ã€ŠMysteries of the Q Files - The Deadly Danceã€‹


 Chapter One - The Long, Slow Walk to Prom

    Trick¡¯s face still stung a little. Naomi could slap harder than he expected.

    ¡°I think my face will be permanently numb after after tonight.¡±

    ¡°But we know you love it,¡± Naomi said with an annoyed note in her voice.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mention that terrible excuse for a radio hit,¡± Trick snapped. ¡°I¡¯ll let the slap pass, but not this!¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Both of you! We have a job that needs to get done tonight,¡± Agent Brown snapped from behind. ¡°Do not make me regret that we brought you two for this case.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mom,¡± Trick replied, assuming a more meek stance.

    Who would have guessed that after all of the strange cases he and Naomi had gotten involved in, this would be the one to make him feel the most self conscious and uncomfortable? The agents of the Q Files, a bizarre and derided office within the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had accepted that these two, trouble making teens would become a part of their ongoing quest to understand and hold back unfathomable, supernatural forces.

    It sounded a whole lot cooler than it had actually been. Oh sure, Trick¡¯s life had been more adventurous than it had ever been since he first convinced Naomi to sneak with him onto a case investigating a werewolf. But it had not been a walk in the park, or any other kind of saying for things going easy. Trick and Naomi had discovered that all kinds of monsters were attempting to break free from a plane of existence called the Realms of Imagination. A war that they still did not understand was waging on the other side and was still ongoing.

    Trick and Naomi had since faced werewolves and vampires summoned by stupid teenagers, an all-knowing space entity using video games and movies to try and open a portal into their world, a creature of unbelievable darkness and power called the Mother Jed, and finally getting sucked into a Dungeons and Dragons game. With each case, their brushes with death came closer and closer. And yet, Trick now felt he would not have it any other way.

    Maybe that is why this particular case felt so bad.

    He and Naomi were going to a prom. He was dressed in a black and silver tuxedo with shiny, black bowtie. His mom had forced him to wear a fair bit of cologne, which stung his nose. Naomi wore a matching black and silver dress, with a deep cut down the back. The mohawk she had been sporting since Spring Break had grown longer and she was wearing it straightened and falling down her face.

    And they were being escorted by Trick¡¯s mother, Agent Susan Brown. A crack shot agent from the Bureau and relocated due to politicking within the FBI to be stuck in the Q Files. It was meant to kill her career. It had meant helping save the day already on numerous occasions. But that wasn¡¯t what made this awkward.

    It was prom!

    This was supposed to be the night that you went with friends and a significant other to celebrate the oncoming end to the school year. To enjoy being young, and to justify making really poor decisions. It was supposed to be a night of partying and reckless abandon, though not necessarily dancing. That was for the really weird people, or those who just wanted to bump and grind.

    But no¡­

    Trick was here with Naomi. They knew nobody here, except for his mother, who would be patrolling the outside of the convention center. And, they were in Mesa, AZ in late April. It was hot, and strangely humid, and he was in suit that was causing him to sweat! Which just made the cologne even worse! And he never liked the feel of hot armpits.

    The trio walked through overly lit parking lot towards the convention center, where the prom was being held.

    ¡°Just remember you two, you¡¯re here tonight to help us find out which of the students has summoned the Door and why,¡± Susan said in a low voice. ¡°Once you have discovered anything pertinent to the case, text me immediately. We¡¯ll use the chaperones to bring them in for further questioning.¡±

    ` ¡°Got it,¡± Naomi and Trick said together.

    Trick then added, ¡°And if everything goes down the crapper, like it always does, we have the character sheets on us.¡±

    Susan sighed behind them and they missed her pinching the bridge of her nose. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you haven¡¯t burned those. Trusting a cloaked dragon from a D&D game sounds like a terrible idea.¡±

    ¡°And wasn¡¯t it a terrible idea that got me and Naomi involved with that werewolf and totally solved the mystery,¡± Trick shot back.

    ¡°Careful young man, or I¡¯ll deck you harder than Naomi,¡± his mother warned.

    ¡°You are in rare form tonight,¡± Naomi commented.

    ¡°All I did was speak the truth,¡± he protested. ¡°And I am sorry! I didn¡¯t realize that you wanted this night to be like an actual prom with me coming up with an overly complicated way of asking you out and showing up with the flowers!¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Corsages,¡± Naomi said. ¡°And you¡¯re right. I definitely did not want you to do all of that. I would have preferred a real gentleman did.¡±

    ¡°Stop it right now, or I will turn this whole operation around,¡± Susan snapped.

    Trick snorted in response. Then he dodged two punches. Barely.

    He knew he shouldn¡¯t have been pressing their buttons. But it was too much fun, and he needed a distraction for the uncomfortable situation. And he also needed a release for this odd case.

    The Q Files had been asked to consult on case in Mesa, where the authorities had received a very strange package and message.. It said that there would be an attack on a high school¡¯s prom and that all the details were in the cardboard box. However, everything it contained were creepy and unintelligible drawings, calculations, maps, an scribbles.

    The police were about to write it off as a very unsavory joke, when more letters came naming the school, the night the attack would happen, and asking if they had made any headway with the clues. The writer swore that they would tell more, but under current circumstances was unable to.

    The FBI was called in to assess the situation and the Q Files were shortly thereafter consulted. With the bizarre nature of the clues, it only made sense that Agent Conturbatio, commonly referred to as the Sphinx, and his people would be brought in. The Sphinx had practically pounced on the clues and got right to work piecing everything together. Trick had seen the wall where he placed everything together. Each random puzzle, piece of information, oddly drawn map, and strange picture could be arranged into a perfect map of the Mesa area.

    And apparently, there was a lot about the city that was connected to ¡®powerful¡¯ spiritual and supernatural landmarks and events. Conturbatio had explained that most well developed, and especially older cities, were all like that. But in the case of Mesa, there was something very big at play.

    The Sphinx had explained it thus,¡±There is a Door that is being created here, but this is very peculiar in how they are going about it. Doors are made; they don¡¯t just exist. And neither do the components to a Door just float out there in the Realms for people to use. Doors made are made up of an intimate understanding of the Starlines and the relationship between Reality, Imagination, and the people who walk both worlds.

    ¡°I still have nothing to say about the Grey World. We learned about that far too late.¡±

    There was something different about the Sphinx. He had left Memmelsruhe shaken and in despair. The Q Files were shut down for a time, and he had disappeared. There was something harder about him than before, and he was more determined. He also knew more now about the supernatural than he had before.

    Whatever had happened after their last case together, though, he had kept that all to himself. At least he was now more open about the knowledge he had questionably akrewed.

    ¡°Okay,¡± Trick had said, looking at the bizarre map back at the police¡¯s district office. ¡°So what does that have to do with this map?¡±

    The Sphinx gestured at the collage of clues and answered, ¡°By focusing on icons, landmarks, and places were big and supernatural things have happened, the architects of the Door are trying to forge those links and create that understanding. This is a very interesting development, because each time it has been the Realms reaching out to humans, but now it looks like humans are reaching into the Realms.¡±

    ¡°But how could they do that? They don¡¯t have any powers in reality,¡± Naomi interjected.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± the Sphinx answered honestly.

    ¡°Then why do you think we are dealing with a Door,¡± Trick asked.

    ¡°Because the sender of these materials said so.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    And this is where Trick and Naomi came in handy for the investigation. Because the FBI suspected from handwriting samples and wording that it was a teenager who had sent the messages, they needed a way to worm out information from the students themselves. Naomi and Trick had already proven themselves very capable of that, and suspicious students would not think twice about people their own age poking around. At least, not initially.

    The authorities had told the school that they needed to go through with the prom, but quickly switch the date and the location. This would be a chance to see how the message sender would respond, and if it would force anyone¡¯s hand. They had transferred the dance from the school to the convention center, a move that Trick thought should have been made without the threat of a Door and whatever horrors would come through it.

    I mean, who would even want to have their prom inside the school itself!? That way of thinking totally goes against what prom is supposed to be! What it stands for! Trick could not understand some people.

    So far, nothing had changed. But with the Sphinx¡¯s research, they were certain they had located the location of the Door. Tonight, the FBI and police were going to move in on the location. Susan Brown was on the scene of the dance with her own force to intervene if anything went awry, and Trick and Naomi would mine for further information.

    A deep base and unintelligible rap music assaulted Trick¡¯s ears as they drew closer.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be close by, ready to step in at a moment¡¯s notice,¡± Susan said. ¡°Make sure that you keep me updated,¡±

    ¡°Sure thing, mom,¡± Trick said. ¡°Seriously, we¡¯ll make sure to keep our minds on the job. I mean, after seeing a furry convention come to life, I think there¡¯s a new aversion within me to dancing.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for reminding me about that,¡± Naomi said, rolling her eyes.

    ¡°Alright you two, good luck,¡± Trick¡¯s mother said as she moved away and joined some other adults off to the side.

    Trick caught side of a gun handle poking out from behind one man¡¯s back. Subtlety was obviously not his strong suit.

    ¡°Are you ready for this, Trick? You¡¯re not going to go awol on me and do something overly stupid, right?¡±

    Trick turned to naomi and responded, ¡°Are you seriously worried that I am going to screw things up somehow?¡±

    ¡°Naomi gave him a fixed, stern stare and said, ¡°Trick, I remember what it was like when we first went on a case. You were all over the place, jumping for one person to the next, and from one subject to the next. I was convinced the entire time we would get caught and everything would blow up in our faces. I was ready to tell everyone that you kidnapped me and held me against my will. Thankfully it didn¡¯t go that route, but it nearly did.

    ¡°And now, I can see that old gleam coming back into your eyes. This will not be like the other cases we¡¯ve been on since the first. Those were all insanity and we kind of stumbled through and flew by the seat of our pants. But tis is not same!¡±

    Trick nodded and said, ¡°Duly noted. Do you feel better now, getting that off your chest?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Thank you for letting me rant.¡±

    ¡°No problem,¡± he quipped. ¡°Okay, I get where you are coming from. Alright, I will do my best to stick to being normal and just talking to the other students in there. I swear!¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± Naomi said.

    ¡°Good? Good! Now, shall we proceed?¡± Trick offered his arm.

    Naomi sighed and took it. Together, they entered the party, and surrendered themselves to deafness by terrible music.

 Chapter 2 - Awkward Conversations

    Trick handed their tickets to a very bored looking lay at the front door. She ushered them through with a grunt. Naomi and Trick followed a short walkway into the ballroom where the dance was taking place. Trick quickly took in the room with a sweeping glance.

    He already noted the oddity of broad, raised platforms that looked over the dance floor. They all had tables and chairs where a few people sat and occupied them. Trick did not notice that some of the platforms were raised higher than others. Large speakers and towers lind the room and shook with the thud of the music.

    ¡°This is why I have tried to avoid school dances,¡± Naomi shouted in Trick¡¯s ear. ¡°They¡¯re absolutely tasteless!¡±

    Then why were you so touchy about how I gave you the corsages, Trick wanted to say, but he knew better than to open his mouth by now.

    It was the way that the students had separated themselves that was the most perplexing part of the prom. Trick had always paid attention to the different cliques and groups that existed in school. It was always crucial to know where someone fell among high school¡¯ many groups, because that determined what you could share with them what they would care about, and what kind of personalities you had to deal with.

    However, there was always a certain amount of fluidity to these cliques and gatherings. That was an inevitable consequence of sharing multiple classes with all kinds of kids during the school day. It was also the consequence of every school¡¯s size. There was no true escape from those others students said they couldn¡¯t stand.

    But looking out on the dance floor, Trick something he had never seen before. Every clique was separated from the other with a wide breadth. It was as if he was looking at nations in miniature.

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not the only one getting major creep vibes from this,¡± He shouted as low as he could in Naomi¡¯s ear.

    ¡°They haven¡¯t even begun dancing yet,¡± she replied.

    Trick took that in, too. There should have been someone dancing. Either kids who heard their jam, those who just didn¡¯t care and wanted to amuse themselves, or those who had gotten drunk earlier and had no more reservations.

    Naomi continued, ¡°There is something already wrong here, Trick. I don¡¯t think Conturbatio¡¯s plan worked out. I think whoever wants to attack this dance is keeping apace.¡±

    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t even have a prom,¡± Trick said through gritted teeth. ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve just walked into a trap!¡±

    Naomi shook her head, and said, ¡°Remember, we have the character sheets. If this is a trap, we might want to spring it before the setter is ready for their moment. And then we fight our way out and save everyone.¡±

    ¡°And here I thought I was the reckless one!¡±

    ¡°Given our current predicament,¡± Naomi said, glancing at the groups. ¡°I think it would be wise. This isn¡¯t right; they are all looking at us. Everyone! You should text your mom and let her know of our suspicions. See if we can already start moving students out of here.¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± Trick said, taking out his phone and prepping the text.

    But he was unable to finish it as someone gave him a playful slug t the arm. He looked up and saw a towering kid with zit-marked face and a strong jaw. His hair was stylishly messy. On his arm was stick of a girl with a very revealing dress and curled, black hair. They led a small contingent of what looked like the starting players for every team and the cheerleaders they dated.

    ¡°Hey there, guys. I¡¯m Raymond. This is my girlfriend, Chelsey.¡±

    ¡°Hi,¡± she squeaked, waving her hand fiercely.

    Naomi actually snorted. Trick however was quicker on the pickup and shook Raymond¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Hey there guys, we just kinda dropped in. We heard about your prom and decided to drop by. Steve got us the tickets.¡±

    ¡°Steve,¡± Chelsey asked, tilting her head. ¡°Which Steve?¡±

    ¡°Morris,¡± Trick lied easily. ¡°You know, about medium height with brown hair. Kinda needs a haircut, at least last time I saw him. Hope he got one for tonight because a sweaty forehead plastered with strands of hair is just not at all flattering.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Chelsey said sweetly. ¡°I know, i keep my hair long, but you¡¯re totally right! When it gets stuck, in my case, to the back of my neck, it¡¯s just so scratchy!¡±

    Naomi didn¡¯t say a word. She just looked annoyed at them. But she still could not get away. Soon they were surrounded by the jocks who especially appreciated her look and commented on her imposing physique and the way she cut her hair. Trick could tell that naomi did not like the attention and worked to position himself in such a way to talk with others and slowly get themselves out of the group. They were being bombarded with compliments and questions that he could not control the conversation. He needed freedom to ask the questions that he wanted.

