I'm back from summer camp guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BTW if we have all lost are powers then that means my character is dying. Her powers are her lifeforce. *Cough cough* I'll figure out a way to work around it, don't worry.

I stared out of the police car window. The small little chip implanted by John in the back of my neck was itching. I had discovered it this morning and John had explained to me that that would keep me alive for a few more hours, but soon I would be going through the slow and painful process of death. John looked at me. I wanted to kill him.

"I'm thinking of sending a little message explaing your current situation to Nathaniel and Brooke, hope you don't mind."

I glared at him willing my powers to come back and blow him up, but nothing happened. He turned around and closed his eyes. I wanted to scream. If I had my way no one  would ever know that I was about to die. I didn't want them to worry, but given John's smug look, it was to late.

I'm back!

School pictures are tomarrow.... (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!)

And I just got back....

And I have writer's block....

And I have to get some shoes....

I'll write a post later. Or now. Maybe just a bit....

Nathaniel, you're on.

Nathaniel had given up on understanding any of John's motives at all as they raced out of the police station, no one noticing. John said this was both for himself and the protection of soceity. As if! though Nathaniel.

Well, I don't think you really count as society, John commented.

Get out of my head.

Friendly, aren't we? You might want to be paying more attention to your friend Elexhiia then me. Her life is draining out.

"Elexhiia?!" Nathaniel exclaimed outloud, and turned around. Elexhiia looked tired and weak. Nathaniel ran up to her. "Are you okay?"

"No," she groaned. "I'm not." 

With that, Elexhiia collapsed on the floor. 

Okay. I'm writing. The answer to the riddle, if anyone cared to know, is: The higher, the fewer. 

Home. I'd read a lot about homes, ideal homes, homes where everyone's happy. I'd always thought, Lucky you. You have a family who cares about you and a place that you can feel safe in. Catherine had a home, and a family, and now we were going back to it. 

We were back in our home world. I wish I knew its name. Catherine's family lived about two hours by train away, and we both had enough money to buy train tickets. Now we were sitting on the train. The views rolling past interested me, but Catherine didn't look up at all. I wondered what she was thinking about. Was she thinking about her family, the place she needed to go to? Did she miss them?

I thought about my father. I never thought of him as family. I don't know where or who my mother was. I only had my father for as long as I could remember. We didn't even have a home- we moved from HUNT office to HUNT office all over the world. I remember my training he used to give me. I remember being four years old and hungry. My dinner was on top of a large filing cabinet. I could fly up or starve. It was hard for me to put my wings out. And it hurt. I wasn't even very good at flying. I remember being spontaneously thrown into giant bins of water to turn into a shark. I was never taught to swim as a human. I could turn into a shark or drown. I remembered being told to play with fire inside a a wooden playhouse. If it burnt, it was my own fault. I had to control the fire.

I remembered the day my father started using me for his dirty work. There was a man who betrayed him and my father was very mad at him. The orginization captured him- it goes by many names besides HUNT and does many things, most of which people call bad. I remembered being told by one of my father's assistants, Amelia, her name was, to do my homework in the big counsel room. I did my homework there but later, when I went to leave, the door wouldn't open. I was locked in. My father left me there for two days. There was only a water cooler inside. No food. I wondered if he was punishing me for something or if this was a test. The room was fireproof, and there were no windows. I couldn't break through the door or break the electronic lock. When the door finally opened, I was told to come with the HUNT agent who opned the door. I followed him to a large pool of water. My father was there. With him was the man, the man who had betrayed my father. My father held a knife. He smiled at the man. 

"This is my son," my father said. "He's only ten years old, but I'm sure you will see just how powerful he is." My father cut the betrayer's arm with the knife and pushed him in the pool, just as I felt a swift kick from behind me, pushing me in too. As soon as I started to change, I understood exactly why my father put me in that room. To make me hungry. I didn't want to do what I did, but my shark instincts overpowered all reason at the scent of the blood. 

Since then, there were many times when I was taken to the room with the water cooler.

