The Chosen

The following is a complete work of fiction.

Any resemblance between the characters and any real life person is completely coincidental. Please do not copy or distribute the story without the author's permission.

Disclaimer:

The following story may contain erotic situations. If it is illegal for you to read this please leave now. Also expect blood, gore, incredibly funny scenes and super-powered teenagers with a destiny to save the world. If you're not a fan of any of these plus strong cursing and violence than this is not your type of story.

Chapter 4

I stared into blue eyes so like my own but not. Mine sparkled and practically glowed, or so I have been told. These eyes were cold and evil, like the eyes of a demon. Mom looked back and forth between Morgan and me as we engaged in our staring match. Did this bitch think she was going to cause me to look away first? I don't think so. Ha. Why was doing this exactly? No reason. We happened to meet eyes over the breakfast table and it went from there. I know I was stooping down to her level but dammit I had my pride, and the spawn already thought she had bigger balls than me. No way was I going to give her something to gloat over. The little hooker would never let a weakness go unexploited.

"Are you two done yet?" asked Mom with a bored tone, as she cut into her eggs.

Morgan blinked and looked at Mom. Boo-yah. That's what I thought. Smugly, I shot her a full on shit-eating grin. Mom gave me a look and the grin quickly slipped from my face. You win this round Mom. But the battle is far from over. I mentally slapped myself. Wow. I had to lay off the Sci Fi channel for a while. I was beginning to sound like one of their bad Sci Fi Friday villains.

The bright rays of the sun streamed in through the window throwing golden oblongs of sunshine on the kitchen floor. Sunday mornings in the Summers household was always spent at the kitchen table. We usually never ate together except for this day. It had been two days since Friday, the day I faced my first preternatural creature on my own. You would think seeing that decapitated zombie would have given me nightmares. But it didn't. And that worried me. Maybe in my past life I was this ruthless warrior who killed and felt no remorse. I wasn't like that. I didn't want to be like that. Being a sociopath was so not attractive.

"Do you guys have any plans today?" asked Mom, biting into her French toast.

Morgan shrugged. "Me and Hailey plan on catching up on One Tree Hill. We missed a few episodes because of Drill Team practice."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. You guys are on a middle school drill team. How can your practice sessions run till that late into the evening?"

"If you participated in anything athletic," snapped Morgan, quickly. "I'm sure you would understand how hard practices are. Wait I forgot. You have your little nerd meetings after school don't you? Do you guys discuss the meaning of cool and how you lack it?"

I shook my head. Sad, sad, sad little girl. "You honestly have no idea how a high school works." I looked at the ceiling, smiling wistfully. "They are going to eat you alive next year." I smiled evilly. "And I can't wait."

Mom slapped her hand down on the table. She glared at both of us. "Chad! Morgan! Stop it. You guys just stop it. Now apologize to each other."

I gave Morgan my patented 'go to hell' smile. It was bright and empty as a light bulb. The key is to smile like you meant it, but think fuck you in your head, and project it through your eyes. I tried to teach Kevin how to do it, but he always managed to just look extremely friendly. Morgan narrowed her eyes at me and mumbled an apology. I tilted my head, still smiling, but my eyes said all the things I was thinking of loud and clear.

"I'm sorry, too, Morgan," I said with fake sincerity.

Mom sighed and rubbed at her temples. "You kids are going to be the death of me."

We decided to keep the rest of breakfast drama free to save Mom the stress. And it was indeed some stressful times dealing with the two of us. I was so glad that I was gay at times like this. Kids were definitely not in my future. Especially if they behaved anything like Morgan and me even on a good day.

I excused myself from the table at the sound of the doorbell. No way was I even going to be in the same room as Morgan and Hailey. Those two together were like characters from Mean Girls, but substitute mean for bitchy and you have a pretty good idea as to what they were like. I jogged up the stairs to my room and plopped down on the bed. I laid down and closed my eyes. Weariness throbbed from my very bones. I was exhausted. Training all the time was really starting to take it out of me. The blissful hold of sleep hovered just beyond my eyelids. Before I realized it sleep took me away into slumber land.

I was dreaming again. It was the past I could tell because I felt like a witness more than a participator. I was my past self again dressed in flowing white robes, standing on a balcony that overlooked a glistening silver city of tall spires and towers of glass. I looked to the horizon and was surprised to see the ocean, blue and tranquil going on as far as I could see. The moon was high in the sky and the stars were bright and shining in the black folds of space. It was a breathtaking scene and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. A hand touched my cheek and I turned.