    They¡¯re so aggressive. It¡¯s like they¡¯re mobbing us.

    Trick finally excused them, saying that they needed some quick drinks if they were going to continue talking. The jocks immediately pulled back. They stared at them drilling holes in the back of their heads. Trick and Naomi only made it a dozen paces before they were swarmed by a group of band kids.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Trick could always tell who these guys and girls apart from all the others due to three indicators. First, there was a wide smile to them, especially those who winded their instruments. Then there was their overly jovial way of talking with each other and the determination that it took or them to be just as friendly to others. Lastly, there was a light scent of body odor that all of them had.

    It was the exact same as with the jocks. But the band kids were more bodily engaged and they practically squashed the two between them. This time Naomi took Trick by the wrist and muscled her way through. This time they made their way to the table and reached it. Trick could not remember anything that was said to him by the band kids. It was such a crazy cacophony of multiple voices all trying to get their questions through first.

    They passed up on the punch; Trick was certain it had already been spiked. Instead they snatched up water bottles and had barely taken a drink when the  third group assaulted them.

    ¡°Oh. My! Gawd! I love your hair,¡± a high pitch voice squealed.

    Trick turned to see a very small, hispanic girl gushing up at Naomi. Next to her was a towering girl with large muscles and green hair. She had reached over and was stroking naomi¡¯s hair! At first Trick¡¯s friend was mortified, but she then slapped the tall girl¡¯s hand away.

    ¡°Cas, Mal, you really should introduce yourselves before getting your hands all over someone,¡± a falsely high pitch voice said right behind Trick. He felt a shiver run down his spine as his hand was forcibly taken and shaken. ¡°Hi there, I¡¯m Darcy. What is your name?¡±

    Trick found himself looking into the overly manicured eyes of squat guy wearing way too much cologne. He had his shirt unbuttoned and his man boobs shown prominently.

    ¡°I¡¯m Steve,¡± Trick said feeling stuck on the name he had used earlier.

    ¡°Hello Steve. It¡¯s good to meet your acquaintance.¡±

    Trick felt the guy pulling him away from the table. With a quick look to the side, he saw the girls trying to do the same with Naomi. He had to actually twist his hand away from Darcy¡¯s to jump back to Naomi.

    ¡°Hear that dear? They¡¯re playing our song¡±

    He grabbed her and together they ran for the middle of the dance floor. Darcy and the girls gave chase, along with a few other kids who dressed as though they had just walked out of Tim Burton film. Trick wound back to throw a punch if they drew any closer.

    Then the group halted so fast that Darcy took a nasty spill, getting rug burn on his face.

    A tall girl with thick glasses and long, ratty hair stepped between the chaser and Trick and Naomi.

    ¡°For people who spend their lunches doing improve, you should be able to tell when a situation has changed. Go,¡± she commanded in a voice that pierced through the music.

    The thespians audibly gasped and withdrew. The girl then swung about to look over them. She wore a teal dress with poofy sleeves. She wore faded sneakers that peeked out from beneath her sweeping dress. She gave Naomi a very critical look and then she gave Trick an appraising one.

    ¡°You two will come with me,¡± she ordered.

    She turned and left with the air of one who expected to be obeyed. Trick and naomi shared worried glances and then followed.

    ¡°This place is insane! These kids are all nuts,¡± Naomi hissed. ¡°What have we gotten ourselves into?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± was all Trick could say.

    The girl lead them both up to the tallest platform and ascended it. Before they could follow, a plump, Hispanic guy jumped won. He and his suit jiggled as he landed. He was followed by another kid with a stiff look about him and a small mouth. If Trick could have guessed about the second guy, he looked ready to enlist in the army.

    The plump kid spoke first, ¡°Welcome to our prom! What brings visitors like you two here?¡±

    ¡°Oh, you know we¡¯re here visiting,¡± Naomi asked, trying to sound sweet.

    He gave her a somewhat sour look, but then answered, ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve never seen you before. I¡¯m sorry that those lowlifes obstructed your entrance and assaulted you.¡±

    As he pointed towards the jocks, Trick said, ¡°Honestly, it was the last group that was the worst.¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the plump kid mused. ¡°They have been getting a little uppity lately. Just because Michelle and Vanessa are dating now they think that are on the same level as us.¡±

    The other boy snorted derisively.

    ¡°Well, where are my manners? I¡¯m Cory and this is Sebastian. And you have Cassie to thank for saving you back there,¡± the fa kid said, sweating appearing on his brow.

    He obviously did not move too much regularly. Or was just a very unfortunate teen.

    Sebastian stepped forward and got uncomfortably close to Trick and Naomi and spoke in a voice that just carried over the music, ¡°We are sorry to be so abrupt, but there is some business that we need to cover with the two of you. As you can see, other groups have already jockied to have you join them. Even at an extracurricular activity such as prom, it is essential that we have a semblance of order.¡±

    Trick¡¯s eyes narrowed and he responded, ¡°Look, we are not here to cause any problems. We came for the dance.¡±

    Cory held up a hand and cut him off. ¡°Please, don¡¯t consider us idiots. That is not a wise move to make.¡±

    Trick overruled him and said, ¡°Idiots? Idiots!? Listen to the man, Naomi, he thinks I am belittling him! As if I would be so dumb!¡±

    He spun and gestured to the convention hall and continued, ¡°There are platforms all over the floor. That other group has moved on over to another platform, and it is clear that different cliques each take their own platform, with the exception of the few, like the athletes over at the entrance.

    ¡°And then there are you guys, who have easily the highest platform and act as if you own the place. It is clear who is in charge here, and it would be a terrible idea for me to insult the guys who just saved us from some freaks!No, that would be absolutely dumb of me! It would also be pathetic of me to not notice all of the geeks and nerds who occupy this highest spot in the entire hall and that they are trying to bully two newcomers!¡±

    Trick then jabed Cory right in his fat shoulder and shouted, ¡°If there are any idiots around here, it is those who think that this system around us is sustainable! And who thinks that anyone is impressed that they have the highest tables at a party that is supposed to be about reckless abandon!¡±

    Naomi pulled him back and said, ¡°Woah there, buddy. I think that is enough out of you.¡±

    Sebastian looked angry, but Cory smiled widely. He then said, ¡°This is incredible. A true new initiate to our society and he has already figured out so much from a few hot blooded tussles and a quick glimpse of the room! You do belong with us! Now, can we have your real names?¡±

    ¡°When we feel good and ready,¡± Naomi shot back. ¡°Come on! We came here to dance. So let¡¯s do that.¡±

    She took Trick¡¯s hand and hauled him back onto the dance floor. As she did so, students scattered. Everyone was giving them shocked looks.

    ¡°Your analysis social boy,¡± Naomi asked in an irritated tone.

    She led him in some hip swaying and some quick spins.

    Trick took a deep breath and then launched into a quick explanation. ¡°This is definitely not natural! This school is split up by cliques and it is clear that the nerds are on top here.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think that it is very good, because whoever they have shoved down is plotting their revenge. I guarantee that it was none of them who sent the message. It was someone else here in the school, or someone connected with it.But all of this is really bad because of how they have put everyone else down in a very vicious and terrifying manner. They are even sing prom as a way to cement their control over the social hierarchy! I can only imagine the hazing!¡±

    Naomi sighed and said, ¡°You do have a point. And it looks like everyone is desperate to get more people to their group. I don¡¯t think it is necessarily numbers that gives anyone power over the others. The nerds are one of the smaller groups. But, it must be a way of exerting a group¡¯s power and dominance to bring in new members. And they are so desperate that they are willing to press absolute strangers.

    ¡°You¡¯re right Trick. This is very bad. And we have just painted a target on ourselves by snubbing each clique so far, and maybe alienating the top dogs.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Trick agreed uneasily. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of how much help we are going to be here.¡±

    ¡°You need to message your mom if you haven¡¯t already,¡± Naomi insisted.

    ¡°Right! Getting on that!¡±

    As Trick fumbled with his phone to get ready to send the message to his mother, the ground shook. He and Naomi clutched each other and Trick dropped his phone. As he picked it up from the ground, the floor quaked again. The carpet began to ripple like water and a  grey stone statue of a tall, bearded man rose up. In both hands he had large, glass balls with electricity dancing within them. His eyes glowed molten yellow and a deep voice boomed over the thudding music.

    ¡°For the fate of all assembled, the trials by dance begin now! Couples from each society will step forward and present themselves to dance for the honor and preservation of their peers. Those who fail to impress me will be imprisoned and disposed of!¡±

    Trick and Naomi stood rooted to the spot, looking up at the large statue.

    ¡°Two have already come forward! Trick and Naomi will dance for themselves! I await the others to come forward!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sending that message now,¡± Trick said shakily.

 Chapter 3 - Doors

    Susan paced just outside the entrance to the ill-begotten prom.

    This is a terrible idea! Each and every time we do this I am putting my son in danger! He and naomi might have survived this long, but this is not a game! I should have been more firm! I should not have given into that man¡¯s demands!

    Conturbatio. That guy could be surprisingly persuasive for a corner office recluse. But this was going too far! How long were they going to roll the dice and hope they got lucky?

    What Susan hated most about this situation was her own weakness. It was not the Sphinx¡¯s silver tongue or any of the superficial justifications for bringing two teenagers on another dangerous mission. No, it was the sense of pride he felt at seeing her son do more with life.

    Before she had brought Patrick to headquarters and he met the agents of the Q Files, he had been a menace and a scourge to his school and at home. He was brilliant in a way that not even street smarts could live up to, and he had the potential to do so much! But he was squandering it all, and she was at wit¡¯s end for what to do with him!

    And her husband was finally getting tired of it all, and was going belly up. She felt then that she was losing her grip on the situation and that Patrick would one day land himself behind bars. Susan might have even done it herself!

    But that had all changed with one reckless day of rule breaking and her son befriending a straightforward girl like Naomi. True, here she was risking life and limb on yet another crazy adventure, but Susan knew that she had her son¡¯s back. She knew that there was now no one else Patrick trusted more. And together they had done so much and started growing up.

    Her trouble making son, a literal hellion, was finally growing towards becoming a man. Maybe somebody who would one day serve in the FBI just like she did. Or maybe he would go one to do something even greater!

    Well, that was if they survived this night.

    There was something dreadfully off about this entire operation. She had been against carrying on with the prom form the start. It felt like a dangerous set up. It felt to her like someone was a step or two ahead of them. He personally felt that the message sender was behind the whole ordeal and stringing them along for extra entertainment.

    Trick, if you and Naomi are wise, you¡¯ll get in and confirm that nothing too weird is happening and get out of there!

    And that was when all of the doors slammed shut. They then turned to stone and each window went opaque and similarly turned into thick, grey stone slabs. Adults screamed in panic as they tried to pry the stone away. A couple picked up the dividers that led to the entrance and smashed them against the stone. It was to no avail.

    Then fog spilled out of the stone. The surrounding area quickly took on the look and feel of a haunted house as the lights in the areas started getting dimmer. Teachers, parents, officers, and workers all rand away from the building. Susan, however, stood her ground.

    No! Whoever was behind all this really can use magic from the Realms! And they expected this, or they were prepared in case our plans changed.But that doesn''t matter, how do I get to Patrick?

    The fog continued to billow out of the stones and started to rise, covering the building. The screams and shouts from the others began to grow distant, as if they had already sprinted a long ways off. Susan was not sure what to make of it. She wanted to also get out of the cold clouds of fog, but her parental instincts, duty as an officer, and her experience with this weirdness was enough to keep her rooted to the spot.

    A voice caused her to spin about.

    ¡°You do not flee in terror like the others. How every curious.¡±

    Susuan walked through the fog, waving her hand for all the good it would do. Soon she came upon a towering figure with a brown and gleaming gold robe. The figure was also clad in autumn leaves. She was not sure if they were floating in the air, or just very tall. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    It turned to her and raised slender, long hands to pull back the hood that covered its face. Susan gasped as she saw the powerful, ancient, but handsome face of an elf. He had strong, high cheek and long, pointed ears. All of his hair was a shimmering silver and it cascaded down his shoulders. His face was lined and he had a friendly smile, and his eyes were a deep, enthralling brown. Not a description Susan would have ever before attributed to the color.

    When the elf spoke next, his voice reminded her of a howling wind and the breaking of bark. But it was not necessarily a frightening voice, just a powerful one.

    ¡°Oh, I see now. You are not strange, just experienced with magic. Which given the state of your world might as well mark you as an irregularity.¡± He chuckle. ¡°Oh, and your son is stuck beyond these walls. I am dreadfully sorry.¡±

    When she found her voice, Susan asked, ¡°Are you the one responsible for this?¡±

    He gave her a confused look and said, ¡°If you mean was this all my doing, my plan and strategy, no it was not. But if you ask for the state of this building and its inhabitants, then yes, I do play a part in it. I am making sure that my children will be unimpeded in carrying out the particulars of the covenant we have made.¡±

    Susan pulled out her gun and demanded, ¡°Then you will stop! I will not let you or anyone else harm my son!¡±

    The elf glanced at her gun and it corroded in her hands. It rusted instantly and crumbled into dirt. As the dirt that was once her gun slipped through her fingers and fell to the ground, a series of small, twisting trees sprouted through the cement. They curved upwards, shooting out bright green leaves and glowing bulbs of purple and deep blue.

    ¡°The love of a mother for her child is exceedingly strong and is to never be underestimated. But we are the fae, beings who existence and power predate the nature of mortals and their abilities. You will not stop us with your display of force and weapons,¡± the elf said gravely.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find a way,¡± Susan promised.

