Kyle:

Jessica explained to Allen that we had met up with John at the bus stop and that he was on the case, but wasn't able to offer anything very promising. Jessica didn't however bring up the issue of Gregory or the idea of a trickster god. Personally, I wanted to see if there was anything the man knew about what was awaiting us if we summoned Darius, so I decided to try to ease into the subject.

"So Allen, is it true there are actually five earth-bound mutant societies?" I asked.

"Yes, it is," he said with a nod, "You've met me of course, and you've had interactions with banshees and wildmen. The two you've been rather lucky enough to avoid up to this point are the mystics and the gargoyles. As you probably already know, your race and the gargoyles are mortal enemies. You see about the mystics though, officially no one is actually at war with them, but as a race, they've always had a different way of looking at the world. For them, everything is about profit and really they don't care much about the rest of us. As far as the mystics are concerned, it wouldn't matter if the werewolves, banshees, and wildmen didn't exist. Their society mostly stands alone." I nodded. "As to their power, if you ever meet one... just keep your encounters short. They can pretty much kill you with a thought. I think rightly the only creatures that know about them, and don't fear them, are gargoyles."

"The males control fire and the females can move matter right?" I asked.

"A witch could pick up this car with her mind on a whim actually and a warlock, a male, could incinerate your whole body in about two seconds. They're not invincible by any means, and they still cooperate with the societies to the point needed to protect themselves and hide from the world, but really I wouldn't expect any help from them if that's the tree you're barking up."

"I'm not thinking about working with them, we just met one." Allen's eyes widened as he looked back at me. He quickly returned to looking at the road. Jessica quickly snapped a different look at me, like she was both afraid and enraged at what I was doing. She mouthed "don't" to me. She pulled out her card and mouthed, "Keep him out."

"What are you two going on about?" Allen asked.

"Um..." I began as Jessica turned around. "He just made Jessica nervous. Me too to be honest. Seems he's been spying on us."

Allen's eyes seemed concerned. "Well, I don't like the sounds of that. Do you know how he's doing it? Does he know who you two are?"

"He says he's been on our trail since yesterday," I answered. "He didn't say why, he just seemed to want to creep us out."

Allen looked around the car and out each of the windows as we came to a stop sign. "Well to tell the truth I haven't noticed anyone tailing us. Would you guys like a security detail to follow you around for the next few days? How much did he know about?"

"Um well... he knew we went to school and he knew we went to the airport... really I'm not sure what you guys can do anyway. Sides, really it's more creepy than scary. He didn't make any threats. About the extra security detail, I really don't want someone following Jessica and I everywhere we go."

"So you just want me to keep this to myself?" Allen asked. "You know I can't do that."

"Not keep it to yourself..." Jessica replied. "But really, we can handle ourselves mostly. We just wanted you aware."

"Well..." Allen looked around again. "He didn't make any threats? None at all?"

"None. And he was really just a kid," Jessica replied.

"Kids don't drive themselves around here," Allen replied. "But I suppose we can treat this as someone just trying to mess with us for the moment. I'll let my superiors know what you said and see if I can keep them from putting a permanent guard on you... we seem to be alone here and I'll have a few folks watch the tower for any suspicious persons, but I think you'll probably be allowed the same freedom of movement as before." I nodded.

(***)

Jessica paced the wood floor of the clock when Allen left us. "Did you have to bring that up?" she asked.

"I would have thought you would at least want Allen to know we're being spied upon," I pointed out. "You might be my best friend, but you're still my bodyguard remember?"

"Don't do my job for me," she shot back and stopping mid-pace. "I don't want the wolves panicking because of the words of some twelve-year-old."

"Now you're talking like one of them," I pointed out. "Just because he's young doesn't mean we should ignore him. Besides, why didn't you want me to bring up Darius? If they're working on this world, it stands to reason Allen might know more about the trickster gods than we do."

