The two of them slipped down the hallway, back toward the entrance. Evabelle's heart fluttered excitedly. What was out there? They stopped just short of the door leading back out to the entry. It was cracked just enough to peer through without getting noticed.

Evabelle and Aza leaned in. Light shuffling behind them made them look behind them. CJ had come. He crouched down with them. "Alright I'm here." He whispered.

Aza put her finger to her lips, and then gestured to the crack.

Calandra was speaking from somewhere the three spies could not see. "... I have not agreed to any more of you staying here. You have no right to just march up to my home and expect accommodations."

Someone stepped into view. It was a lanky young man, who had his hands stuffed in his gym shorts pockets. His red-brown hair was spiked out in all directions. A quirked grin lit up his eyes that had a familiar shine to them. From his back sprouted a pair of russet colored wings.

"There are more of them!" CJ hissed.

"Shhh," Aza covered his mouth.

The gangly man spoke, never losing his mischievous smile. "Technically, we flew here, Miss Calandra. And are Sanctuaries not where poor desperate creatures seek refuge?"

Evabelle heard a scoff and another being stepped into view. It was a female Anahalian. She was quite tall and lithe with a sharp angular face. She wore jean shorts and a t-shirt. Her dark hair was pulled up in a small pony tail. Her wings were a strange shimmery blue.

"If you consider riding on top of a bus half the way flying." The girl muttered.

The young man shrugged. "Hey, I got tired."

"You rode on top of a bus!" Del exclaimed from somewhere unseen as well. He and Lucis were probably standing by Calandra. "You could have been caught, you idiot!"

"Ah," The new male Anahalian pointed ahead of him, where Evabelle figured Del was standing. "But I didn't."

Now Evabelle knew who he reminded her of. Aza.

"You still have yet to answer our question," Lucis cut in. "Why are you here?"

The female Anahalian's features hardened. "Why do you think?" She snapped. "Calandra," the girl turned her attention to the Mage. "You allow these things in, but not us. We came because something as important as this cannot be put in the hands of these untrustworthy scumbags."

"What is she talking about?" Evabelle whispered.

Aza's eyes were narrowed. "Don't ask me."

Del growled. "You really want to challenge us? Don't think we wouldn't win. We could take you Tru, any day."

"That's enough, Del." Lucis spoke. "We are not going to fight."

The Anahalian, Tru, glared at them, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You've got quite a place here." The messy haired Anahalian spoke suddenly. He didn't appear to be paying much attention to the dispute between his companion and Del. Instead he was pacing around the entry examining the Sanctuary. "A little too depressing for me though. Have you ever considered a designer? I mean there is just too much black. It's like someone just took Del and splattered him all over."

Evabelle heard Del grunt, but before he could say anything the other Anahalian boy continued.

"That chandelier is nice. I like that." Then he jumped spreading his wings and flew up to the light.

"Get down from there!" Calandra called. "Get down from there this instant!"

"Is this real crystal? Ooh, is this real gold?" The man's voice echoed down from the ceiling. Evabelle heard the jingling from above where the young man bumped the hanging jewels.

Yep, it was official. He was just like Aza. If Aza had wings, Evabelle could definitely see her friend doing this.

"Another reason we came, by the way, is just to let you know, getting back to Jovis is not going to be easy. Tru and I barely got out." The man on the chandelier called down. "They've pretty much closed the gate for good."

"What?" Lucis cried.

Evabelle had yet to hear Lucis become distressed. She was surprised.

"It's getting worse." Tru said. "We all know that it's coming from here on Earth. They closed the gate, so it couldn't get any worse."

"But they knew we went to go get Evabelle." Lucis sounded confused. "Why would they do that?"

"Maybe because they don't believe you can do it. Not many have faith in you." Tru replied making it clear that she didn't have faith in him either. "You think Kayne believes in you two, but I believe he gave you this out of pity."