    ¡°They must a way,¡± the fae replied, gesturing beyond the wall. ¡°My children like to play games, and so it is a game that was covenanted upon. If your son is to survive, he must win the game.¡±

    Susan wanted to rage and shout, but she forced herself to keep her composure. He reminded herself that Patrick and Naomi had gotten themselves out of these situations before, and last time they had done so on their own! She should have more faith in them.

    But since she was here, she might as well as see what she could learn from this creature and see if there was any information that would help her in getting Patrick and Naomi out of the building. Or possibly shutting the Door that was being used.

    ¡°I gather that you and your children came through a Door,¡± she probed.

    ¡°Ah, it is good to confirm that you have encountered magic such as ours before. It is written all over you, but it is another to hear and see it confirmed,¡± the fae said pleasantly. ¡°Yes, we have been summoned through what you would call a Door. An ancient name, simple in concept, complicated in practice, and altogether dangerous. But in times such as these, escaping to the Origin and trying to take it over before war consumes all is the best solution. It is worth the risks.¡±

    Susan walked across from the fae and leaned against the wall, looking up at him.

    ¡°How about you tell me then what exactly this war all entails, and what your plans exactly are.¡±

    ¡°Why should I reveal them to a lowly mortal?¡±

    ¡°Because you should never underestimate a desperate mother with time on her hands,¡± Susan countered. ¡°But talking might just dissuade me.¡±

    The fae laughed. ¡°Mortal reasoning makes no sense, yet it is fascinating. Fine, prepare yourself, Susan Brown. For it is knowledge that you wish, and I who possess the power of Sight will give it to you. But beware, all wishes made of the fae have terrible consequences!¡±

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Agents Conturbatio and Miles led the raid on the property where the Door was located. He felt confident that they were on the right track. He had poured over all of the strange and supernatural dealings that were in Mesa. For sleepy appendage to the greater Phoenix area, it was uniquely touched by another power.

    That was the best way he could describe it.

    There was a shed they had cased out earlier, watching it through surveillance. The cameras had cut out at odd times and his people had lapses in memory when they were around the shed too long. Perfect signs that something was creeping from the other side through there. And what¡¯s more, whatever it was was doing it well! This was no accidental or rushed breaking of the barriers between universes, this was deliberately planned and well executed.

    ¡°Sphinx, I hope that this is not another wild goose chase. Your people at the Q Files are famous for that!¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Reen,¡± Conturbatio muttered back into the comms. ¡°We will be doing just fine.¡±

    He glanced over his shoulder to Agent Miles. She was two places back in the lineup of agents taking down the shed.  She had had her leg broken during their sojourn to Memmelsruhe and their fight with the Mother Jed. She had healed up s best as one could expect after four months. Susan would have been the better choice for this operation, but he knew that she wanted to be close to her son. And if things went awry at the prom there was no one better to have there, in his opinion.

    Conturbatio continued, ¡°Just make sure that your men continue to patrol the perimeter. Whoever has been sending these threatening notes  will be keeping an eye on their base of operations.¡±

    ¡°This is a dump, not a base,¡± Agent Reen complained.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Conturbatio countered. ¡°Let us proceed.¡±

    He motioned and the the two agents armed with shield and gun moved forward. They cut the chain to the gate leading into the shed¡¯s yard. The line fanned out and they surrounded the shed. The shed was locked with a flimsy lock which was just as easily cut as the gate¡¯s.

    Taking a deep breath, Conturbatio plunged in after the other agents and they charged into the shed.

    Once they used their lights to properly illuminate the inside, the Sphinx groaned. It was not what he had hoped to find. There were markings and disturbing painting all along the walls. Barrels stood in the corner with decomposing leaves, fruits, and vegetables. There was a folding table in the middle of the room with strange set up in the center. It was leaking what appeared to be smoke.

    On closer inspection, it was more akin to fog. And it was cold.

    ¡°Reen, we¡¯ve found something here. But it is not what we wanted.¡±

    ¡°Well, Sphinx, what the hell did you find?¡±

    ¡°That our quarry has already moved on.¡±

    The Door had been there in the shed, but someone had moved it.

 Chapter 4 - Its Electric!

    Trick and Naomi found themselves quickly surrounded by other teens who took to the dance floor. The statue had to keep threatening and prodding them all to come out and dance. The music had since cut out, and the DJ vanished. Every clique had to give up two of their own to the challenge. The participants who came out onto the floor had not been willing at all.

    ¡°Excellent,¡± the statue boomed. ¡°Now that everyone has come to participate, the dance may continue! Each couple will dance until two pairs have been selected as the poorest performers and are imprisoned, along with their entire gathering of social allies. You may proceed with the dance!¡±

    The music started. Synthesized music.

    Oh no, Trick thought. I¡¯m really not a big fan of techno!

    Naomi gabbed Trick and pulled him close, hissing into his ear, ¡°It¡¯s Sandstorm! From Darude! Just follow my lead!¡±

    Naomi began waving her hands about slowly and kicking her feet out, also somewhat slowly. Trick felt like a fool, and especially worried about their chances of incurring the wrath of the magical statue.

    ¡°Are you sure we shouldn¡¯t just use our avatars?¡±

    ¡°Not yet! This is a specific magical challenge. If we try reisting it, we might get killed or whatever just for trying to break the rules!¡±

    ¡°Something tells me that you are enjoying this,¡± Trick grumbled as the music picked up.

    Sure enough, the song wa Sandstorm from Darude. The other students around them were awkwardly trying to figure how best to dance to the music. It had been way too long since any of song of the sort was a popular choice for a school dance. And most of the dancing that people would do for this required strobe lights and glow sticks.

    Others were kicking, spinning, stupidly waving their arms. Naomi kept getting faster and faster, weaving her hands as if she was about to cast a spell. Trick did his best to follow her lead. She then told him to catch and she tossed him what she must have intended to be an invisible ball. He mimed catching it and started dribbling it.

    ¡°Move it as if it were on fire! Or full of electricity! Act like lightning is going through your body,¡± Naomi instructed.

    Trick started wigging out and after an embarrassing moment tossed the ball back.

    Lightning flashed from the statue and consumed two dancers, and the statue declared, ¡°They were not worthy!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    More lightning sprang from the statue and leaped towards a group on one of the platforms. Their screams mixed with the synthesized notes and they all struck with lightning. The electricity then sprang back into one of the orbs, the platform left empty. The dancers were galvanized by the display and started dancing more ferociously.

    Suddenly, the music came to a stop.

    ¡°No! Don¡¯t stop yet! The song will pick up again soon! Keep following my lead,¡± Naomi said.

    She skipped away from the other dancers, and Trick followed. The music started coming, back rising from near silence back to deafening tones. It was getting faster, too. Naomi threw all caution to the wind and started letting loose. Trick decided he might as well, if he was to survive. It wasn¡¯t dancing so much as thrashing about now. They kept at it until the music finally cut out.

    As it did, the lightning flashed once more and greedily ate up two more students. It then sprang after a group behind the food tables and devoured them. As the raging light leaped back into the second glass orb, the statue began cracking.

    ¡°Well done,¡± it boomed. ¡°Be ready for the next trial soon!¡±

    WIth that, the statue broke apart and became rich, smelly soil and spilled out onto the dance floor. Almost immediately, grass, bushes, and trees sprouted and grew rapidly. Trick caught a glimpse of the orbs. He saw with horror that people¡¯s faces were swimming around in them. The two orbs shattered and quickly grew into two towering, oak-like tree. The had pitch black bark and their leaves were bright red. Orange fruit sprang from the boughs and glowed eerily.

    ¡°This is getting very disturbing,¡± Trick whispered to Naomi.

    Soon, everything erupted into pandemonium. Students started running everywhere, trying to find an exit. They clawed at the doors and windows, which had changed to stone. Vines broke through the newly conjured slabs of stone and snaked out. They wrapped themselves around the students and carried them out to different places in the hall and deposited them.

    ¡°I really think we should use our D&D sheets now! Oh my gosh¡­ I never thought I would say something like that,¡± Trick said, watching the chaos continue.

    ¡°Hold on! We need to be smart about this,¡± Naomi said, holding Trick in place. ¡°Wait, look at what those vines are doing!¡±

    ¡°Giving me major Jumanji vibes?¡±

    ¡°What? No! I mean, well yes, they look like the murderous plants from Jumanji, but that¡¯s not it! Look at where they are placing the others,¡± Naomi said, pointing. ¡°They are putting them back to where their cliques were when we first arrived! See the band members? And the jocks?¡±

    Trick now paid attention, and he saw that his friend was right. These vines were placing all of the students back to where they had been previously. And now little glowing light of all different colors were coming out of the new garden and were helping to coral the dancers. Each clique was being carefully and accurately divided from one another.

    He looked at the nerds and said, ¡°I am now very confident about who is behind this.¡±

    Naomi turned to follow his gaze, and was about to voice her agreement when someone slammed into Trick. He staggered and strong hands took him and hauled him towards the platform with the nerds. He craned his neck and saw That Naomi was similarly being dragged off, but by large football players.

    ¡°Naomi,¡± he shouted. ¡°No! Let go of me!¡±

    He kicked and struggled against those who were holding him. A few other geeks leaped down and rashed to help their compatriots tackle and haul him off. He grunted and shouted at them.

    ¡°Guys! Let go of me! We need to work together get out of this! I need to help my friend!¡±

    Cory came up to him and looked him in the eye with a faint smile, saying, ¡°That is exactly what we are going to do, Trick. We¡¯re going to save everyone and put things aright. And you are right where you belong. WIth us!¡±

 Chapter 5 - Separate Truths

    Naomi fought as hard as she could against the larger boys. She tried clawing at them, or sinking her teeth into the, But they did a good job of pinning her arms and holding her down. It was futile to continue struggling, not that she stopped. It was a matter of principal, and she did want these goons to perceive her as weak.

    ¡°Why are you doing this? This isn¡¯t right! Let go of me!¡±

    The hulking boys threw her into the waiting arms of a bunch of girls, who quickly pulled her down to the ground and held her in place. They gave her worried and concerned looks. A few were downright pleading with their expressions. This caught Naomi completely off guard.

    She calmed down and finally asked, ¡°Alright, what is going on here? Why did your boyfriends just take me away from my friend? What are you doing?¡±

    One girl sat herself down across from Naomi and introduced herself. ¡°Naomi, I¡¯m Becky, and trust me, this should not be happening at all! This was all put together by the Usurpers over there.¡±

    She covertly pointed a finger at the nerd who were now escorting Trick up to the platform with them. ¡°And I¡¯m not just calling them that, they chose that name for themselves! They¡¯re freaks who found some way of, well, I don¡¯t know how to exactly describe it.¡±

    ¡°Cast a spell,¡± someone else offered above the din of students still shouting as the vines and little lights finished up their job of collecting and corralling the dancers.

    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right! They cast a kind of spell on everyone,¡± Becky said hurriedly. ¡°They said they did not like the way everyone was treating each other in school. They said it was very unfair to others that some enjoyed all the popularity, good standing with the teachers, and got all the money for their clubs. They used their magic to shuffle everything around.

    ¡°Suddenly, all of our teachers, including our coaches hated us. They gave us bad grades even if we tried! Our teams ran out of money, and we found our best spots on campus taken by others, and our off campus passes taken away, too!¡±

    ¡°Sounds terrible,¡± Naomi said, unsure if she believed any of this.

    Becky was a strange girl to her. Short and skinny, with curly blond hair and lots of freckles. There was something about her that did not bespeak sporty, and yet here she was among the jocks. And she sounded so shook, but looked too innocent.

    ¡°But how does any of that equate magic,¡± Naomi asked. She pointed at the trees and everything around them. ¡°I mean, this right here is clearly magical! What you¡¯ve said does sound bad and nightmarish, especially all in one day. But how do you know that was magic? And why would the nerds be responsible for this?¡±

    Becky explained, ¡°Because, naomi, they can use powers to change things as they want. They practically said so to us! They said that they were punishing us with their amazing powers, and they would start a new order to make sure that we felt just as they had, by putting us at the bottom. And no matter what we have done since, they have blocked us and made our lives miserable.¡±

    Another girl spat, ¡°And just look at them! Look at how smug they are! And see? The lights are now hanging around them! And none of them got electrocuted! This is what they are doing! To show to everyone once again that they are in power.¡±

    Now that argument did make good sense to naomi, but there was something else that was bothering her.

    ¡°How do you know my name,¡± she asked.

    ¡°Everyone listens to everything around here,¡± Becky sighed.

    One dark skinned boy came up to her and showed his phone and a text message. He explained, ¡°There were a lot of people doing what they could to eavesdrop. A few kids know how to read lips. They watched you guys and spread the word quickly. Each clique tries to recruit more people to itself to make sure that the geeks there don¡¯t dig their greasy claws into anyone else.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the few ways we can show that they don¡¯t completely control us,¡± Becky added. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Naomi continued to watch the nerds. They were talking with the little orbs of light, but they did not look entirely pleased. Not like the people around her were describing them. In fact, she thought one of them was arguing.

    ¡°Look everyone, I¡¯m here as a guest. I don¡¯t know what is going on either, but I am not a pawn to your sick games! My friend is over there, and I am not a fan of that! Will you at least work together and help me get him back? Whatever is going on with this dance is wrong, and it has something to do with those trees. If we work together, we can solve this!¡±

    The jocks shared guarded looks with one another. Naomi could instantly tell that they were not going to go along with her plans. She slumped down, pretending to accept defeat.

    ¡°Alright. Then at least we should wait and see what happens next. It looks like those vines and little lights are just about done with whatever it is that they are up to.¡±

    She heard someone grunt affirmatively. She catalogged that. In fact, the kids around her looked more grim and determined than anything else. There was not as much fear in their eyes as what she heard around her. People were crying in the distance and others were yelling that their phones were not working.

    There was no way to call for help to the outside world. She knew she needed to get free and get back to Trick. Together, they could put a stop to this.

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Cory was explaining that they needed to work together in order to survive this little catastrophe. He considered it little! They were way too calm for this whole situation. Trick wanted to clock him. He watched as the fat kid ranted on and on as another nerd went up and waved to the little light. They came to him and he started talking to them.