A man dressed in red robes smiled at me. I felt a song in my heart that came from my very soul. I knew this person, this man. He was my other half, my soul mate, and my everything. For some reason I couldn't make out his face. It was fuzzy and unfocused to my eyes but everything else was perfectly clear. I racked my brain trying to recall his looks but they were gone from me, and that was why my mind couldn't construct his face.

"The others are worried for you, my love," whispered the man, cupping my face with his gentle hand.

The me of then sighed. "I know this, my heart. I just have a feeling that everything will all come to a final end soon. Whether it be for good or bad I do not know."

"Let us not think about that," replied the man, smiling.

I looked into his face and felt a wave of reassurance. My past self leaned in and kissed the man lovingly. Then suddenly the ground beneath our feet rocked and there were screams.

And I woke up.

I clutched a hand to my chest feeling my rapidly beating heart. "Oh shit."

I had no idea what had happened next in the dream, after the quake and the screaming. I don't think I even want to know now. I swallowed trying to bring air back to my lungs. I didn't see what happened next but the emotions I could feel were of sorrow from loss, pain, despair, and a grim determination. Sighing, I ran a shaky hand through my hair. It had started off so nice too. Who in the hell was that man in my dreams? I felt like I knew everything about him, but nothing came to mind. I racked my brain for anything but nothing came forward. Already the events of the dream were fading like mist in the morning.

"Oh God," said a voice from the door.

I looked up and Kevin entered the room closing the door behind him. He leaned against the door dressed in khaki colored shorts and a blue polo with the collar flipped up. Kevin Montero, always the prep even when wearing something casual.

"Did I interrupt you masturbating?" he asked, disgusted. "I really don't want to have to go to therapy after seeing you with your hand wrapped around your dick."

I pretended to laugh and then just suddenly stopped. "I thought it over and decided that it wasn't funny."

"Ouch, whore," replied Kevin, sliding into the chair in front of the computer. "You bucking for Bitch of the Year Award or something? What's up?"

I sighed and smiled slightly. "Sorry, bro. I just had a really bad dream."

"Want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. Its all good." He shot me a look that clearly said yeah right but I ignored it and changed the subject. "Why are you here anyway? Not that I'm not happy to see you."

Kevin laughed. "Nice save, bro. We'll I saw this ad saying that Robert Stein was going to be signing his new book at Borders today."

And that meant what to me exactly. "Okay..."

"I was thinking that with my mom's birthday coming up in a couple of days I could get her a signed copy of his book," said Kevin, finishing with a clap of his hands and an eager smile.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Who did he think he was fooling? Kevin Montero voluntarily do something nice for someone else without a gun held to his head... I think not.

"Be for real, Kevin," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm guessing that when she sees your gift she'll be so touched that she'll be extremely lenient when you hand her your Report Card."

Look for it. Look for it. And there it was. The full Kevin Montero pout, right on schedule. "Hey, must you really demean my attempt at being a good son."

I just looked at him. No words were needed. We had been friends since elementary school, sometimes a look was all that was needed when one was dealing with the both of us. I crossed my arms still staring at him. Finally, Kevin sighed and the pout was replaced by a sheepish smile that had his brown eyes twinkling.

"Damn," he said, half smiling. "I would have got away with it, too, if it wasn't for you meddlesome punk and your little dog."

A snort left my mouth before I could stop it. That was all it took before we were both rolling around laughing our ass off. The situation was just hilarious if you stopped to think about it. I mean really what kind of person has the plans and plots swirling in their mind the way Kevin does. It was just like the time when we were freshmen last year. When Kevin found out Jenny Lehane was cheating on him he went into all out plan mode. It involved us sneaking out in the dark of night, dressed in all black, to egg her house. Halfway into it, the front porch lights came on and we bolted. As we were hopping a fence Kevin lost his footing, fell, broke his leg, and screamed bloody murder, waking up the whole neighborhood. I signed his cast 'Nice plan bitch. Love, bro'. Hey, I said he had devious plans, I didn't say they all were good ones.

It was Sunday afternoon and I was bored as hell so I thought why the hell not. I changed into a pair of blue jeans and a fitted red shirt. It hugged my chest and arms nicely, showing off my lean muscles. I slipped into my Nike's with the red swooshes, applied some hair goop to my hair and brushed into its usual style. Which was a neat look with only the front spiked. I winked one blue eye at my reflection in the mirror.

