disturbed Nathaniel. Brooke put up a fight, real terror in her eyes, while John simply handed his wrist over to the police, grinning with a sense of Malice.

He was obviously planning something.

The policeman regarded all of them with a look of slight distain. "We'll have to call your parents, you know." That comment made Brooke's eyes bulge. Why, thought Nathaniel, does this have to be happening?

Buzzing in the back of his head. Why indeed? asked John.

Go away, Nathaniel though back sharply. This is your fault.

Oh really? I don't think any of this would've happened without you.

What do you mean? Nathaniel was irritaed and just wanted a straight answer.

You're suppose to be dead.

"What?!" exclaimed Nathaniel aloud, getting him some strange looks from Elexhiia and Brooke, and a jolt from the policeman.

How did you know that? asked Nathaniel furiously.

I was suppose to be there.

He's right, thought Nathaniel, then realising John was tunned into his thoughts, you're right.

Would you still be after the fifteenth element...?

I don't know. I'm not the one who was supposed to be dead.

Well you seem to know more than me!!!

Sometimes I feel trapped too, okay?!

Nathaniel, taken aback, made no comment.

I had to hide things to get into Shane's. If they had known I could do mind tricks they would've paid more attention to me--and even without the fifteenth element problem, I didn't want attention. At least not that type. When you came to school, I don't know, I just felt something in the air around you. Your thoughts were obtuse, and you were a newbie. Most newbies' thoughts are "I hope nobody hates me," and such, but yours were different. It sparked my curiousity. So I followed you. You just thought I was a bit annoying. I'll admit, I was. But then I learned why you were at Shane's. I had that dream. I knew you were supposed to be dead, as soon as the fight with Giovanni was over. I think you were supposed to die then, but we helped.

Yeah, thanks. I've pretty much already determined that.

Sometimes things are going to happen Nathaniel. Things you don't expect.

The buzzing was gone. John was no longer montoring his thoughts. Nathaniel sighed as he and the others were loaded into the back of a police car.

"Wait a second," said Brooke aloud. "We left something behind!"

Nathaniel felt his eyes go wide. "THE LOOKING GLASS WARS!"