    By paying close attention, Trick finally made out what the little lights were. They were all diminutive fairies!

    ¡°Look at that guys! Even under pressure he is keeping his calm and taking in his surroundings,¡± Cory said congratulatory. ¡°He does belong with us! A true nerd!¡±

    ¡°So you worked this all out with fairies, huh? You found a way of creating a Door?¡±

    Cory finally looked shocked. Sebastian got into Trick¡¯s face and snarled, ¡°How do you know about the Door?¡±

    Trick headbutted him in the face. The kid pulled away, hands clamped over his face, muffling a sceam. The other nerds leaped back and let him go. Cory put up his hands, as if to negotiate.

    ¡°Calm down, Trick, we don¡¯t need to let this devolve into a fight. You want to be on our good side once we get this all straightened out!¡±

    Trick threw him a murderous look, but saw that the kid talking with the fairies was getting visibly upset. He began shouting.

    ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ve made a new covenant! None of us made any such agreement with you! We locked your portal away so it couldn¡¯t be used!¡±

    There was quick zap followed by the guy yelping, ¡°Yowch!¡±

    Trick laughed. ¡°So you idiots opened up a Door. You¡¯re not the first downtrodden bunch of teens I¡¯ve met who have done this. But it looks like you¡¯re getting the same treatment they did. The beings from the Realms of Imagination do not play by the same set of rules that we do. Plus, they are trying to escape a war! They are willing to do anything it takes to get free of it!

    ¡°Believe me, I know.¡±

    The fairies took an interest in him and start floating and buzzing about his head.

    ¡°Shoo,¡± Cory said, swatting them away. He got zapped, too.

    The girl who had saved him and Naomi from the creepy thsbians walked over. Trick remembered that her name was Cassie. She looked very angry.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong Cory, he doesn''t belong with us. He is very smart, true. Just like Becky and Odasis were, but they chose their side! He does not respect us. He would have looked down on us, too! Get rid of him, he does not deserve to stand atop this spire with us.¡±

    ¡°Correction, it is a platform,¡± Trick retorted. ¡°And Cassie, I have no idea who you all are, or what compelled you to open a Door, but I know that it was stupid!¡±

    Cassie slapped him hard.

    ¡°We had to do it for survival,¡± she screeched. ¡°They were oppressing us! They made fun of us! They took advantage of us! Our clubs were always underfunded. Our idea were always dismissed. We had no representation Popularity was the coin of the realm! But not anymore, not with the world that we created.¡±

    ¡°You mean with the world you had them create,¡± Trick said, nodding to the fairies.

    ¡°This is a smart one,¡± one of the ball of light giggled.

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Cassie screamed at them.

    ¡°The fae are under our control. We figured out how to summon them to our world and bind them to our bidding,¡± Cory explained.

    ¡°Is that so,¡± another fae taunted.

    ¡°How did you guys discover the means of making a Door,¡± Trick asked suspiciously. ¡°For some it has been through dreams. For others the creatures have themselves found a weakness and exploited it, and for others a key was presented by another party.¡±

    The way Cory¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the last option gave Trick what he needed. He grabbed the fat kid by his jacket and kicked Sebastian¡¯s knee out when he came back for round two.

    ¡°Who told you how to make the Door,¡± he demanded.

    Cory¡¯s confidence vanished and he started trembling and whimpering. The fae all began to giggle. One flew up to Trick and grew bigger until she was the size of a large doll. She was red and gold with a flowing dress made of autumn leaves. She had shimmering wings of gold that buzzed like a hummingbird¡¯s.

    She said sweetly, ¡°You are a special one, Trick!¡±

    ¡°How does everyone know my name,¡± he asked, exasperated.

    ¡°They know through spying and gossip,¡± the fae explained. ¡°But we know through Sight, It is an inherent gift of the fae. Our long lives have taught us much and so we See much!¡±

    Cassie tried to grab the fae, but there was a blast of wind and the tall girl was hurled off the platform. She landed with a sickening crunch on the ground below.

    The fae smirked and said, ¡°These kids really do need you, Trick. You possess what just might save them.¡±

    ¡°I am going to save them,¡± Trick said stubbornly. ¡°And I am going to do that by working with my friend, Naomi!¡±

    He then cast himself from the platform and hit the ground running. Once he began dashing for his friend, she too broke free from the jocks. The sprinted for one another and met in the center of the dance floor.

    Right as they met, the ground began shaking.

 Chapter 6 - Takes Two to Tango

    The floor around the small garden broke open and more trees began to grow up through the cracks. The floor turned to soft, springy grass under everyone¡¯s feet. More teens screamed, cried out in surprise, and others cried. Trick and Naomi only looked on resolutely as the new trees grew to full height. The fae came happily danced around the new foliage.

    Out of the shadows of the new trees came a handsome creature. It had the body of an elk with the torso and head of a man, crowned with a beautiful set of antlers. He looked at the groups dancers and spoke to them with deep, musical voice.

    ¡°Well met! The time has come for another trial. This time it will be a dance of passion! The seductive movement of the tango! Once more, it is required that each society within this gathering send forth two of their own to perform for the safety of their people. The two couples who fail to please us will be taken, along with all their friends and society!¡±

    What a speech, Trick thought to himself.

    The fae clustered around the magnificent creature as he withdrew back into the shadows of the trees. They all grew in size became visible to everyone for who and what they were. Each fae was very different from the other. Some had horns, wings in all varieties, no wings vines for hair, different skin tones, different colors, and they all had different musical instruments.

    Trick looked around and saw that most of the students were resigned. They did not move even when threatened with being taken by the magical creatures. However, there were enough who managed to rouse themselves and drag their feet back onto the dance floor. The fae laughed at all of them.

    The nerds and jocks were the first to fall in beside Trick and Naomi as the fae readied their instruments. They were the most determined looking of the bunch. Trick caught a very knowing smirk about one of the girls who dancing for the haughty geeks. He wondered what she was so smug about.

    He wasn¡¯t able to think too long about what that small smile could mean when the instruments all started singing together.

    Naomi grasped Trick and said, ¡°It¡¯s Immortal! I can hear it!.¡±

    ¡°Great. A break up song for a dance of passion. That sounds like it was a healthy relationship,¡± Trick grumbled.

    ¡°Shut up! I hope that you can dance the tango. I know a few things, a few moves.¡±

    ¡°So do I!¡±

    Naomi gave Trick a frank look and asked, ¡°Really? You know how to tango?¡±

    ¡°I know what it should look like. A little,¡± Trick said defensively. ¡°Hey! I can¡¯t be the only guy who watches Dancing with the Stars!¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Naomi snorted and then laughed as the words to the song came over the speaker system. The other couples were already dancing. Naomi and Trick quickly sprang together and started dancing. They were sloppy.

    ¡°We have to be crisp and precise with our moves,¡± Naomi hissed.

    ¡°On it,¡± Trick said assertively, taking the lead.

    ¡°Woah! Watch where you put your hands!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the dance of passion,¡± Trick said, finding himself laughing.

    He was certain he would get punched or slapped for that comment, but it nothing negative came of it. Naomi gripped him harder and went with every one of his moves, even if they were stupid. They kicked out, cut sharp angles, and made passionate spins. When every other couple started marching off hand in hand like actors in True Lies, Trick and Naomi doubled down on their spins.

    The jock and nerd couple followed similar suit. Everyone cut a circle around the six of them as they played out the ridiculous dance to the music of a depressing break up. Trick from time to time caught glimpses at the awed expressions on the faces of the student onlookers.

    Trick could easily imagine what the scene looked like. The circling dancers created a border with their bodies, making it a contest between just three couples. They sweated and puffed as they poured their desperation to stay alive into that outrageous and uncalled for tango. The fae sang along to the words and followed the three couples with their eyes and pointing fingers.

    It was odd at first to dance on the grass. But Trick soon realized that the now grassy floor was slick with dew and the blades springy. It began more a matter of learning to slide with the grass, rather than avoiding tripping. It was not normal grass by any stretch of the imagination.

    It was easily something out of a lucid nightmare. Still scary, but crazy enough to not induce panic.

    ¡°You should take some classes,¡± Naomi finally said. ¡°You could get really good if you tried.

    Trick¡¯s brow raised as he said, ¡°I might just consider that, if I have a good partner to live with.¡±

    ¡°I think I might know someone who is available,¡± she replied with a small smile.

    ¡°So long as it is not Cassie or whoever that one guy was who chased me down earlier!¡±

    Naomi laughed and the music started winding down.

    There was the sounding of a gong and the fae began cheering. A great wind came out of the small garden and the ground shook again. This time it opened up to swallow two more couples and two more cliques. In their place, more of the same trees as before burst up from the floor. The same black barked trees with blood red leaves. Now, all of the fruit glowed deep blues, purples, oranges, and poisonous greens.

    Again, the dancers and prom attendees scattered and screamed. The wind returned with incredible ferocity and easily picked up the students. It hurled them through the air and placed them back where they belonged. The dancers who had not been swallowed up into the ground were left alone by the wind. But they now all stood in the shadows of the trees and were eerily lit with light of the strange, illuminescent fruit.

    ¡°We survived,¡± Trick finally gasped.

    ¡°Of course we did,¡± Naomi said. ¡°We rocked that! At least, I did. Like I said, you were sloppy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m happy to see that you two can take this so lightly,¡± a voice said.

    They spun about and saw that the nerds were gathering around their couple. They were livid. And all of them were pulling on fingerless gloves with strange markings on them. The one who spoke was a gangly boy with a protruding adam¡¯s apple and frizzy, long hair.

    ¡°We have not wanted to resort to these, but it is clear that you two invaders have upset our order and balance! You are trying to steal away from us what we worked so hard to gain!¡±

    ¡°Yes! That is why the fae like him,¡± Cory accused, pointing to Trick.

    Sebastian sneered at him, his nose magically fixed. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill you now.¡±

    Trick and Naomi went back-to-back. They swept out their D&D character sheets and held them up.

    ¡°Not if we do you in first,¡± Naomi shot back.

    Trick faltered. ¡°Um, Naomi? Sorry to ruin such a dramatic moment, but it¡¯s just occurred to me. How do we use these things again?¡±

 Chapter 7 - A Mothers Plea

    Susan Brown leaned against the warm wall, surrounded by cold fog and looked up at the massive elf creature in his flowing brown and gold robes. He looked down kindly at her. She glared defiantly back at him.

    ¡°Susan Brown, the question I must begin with is this: would you like to hear the answers you want? Or would you prefer the answers you need?¡±

    Susan wanted to snap at the towering fae and tell him not to play with her. But she bit her tongue and kept her cool. He had said that she should beware of what she wished. Thinking things through, it was clear to her that she demanded what she wanted to hear, it would turn out to be useless or come at a steep price.

    Keeping her voice even, she answered, ¡°I will hear what you think I need.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see you doubt my ability to know what you want and what you need. But it is clear to my Sight that you perceive the important distinction between the two. While many mortals understand that the distinction exists, when put on the spot, as it were, they cease to see what is so important. Instead, their emotions carry them through.¡±

    ¡°You have the makings of a philosopher,¡± Susan remarked.

    The fae chuckled lightly. ¡°Yes, I would make a valuable philosopher to your people, I should think.¡±

    ¡°Then what is it that your Sight says that I need,¡± Susan asked, keeping her patience and cool. There was a feeling in her gut that said that the fae wanted her to break and would find a way to needle past her defenses. ¡°I would really like to know>¡±

    ¡°Ah, then let us begin,¡± the fae replied. ¡°What you must know is that you are nothing before the forces that war beyond the barriers of the Grey World. The vestiges of dreams and Reality¡¯s furthest fingertips wrapped into a barrier, as a link in the chain of creation, but not of the true metal from whence all the links come, is nothing more than a frail briar barrier. When it falls, all the worlds you of the Origins so flippantly created will come screaming in and overwhelm you.

    ¡°The gods will be pulled down and destroyed.¡±

    ¡°And I am one of those gods?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the fae answered pleasantly. ¡°All of you in the Origin, or Reality, ah, Earth, you have named it. All of you create with every thought, with every word, every drawing, every dream, every nightmare. It all becomes our reality!

    ¡°But we are alive without you. We are ourselves, independent of your wills, unless you should so bend your desires and thoughts our way. But so few Originators do so. They do not love. They do not care. They forget. And they must pay the price of mindless, indifferent gods. Alas, they and you too, already do.¡±

    He said it so calmly. So matter-of-factly. The elf spoke in a way that said he was in completely in the right and new it. It made Susan¡¯s stomach churn uncomfortably. She had a feeling of disaster hanging over her head.

    ¡°Ah, you see it now. The possibility that things are just I have stated. That you are the makers of your own demise.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Susan growled, ¡°How do I know you are not lying to me?¡±

    ¡°For what reason should I lie? What is there for me to profit from by weaving false tales,¡± he asked, spreading out his hands.

    ¡°I would like evidence that you are not lying,¡± Susan insisted. ¡°Call it part of being an investigator working with a couple of paranoid, but also correct, supernatural hunters.¡±

    The fae chuckled once more. ¡°Is not the feeling of terror enough to convince you?¡±

    ¡°Gut feelings are not always correct,¡± she countered. ¡°Sometimes you have to go with your gut, but after everything that I have encountered, simply going off my feelings is not enough. There is a lot that has happened in less than a year that both makes sense and at the same time doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Ah, really?¡±

    ¡°Yes. The idea of other worlds that can be accessed, it makes scientific sense. The magic part was hard to swallow, but as I have worked on three different cases, and my son has experienced a fourth, there is too much evidence to deny that there are worlds trying to come to ours,¡± Susan said, getting off the wall; it started getting as cold as the fog.

    ¡°And now that I know that a massive war is what motivates these worlds to come to ours, I get that what is going on is an invasion of refugees, not conquerors. Why would you then take vengeance on us when the problems exist on the other side of these Doors?¡±

    ¡°You assume that we are those refugees of whom you speak, and not conquerors,¡± the fae pointed out.