Kevin sat on my bed reading my Ultimate X-Men comic. "If you look into that mirror one more time, I'm leaving right now. I swear." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "You gays sure are a conceited group."

"I personally would use the word image conscious," I sniffed, turning up my head haughtily.

Kevin stood up and stretched like a cat. "Anyway in other news, I think its time to go."

"You and Shannon Doherty have so much in common," I replied, grabbing my keys from beside my computer.

We said bye to my Mom as we left the house and I promised to be back before eleven. Borders was on the opposite side of the highway from East Mall. I exited Legacy Boulevard, made a quick loop, and sped into the Borders parking lot. What could I say? I had a heavy foot when it came to the gas pedal. Borders was basically Barnes and Noble but just a different name. The inside was huge. Think of your local bookstore, but on steroids. Rows filled with shelves upon shelves of books was the first thing you noticed when you entered. Near the back was a section for music and movies, but was small compared to the rest of the store. Also, a Starbucks was off to the right. Seriously. People stood in a small line for their espressos or whatnot, and the round tables were occupied with people reading their newly purchased products. What was wrong with America these days? I'm guessing that the days of a simple bookstore were long gone.

The cool breeze of the central air hit me as we entered. Immediately, my eyes were drawn toward the lounge section, which was currently roped off. People loitered around in the section, all of them holding a hardback book with a bright blue cover. A small line was formed in front of a table where a single man sat, glasses perched on his hooked nose. All the way from here I could hear his loud, rolling laugh as he chatted with a woman who was first in line. I didn't have to be a CSI to guess that the man was Robert Stein.

We didn't take so much as two steps in before we were rushed by a short chubby girl, about our age with red hair, thick black glasses, and a bright smile that had me wishing for a pair of sunglasses.

"Welcome to Borders!" She said brightly. And a little over eager. "Can I help you guys with anything!"

My eyes lingered on her chest. Not for that reason. Her nametag said 'Hi, my name is Samantha, I'm new'. Beneath that was a pen drawn anime doodle of a smiling face of a girl that I was guessed Samantha had drawn herself. I swallowed fighting back a snort. I looked at Kevin and I almost groaned. The bastard was smiling charmingly and Samantha's eyes glazed over and her cheeks turned red.

"Why yes you can," said Kevin in his suave voice. I almost gagged. He read her nametag. "Samantha." He pronounced her name so it seemed almost like a caress. "I was wondering if Robert Stein was still here. I wanted to get a signed copy of his book."

Samantha nodded so hard that I was surprised her neck didn't break. "He's still here. You already missed his reading and Q&A and the signing is almost over. I think there are only a couple of people still in line. Do you need a copy of his book? I can ring one right up for you!"

Poor, poor girl. No female had the power to resist Kevin Montero when he was in full flirt mode. And when he wanted something that could be acquired by flirting ladies look out. She led us to the long checkout counter. A display was next to the counter with less than a dozen copies of Flight of Icarus by Robert Stein left. He snatched one and slid it over the counter.

I shot him a look. Must you really do all this I tried to tell him with my eyes? He winked at me and did one of those Gallic shrugs that meant nothing and everything all at once. Samantha's face was red as a tomato as Kevin made small talk with her as she scanned the book.

"It's going to be 9.89," she chirped. Yes, chirped.

I quickly scanned the book price on the display and my eyebrows rose. The book was over twenty bucks, so what the hell was she talking about. I nudged Kevin and nodded at the display. He noticed too and he smiled at Samanatha.

"I think you priced the book wrong," he said with fake innocence. I detected it right off the bat but Samantha was obviously too smitten to notice. Poor girl.

She smiled, eyes twinkling. "I gave you my discount."

"You really didn't have to do that," replied Kevin modestly.

I rolled my eyes. I did that a lot whenever I was around Kevin. If the eyeballs were a muscle then these bad boys would be the strongest in all of California.

Kevin smiled and took the book. "Thank you, Samantha. I appreciate it. I hope I to see you again."

"Me too," she smiled, flushing.

We walked toward the lounge in the back and I waited till we were out of hearing range. "Did you seriously have to go and flirt with the girl just for a discount? Now you have gone and given her hopes up. Now she thinks you really like her."

Kevin shrugged. "She was cute. Bigger than I like them, but still cute. And its not like I told her I would date her, I just flirted a little." He looked at me. "And its not like you've never done it before. I seem to recall that speeding ticket you tried to flirt your way out of."