"Well, he did manage to get the princess." Chandelier boy said.

Tru looked up. "What are you blabbering about?"

There was a tinkling sound from above. "I would check behind door number one. There are at least three eavesdroppers over there."

All three of the "eavesdroppers" stiffened. Tru turned her head to the door and marched straight for it.

Frantically, they tried to get up and run back to the dining room, but with them all close together, heads leaned in, it didn't go so smoothly. Evabelle bumped into CJ, who tried to catch his balance, but instead he caught Evabelle's foot with his. They tumbled forward and landed right on top of Aza, right as the door swung wide.

Tru looked down at them with her mouth open slightly. Calandra, Del, and Lucis, who had been standing in front of the stair case, came over as well. Now, Evabelle could also see the messy haired chandelier boy once more. He leaned off the fixture with one hand on the gold chain like a pirate on the ropes of a ship. Evabelle watched him release and glide down to everyone. He strode up to the jumbled three and crouched down, putting his face two inches from Evabelle's. Her heart rate sped up.

"I've heard of your legendary beauty your Highness," he whispered. "And I'm not disappointed."

Evabelle, who had been staring openly, felt as though a fire had been lit on her face.

Aza banged her fist on the glassy floor. Her face was turned and pressed against its surface. Evabelle caught sight of Del's rather pleased expression. "Can't breathe," her friend gasped.

Evabelle and CJ rolled off of Aza, who pushed herself off from the floor and knelt, massaging her chest. "Jeesh, guys you weigh a freaking ton."

"Every time I see you three, you are falling over each other." Calandra glared at them and shook her head. "And what did I just tell you?"

"Not much." Aza replied getting to her feet.

"Go to bed." Calandra commanded.

"You can't tell us what to do. You're not our mother." Aza put her hand on her hips. "Besides I'm not going anywhere until she," Aza pointed at Tru. "Tells us what she has against Lucis and Sir Jerkulous."

Lucis put a hand on Aza's shoulder. "Don't worry about it Aza. You don't need to worry about it." Aza opened her mouth, but Lucis continued. "It would be best if just got some rest."

Aza deflated. "But," she looked at Lucis. She sighed. "Alright fine."

Aza marched over to the stairs and began to climb. CJ and Evabelle followed her. Evabelle felt the burning stares of the two new Anahalians on her back.

"Come with me." Calandra said. "We'll carry on over here."

From the corner of her eye, Evabelle watched them go to another side door. Tru leaned over to the boy Evabelle still had yet to learn the name of. "Humans? This Mage is actually keeping humans here? She really is naive."

When the three of them had reached the hallway where their rooms were, Aza turned. "Well that was interesting, even if I was hoping for something else."

"What exactly were you hoping for?" Evabelle asked.

Aza shrugged. "I was hoping to see some elves or dwarves. You know something we haven't seen yet."

"What was up with that girl dissing on Lucis and Del?" CJ asked.

"Seriously." Aza agreed. "No faith in him? I'd say he did a good job. I don't know how angel standards work, but he did save her didn't he?"

"She seems to be more after Lucis." Evabelle murmured.
Aza nodded. "I know. I mean I sort of understood having something against Mr. Delpressing, but Lucis is like perfection with wings. You can't get much better than that."

They talked for a while longer before Aza yawned widely. "Wow," she muttered. "With all the sleep I had today, I'm still tired."

Suddenly the lights in the hallway went out. "Oh!" Evabelle cried in surprise.

"Think they're trying to tell us something?" CJ said softly.

Aza sighed. "We can talk more about this tomorrow guys, but now I'm going to bed." She yawned once more and turned in to room seven.

CJ nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, Belle." Then he left as well.

Evabelle stood alone in the hall now. How could they be tired? Evabelle felt wide awake. She turned to the large, elegant windows that were the only source of light now. The night was clear, but the near full moon washed out most of the stars. Evabelle walked over to one of the arched frames and placed her hand on its cold stone.