    ¡°All of the Doors that I have encountered were part of beings trying to escape what my partners refer to as the Realms of Imagination,¡± Susan said.

    ¡°Ah, yes. The keeper of secrets has paid heavily for what he has learned,¡± the elf said gravely. ¡°But how does this mean that we are not invaders?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Susan answered honestly.

    He then smiled knowingly. ¡°Then it is as I have said. You are the creators of your own downfall.¡±

    ¡°No, that does not add up either, unless we are the ones who created the ones levying war in the realms,¡± Susan countered. ¡°Is that what is going on? Have we imagined somehow our own demise?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no.¡±

    ¡°Wonderfully helpful,¡± Susan said dryly.

    ¡°Ah, but you are getting to where you need to be, Susan Brown,¡± the fae commented. ¡°You have created the tools of your demise. With each thought, worlds come into being or gain life. The King takes all of these and uses them to conquer the realms. If we do not stop him here, he will bring war to the Origin. All order would be lost and all creation would fall into his hands.¡±

    ¡°Who is this king?¡±

    ¡°The King of Abominations,¡± the fae now whispered. ¡°He is the heir to the Forsaken Pact. he rebuilds the Accursed as they once were. He inherits their legacy. He merges them together and claims their inheritance for his own and arms his dead with their weapons.¡±

    ¡°Once again, you are making absolute sense,¡± Susan huffed.

    ¡°Are you sure that you really want to know those answers? The fae now looked eager.

    She did not fall for it. ¡°No, that is something I want. But I¡¯m looking for what I need.¡±

    ¡°Ah, very good,¡± the fae replied after a pause, betraying his intentions.

    Susan pressed, ¡°I need the information that will get me and my son along with everyone else out of this situation alive. And from what I can tell, you have not been helping me with figuring this out!¡±

    ¡°Ah, but I have been. You have not been paying attention.¡±

    Now she was losing her temper. Susan wanted to throw a punch at the fae. But he had already disintegrated her gun. What would he do to her fist? She stopped and thought for a bit.

    This guy wants me to think that they are conquerors. We are also supposed to be the makers of what will destroy us. But, chances are very good that the first bit is misdirection. But again, that is a dangerous path. He wants me to get lost along it. That is not what is important. It is that what we think could be what destroys us.

    That must be the information that I need, Susan considered.

    She looked up at the fae and asked, ¡°What can I imagine that will help me rescue my son?¡±

    The elf cocked his head and studied her. He brought his finger tips together and floated off to the side.

    ¡°My children are already executing the terms of the covenant¡­ But you have made a wonderful, engaging inquiry. Yes. Let us see if you are as capable a warrior as your son believes you to be.¡±

 Chapter 8 - The Usurpers

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we just focus on becoming who are our avatars are,¡± Naomi said hurriedly in a hushed voice. ¡°Remember what it was like when we were them? Our identities perfectly merged?¡±

    ¡°Are you sure we don¡¯t just spit on them say some funky words,¡± Trick joked.

    ¡°Do you think this is some Shonen Jump anime and we will just let you talk and plan before we atack,¡± Cory taunted. ¡°You might be a nerd, Trick, but Sebastian is right. You are not one of us!¡±

    ¡°Good! I would hate to be one of you,¡± Trick said with slight snarl.

    He did exactly what Naomi has suggested. He reached deep into his memories. Well, maybe it was not too deep. It had been only a month since their crazy Dungeons and Dragons adventure in Miami. He remembered what is what like to be Trickster, what his story was, his motivations for survival. How his relationship with Ru-lah was very similar to his with Naomi.

    It happened with a quick flash and a whoosh!

    Trick and Naomi still stood back-to-back, but now they were once again Trickster and Ru-lah. She held in both hands a large, golden sword. She was again in her paladin armor, now accented with black paint and patterns along the border. Trick wore his Cloak of Transition and had knives in both hands.

    ¡°You gave yourself un upgrade. How did you do that?¡±

    Naomi snorted, ¡°I just wrote things in, like you could have done, too. There¡¯s no DM, and I really wanted Excalibur back. I still have the Sword of Heritage.¡±

    Shure enough, she did. It was strapped to her back.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use that instead of-¡±

    He was cut off as the grass churned and earth hands, the size of adults shot up and tried to snatch up him and Naomi. Trick activated his cloak with a thought and the dirt hands passed right through him. They grasped helplessly at him while Naomi swung Excaliby. With each slash from her sword there was a burst of light and the hands fell apart.

    The nerds shouted. They had not expected their opponents to have comparable magic to their own. Trick rushed them. His cloak would keep him incorporeal for only a few seconds more. Cassie shot an energy beam right at him, but it passed harmlessly through.

    ¡°He¡¯s gone completely ghost-like,¡± she shouted to her friends. ¡°Physical attacks have no effect on him!¡±

    ¡°On it,¡± another kid called out. ¡°Exorcism!¡±

    A lumpy, unkempt boy raised his gloved hand at Trick. It glowed, but otherwise nothing happened. It had taken an Eldritch god to harm him before. And with Trickster¡¯s wonderful skills and intelligence, Trick knew exactly when his cloak would turn him back.

    He threw a punch at the perplexed, lumpy nerd. His right fist became solid once more and collided solidly with his nose, breaking it. With his left hand he reached out and sliced another boy¡¯s glove. His second target jumped back and screamed. The lumpy kid fell hard on his butt, clutching his face. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Trick spun about, holding his knives at the ready. He glimpsed the kid he had cut and saw that the glove had burst into flames on his hand. The fae began clapping and cheering. It galvanized Trick and he leaped right into the thick of the geek group.

    They scattered, trying to put distance between them and the thief. It was clear that even with their powers they were untried and not used to combat. Naomi came bowling into the group, swinging with the flat side of Excalibur. Even dealing non-lethal swings still sent nerds flying with flashes of light. In about three seconds, three teens were airborne and Naomi was again covering Trick¡¯s back.

    ¡°Remember, this is isn¡¯t an anime! They won¡¯t give us time to converse,¡± she reminded him.

    ¡°Of course this isn¡¯t an anime! Who would even think that way,¡± Trick complained.

    ¡°Sayanora,¡± Cory shouted, waving his gloved hand.

    The ground beneath Trick and Naomi erupted, and flung them apart. Trick¡¯s feet hurt terribly. He threw his knife as Cory who deflected it with a gesture, but at the time Trick pulled out a flask and downed it. His feet healed instantly. He then tossed the flask at Cory who again lazily redirected the projectile and then threw Trick into one of the dark trees.

    He thudded hard against it. And then he charged Cory.

    The nerd had missed Trick¡¯s quick movement, passing a magical jawbreaker from his pocket to his mouth. Of course he had kept one just in case! Back when they were trying to deal with the Motley Lot and the god Akerbaza had summoned, he figured it would be best to have an ace or two up his sleeve.

    ¡°What are you made of,¡± Cory gasped as Trick closed the gap between them.

    ¡°The right stuff,¡± Trick said triumphantly, about to land another punch.

    Energy blasted him to the side. As he soared through the air, he saw that Cassie had again blasted him. Her face was a mask of fury.

    But she missed Naomi coming up from behind. The half orc, half-elf paladin clobbered Cassie across the back of her head the pommel of her sword. Cassie fell slack immediately and crashed hard to the grassy floor.

    That¡¯s my girl, Trick thought happily to himself as he fell into a gathering of jocks.

    With the jawbreaker in his mouth, he barely registered the hit. He got up and apologized for landing on them before he dashed back into the fray. Naomi found herself surrounded and would need some help. However, that was probably thinking too highly of himself on his part. Naomi grabbed the handle of her other sword and swung it with such ferocity and strength that her scabbard burst.

    Naomi clanked her blades together and swung them in an X shape. There was a blast of energy that consumed the geeks around her. They shouted out in pain and flew backwards. It was a moment right out of a B action flick.

    ¡°Woah,¡± Trick called out. ¡°That was incredible! When did you learn to do that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just what I wanted,¡± Naomi smirked. ¡°And thinking of anime, eat your heart out Kirito!¡±

    ¡°Man, those guys should have really tried recruiting you instead of me,¡± Trick grumbled.

    A platform flew right at Trick. He took it like a champ, the jawbreaker once more protecting him. He crashed into a pillar and was pinned momentarily. The platform fell to the grass with a crash and Trick pried himself free. Across the way he saw Sebastian.

    The nerd whose nose he had broken previously was throwing heavy item at Naomi. She expertly wielded her sword to cut through and deflect each attack. A blade of energy appeared in Cory¡¯s hand and he intercepted Naomi. Amazingly, the fat kid was able to match Naomi for speed and easily parried her attacks.

    Trick slipped World Eater¡¯s power ring on his finger and his abilities increased. He charged with great speed at Sebastian while the nerd was distracted throwing stuff at Naomi. Trick replaced his right handed knife and then shot out his hand.

    He clapped Sebastian across the face and threw him to the ground. The strong jawed kid¡¯s eyes went hazy for a moment. Trick took the opportunity to slash across the glove and it burst into flames. He then tossed his knife into Cory¡¯s back.

    As the fat kid stumbled and yelped from the pain in his back, Naomi took off his hand. The fae erupted once more into cheers. But they were not the only ones making noise. The remaining dancers, led by the sporty teens, charged the unconscious and scattered geeks.

    ¡°Down with the Usurpers!¡±

    ¡°Give them a taste!¡±

    ¡°Kill them!¡±

    ¡°This is all their fault!¡±

    The ones who were not knocked out began running away. Some dashed for the grove and disappeared in the shadows. Others ran for the stone slab doors and were overwhelmed by their peers. Others surrendered and were mercilessly beaten up. Watching this display of continuous violence made Trick sad that they had come to blows in the first place.

    ¡°Enough of this,¡± a powerful voice sang.

    As those words were uttered, everyone fell silent and stopped moving. Emerging from the grove was a gorgeous, floating woman in open robes of blue and gold. She had flowing, raven hair that streamed out behind her. She had long, pointed ears, and her chest was on open display. Bright, green eyes sweeped the scene and each person touched by her gaze fell to their knees, trembling.

    ¡°It is time for the next trial. We will begin now!¡±

 Chapter 9 - Cut Loose

    The elf lady now smiled on everyone and said, ¡°For this next trial, we want to see you dance with reckless abandon. Once the music begins, you will have your designated couples dance for the safety of your tribes! Those two groups whose champions do not perform satisfactorily will find themselves and their people disposed of.¡±

    ¡°They all say the same thing, just differently,¡± Trick muttered.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve picked up on that, too,¡± Naomi agreed. ¡°And that is an important clue. I feel like there is a deeper purpose to the systematic removal of the different parties.¡±

    Again, the fae stood ready to play their strange instruments. At a signal from the large, flying elf the hundreds of fae began playing their music. It mixed with the song that emitted from the speakers. Speakers, which Trick saw, that were now covered with creeping vines.

    ¡°Ballroom Blitz,¡± Naomi mumbled.

    Trick could think of some cool dance moves for this song. Some breakdancing and a lot of flips. Normally, he would not be capable of such feats, but with Trickster again a part of him, he knew he could do it!

    ¡°I got this,¡± Trick said confidently, a bit of swag entering his voice.

    He started stepping, spinning, and waving his body to the frantic pace. Naomi looked down at him with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°What?¡±

    The paladin shook her head and said, ¡°In the sanctuaries we learned how to dance in the high courts. It was not a part of our customs to dance with¡­ reckless abandon.¡±

    ¡°The just follow my lead! Doing something that is not within your comfort zone is practically the definition of reckless abandon,¡± Trick pointed out.

    ¡°Well, practically and is are two very different things,¡± Naomi countered. ¡°But you make a good enough of a point.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Together they once again cut a very strange picture. A human dressed in strange clothes dancing like a maniac next to a half elf, half-orc paladin sporting a bright red mohawk. Naomi had just been teasing Trick. The real her knew how to cut loose, but combined with refined grace of her paladin avatar, she made it look refined.

    They honestly had no clue why they were dancing the way they were, but they just got lost in the music and moved with it. The fae got caught up in it, too. They spun and flew about and laughed as they watched the students again frantically dance in a desperate effort to try and stay alive.

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always enjoyed this song,¡± Trick admitted. ¡°But I never thought it would make a good ballroom song.¡±

    ¡°Haven''t they played it already on Dancing with the Stars?¡±

    Trick shook his head, which as he danced crazily made it kind of flop about. ¡°Not to my knowledge.¡±

    ¡°It would be interesting to see what it would like for professionals to keep up with the tempo. I bet they could really pull it off.¡±

    ¡°That would be incredible to watch! Maybe one day we should try and get tickets, or something.¡±

    ¡°Or something?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m not sure how anyone goes about getting into the audience of that show,¡± Trick protested.

    Naomi laughed and said, ¡°This is just too weird! Here we are, dancing to stay alive but we are talking about pointless, impossible things like getting tickets to a reality T.V. show.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s probably best not to think too hard on it,¡± Trick said, waving a hand.

    ¡°Too late. Already done.¡±

    Their conversation was interrupted by the pealing sound of a gong. All of the nerds suddenly winked out in a bright flash of light. People yelped and danced with greater fervor. The song came to its final chorus and everyone gave it their all. One kid went too hard and started puking on the grass.

    The music finally ended, and the gong sounded once more. More students vanished in bright flashes of pale blue light. With six cliques entirely vanished, the overgrown room was becoming scarily empty. With all of the plant life and mythical fae around, the large room was becoming cramped. But with the humans now outnumbered, it gave Trick a growing feeling of isolation.

    ¡°Well done,¡± the woman commended and she floated back into the shadow of the grove.

    Trick and Naomi watched her go. Silence fell on the crowd and an audible silence fell over the room. The jocks were the first to move. They inspected where the nerds had previously been. Trick noticed that few of them had the same gloves that the geeks had sported.