I remembered the time when my father came to visit me and told me that he wanted me to spy for him at Shane's Academy. I remember how they made a disguise for me. They changed my name, made a fake identity, cut my hair and dyed it black.

I didn't want to do any of it. I could only stay with him because I was too powerless to leave and because I owed him my life. The debt has been paid and if he tries following me now, oh will he get a surprise.

I looked over at Catherine. She looks very forlorn as she curls up in her seat.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She smiled at me wanly. "Yeah. I guess. I guess I'm just worried that my parents won't be happy that I've left school. I don't know, it's a stupid fear, but..." she trailed off.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," I said. "I bet you have nice parents. I'm sure they'll forgive you. parents in books always do."

She smiled at me. "You don't have good parents, then?"

"Hardly," I snorted. "One horrible, horrible, father, and a mother who thought it would be okay to leave me with him. They're just amazing."

"I guess Giovanni isn't really fatherly material?" Catherine asked.

I snapped into attention. How did she know who my father is? Did she hear from-

"Hey, you and Murtaugh need to make sure I'm asleep before you start talking about private issues."

I couldn't believe I let my gaurd down so much.

"Look, I'm not going to hold it against you, okay?" Catherine said. "Your parents don't make who you are. You're a completely seperate person from Giovanni and whatever horrible things he's done to you are behind you now, okay?" 

I bet Catherine got that from some book, but it sounded pretty good at the time. All things considered, I had picked up a pretty good partner for having an adventure with. 

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

Nathaniel, you're on~

Elexhiia's breath was shallow, as she lay on the thin mattriss in Brooke's small adobe.

"What are we going to do?" he asked tiredly.

"I don't know," Brooke sighed. "We'll think of something."

Nathaniel closed his eyes and tried to think of something, anything, but his mind was blank.

Buzzing. Having trouble? John asked.

I don't need your help.

Oh, but I think you do. And I have a deal you just might be willing to agree too. You see, I don't exactly have the fifteenth element, not yet, but I was able to make a very similar substance that removes powers and bottles them. I have your powers, Brooke's, and Elexhiia's.

I don't care! I don't care! Get out of my head!

Elexhiia will die without her powers. You need this deal so Elexhiia will live.

Then why did you take her powers in the first place?!

I didn't realise she would die!

Oh, I'm sure you didn't realise that. Of course you didn't.

Hey, I kept her alive up to the moment!

Without restoring her powers, may I just comment.

Will you just listen to me?! I'll give Elexhiia her powers back but you'll have to do a certain favor for me.

What sort of favor? Nathaniel was instantly suspicious.

I can't tell you. Not here.

You do realise we're telepathicly communicating and we're in two different places?

Someone could interrupt the telepath waves since we're so far away. If I can see you I can put a shield over the telepathy.

Why should I trust you? I tried that before and it didn't exactly work for me!

Do you want Elexhiia to die?

Do you?

The buzzing didn't stop, but John made no reply for a long while.

You're the only one who can be blamed for her death, as well, Nathaniel added.

Meet me outside your apartment building.

You know what apartment building I live in?!

I know a lot of things. Also, don't bring Brooke with you or the deal is off.

WHAT?!

I expect you to come in the next hour, otherwise I'll store Elexhiia's powers away forever.

"No!" Nathaniel cried aloud.

"What's wrong?!" asked Brooke.

The buzzing had stopped. "It's.... there's one way to save Elexhiia. I have to meet John in an hour."

Brooke stood up. "I'm coming with."

Nathaniel looked at his shoes. "John said that you came the deal would be off."

"What deal?!"

"If I do him a favor he'll restore Elexhiia's powers."

"Do you honestly believe him?" Elexhiia groaned on the bed.

"I don't know. But what other choice do we have?" 

I was waiting for Red to write, but he hasn't done it yet, so I'm just going ahead and writing. Oh, by the way, I am going to send Storm and Catherine your way quite soon. If I don't get around to it this time, I'll tell Red to do it. Oh, I just realized that in my last post there was a sentence in present tense. Sorry. I switched over to present tense accidentally and I thought I changed it all back to past tense, but I missed a sentence.