Why had that girl, Tru, been so spiteful toward Lucis? Lucis was kind and polite to anyone he met, but she had called him an untrustworthy scumbag. That was harsh. Evabelle thought. But then, again, I don't really know him, do I?

Something brushed against Evabelle's leg, causing her take a sharp inhale. Her hand was frozen on the window frame, her whole body stiff as a board. Her eyes darted down, where she saw a small black shadow. A cat.

Evabelle breathed out. Just a cat. She crouched down to pet the little creature. The cat's amber eyes blinked up at her and soon it began to purr and continue butting its head against Evabelle's hand. She complied and stroked its back. "Well, hello," She whispered to the kitty. "Black cats are supposed to be bad luck, I never understood that. Besides, I don't think my luck could get much worse."

The cat meowed.

Evabelle nodded. "I guess it's not really that bad. There are some good looking guys, but I still have no idea how to talk to them." A thought occurred to Evabelle, causing her to pause. If vampires, witches, and elves existed, who's to say familiars don't exist? Calandra was a witch of sorts. Was this cat her familiar?

Evabelle stared down at the creature. The cat had stopped purring and circling Evabelle. It was staring down the hall with its ears pricked. Then, with no warning, the black feline shot off down the hall in the direction that had caught its attention. Evabelle stared after it in surprise and then tensed.

Room number one's door was open just a crack. Dim light streamed out through the small opening. Evabelle watched the cat slide into the room. Slowly, she got to her feet. She should go to bed, but an annoying feeling had begun to stir within her. Curiosity. When these things happened, Aza was always there to make sure Evabelle used that curiosity and would get her to go and discover. But alone, Evabelle had a better chance of talking herself out of it.

Evabelle bit her lip. This was the world Evabelle had always dreamed of being a part of. She couldn't chicken out over something like this. She stepped forward. That wasn't so hard. She continued till she was just feet from the door. Evabelle didn't want to get too close, just in case whatever was in there saw her.

Evabelle peered through the gap, to see the back of a tall pale personage, looking out their own window that shouldn't be there. They had a long white-gray braid down their back. In their arms, they held the black cat. An old woman; was Evabelle's first thought, but on closer inspection she discovered it was not a woman, neither were they old. It was a young man.

The pale man was murmuring softly to the cat. "What are you doing here, Jewels? Where's Gem?" He sighed. "Has she fallen asleep somewhere? I'll have to go take her to bed, won't I?"

The cat meowed in response, and then it turned its small head to stare directly at Evabelle. It meowed once more.

The young man turned. "Who's there?"

Evabelle stepped back. She turned; ready to make a dash for it, but the pale man was too quick. He crossed his room and swung the door wide, before Evabelle had a chance to go two steps. "Who are you?"

That made Evabelle stop. Out of everyone in this crazy world, they had instantly known who she was. This boy was the very first to ask that question of her.

Evabelle looked back at him, allowing the light from his room to land on her face. The young man still stared at her, waiting for her response.

"I... I'm Evabelle." She said softly.

Her name triggered something in the boy. "Evabelle? Isn't that the name of the Anahalian princess?"

Evabelle sighed. "Apparently."

The young man gave a small smile. "My name is Kai. It is a pleasure to meet you your Highness." He bowed with perfect posture, the cat still in his arms.

"Please don't!" Evabelle cried. "I don't want to be bowed to, and Evabelle is just fine."

Kai rose. "Of course, Evabelle. Won't you come in?" He stepped aside, and held his hand out, greeting her into his bedroom.

Evabelle shook her head. "Calandra says we can't enter into opposite gender rooms. I couldn't."

"Calandra trusts me. I can allow anyone I would like into my room." Kai responded. He went back into his space and waited for Evabelle to follow.

Evabelle stayed in the door way. "I don't know about this." Her uncomfortable feeling of awkwardness was rising. There are too many guys. I can't take much more of this.