    ¡°Hey, wait! Put those down,¡± he commanded. ¡°Those are dangerous!¡±

    ¡°Oh, we know,¡± one of the jocks said unconcernedly. ¡°Thanks to you two, though, our plan is going way better than we had expected. We thought we would have to challenge those damn nerds to the very end of the dance to defeat them. But you guys basically did it all for us! Thanks!¡±

    ¡°Hold on, are we missing something,¡± Naomi began to say. Then realization dawned on her face. ¡°It¡¯s been you guys!¡±

    The jocks smirked back at her and pulled the magical, fingerless gloves they had good and tight.

 Chapter 10 - Plot Revealed

    ¡°Now it makes sense,¡± Trick said. ¡°They were complaining about something called the covenant being changed. That they were supposed to have. They admitted that they were the ones who used fae magic to usurp the school¡¯s hierarchy and put themselves on top. So you guys made a deal with the fae to restore the natural order.¡±

    ¡°Very well pieced together¡± a girl said, sauntering into view. ¡°But we intend to do one better. We¡¯re going to improve on the system. Make sure that no one can ever pset it ever again!¡±

    Naomi looked the girl right in the eyes and said sternly, ¡°Becky, have all of you learned nothing from what has happened here? Those nerds turned into bullies because of how they felt they were being treated. Was it right for them to lash out as they did? No at al! But what you are doing is exactly the same! And you want to make it even worse?¡±

    ¡°Serves them right,¡± one lumbering, massive guy growled.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t have magic then! They were the ones to use it,¡± Becky said defensively. ¡°And now that it is out, we should make sure that it never falls into the hands of other kids who would abuse them!¡±

    ¡°Then why not just make getting rid of the magic your aim,¡± Trick asked in an exasperated voice.

    ¡°Because we want things to return to the way they were,¡± Becky snapped.

    ¡°Which solves nothing,¡± Naomi shouted in turn.

    ¡°What would you know about it,¡± another boy asked, swinging a baseball bat and eyeing the paladin before him with unnerving confidence.

    Tick looked at the boy¡¯s weapon and wondered, How did he get that in here?

    ¡°Because we have seen what happens when people use these powers to fix their problems and fulfill their desires,¡± Naomi explained, her tone still aggressive. ¡°We have seen a lot of people get hurt on many occasions because of this. The first time we encountered a Door was when some kids wanted to get back at their crushes for not liking them back!¡±

    Many of the jocks looked shocked when Naomi had said this. But their reactions were not because they were surprised by the revelation of kids misusing the magic. Nor because they saw the blatant error of their way.

    ¡°How do you know that they are called Doors,¡± Becky asked dangerously.

    Naomi gaped at her and then gestured to herself. Trick shook his head.

    He said, ¡°Becky, right? Look Becky, Naomi is telling the truth. We¡¯ve been around this block a couple of times already. It is never as much fun as it sounds. And I guarantee that those fae are using you in some fashion or another. Besides, even if we had not had these encounters before, the bread crumbs left by someone in the school lead us to know what was going on before hand!¡±

    The jocks began exchanging worried looks.

    ¡°Someone was a stool pigeon,¡± someone to the back of the pack asked.

    What, are all gangsters now, Trick thought, barely amused.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who blabbed,¡± the boy with the bat said, swinging it awfully close to Trick¡¯s face. ¡°After we¡¯re done here we¡¯ll find out who it was and make sure they don¡¯t blab again. We won¡¯t make any mistakes like those damn nerds did.¡±

    Naomi planted Excalibur into the grassy floor, and then reached out and tugged the bat from the boy¡¯s grip. ¡°And this is why you should not have the powers that you want. You guys would be horrible for rebuilding the school.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s far better to just get over this, try to forgive and move on,¡± Trick agreed. ¡°Being our age is already hard enough with relationships, popularity, getting good grades, dealing with stuff at home, friends, family, a scary future, and everything to let magic and monsters come in and make it even messier!¡±

    ¡°Wow, did you rehearse that TED talk,¡± Becky asked, rolling her eyes. ¡°Because that was so inspiring.¡±

    ¡°And you are honestly insane,¡± Naomi replied with a snort. ¡°Come on Trick. We¡¯re just going to have to beat them all and remove the magic ourselves.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to be that easy,¡± Becky countered. ¡°Those idiots thought that it was enough to bind the fae to them in the form of magical items and a wish to shake up the order of things. But they misunderstood how a covenant works. It is an agreement to a specific end! We have made a new one with the fae, and until we complete it and they uphold their end, there is nothing you two can do to stop us!¡±

    ¡°Way to go countering the stereotype of who jocks are by doing your homework,¡± Naomi sneered.

    ¡°Come on Naomi, we aren¡¯t going to get anywhere until we have stopped these idiots, too,¡± Trick said, resignation coloring his voice. ¡°They¡¯re just as lost as the others were.¡±

    ¡°Why do we always have to be the only sane people in the room,¡± Naomi asked as the jock surrounded them.

    Trick had to admire the bravery and daring of these other teens. They had just seen their classmates try to take them on and lose spectacularly. It was clear that they thought they could win. And there was also a light of desperation in their eyes. They had been flung down from the tallest heights of popularity and school reckoning to the absolute lowest tiers, derided by the same people they once picked on.

    The jocks wanted revenge and were willing to go to any lengths to get it.

    I mean, they did summon an army of fae to help them set up a crazy dance competition to undermine the geeks.

    That thought caused him to pause, and he then said, ¡°Wait! Before we start pummeling each other, why do all of this at the prom? And why through dancing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s one of the most important nights of our lives,¡± one girl answered.

    ¡°And we wanted to laugh at how badly those nerds would o when dancing,¡± another laughed.

    ¡°Okay, so you guys were just being short sighted and petty. Makes great sense,¡± Trick replied.

    And with that, the fight began.

    ¡°Use your cloak,¡± Naomi snarled. ¡°You¡¯ll just get in the way!¡¯

    She didn¡¯t have to tell him twice. With a crowd of easily thirty charging them both, Naomi would need all the room she could get for Ru-lah¡¯s big body and massive strength. The kids with the gloves stayed to the rear and raised their hands to cast some spells. Trick became intangible and rushed through the crowd.

    Some of them had seen his act before, most most had apparently not or did not understand how he had fought the geeks before. A load of the students freaked out when they saw him come through and after them. A good dozen hesitated and a few bolted entirely. This gave Naomi a small but necessary reprieve. She swung her blades around her and into the throng. There were flashes of light and sprays of blood.

    The students tried to overwhelm her, but Naomi¡¯s D&D avatar was formidbible. And with Trick distracting enough of them to mob her. Trick¡¯s seconds caught up with him quickly, and he was passing through one student when he became corporeal again. The boy gave a short, anguished howl before exploding in a shower of guts, blood, and bone.

    One girl fainted at the sight.

    Trick did not hesitate for a second. He pulled out his knives and slashed two more students in the ribs. He then hurled one right at the jocks in the back. They had not yet figured out how to use the gloves. Apparently they thought that using magic was a very simple process. Unfortunately, Trick had forgotten that he was using Trickster¡¯s incredible knife skills and the dagger went right into the eye of one boy, dropping him instantly.

    And that was when the truly unexpected happened. As more jocks rushed into the fray, they were attacked on all sides by the rest of the prom goers!

    Chairs were used as weapons. Girls pulled hair and dragged each other to the ground. Some boys threw wild haymakers at each other. One boy was using his martial arts skills to toss his opponents to the side. Someone topple the speakers onto a group of attackers, while another smashed the bowl of punch over another girl¡¯s head.

    Pure pandemonium reigned as the remaining students fought hammer and tongs to win.

    Finally, enough of the football team had reached Naomi to latch onto her and throw her down.

    ¡°No,¡± Trick screamed.

    He left the clueless jocks with their gloves to be jumped by other students. Empowered by the invincible-making jawbreaker World Eater had given him, he charged into the backs of Naomi attackers. They could punch him, but without feeling any pain, it was easy to keep his cool and slice they nicely with a dagger.

    Trick finally took out his short sword and lobbed off one player¡¯s arm. Another turned to meet him with Excalibur. Trick parried, but his sword shattered with one stroke from the magical blade. Another approached with naomi¡¯s Sword of Heritage. But he had his left knee kicked out from under him and Naomi reemerged, grappling him from behind.

    She easily broke his neck and retrieved her sword. The other guy turned to face her with Excalibur. She met his attack and easily blocked it.

    ¡°What the,¡± he gasped.

    ¡°This sword fought a god and won,¡± she spat.

    Naomi put on the pressure driving him back. More students rose up to tackle her, but they were all burnt away in a flash of light. As their ashes fell to the grass, someone shouted, ¡°Sorry! I missed!¡±

    Trick turned to see who had cast the spell. It looked to be a girl. She was promptly whacked over the head by a folding chair. Three other students jumped onto her, fighting tooth and nail for the glove.

    Trick slapped a passing kid in the face with flat of his broken sword. He fell backwards, yelping pain. He put some distance between him and the other jocks who were now fighting for their very lives against the rest of the school. Naomi had just gutted the boy who had stolen away Excalibur.

    ¡°Trick! Quick! Into the grove,¡± she called out.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Just do it!¡±

    He and Naomi then sprinted into the black shade of the magical trees. A few students tried to follow them, but they got tangled up in the chaos of the dance room brawl. Ru-lah¡¯s size and strength, and Trickster¡¯s agility and dexterity made it easy for Naomi and Trick to make their way into the grove.

    The moment they entered, the sounds of battle became strangely muted. There was a pleasant, cool breeze that wrapped itself around them, ruffing their clothes and hair. It was very dark, with just some dim light from the odd, glowing fruits above. The air smelled of freshly overturned garden and sweet flowers.

    As they drew deep into the shadows, Trick asked, ¡°Okay, so what is the plan now? They¡¯re murdering one another out there!¡±

    ¡°Which is what they deserve, quite frankly,¡± Naomi said fiercely. ¡°They were going to kill us!¡±

    ¡°But there has to be a way to stop this,¡± Trick said, spreading his hands out in a wild gesture.

    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything,¡± Naomi said grumpily. ¡°Short of killing them al. This is a disaster!¡±

    Trick was about to say something else, when he felt his left palm growing very warm. There was burst of blue flames and a letter materialized in his hand. At first he was shocked, but then curious. He pulled the letter close. The lights from the trees

    Were very dim and cast everything in strange hues of color, but he could just make out some writing on the envelope.

    It was from his mother.

 Chapter 11 - A Solution

    The fog was getting colder.

    Susan suppressed a shudder as she thought, This elf is trying to confuse me with his words. I know it¡¯s incredible that I am even saying this to myself, but I have to believe that his words are true! The problem is how he is presenting them. He¡¯s trying to goad me into making a brash decision by proving myself a warrior to my son.

    Patrick doesn¡¯t need any reminders of my fury. He has faced enough groundings and shouting matches with me to know that I am serious and not to be trifled with. No, I think I was on the right path with considering what I can imagine will help him and Naomi.

    ¡°Your children are fulfilling the covenant you made,¡± she said, repeating the elf¡¯s words. ¡°Can I ask what the covenant is? And with whom did you seal this pact?¡±

    ¡°Ah, you are thinking wisely,¡± the elf commended. ¡°I am impressed, Susan Brown. You are as hot tempered as your son is compulsive. And yet you have retained all your faculties nicely, I wonder if it is the environment that is helping you keep a cool head. As a turn of human phrase, of course.¡±

    ¡°Please stay on the topic at hand,¡± Susan said.

    This was a common interrogation practice. The person under the spotlight would try and derail the interrogation by changing the subject through other questions or giving impertinent information. The key was to keep asking the same question and drill it home that you wanted an answer, and that there were specific answers you were digging for. Eventually she would get where she wanted.

    She repeated, ¡°What is the covenant your children are carrying out? And with whom did you make the pact?¡±

    The elf gave her frank look, but otherwise did not betray any hint of annoyance. ¡°The covenant is to give the ones known as sports players a chance to overcome all their rivals in trials of dance. Should they win, they will be granted the power to impose any rule upon their house of learning as they see fit, to reorganize all social hierarchies and steal the magic we firstly imparted on our helpers in coming to the Origin.¡±

    Susan thought about what he had said. They had made an agreement to help sports players take over the school through trials of dance. She figured that this meant that the school¡¯s jocks were the ones he was referring to. And it sounded like they not only wanted to take over rule of the school, but also set up a new social status within their school by using fae magic.

    Now this is something I would not have guessed on my own! All those intricate and random clues left for Conturbatio and the police were extremely artistic and complex, not something most high school jocks are known for. But then again, if they were able to puzzle out how to communicate with this guy and his so-called children, then there must be a lt of smart ones in the bunch! This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I mean, there are always intelligent sports stars. They have to be if they intend on making it big in their prefered sport, but this is on a whole new level! And if that is the case, then Patrick and Naomi might be in even greater danger!

    Sure, they had their D&D sheets, but that was assuming they could even use them in this situation! And there were too many unknown factors for her to be comforted by pieces of paper delivered to them by a dragon called World Eater!

    ¡°What you are describing to me sounds like the plot for a very bad 80s teen drama,¡± she remarked dryly.

    The elf laughed. ¡°Ah, yes. Indeed, working with human teenagers has been a very amusing and frustrating prospect. They seek out, as they see them, the most inventive and humiliating ways to destroy one another. But they take very little thought for long term consequences.¡±

    ¡°Because they lack imagination?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, yes, you could say that,¡± the elf answered with a shrug.

    ¡°So, if we are going to solve this whole problem, then we need to be inventive, imaginative, and long-term in our ways of thinking,¡± Susan concluded.

    ¡°Ah, remember that this is a covenant against which you struggle,¡± the elf reminded her. ¡°And one enforced by the magic of my people. It is not so easily broken. Indeed, it can only be broken by those from either party who have made it. No matter how creative you are, you lack the means of breaking the promise which was made.¡±

    ¡°Possibly,¡± Susan reluctantly admitted to herself. ¡°But that is no reason to give up! There must still be a way to do what I can to hep Patrick and Naomi. Is there any way I can communicate with them?¡±

    The elf serenely answered, ¡°None that you have.¡±

    ¡°But certainly you possess such a means.¡±

    ¡°Most certainly,¡± the elf said with a smile.