"Keyword is tried," I said, pouting.

Kevin blew on his nails and wiped them on his shirt, smiling superiorly at me. "Your just don't know how to work it like I do Kevin. I would teach you but I don't have that kind of time."

I shook my head. I couldn't resist the smile that tugged at my lips though. "Kevin, I swear that if we weren't in a public place I would destroy you."

He stopped suddenly and looked at me, eyes wide. "Destroy me? You really need to lay off the Stargate marathons my friend. The show is good but you have to learn that you have an addiction."

I glared at him playfully. "You suck more than Van Helsing."

He grabbed his heart, shooting me an exaggerated wounded look. "Ouch. That hurt sir."

We made it to the line and the person ahead of us was done as soon as we got there. Then it was our turn. Robert Stein was a man in his mid fifties with balding gray hair and blue eyes the color of the springtime sky. I founded myself instantly warmed and at home when he smiled at us and gestured for us to step forward.

Kevin, ever the extrovert, quickly started talking. "My mom is a huge fan of yours Mr. Stein. I was hoping that I could get this copy of your book signed for her. It's her birthday and this would just blow her mind."

Robert Stein laughed at his rushed sentence. "It would be my pleasure."

I scanned the store as they talked about something that really didn't interest me. I didn't know who the guy was so I felt a little out of place in the first place. There sure was a lot of people here I noticed. I had never seen so many people here at one time. This Stein fellow must really be popular because more than half the people held a copy of his blue covered book. I shivered suddenly and rubbed at the goosebumps rising on my arms. This central air was no joke. I know it was warm outside but there was no reason to have the air set on North Pole.

I felt my bladder stirring and I told Kevin I had to use the bathroom. I half jogged to a hallway that looked like it might contain the restrooms. I practically kicked open the door in my rush to make it to a urinal. A sigh left my lips as the weight on my gut lessened and evaporated. I finished up and washed my hands. I tapped the air-dry machine. I tapped it again. Then once more. It was broken. An out of order sign would have been great but hey what can you do. The door swung open and I looked up as a boy who looked my age entered. He was taller than my height of 5'9. I guessed that maybe he was 5'11 or so. He had straight black hair that fell like a curtain around his head with the fringe swooping to the side and falling across his gray eyes. He wore a pair of thin glasses with a buttoned down shirt, tucked in, and a pair of tan khakis. I cocked my head. He was cute in a nerdy, Clark Kent/Harry Potter kind of way.

"You have to slap it first, then tap it, and then press the start button," he said, half smiling.

I did as he said feeling a little stupid. But hot damn he was right. The dryer kicked to life and wheezed its hot air from the short cylinder. I grinned at mystery boy.

"Thanks. How did you know how to that?" I asked him, turning over my hands to let the air hit my wet palms.

He shrugged a shy smile on his lips. "I worked here last summer."

"That's cool," I said, walking toward the door. "See you later."

I left the restroom and found Kevin in the sports section standing next to Ben and Brad Cohen. They were identical twins with buzzed brown hair and light green eyes. Their stocky build was attributed to playing most of the sports our school held. Kevin and I both played soccer and that's how we knew them. Since they were a two years above us soccer season was the only time we usually saw them.

"Hey guys," I said strolling down the aisle. I slapped the twins a five. I read the title of the book held in Ben's hand 'You're a Jock. Now What?' I chuckled a bit.

Ben saw where I was looking and smiled. "The title sounded funny so I thought why not."

Brad slapped Kevin on the back. "I'm almost looking forward to football season being over so we can get back into soccer. We need to teach you a few of our infamous moves since this is our last year."

"I forget you guys are seniors," smiled Kevin. "You guys act younger than us sometimes. Like that time during practice Ben asked me how to spell ball. And Brad tried to tell me it was spelled baall"

The twins laughed exactly the same. They were practically a mirror image as they threw back their heads and laughed loudly. "Hey. We didn't go to sleep the night before so we were running on empty that day dude."

I snorted. "Uh huh. Excuses, excuses."

The boy from the bathroom walked past and I waved at him. He waved back and his eyes suddenly darted to the side when the other guys noticed. Wow. He was really shy.

"Hey, that kid is in our English 4 class," said Brad.

Ben nodded. "He's only a sophomore like you guys but he's supposed to be really smart. Like Enstied or something."

"Einstein," corrected Kevin with a snort.