"Or he'll know nothing and be just as paranoid as you," she snapped back. "Look at this, will you? You have a personal bodyguard of the most powerful person on your planet and you're worried about a twelve-year-old kid? You said it yourself, he didn't make any threats."

"Not sure why he'd be spying on us then," I countered.

"Probably scouting us out for his friend. My guess is he had a deal with the guy, maybe he wanted a miracle of his own and this was his way of getting it. Allen did say mystics are profit-oriented."

"Still doesn't explain how he spied on us on the ledge out there," I said back.

"Probably some kind of technology," I shook my head at her. "Look Kyle, you may prefer to just leave it alone, but I want to know what this is. And being spied on makes me want to know more. If someone is after you, as your guard it's my job to find out who they are personally and eliminate them, not just increase the number of other guards every time we get a whiff of trouble and make whoever get more cautious and as a result harder to find. It's my job to confront danger for you. Now if you want to go cower in a corner, go ahead, it'll actually make my job easier."

I shook my head again. "If that's what you think you have to do, fine, but if you're gonna summon trouble I'm not leaving you."

"I wish you would," she said, pulling out her card and staring at it for a few moments.

I fingered my short sword with my left hand as she finally sighed. I spoke up. "I wish we didn't have to say such a creepy rhyme to get this guy's attention. Really does make me feel like we're summoning a demon."

Jessica held her right index finger and thumb an inch apart, a spark shooting between them. She pushed the card through the electric arc, the card lighting on fire. "Worlds apart, worlds together, stand aside or burn forever!" Jessica shouted.

The room shook and a yellow light appeared behind Jessica, in front of me. Jessica whirled around, throwing me to the floor and drawing her swords out. The light appeared to shoot out from a plume of smoke in six directions and then vanish. As the smoke began to fall, in the midst of it stood a brown-haired boy. He looked about thirteen and wore a large grin on his face with several freckles. The boy was dressed in a black suit with well-shined shoes and a red tie. His hair stood on end and his skin was actually rather red for someone to actually have freckles.

The boy's toothy grin seemed to retract when his gaze fell on Jessica's blades and he quickly took a step back. He reached for a blade at his own side as Jessica's entire form lit up in electric bolts, illuminating the room like a pyre. "I wouldn't," she warned.

The boy stood for a moment, just looking at Jessica. He then undid his belt and took it out, allowing his weapon to fall to the ground as a result. Jessica's electric aura seemed to disappear. "Is this Jessica?" The boy asked as if taken aback. "The legends speak of a girl who has walked on both worlds, with powers like the ancient Zeus himself. Am I looking at she?" the boy asked.

I got up. "Yeah," I said. "And her companion. The one you didn't hear about. Now think hard about that. When you don't hear about someone in my place, there's often a good reason." I drew the sword Jessica made for me.

"If you two are trying to intimidate me, I assure you, it's not necessary," said the boy. "My associate Gregory is a bit of a creep, but he doesn't reflect his master." He bowed to the two of us.

"Master?" I asked.

"Well, more appropriately I suppose you might list him as my master. He and I have an agreement. I give him... certain things, and he gets me the clients of the variety I like."

"What variety might that be?" Jessica posed.

"Well much like you," said the boy, pointing at her. "Gregory told me about you, but he didn't know who you were... if he did... oh my lord I am going to have to reward him with something special for this. I like the unique. He just noticed your personality and said you struck him as different. But just how different... wow," he had to pause. "A girl who thinks only ever of others with the power of a god." Darius walked forward and touched Jessica on the shoulder. "You my girl, are a one like no other."

"Don't get too friendly with her," I warned.

"He's not your protector is he?" Darius asked. He stepped back. "You're his aren't you?" Jessica nodded. The boy gave me a snide look. "I'll ignore his presence, but tell him to keep his prattling to himself. I'm not here to hear the mindless squawking of just another Pharaoh." He put his hand on Jessica's shoulder again, this time, staring straight into her eyes. "I'm here to hear a real privilege. What is the desire of such an angel? One of unlimited power who dreams only for others, tell me, what is her desire? What was it that made her so desperate she ignored how creepy my friend was and summoned me anyway with her charge in range?"