    Susan swallowed and asked, ¡°And how can I borrow or use your method of communicating with my son?¡±

    ¡°An agreement,¡± the elf answered, his smile widening. ¡°We will make an arrangement between us. One that is legally binding in your world by granting me and my own power over your life.¡±

    ¡°And this is the power that will allow you to stay in the Origin and carry out your desires,¡± Susan confirmed.

    ¡°Indeed,¡± the elf replied.

    Susan thought about it. The trap was obvious. This elf could get everything that he wanted from her right now by playing on her desires to help her son. Should she just back out of it now and trust everything to Patrick and Naomi?

    No, that did not feel right. This elf was too self-assured for this to be the best way out. She had a very strong impression that she could not allow the fae to get their way. Making a deal with the elf right now would provide the power they needed, and that could endanger the entire world!

    But her parental instincts screeched that she had to do something. She felt so helpless being unable to come to her son¡¯s aid. That was also unacceptable. There had to be a way to fix all of this! For once, she wished that she could have Conturbatio and Miles with her to talk her ears off with suggestions and strategies. But that was not to be. She even wondered if the elves had planned for this precise circumstance.

    Susan sat on the freezing ground for a moment, which quickened her thinking as a sharp pain shot up her spine. But that was exactly what she needed. It brought things into focus for her.

    Trials by dances.

    A covenant to change the rules of the world.

    The power for this covenant was dependant upon both parties keeping up their end of the bargain.

    Imagination was power.

    And thinking ahead was key.

    Susan closed her eyes and began formulating how she would tell all of this to Patrick if he were right in front of him. How could she make him understand? She finally got up and began pacing. The elf¡¯s eyes followed her.

    Finally, she turned to the elf and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s make a deal.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you believe you have found a solution?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I want you to deliver a letter to my son for me, and these will be the details of our arrangement¡­¡±

 Chapter 12 - The Last Dance

    ¡°Well, open the letter and see what your mother wrote to you,¡± Naomi hissed.

    ¡°How do I know that this letter is really from my mother? It could be a trick.¡±

    Naomi bit her lip, which surprised Trick that the action didn;t cut it open, owing to her orcish teeth. But she persisted.

    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for the fae to try and trick us right now.¡±

    Trick reminded her, ¡°They might need someone new to take on their covenant, given everything that is right now going on out there.¡±

    He jerked his thumb over his shoulder to the distant carnage for further emphasis.

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Naomi said uneasily. ¡°But still, let¡¯s take a closer look. Remember, these are D&D avatars, and have the ability to use dice rolls to figure out the real nature of this letter.¡±

    ¡°But we loss the dice! We used them up,¡± Trick protested.

    ¡°Those were special dice,¡± Naomi pointed out. ¡°Remember how when we did the bar fight the bartender gave a bit of running commentary on how everything was playing out. He even made mentioned to dice rolls. We then both had feelings of dice tumbling around in our heads as we fought and did other things. You even told me as such.¡±

    Trick relented and agreed. ¡°You¡¯re right. I had forgotten about that. It¡¯s been a stressful night!¡±

    ¡°All of our cases have been stressful,¡± Naomi deadpanned. ¡°Well, get on with it! You;re the thief! You should be able to determine is this letter is authentic or not!¡±

    Drawing upon Trickster¡¯s past and skills, Trick examined the letter. He then opened it and studied the handwriting. It looked like his mother¡¯s. He could faintly hear the clatter of dice in his head. If he had to constantly hear that, he would have gone insane!

    The quiet rolling of the dice finally ended and Trick felt very certain that this letter was indeed from his mother. Not only id the handwriting match, but the wording felt like something she would write. He had sneaked peeks at her emails from time to time. She had a very official way of going about things. This letter matched what he knew of her.

    ¡°Wow, I wish I had this ability earlier in life for tests,¡± he said.

    Naomi grumbled, ¡°It only works as a skill if you put time and effort into it.¡±

    He shrugged and said, ¡°In any event, this is a letter from my mom. The dice confirm it, and I can see that this is pretty much her writing. The only thing I find weird is that it came to us like it did. Whoosh! Fire and all that!¡±

    ¡°If we read it, maybe we¡¯ll get an answer,¡± Naomi suggested impatiently.

    The put their heads together and began reading the long letter.

    Trick, it¡¯s your mother.

    And if you need any confirmation that this is really me and not these elves or whatever they are trying to pull a fast one on you, just remember this: We didn¡¯t call you Patrick because you were born on St. Patrick¡¯s Day, but because the doctor and nurse who were Pat and Rick. Pat was the doctor and the nurse was Rick. And your middle name is the result of a crazy night of Scrabble.

    ¡°What is your middle name anyway,¡± Naomi asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s not relevant,¡± Trick said, embarrassed. ¡°But yes, this is a family secret!¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just hack into the birth records later.¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±

    Naomi rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Come on! We have a job to do and a letter to read! If you the dice say that this is legit and the clue tells you the same, then we don¡¯t have to question it!¡¯

    ¡°You were the one who interrupted us!¡±

    And no doubt by now you and Naomi are arguing. Stop it! We have work to do!

    I guess I should explain myself just in case. I have spoken with one of the leaders of the creatures that are besieging the prom at this very moment, They have made a covenant, a promise, to help a group of students take over the school and set things they way they would have it. I¡¯m not sure yet who made this deal with these damned elves, but there will be hell to pay once you set everything right.

    And yes, I mean you two! You are the only ones with the power and in the position necessary to take over the covenant and subvert this plan. The entire prom and the surrounding area have been pulled into a kind of Grey Bubble, similar to what Naomi and yourself experienced in Miami. And what that means is that you are touching a universe where imagination is the driving force to all powers. Including this covenant. If you can come up with a deal to take command of the covenant, then you can succeed.

    I was able to send this letter, because the head elf and myself came to an agreement. He would let me send a letter to the two of you on the condition that you would challenge the covenant and its current holders to one trial. Or so they put it. This trial will have incredible stakes attached to it, even if it may not seem so at the moment. It will include that should the elves win, they will have free reign to go wherever they wish and use whatever kinds of power they want. They will be unrestricted in their access to our world and pulling ours into theirs.

    However, if you win, you get whatever terms you have set. They will have to be made before the trial begins. You must make them agree that they will return back to their world the moment you win. And to make them agree to the trial, you will want to make it as close to the current covenant as possible. Hopefully you know what that is by now, because the big guy I have been with has been absolutely silent on the matter!

    Damn him¡­

    But here is the most important thing, once you have challenged them and they accept it, they will select a champion to go against you. The only way to beat them is to let your imagination out. Because of where you are, you can access your thoughts and turn them into reality. Be warned though! It will make you super tired! So be careful!

    Well, that is the best I can give you. By sending this letter, you have to commit to the trial, or the elves will be allowed to leave the prom immediately and do as they will. That was the agreement I had to make to send this letter. No pressure!

    And Patrick, I love you. And I believe in you! You are incredible, smart, and courageous. And I am proud to be your mother. I always have been, even when you made life difficult. And Naomi, you worth him twice over. And I love you like my own daughter.

    Best of luck!

    Mom

    ¡°Your mother is so sweet,¡± Naomi commented.

    ¡°That is what you have to say after reading all of that? I can barely think! This is so much to take in,¡± Trick said exasperated.

    ¡°I thought it was very straightforward,¡± Naomi replied.

    ¡°It was,¡± Trick agreed. ¡°But to have the fate of the world so readily on our shoulders? This is too much!¡±

    Naomi patted him on the back. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just have to bear it. I¡¯m not sure why we are blessed with such bad luck to get tangled up in these magical affairs. But just know this, I blame you.¡±

    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Trick said with a smirk. He then studied the letter again. ¡°Naomi, a lot of very bad things have happened her tonight, but I think i have a way to fix all of that.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    She gave him a studious look and replied with a grin of her own, ¡°For once, Trick, I think you and I are on the same page.¡±

    ¡°For once? I thought it happens at least once an adventure!¡±

    With that they quickly laid out their plans. They figured that since the trials so far had been about dancing that dancing was the way they were going to get out of this whole mess. They figured out out what the agreement should be for the trial and the nature of the trial itself. Trick¡¯s mother had given them a very good hint.

    It was the key to their retaliation.

    They finally came out of the darkness of grove. Bodies were strewn across the grass where there had once been a dance floor. Most were not moving, some still were. The students were again huddled in groups according to their cliques. Though they were all much smaller than they had been before.

    In front of them was a line up bedraggled jocks. Becky stood at their head, fae flying around her head like a spinning, multicolored crown. She gave Trick and Naomi an imperious look.

    ¡°You survived going into there. I wonder if it because of your new skins or something else. Three tried to follow you and they were eaten by the darkness. Literally eaten! Right in front of my eyes!¡±

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Trick offered.

    ¡°Whatever,¡± Becky huffed. ¡°They have told me that it is time to wrap this up. They wanted to make sure that every group was ready to participate in the final dance. I guess they see the two of you are another clique, or something like that. Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±

    ¡°I agree, Becky,¡± Naomi said dangerously. ¡°But first we have a word to say with the fae, if you would be so kind.¡±

    That gave becky pause and she glared back at the paladin.

    ¡°We have a counter offer to the covenant the jocks have made with you,¡± Naomi declared to the fae. ¡°An offer that could satisfy all of your desires.¡±

    No less than twenty fae zoomed up to her and floated around her. Becky began to protest, but a yellow fae with a ballgown put her tiny hands to her lips and stopped her from speaking.

    ¡°What do you have to offer? We know about the letter,¡± the fae sang together.

    ¡°We propose a more powerful agreement,¡± Naomi explained. ¡°We will have one last dance. A free style dance between you and myself with Trick. Should you win you will have unfettered access to our world, whatever you want.¡±

    The fae began to sing and cheer at this, but naomi cut them off with a bark. ¡°But if we win, you will return to your own world immediately. And you will use your powers to reverse everything that has happened to the kids here. Those you have captured and killed will be returned. All those who have been injured by others will be released. And you will remove the memories of everything that has been done with your power. The school and its students will return to the way they were before.¡±

    Becky looked thunderstruck, but she remained silent. There were hopeful looks around the room. Some of the jocks also looked relieved at the terms.

    ¡°A free style dance,¡± the fae sang together. Trick was unnerved by the happy and excited looks on the diminutive faces. ¡°We would be delighted. Of course we will choose our own champions to dance. And the current handlers of our covenant must also be allowed to compete. And as per the rules of ceremonial combat, we will choose the weapon, or in this case, the music.¡±

    Becky finally couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and blurted out, ¡°But what about our deal? We hold your covenant! You can¡¯t break it!¡±

    ¡°Silly, sweet, stupid child of man,¡± all of the fae sang together, a terrifying chorus. ¡°Your clique will still be allowed to compete. We are not breaking the agreement. Should your society win out, you will have what you desire. But your covenant only granted us limited freedom. They offer us something more. Of course we would entratin it. We have broken nothing, only compounded!¡±

    The fae rose up and flew about, creating a dazzling hurricane. Their song became louder and harsher. But it still remained beautiful in an other worldly way.

    ¡°As for Trick and Naomi, dismiss those forms. You will dance as you are, not as the Collector and Corruptor has touched you. Cast off his influence so that there will be no foul play!¡±

    Trick leaned and said, ¡°I guess World Eater was telling the truth. He is known by other worlds.¡±

    ¡°And now I feel less comfortable with this form,¡± Naomi grumbled. ¡°But it is so cool!¡±

    ¡°How do we take these off?¡±

    ¡°Imagine taking the form off,¡± Naomi guessed.

    It was easier than Trick would have thought. He mimed taking off a mask and concentrated on losing Trickster¡¯s form. The character sheet formed in his hand and the appearance and clothing of the thief disappeared. The same happened with naomi, though she did not pantomiming. Her character sheet simply appeared in her hands as she shrunk back to her normal self.

    Trick and Naomi shared a quick look and a nod. The hurricane of fae swooped down on becky. She disappeared in a storm of colors. There was not even a cry out for help or anything. Tye fae scattered and Becky was then floating in the air, beaming white. Her eyes were open and glowing like molten gold And when she spoke, she spoke with the chorus of many voices.

    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mind if we proceed immediately?¡±

    ¡°Nope,¡± Trick said, cursing himself for the squeak that entered his voice.

    ¡°Most wonderful,¡± the new Becky said, and gestured at a young man in the line up of jocks.

    Her friends dove out of the way as the fae once again pounced. They cascaded on the young man, and identically to Becky he was engulfed by fae, hovered in the air, and glowed. He greeted Naomi and Trick in a similarly creepy voice.

    ¡°Well met, children of men. The time for the final trial is now.¡±

    Finally, some student in the distance managed to speak up and asked, ¡°And what about the rest of us?¡±

    New Becky answered, ¡°Each society can offer up their best dancers for the last trial A free style dance that will determine everyone¡¯s fate, including our own. We have made the covenant. We have made an agreement. And we will honor our word.¡±

    As she spoke, more black barked trees grew out of the ground and now the walls. Their strange fruit shone more brightly than before casting everyone into eerie, deep, Halloween colors. Most of the surviving prom goers cowered against the naked walls, or they hugged one another close. A fe jocks lost their nerve and bolted, but the others drew closer, ready for the final dance.

    Trick focused on the new Becky and the boy as they floated to each other and embraced. The fae began playing their music once again, but this time it felt full of power. It quickly became a full orchestra of strings, horns, winds, and percussion.

    ¡°I feel like I have heard this before,¡± Naomi said.

    ¡°I can¡¯t say this sounds familiar,¡± Trick said. ¡°But it looks like the beginning of the final trial. Shall we?¡±

    Drums reached a fevered tempo and then quieted. A piano played somewhere and an other-wordly voice began to sing. It sounded like goddess singing along with the piano. And the words she sang were painful and sad, but amazing beautiful and full of love.

    It might have been freestyle, but Trick and Naomi moved as one. They locked hands and began flying on the air, moving with the words. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Becky and the boy soar past them. No else looked ready to dance.