I followed the kid with my eyes as he walked toward the Science Fiction section. I didn't wonder why I hadn't seen him before. Centennial High was a huge school. There were people that went there that I hadn't seen since middle school. If you didn't have classes, lunch, or athletics with someone then there was more than a fifty percent chance that you would never see them in your high school career. I learned that during freshmen year when our middle school group of friends drifted apart, since we never saw each other at school.

"What's his name?" I asked the twins, curious.

Ben scratched his head looking kind of ape like but I refrained to comment since I was the one who made him engage in thought process. Brad bit his lip and looked up heavenward, he too racking his brain for a name. Kevin shook his head silently laughing. He looked down at the ground to hide his grin. I stepped on his toe to get him to stop. No luck. All it did was get earn me a kick in the ankle and a punch to the arm.

I sighed. "Wow, don't rush on my count guys," I said sarcastically a little bored of just standing here. The cold was really starting to get to me. I kept rubbing my arms but warmth was not coming.

Ben snapped his fingers. "Ryan," he said finally. "His name is Ryan."

"Spencer," added Brad. "Ryan Spencer."

I rubbed my arms harder but the friction was providing no warmth. I glanced at Kevin and was startled at the sight of his blue tinged lips. I opened my mouth to say something and gasped at the sight of the white air that blew out. I opened my mouth again and saw my breath again. What the fuck. My teeth chattered as the air suddenly dropped a few more degrees.

"What in Elphaba's flying monkey's is going on?" asked Kevin, teeth clicking together, as he rubbed his arms like I was doing.

We looked around the store and it was just a mass of confusion everywhere. I sneezed as a harsh, icy cold wind blew through the store making books fall from their places and flyers go swirling through the air. People made for the doors and the store buzzed with a chaotic energy, as they pushed and pushed, but the doors wouldn't open. Kevin and the twins leaned against the shelves in the aisle, their faces turning white from lack of warmth, as air ghosted out through their lips. They looked tired suddenly as if they were about to drop any moment now.

"Guys what's wrong?" I asked, holding Kevin up. He was cold to the touch. "Kevin, come on buddy. Are you okay?"

His head lobbed to the side and he looked at me through half lidded, tired eyes. "I feel so tired Chad. So tired. I just want to sleep."

His eyes closed and he slumped as all energy left his body. The wind picked up and blew with a frightening intensity, throwing more books from shelves and knocking down displays. I looked at the twins and they dropped as one, falling to the ground, eyes closed as they fell unconscious. I checked Kevin's pulse and sighed feeling it beat steady, but it was getting weaker with each passing minute. I reached for my cell phone. I cursed realizing I had left it on the charger at home. All around the store people were falling just the same as Kevin and the twins. They just fell to ground where they stood. My heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest. What was going on? Then I felt it.

My head snapped up toward the information desk. Globes of small white light were flying around in a cyclone of glowing orbs. It was beautiful yet fear inspiring to behold. A tingly feeling went up my spine and I knew what was happening. Something otherworldly was happening. Why it took me so long to figure out I don't know? I was new at the superhero business give me a break. I honestly thought super virus before something preternatural. The feeling got stronger and I shivered harder as the temperature dropped even more. There was a flare of light from the globes as they coalesced and formed into a being. A man appeared slowly appeared as if fading into focus. He wore a billowing black robe that shifted in the winds currents. His long, ragged black hair flew out behind his bowed head.

I took a step back as I felt his power. This bastard was strong. I guess that zombie that broke free from the Ever After was just a lightweight. I looked at the man and gasped. His body was transparent in some places. Oh my forking god. Was he a ghost or some kind spirit? It suddenly clicked and I knew what happened. He had sucked the energy from everyone here to crossover and to give himself corporeal form. That was not an easy feat. Uh oh. I was so in trouble.

His head snapped up and I swallowed as his eyes opened. They were a fiery red that were like the colors of the setting sun or the eyes of a blazing fire. He gazed around the room with a detached air as if the fallen bodies of the unconscious people were nothing but insects to him. I swallowed as those eyes suddenly landed on me. His head cocked to the side a spark of curiosity appearing in his eyes.

"What year is this, spawn?" his voice was hard and unyielding like a king speaking to a subject.

I opened my mouth and it took a couple of tries to find my voice. "It's 2005."

He gazed around the room again, dismissing me. "Your reckoning has no meaning to me. It has been many years since I have had form." He stretched out his arm and clenched his fist. "This body of the human diminishes my former strength but it shall do for now."