Catherine's family lived three hours by train away from Shane's Academy. Close enough to visit, but too far away to live at home. Her house was in a small town and she knew the way to it from the train station. Catherine walked mechanically, never looking anywhere but straight in front of her. She wasn't talking and her mouth was set in a hard flat line. Was she afraid of her family? Mad at them? Simply apprehensive? Why wasn't she overjoyed to be going home? She said there was something she had to do there.

We turned onto one street after another before she stated slowing down. By the time we reached one of many identical houses on the block, her slow walking finally stopped. Was this her house? It looked normal. Exactly like any other house on the block. Geraniums grew in big planters in front of the windows and cheery daises grew in pots on the porch. 

"Is this it?" I asked. It was a rhetorical question but it made Catherine move again. She slowly creeped up the driveway and crawled up the porch. I followed her and wathed as she faced the door. Her finger quivered as it made its inching way to the doorbell. She stopped halfway there. 

"Are you nervous?" I asked. "Why?" She didn't answer. "Do you want me to do it?" She shook her head and suddenly her finger leaped forward and pushed the doorbell with a surprising amount of force. A few seconds later, the door opened and a woman stepped out onto the porch. Her was black, with a few streaks of gray, and tied back in a bun. She was wearing a simple blouse and jeans and looked like so much like an older version of Catherine it was almost disorienting. 

"Catherine?" she asked, almost breathlessly. Just then, Catherine flung herself at the woman screaming "Mommy!" in a way I felt was wildly funny but that I knew I would never tell anyone. Her father came running, too, and for about five minutes there was a hugging mass of people half way in and half way out of the house. Finally, someone noticed me. "This is Storm," Catherine said. "He's a... uh... friend."

After we had gone inside, Catherine explained that "bad men attacked Shane's Academy! We escaped, and so did a few others. I'm so worried! I don't want to go back there ever again!" Catherine was a skilled liar and actor, I'd give her that. Her parents reassured her, saying that she wouldn't have to go back, she could stay here, be safe here. I promised that I would go find my parents tomorrow (fat chance of that) and that I would get home safely. They, in turn, allowed me to stay in the guest beddroom for the night.

Having nothing better to do while Catherine and her parents caught up on each other's lives, I went to find the beddroom. It wasn't bad- a dark room, with a pretty nice bed and a modest bed side table. I was about to leave to go find the bathroom when I noticed a piece of paper on the bed. I knew it was no ordinary piece of paper. For one, it wasn't there a moment before. For another, it was floating.

I ran to the bed and quickly picked up the paper. It was a single sheet, typed in Baskerville font.

Dear Storm,

I've been wanting to meet both you and Catherine for a very long time. Sadly, I'm afraid we shall have to postpone our meeting slightly. There are a number of things that must be done first. 

First of all, I must state my purpose. I am in a rather bad position and I need your help so I would like it if you and Catherine would do a number of jobs for me. It'll most likely be rather dangerous work, but I'm sure you can handle it. I won't put you in any more danger than necessary. I understand that Catherine has just reuinted with her family but you must find a way to convince her to come with you again. You can't exist without each other, so stick together like chitons.

Now, here is what you must do. The first task is get rid of all that horrid junk you're carrying around in your backpack. You musn't let the enemy have it. Stick it in another world to keep it safe. Why don't you give it to Murtaugh? He's certainly dependable. Don't give it to Calcifer, or else he might drink it all and then where will be? Howl will have my hide if he finds out I'm behind it. I'm not quite sure what the fifteenth elelment is, but it seems to destroy superpowers. Don't drink it, or I will be very mad at you.

Next, do go help out a number of people for me, will you? They live in your world and are somewhere around Shane's Academy. Presently, I believe that two of them are in a bakery rather nearby and the other is in an apartment close to that. Catherine has met them, she should know what to do. Their names are Nathaniel, Elexhiia, and Brooke. I believe Elexhiia is dying. Try to save them and generally help them out, please. I promised some people that I'd send you two over to help, and I don't want to appear a liar. Don't let them have the fifteenth element. 

Thank you very much.