Kai smiled. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He continued smiling pleasantly at her. "You're having trouble sleeping, I assume. Sometimes if you talk with someone about what's really bothering you, it can help."

Evabelle watched him a moment longer. There something soothing about his voice. He seems kind; I don't think it will hurt. Cautiously, she stepped forward, tensing for the barrier that was sure to knock her flat, but she found no resistance. She stared at Kai. "How did you get Calandra to trust you?"

He smiled and allowed the cat to jump from his arms. Then he offered her a chair, which she took graciously. Kai in turn sat on an old trunk at the foot of his bed.

Here Evabelle truly looked at him. He seemed mostly normal, but he was the color of ash; his hair, his skin, his eyes. His features were faded. Kai was not like an albino, but in the same sense, the pigment seemed to have been drained from him. The strangest thing about him was his ears; they had that same point as the girl Evabelle had seen earlier.

"I have been here for a long time." Kai answered. "My sister and I came here a few years ago, in need of a home. Calandra did not like the thought of permanent guests, but in time I think she has grown fond of us, sort of." He pointed to an extra door. "She was kind enough to put in a door linking my room with my sisters. She is still rather young."

Evabelle nodded. "I think I might have seen her." She whispered. Evabelle twisted her hands in her lap. What am I doing here? I'm alone with a boy, again.

"You saw her?"

Evabelle briefly explained about the girl in the doorway. Kai nodded when she had finished. "Yes, that was Gem. She is curious, I mean most children are. I'm sorry if she gave you a fright." His voice had a slight accent Evabelle couldn't quite place.

She really wanted to ask what he was exactly, but she couldn't quite think of how to do it without sounding rude. Evabelle suspected he was an elf or something along those lines, but she couldn't be sure. Finally she asked something else that had been bothering her. "Is... is Gem blind?"

Kai stared at her for a moment before responding. "Yes," He nodded, his washed out eyes reflected a deep sadness. "Yes, she is. Normally our kind doesn't acquire such disabilities, or they are easily fixed, but Gem is a special case."

Evabelle desperately wanted to ask, And your kind is? But she didn't get the chance to.

"You mean what used to be your kind." Said a voice from behind Evabelle.

Evabelle shot to her feet and whirled around to see the new Anahalian; the one who had flown up on the chandelier in the entry. Evabelle still didn't know his name.

He grinned at her. This one seemed the most human out of all the Anahalians. The others looked as though they were chiseled by the gods, not a single flaw. But the one that stood before her had reddish hair that stuck up all over, a slightly lopsided grin, and a small scar next to his left eye. Even his wings, Evabelle noticed were a bit smaller than the others.

He took her hand and brushed his lips across it. "My lady, we meet again." He winked at her. "My name is Faux, and it is a pleasure to see you again, though in another man's chambers." He leaned in close and whispered. "I would be careful with this one."

Evabelle stood rooted to the spot until Faux had drawn away from her. For a moment Evabelle's voice caught in her throat. "Umm..." She slipped her hand out of the odd Anahalian's. "W-w-what do you mean by used to be his kind?" Evabelle wrapped her arms around herself and looked at Faux through a side glance.

Kai spoke before the he had a chance to respond. Evabelle noticed the instant tone change in Kai. The friendliness was gone. "Did you say your name was Fox?"

Faux nodded. "Yes, indeed I did. Spelled F-a-u-x."

Evabelle also noticed how quickly Kai had changed the subject. She wanted to know why, but didn't press them. Instead she whispered. "But you pronounce it like the animal fox?"

Faux grinned at her again. "Yep. Your English is weird, so why not. Normally that spelling is pronounced foe, so why not fox?"

Evabelle shrugged. "I g-guess that works." She bit her lip. She still really wanted to know what creature Kai was and what Faux meant by used to be his kind. "But Faux, w-what did you mean earlier about Kai's kind."