Okay I admit I was scared at first but this bastard was getting on my nerves. He had stolen energy from everybody here and now he's talking like one of those Goa'uld from Stargate. And when something talks like a snake parasite it needs to be killed. I settled into my fighting stance and glared at the man. Time to clock in. Lets get to work.

"Look bitch," I said, my voice ringing out through the store. "I don't know who are but you need to leave."

He sneered at me. "My name cannot be pronounced by your tongue," he said in that superior tone that was grating on my nerves. "You may call me Deathbringer."

"I know what you are," I replied, boldly. "Your one of those creatures from the Ever After. This is not your world anymore. You and yours lost purchase of this realm. I banish you now back into shadow!"

That last bit was unexpected. I didn't let the surprise show on my face. My past self seemed to spring up at the most random times to assert itself. It came from inside flowing from my lips as if I was on autopilot. I clenched my fists tighter and glared harder at him. He was in for a big surprise if he thought that he was just going to come into this world and deal death without a challenge.

Deathbringer narrowed his red eyes at me. "You speak as if you know the battles of old... No matter," he said, waving his arm, uncaring. "I am here to prepare this world for the Coming. You shall be the first soul I quench. Feel honored, spawn."

I reached into myself and called on my power. My clothes shifted as the uniform of the Chosen replaced my civilian outfit. Warmth flooded me again as the suit warded off all cold. I lowered the hood from my head. I had a feeling that this was going to be a real fight and the hood would merely be a hindrance. I watched as surprise flickered on his face and recognition appeared in his eyes. Deathbringer floated down from the counter staring at me, hate slowing building in his gaze till it filled his eyes making them glow hot, angry, accusing.

"Your garments are different but I know who you are," Deathbringer growled, his lip curling into a sneer. "I know a Chosen when I lay eyes upon one of destiny's servants."

"And Bingo was his name-o!" I snapped. "Look bitch. I don't know what the Coming is. But I get the feeling your trying to pave the way for something bigger than you." I stretched my arm forward and bent my knees. I flicked my fingers in a bring it gesture a la Keanu Reeves in the Matrix. "I'm going to send your ass crawling back to the Ever After to lick your master's balls."

He grinned coldly at me as he cracked his knuckles. "It has been too long since I have beat upon your kind. You broke so easily when we played with you."

"Save the drama for your mama," I said, rearing back my arms. "Fireballs!"

I brought my arms forward and the balls of flames shot forward. Deathbringer batted one away and it blew a hole in the wall. The other he merely sidestepped and it burned another hole in the wall behind him. Shit. I summoned the wind and the heavy bookshelves lifted up and flew toward Deathbringer. He slapped them aside as easily as he slapped away my fireballs. Oh this was definitely not good. Fuck.

"Freeze motherfucker!" I brought my hand to my face and blew across my palm. The icy wind blew from my hand faster than he could react and it covered the creature in a thick block of ice. I smiled and shot my fist into the air. I almost did a little jig but I figured that maybe that would be too much.

"What's going on?"

My head snapped around hearing the voice. My mouth dropped open in shock. Ryan Spencer was standing to his feet holding a shaky hand to his head. He looked around confused and scared. I went over to him. Please let the glamour in these suits really work. I didn't want anyone recognizing me. That would led to questions that I was not ready to answer. I grabbed Ryan's shoulders to steady him.

"Kid, are you okay?" I asked, making my voice deeper just in case he recognized it. I'm sure the glamour worked with voice patterns too but dammit I was a little paranoid.

He nodded slowly. "I-I think so." His gray eyes widened behind his glasses and he shoved me out of the way.

We went soaring back and I landed on my back on the ground. Shards of ice flew through the air flying everywhere at once. I looked at Deathbringer and cursed. The bastard was breaking free from his ice prison. I looked into Ryan's eyes and I felt something stir within. Those gray eyes locked with mine and I fell into them.

I gasped as a vision played out in my mind. It was a vision I had before, but rewound to an earlier point. I recognized the battlefield and the demons marching against us. Smoke filled the air and my comrades, my fellow Chosen stood beside me. Their faces were as always misted making them unrecognizable but one face suddenly cleared. The mist faded and familiar gray eyes belonging to a man in his early twenties grinned at me.

"You ready for this, Warlock?" he asked.

I nodded at him, smiling. "I was born ready for this. Let them come!"