Yours, 

A Person with a Great Deal of Names 

Ooooh! I love where this is going. I'm trying to think of a way to get back into the story sooner. hmm.

Yes, yes, I'm writing. Mrrph. I don't want to write emotional stuff. Thus, I'm just going to cut to just after Storm receives that letter and the rest can be handled in flashbacks. 

My dad always makes dinner with mother and I like that. It's a family effort. Today, I was helping with the cooking and I was caught up in the warm mood that grows when a family works together. I just finished the process of adding butter to a saucepan of peas when I noticed Storm standing in the kitchen doorway frantically waving me over. I told my parents "Hold on a minute" and went over to see what was wrong.

His face was as white as a ghost's. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the living room. "What's going on?" I snapped. "In case you didn't notice, I'm a little busy right no-" Storm thrust a sheet of paper at me. I took it and read it. It was a letter... an odd letter.

"What is this?" I asked.

Storm started talking a mile a minute. "It was floating on the bed- a whole inch above the bed!- in the guest room, and I think it's from someone in our author's world! They know about Murtuagh and Calcifer and look, it looks like they know Howl personally. They must have superpowers like us or something, otherwise how else would the paper have been floating above the bed? Either that or it's some kind of trap- maybe someone's trying to seal us in a book, but that's not possible, is it? To seal someone in a book? Anyway, do you know these Nathaniel and Brooke people? And-"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah, slow down," I commanded. "Okay. One thing at a time. I know the people they were talking about- they're new kids. But I'm confused. You found a piece of paper floating in the bedroom and you immediatly thought it would be a good idea to read it? Seriously? What about 'Don't trust something unless you can see its brain?'"

"It's not re-writing itself or anything weird, Catherine," Storm gave an exasperated huff, the kind I've only ever heard dragons use. "But I need to know who wrote this. If we do the stuff this paper tells us to, we can meet with them! I need to know who wrote this, Catherine! So we need to go!"

"Now?" I screeched. "Storm, I just got back home!" 

"Look, Catherine, we're dealing with something larger than just your family! I think we're dealing with someone larger than our world, even! I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to find out! And I can't do it without you! We need to go together!"

"Catherine...?" My mother, a soup ladle in her hand, stepped into the room. I didn't realize we were yelling so loudly. "What's going on?" she asked.

I took a shaky breath. I didn't want to leave my family. But the Person with a Great Deal of Names knew more about us then I like him or her to know. And I needed to find out what it wanted. "I-I think Storm and I will have to leave again tomorrow. The world's in some kind of danger and we have to save it."

My mother stepped forward. "No! You can't leave! Catherine, you're still a little girl! Whatever it is, it's too dangerous for you!"

I stepped forward as well, my voice resounding with some inner strength. "No, Mother. I'm not a little girl. I'm a superhero and I'm going to do what I can to help. If someone is in danger, it is my job to help save them. Shane's Academy told us that duty comes before anything else. Well, now I have a duty. I'm sorry, Mother, but I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Storm. Get Inheritance, please." 

Strom scurried to grab the book and a moment later we jumped into it. He barely waited before we touched to ground to run over to Murtaugh who was staring at us expectantly. 

"Murtaugh," Storm panted. "Here, I want you to take these." He opened up his backpack (why did he always have it on him?) and started unpiling the glass bottles of fifteenth element. 

"What are those and why are you giving them to me?" Murtaugh asked calmly. Storm, by way of reply, handed him the letter. He read it, murmured something to himself, and said, "I take it these are fragile?"

"Yup," Storm said as he unpacked the last bottle. "Don't let them break. Hey, do you know who wrote that letter?"

"Yes, but I'm not going to tell you about them. That's their job." Murtaugh began loading the vials into a set of bags on Thorn.

"You know??" Storm yelled. "Who are they? Who-"

"I said, I'm not going to tell you." Murtaugh didn'r look up from his task. "I'll keep these safe and in the meantime, you had better go help those other kids. Good luck."

We watched as Murtaugh finished the job and mounted Thorn. The large red dragon lifted into the air. 

"So," I said, with false cheeriness, "shall we go back for dinner?"

Captcha says ehdo. The Edo period?