She looked between the two boys, waiting for some sort of answer. Faux was watching Kai slyly, while Kai, who had risen to his feet, appeared to be sizing Faux up. There appeared to be some unheard conversation going on between them. "Oh, nothing." Faux responded, with his eyes still on Kai. "Just remember what I said. Be careful who you talk to."

Kai kept his eyes on Faux as well continuing their strange staring contest. "Well," Evabelle took a step back toward the door. "Umm... should I just go?" There was no response from either of them. "Okay, well I'm going to go to bed now. Thank you, Kai for talking to me."

Kai glanced over at Evabelle, breaking eye contact with Faux. "I'm terribly sorry. We couldn't talk in peace, Miss Evabelle, perhaps another time." His eyes flashed back to Faux.

Evabelle nodded quickly and dashed out. Just before she passed out of sight of then she caught one more wink from Faux. She rushed back to room number six and slid inside. She leaned back against the door and sighed. Well, that had been a rather short conversation. Kai had been very polite. She still wished she could have found out what he was. Faux had been very weird about it; they both had. Evabelle was just going to stick with 'elf' for now.

Evabelle walked over to the closet and opened it to reveal its contents. There was only one item of clothing in it, a long, pale, pink nightgown. Evabelle slid out of her clothes and into the beautiful pajamas. It was made of silk so the fabric was as soft and light as water. There was a small sink where she found a toothbrush and other necessities that she used to prepare herself the rest of the way. Finally she lay once more on the four-poster bed and sank into its cushions.

Earlier, Evabelle could have easily slipped into unconsciousness on the soft bed, she nearly had, but now she lay there in the perfect bed, with her perfect night gown, in the perfectly safe house and did not feel even the remotest form of weariness. She lay there staring at the ceiling and once again marveled at the fact of where she and two of her friends were now. They were here to save the world from evil bats with the help of angels, a mage, and possibly an albino elf and his sister; none of which appeared to get along very well with each other.

Evabelle turned on her side. They expect me to cure an entire race. I'm supposed to be a creature called an Anahalian. That's why I always forget my dreams, because I'm a princess sent here to be protected from some plague. She tried to convince herself by repeating this to herself, but the more she thought this, the more ludicrous it sounded. And now they need me. She turned to her other side. They believe in me. She stared at the curtains covering the window that was physically impossibly there. At least Lucis does. But why? The thought of his bright eyes bearing into her, flashed back through her head. Why with so much conviction?

Evabelle fluffed her pillow, she turned it over, she pulled the sheets up, and she pushed them down. No matter what she did, she could not feel sleepy. She turned and looked at the clock that sat on the night stand. She had been laying in bed for over an hour. It was passed eleven. She closed her eyes. Sleep. She willed herself, but it did no good. Sleep.

A bell chimed. Evabelle's eyes flashed open. It struck again, but Evabelle realized it wasn't a bell. It was a piano key. It was so pure that it sounded like a bell. It struck again and again until it turned into a song; a beautiful, luxurious, melodious lullaby. It was stunning. Evabelle sat up. It was late, who would be playing so late at night. She looked around the dark room, not sure where it came from, but it filled her room and floated around her. Her nerves relaxed and she found herself yawning. She lied back down on the bed and once again found it to be the most comfortable thing in the world.

The notes strung around her, filling her head, making her feel as light as a feather. She was lying on clouds. Before she knew it the song had put her to sleep. As her dreams began, she smiled because, perhaps for the first time since the moment she had collapsed in the ally, she wasn't afraid.

~(A/N: Hey guys!! Sorry for both part and one of two of chapter six being posted a little late. It's been a busy week for me, and I haven't had a ton of time, but here's part two. There's still one more part of this chapter. It's a little shorter than the other two, but I'm curious to see how you'll react to that one. Anyway, please vote and comment, to tell me your thoughts and/or suggestions! Thank you all!! :D )~