A cheer was echoed from the other Chosen and without warning I was thrust back into the reality. I gaped at Ryan and he looked at me in confusion. I can't believe it. I actually found another Chosen. I looked into his eyes and I knew that he didn't remember me. He didn't see what I saw. I knew what to do. Nathaniel had trained me for this. I had to work quickly before Deathbringer completely broke free. Already I could see the ice cracking more and more, its final layer almost completely gone.

"Ryan, would you like to help?" I asked hastily.

He looked at me confusion in his eyes. "What? I don't know what you mean. What's going on? I don't understand any of this."

"You can understand," I replied, soothingly. "Would you like to understand?"

He nodded.

That was all the permission I needed. I touched my index finger to his forehead and whispered "Remember". I charged my finger with power and sent it spiraling into his mind, letting it soak through his body, till it touched his very soul. I broke the barrier that kept his powers bound and with it I knew his memories would come back slowly but surely like mine were. I rose to my feet and he stood up on his own, his eyes glazed over as power and bits of familiarity filled him. I kept one eye on him but my full attention was on the struggling being breaking free from my ice prison. I couldn't use dark magic here in this enclosed space. I would probably take this building down with me and I had a feeling that my light spells didn't mean jack shit to this bitch.

I pushed the still dazed Ryan behind me and charged toward it as soon as the last layer of ice shattered. I surprised it with a kick to the chest that sent it stumbling back. I thrust my arms forward and my hair and cloak blew back in a sudden wind.

"Butterfly typhoon!"

A tornado appeared between the two of us and sucked Deathdealer in. He went swirling up in its hold. I controlled the tornado to flex and the wind threw the being. He went soaring back through the air knocking into a bookshelf, another one, another one, till he impacted the wall. The foundation shook as the wall dented in and cracked up to the ceiling. I levitated up, higher and higher, till I was ten feet off the ground. I wrapped hand around my right wrist and aimed my palm at the recovering being.

"Earth, Venus, Mars, and Mercury," I shouted, pinpricks of blue light gathering before my palm. They gathered together forming a sphere of energy. "Uranus, Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto. Powers of the Sol System come to me." The sphere grew bigger till it was the size of a beach ball. "Planetary Crescendo!"

The sphere shot forward in a dazzling beam of light that left me breathless. It split the air at the speed of light battering into the demon with the force of a comet. The building shook and plaster fell from the ceiling, and the ground melted, as the energy scorched and melted tile. Shelves were blown apart or knocked away by the blast. I quickly cut off the beam for fear of endangering the civilian lives that was in the building. I dropped to the ground landing on my knees. That attack had enough power behind it to completely liquefy a person. Breathing hard I strained my sight to the blast zone. The area was completely blackened by the beams power as everything in its path had been scorched. I winced as clapping filled my ears.

From the devastated area Deathdealer emerged brushing bits of plaster and dust from his robe. He grinned at me maliciously. I swallowed. Oh god. All I had done was piss him off. I was dead. He walked toward me and I had no energy to stand. I had expanded myself more than I was used to with that last attack. It would take more time than I had to recover. This was it then. Deathdealer limped a bit as he stalked toward me and I inwardly did a victory cheer. At least I had somewhat hurt him. But how in the hell had he survived that attack?

"I have a natural immunity against your magic of the lighter forces," said Deathdealer, unknowingly answering my question.

I glared at him using all my strength to rise to my feet. "Well whoop- the-fucking-do. Do you want a forking cookie?"

"Your incessant chattering tires me," he reached me at last. His hand reached out and grabbed me around the throat. "Your soul shall know torments that will become legendary."

Spots flashed behind my eyes as his hand squeezed tighter around my throat cutting off all my oxygen. Suddenly, there was a smacking sound and Deathdealer was thrown away from me. I coughed as air rushed back in my lungs. Stumbling I looked at my savior. Oh. This was new. Dressed in a black suit like my own was a tall boy, wearing a long black duster that trailed at his ankles, he flexed his fingerless gloves and grinned at me. I took in his black hair and gray eyes. I fixed my hands into two circles and overlaid them onto his face. Yep. It was Ryan Spencer. Without the glasses he looked...different. Stronger, confident, heroic.

"The champion of soul has awakened," said Ryan, gripping my shoulder.

I nodded at him relief filling me with a renewed strength. "And I'm glad as hell. I don't think I'm up to dying today." I looked at him and grinned. "So what do I call you while your transformed?"