    This was beyond any of them.

    The two tangoes in the air, images of a beautiful, starry night were conjured all about them as they danced. And then a male voice, powerful, haunting, and tormented sang in response to the goddess¡¯ words. Trick didn¡¯t know why, but it made him want to cry.

    ¡°It¡¯s a song about doomed love,¡± Naomi said. ¡°We need to match their passion!¡±

    ¡°But how,¡± Trick asked. ¡°That feels beyond me!¡±

    ¡°I can see it in your face, you can feel the emotions of the dance. Just give into the music. Let us follow wherever it leads.¡±

    And with that, Trick imagined himself becoming one with the notes of the song. He closed his eyes and gave himself over the flowing music and the words of the song. Almost immediately, he lost himself, but he saw with new eyes.

    He saw himself. And he saw Naomi.

    They continued to dance amidst a starry night, surrounded by dark thunderheads lit with the constant lightning. Colors flew from the bodies like pouring sweat as they danced with intense rigor. Their bodies contorted in amazing, beautiful, unnatural ways. Ways in which the human body should not have been able to produce, but they had become more like rushing wind and and raging water.

    Trick threw Naomi into the air, and she spun, throwing color into the stars. She came gracefully back into his arms and the spun like a whirlwind. The stars shimmered with them. It was something out of a dream.

    The words continued their sad duet, telling the story of lovers desperately reaching for one another across war, time, and space, but unable to reach. Time made their longing stronger, space made their love cold, and war dulled the heart. The entire story played itself out across the constellations, the clouds shifting to reveal the story of a long lost warrior and his woman.

    Tears streamed from their eyes as they continued flying and dancing to the music.

    When the duet ended, the music picked up pace and intensity. They continued to follow it, coming together for amazing twists, pirouettes, spins, throws, and dashes across the sky. And Trick watched this all with his eyes, apart from the action but feeling it all the same.

    This makes no sense, he muttered to himself. But if it were possible to actually dance this way for real, then I wish that everyone could experience it! Then maybe school dances wouldn''t be as lame as most people make them out to be.

    He then noticed two other figures dancing in the distance. He squinted and wondered who they could be. Possible the possessed Becky and her partner. But no, that couldn;t be them, could it?

    It was a knight in gleaming, white armor, and a black cloak around his shoulders. He danced with a woman with hair of different colors. White, red, purple, and more. Their dance was playful. They would come together, spin, and cut a strong line across the night sky. But then they would break apart and one would chase the other. He could nearly hear their laughter.

    Is that them? The couple this song is about, he thought. Is this who they once were? Or is this somebody else?

    The music now hit its crescendo. Trick was pulled right back into his body. Naomi and he flew up together above the storms. They clashed underneath them, spraying lightning in all directions at their feet. They now spun slowly, surrounded by the tiny prick of distant stars.

    And then Naomi grabbed his face and kissed him.

    They came to on the grass in the danceroom. Despite himself, Trick found himself melting into Naomi¡¯s embrace and kiss. She was slightly taller than him which must have made for a funny picture, he was sure. Abruptly, she pulled away.

    Trick sputtered, ¡°What was that for!?¡±

    ¡°We needed a grand finish,¡± Naomi said simply. ¡°The song was one of passion. It was something that occured to me might tilt the dance in our favor. Do something that was completely out of character for either of us. Give into that passion.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, that makes good sense.¡±

    ¡°Of course it does,¡± Naomi snapped. ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have done it!¡±

    ¡°I hope I¡¯m not your first kiss,¡± Trick said tentatively.

    That earned him a slug to the shoulder as naomi replied with a smile, ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t. Don¡¯t flatter yourself, Patrick.¡±

    Becky and the boy landed next to them with a loud thump. Trick jumped, surprised and slightly spooked. The two spoke together in their strange, choir-like voices.

    ¡°It is always the same where we come from. Humans can access something that we don¡¯t quite have. Our kin elsewhere in the Realms have it, but we do not. A curious deficiency. Naomi, you were right. That kiss at the end, the reckless abandon. That was the at the heart of the music. You felt its story, and you gave it a happy ending.

    ¡°Our covenant and agreement are fulfilled.¡±

    From out of the shadows under the trees, a storm came out and engulfed them all. Trick lost sight of naomi and everyone else. The cold air and pellets of water stung his skin. He was forced to close his eyes. But his ears heard the voices speak clearly once more.

    ¡°Naomi and Patrick, you will retain your memories of these events. The same as with your fellow warriors. Those who belong to the society of the Q Files. Very odd. But you will be the ones to do what we could not. You must find the one who sees the realms, but knows not what he does. He leaves clues. How can he not? You will find them among the words that are familiar to you, but obviously a lie. The very name of your society¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, what do you mean,¡± Trick began to ask to the howling wind.

    Through his shut eyes, he could perceive a bright light. The storm stopped.

    He dared opened his eyes, and he saw a personage. It was dressed in blinding white armor. It had a commanding atmosphere and powerful presence about it. Trick thought he would burn up seeing it. The fae flew around it, and in a flash everything went dark. And the personage and the fae vanished.

 Chapter 13 - Hanging Out

    ¡°You don¡¯t think the kiddies will want, or possibly even need ay of that food,¡± Vince asked, as Camille shoved no bake chocolate, peanut butter, oatmeal cookies into her mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m starving,¡± Camille managed to say with her cheeks bulging. ¡°The little rugrats wanted to get here to the dance as quickly as they could. Left my husband to clean up the leftovers and dishes from their dinner.¡±

    ¡°What a brave man,¡± Vince said solemnly.

    ¡°Not really,¡± Nate said with a mischievous giggle. ¡°We drew straws. I made sure he got the short one! And that¡¯s how you get out of chores as an adult.¡±

    That last comment was directed right at Trick, who just nodded and smiled. It was the best he could manage.

    His mother had been correct. They had managed to tap into their imagination and pull off an amazing, impossible, incredible dance, and it came with a high cost. He and Naomi were both exhausted! It was all they could do to keep themselves awake. Trick had wanted to go back to the hotel and crash, but Naomi insisted that they remain at the dance.

    It must be for the same silly reason why she got so upset about the corsage.

    To keep himself awake, he tried to participate in the conversation these chaperoning parents were having, while admiring the dancers. By Trick¡¯s estimation, the fae had outdone themselves with restoring everything to the way it had once been. It was impossible to tell that this dance hall had been an overgrown warzone!

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll know what I¡¯m talking about when you get there,¡± Nate said happily. ¡°Chores will follow you your whole life long, but hopefully you¡¯ll have children or unsuspecting friends to pass them off onto.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s need it anyway,¡± Camille said, shaking her head as she reached her sticky fingers out for more cookies and punch. ¡°He keeps trying to run off to his man cave during the week.¡±

    ¡°I prefer the study,¡± Vince commented.

    ¡°I prefer a dark corner with Bakemono. I mean, what,¡± Nate laughed.

    Trick gave a token chuckle, earning him a hearty slap on the shoulder.

    He looked over to his side and saw Naomi also struggling with staying awake. She was also hanging out at the table, slowly eating from a small plate of refreshments. Just beyond her was his mother, standing next to agents Conturbatio and Miles. They had quickly returned from an unsuccessful raid on the shed where the first Door had been made.

    It was clear that the nerds had been working on it beforehand and then abandoned their project once they had success. Then the jocks had discovered it and added their own handiwork. WIth the fae having erased everyone¡¯s memories of their doings and had removed all of the evidence that they had even existed in their world, the dance was going on as if all the night¡¯s events were a forgotten fantasy.

    Which is exactly what they were.

    The authorities had arrived on the scene of the dance to find the billowing fog. They had thought it was smoke from a fire. That was the way the fae exuded their presence at the convention center. Anyone who charged in to put out the supposed fire found themselves frozen in a state of stupor.

    But once the covenant was broken and the agreements fulfilled, everyone was a little confused as what to do. Naomi and Trick had contacted his mother and passed along the information they had learned. To make up for the lapse of memory and the threat of an attack on the prom, they passed along the names of Sebastian, Cory, and Becky. Trick wanted to find out the name of the kid with the baseball bat. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    They had all agreed, however, that given the circumstances they should let everyone have one blissful night for prom before hell descended upon them for creating a Door. And all of that would have to be passed off as a botched threat. Conturbatio would oversee the whole affair and make sure that some justice was meted out.

    ¡°Oh no¡­ That¡¯s where Jed is,¡± Camille groaned, her mouth once again stuffed.

    ¡°What¡¯s he up to,¡± Vince asked.

    ¡°Leaving it all out on the dance floor, if you ask me,¡± Nate answered.

    Trick followed their gazes to a tall gentleman in a suit made of duct tape. At first Trick mistook him for a fellow teenager, but he could just see that he was older than the rest of the kids dancing. He had limbs that were flopping all over the place. He was cutting loose and reminded Trick of a cartoon character tripping on ecstacy.

    ¡°How is he able to do that,¡± Vince laughed. ¡°I try dancing for a song, and I feel the ache for a whole hour afterwards!¡±

    Nate groaned, ¡°Getting old sucks. Don¡¯t do that, pal. Stay sixteen as long as you can.¡±

    ¡°Changes coming around real soon, make us women and men,¡± Vince finished.

    Camille exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s because Jed is forever sixteen! He has eternal youth!¡±

    That sent a cold chill down Trick¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Forever young! I want to be forever young,¡± Nate sung. ¡°You know that song right? And not just the stupid remix?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± Trick answered.

    ¡°So he does speak,¡± Camille said, cramming her mouth full of chocolates now.

    ¡°You¡¯re so dignified,¡± Nate commented to her.

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you noticed. It takes a lot of work to be a hot mess like this!¡±

    ¡°A sexy hot mess!¡±

    ¡°Easy now children,¡± Vince warned. ¡°There are preschool toys about!¡±

    Sure enough, there was a gathering of students on one side of the table. They all gave the adults worried and disgusted glances and looks. It was clear that they wanted to get at the refreshments as well, but they were worried about the grown-ups flocking around their food. Trick supposed they were also upset about adults being so involved on their special night.

    If only they remembered that just an hour ago there was something even worse to worry about.

    ¡°Way to date us,¡± Nate laughed. ¡°You know what, I think I¡¯m going to join the Jed on the dance floor. You coming?¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m good for right now,¡± Trick said.

    ¡°Come on guys,¡± Jed shouted across the dance floor. ¡°I asked them to play ¡®Chandelier¡¯!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll believe that when I hear it,¡± Camille grumbled.

    Trick left the strange adults and made his way over to Naomi.

    ¡°How are you holding up?¡±

    ¡°Exhausted,¡± she grunted.

    ¡°It looks like you are waiting for something,¡± Trick observed.

    ¡°Always observant,¡± she replied dryly. But then she smiled and added, ¡°But if it wasn¡¯t for that, we might have died a number of times along the way. With all of our adventures.¡±

    ¡°But you keep me grounded. And when I can¡¯t come in clutch, you come in swinging,¡± Trick said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think those two sayings were ever supposed to mix,¡± Naomi laughed. ¡°Crap, we are so tired!¡±

    ¡°I told you we should have gone back to the hotel!¡±

    ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m hoping for something.¡±

    Before Trick could ask what it was, there was a sudden change. So far that night, it had just been the constant thud of remixed, unintelligible music. Trick could barely recognize half of the songs being played. But now, this was a song that he recognized. ANd it wasn¡¯t even a remix!

    ¡°Ha! And we were just talking about this song,¡± Trick said sleepily.

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Never mind,¡± Trick said with a wave of his hand.

    ¡°Trick? Do you want to dance,¡± Naomi asked him.

    He was in no state of mind to really refuse. So arm in arm, they walked out onto the dance floor. The two of them mostly shuffled and stepped somewhat in time to the music. No one would have believed in that moment that they had danced with fae and soared among magical stars.

    ¡°You know, I really like this song,¡± Trick said. ¡°I once wanted to waste away my days outwitting others and pulling pranks. But now I want to make the most of what I am and the time I have. That is the kind of legend that makes you forever young.¡±

    ¡°We should get you drunk tired more often, it makes you a reasonable philosopher,¡± Naomi commented.

    They laughed and continued to sway to the music. Trick knew the others were watching them. There was nothing to do about it. Let them think what they wanted. The kiss Naomi had given him was just to give them an edge against the fae. And it had worked wonderfully.

    ¡°After this song, let¡¯s go back and get some sleep. I don¡¯t think I could last another dance anyway,¡± Naomi mumbled.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re speaking my language,¡± Trick said.

    The music ended and they shared a quick hug. Again, arm in arm they walked off the dance floor and towards the exit. His mother and the other two agents moved to accompany them.

    The music changed and ¡®Chandelier¡¯ came on. Trick heard a loud whoop and looked over his shoulder. He saw some kids running away red faced from Jed and Nate. They were embarrassing their children as they got caught up in the song. Camille and Vince flew over and joined them.

    The teens all stopped and watched with disturbed fascination as these four adults started swinging on their own imaginary chandeliers.

    ¡°Prom. One hell of a night,¡± Trick laughed.

    Together, he an Naomi exited the ballroom and did not look back.

 What Ruben Doesnt Know...

    Three men entered the school, the smell of a chain smoker hovering over them. They had come to harvest, and recently the candidates for extraction and usage had risen. It was perfect. The war was doing its job.

    Where once they had worked with trepidation to kidnap those who had contact with the Realms, this was now easy work. Their collective conscious on the matter had died a long time ago. They were professionals after all, even if they did not look it at first glance. Their job was to save the world from itself. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The only hiccup was that the Q Files were interferring more. Agent Conturbatio and his associates were making strong headway in discovering the cause of the war. Not that there was anything that he could do about it now, but if they were revealed it would mean their heads. They had it on good authority that a move would be made against the backroom office soon. But that was a matter for tomorrow.

    For now, there were memories to erase and people to disappear. They had a much more important cause to serve than a simple education and a path of broken dreams to a deadend career.

    No. These kids, they would become the wings that would free the world.