He closed his eyes for a moment then opened them and smiled. "They used to call me the Executioner. Let's see if it's still true."

A desk went flying at us and I jumped to the side landing heavily on my arm. Executioner did a barrel roll that was impressive and had me a little envious. Dammit. Figures I would be the one in the group sucking at the grace part. Deathbringer launched himself at Executioner with a speed that I could barely follow with my eyes. But what was shocking was that he was matching the otherworldly speed. Executioner blocked a blow and dodged another one, which impacted a pillar completely decimating it. My jaw dropped. Deathbringer roundhouse kicked him in the face and he went flying backward landing a couple of feet away. A blow that would have put people in a coma was shaken off and returned with one of matching strength.

"I haven't done this in awhile," said Executioner, conversationally to Deathbringer. "But it's coming back."

He reared back his arm and landed a solid punch to the demons head. Quickly, he brought up his foot and kicked him in the chest. Executioner landed a serious of fast strikes in its gut then swept its legs from underneath him. Deathbringer landed on his knees and I sensed him gathering power. The lights flickered and the floor shook. His aura flared to life around him, black and inky like a living cloud of evil. I recoiled at the dark energy that swept across the room like a wave.

"Not today," snapped Executioner, quickly kicking him in the back. He grabbed Deathbringer's head in strong hold and then twisted his arms, making the move seem effortless. I heard the spinal cord sever and watched as the light fled his eyes and his body fell forward, dead.

"Well that was effective," I said into the silence.

I felt a little sick again but swallowed the urge to vomit. It would so not be good to throw up in front of a fellow Chosen warrior. I knew I was the wuss. Everybody else in the team didn't have to know. I launched a couple of fireballs at the body and watched as it quickly imploded in a rush of purple flames. I was so not leaving that body for some CSI to find.

I met Executioner's eyes for the first time since he went all Slayer and Captain America combined on the demon's ass. "I can see why we use to call you the Executioner."

"Why don't I feel any regret? Am I some kind of monster now?" He stared down at his hands confusion and horror warring in his eyes.

I shook my head, the answers to that I didn't have. "I feel the same way."

He nodded his head as if coming to a decision within himself. "I did the right thing. I can feel it here," he said surely, pointing at his heart. "It had to be this way."

I couldn't argue with that. I willed away my uniform and he detransformed too. I was mystified to see his glasses reappear on his face as if they never left. Better to just let it go. Magic had a way of mystifying me everyday it seemed. Already the air was rising back to its normal temperature and I ran to where Kevin and the twins lay. I tried to keep the battle to the unoccupied parts of the store and I was thankful that no blood had been shed. Groans and murmurs of confusion began to fill the store as people were coming awake.

Ryan helped me stand Kevin up. He winced, holding his head gingerly. Confused, he leaned against the bookshelf behind him and looked around. The twins were helped up too, both looking confused, but I wasn't sure if that wasn't just their normal look.

"Kev-kev you okay?" I asked, rubbing his back.

He nodded. "I-I think so. Man, what happened?"

I opened my mouth and then stopped. Oh shit. I was so bad at lying. I stuttered trying to think of a quick excuse but words failed me. Ryan coming to my rescue saved me.

"We don't know man. There was just suddenly a mass blackout," Ryan answered, lying smoothly.

Ben and Brad surveyed the destruction around them. They had a whispered conversation between them. "You guys think terrorists did this?" asked Ben.

Kevin shrugged with a wince. "Maybe. It looks like a bomb went off in here." He looked at me strain showing in his eyes. "Can you take me home bro? I have a really bad headache."

"Sure, Kev," I said instantly, ready to get the hell out of dodge before the cops came. I looked at Ryan and he looked lost and so afraid. With his glasses, gone was that confident hero that had killed a magic immune demon. "Hey, Ryan you want to come with me. I'll take you to my house."

Ryan nodded. He read the silent message in my innocent question. We had to talk. Big time. Still though deep down I was happy as I walked out of Borders with the mass of people. I had someone else fighting with me. I wasn't alone anymore. My comrades were coming back. That was enough to keep me moving.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Yay. Chad finally has some company. Next chapter: Chad and Ryan talk about their destiny. Nathaniel informs them of all the beings that are trapped in the Ever After.

I really had fun with this chapter. I know some wanted a longer chapter so here you go. You guys have been great with the feedback and I love hearing from you. You can reach me at Silvenfox@yahoo.com