"We're trying to find someone," Jessica said.

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Hmm." He turned his back. "Who is this someone?"

"A boy named Tommy," she replied.

"I heard from Gregory about that boy disappearing, but he didn't say anything about you knowing him."

"I don't. All I know is he's missing... and his mother's scared... and he could be in danger, really bad danger."

The boy spun around a grin on his face again. "That is beautiful- truly divine. Not money, not long life, the only thing you want is to help someone you don't even know. You are unique in more ways than you could possibly imagine." I fingered my blade, approaching the two. Darius glared at me. "You don't know how lucky you are that such a unique creature as this stays by your side. What did you do to deserve such a thing?" I remained silent. "Well my girl, I'll tell you what. You want a life, I want a life. Yours."

"You'll be lucky to leave with your own!" I shouted, pulling out my short sword and pointing it at him.

"Settle down," Darius said. "What could I possibly get from her just killing herself? It's not her death I want, it's her life."

"What do you mean?" Jessica asked, nervously playing with a lock of hair.

"I guess I'm speaking in riddles," the boy admitted. "Here it is. I want to experience you, your love, your hate, your pain. I want to see how much you would really give just to save a life you don't know." the boy continued to smile, starting to creep me out. "I want to hear you scream and do whatever I ask for just the chance to save him." He took a small sharp knife from his pocket. "Don't doubt I have the power to do it. Do what I ask and I will send you straight to the boy. In fact, I'll even fix that scanner of yours," he said, pointing at Jessica's pocket. "Gregory told me about it. Grant my request and it will be able to locate anyone anywhere on the planet. Imagine the lives you could save with that kind of power. Imagine how much easier that would make it to look after this little annoyance... if that's what you want to do."

Jessica looked back at me. I shook my head saying, "I don't like this."

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Part of you." He gave Jessica the knife. "Right here, screaming and bleeding, cut off your left arm, and give it to me. If you live, I'll not only get the boy Tommy for you, I'll make it so you can find anyone anywhere." Jessica took the knife and looked at it. "C'mon, you know you're never gonna find a better deal than that. The chance to save anyone anywhere, and save that boy this very instant. What do you say?" Jessica continued to eye the blade.

"I say you're dead," I said, shooting forward and just missing the boy as he stepped to the side casually. I spun around drawing my second sword. "You will NOT hurt her!" I shouted. I shot over to him again, this time he ducked and rolled away as I cut the air where his chest had been moments before. He picked up and drew out his sword, pointing it at me. I pointed both blades at him, feeling as my electric energy build, starting to release it as a warning. The boy smiled, pulling back his blade into the air as an invitation to combat.

It was then that I heard a sudden clap. Across from me, Jessica lit up again, this time, she didn't even move to throw her power, the force of it ripping through the floor and sending Darius into the air. The teenager crashed into the ground and rolled quickly to his feet. He shouted, "Don't think this is over!" Jessica stepped back, her energy concentrating on her hands.

"Oh, but it is," Jessica said with a glare. She threw her hands forward, Darius lighting up in a flash of yellow light and smoke just before a bolt of energy flew at him. The energy missed its target and slammed into the wall opposite Jessica.

Jessica's energy faded and I walked back to her. She sat down still looking at the blade Darius had given her. I sat down next to her, reaching for the blade and almost having to pry it from her hands. "He was lying," I said.

"What if he wasn't?... What about Tommy... what about you?"

"Doesn't matter," I said, sending a bolt of energy to my hand and throwing the knife, the blade embedding itself into the wood of the clock far beyond the beginnings of the knife's handle. "It wouldn't be worth it."

"Would it though? It's just an arm," said Jessica, looking at her left arm.

"Jess..." I almost shouted, but realized it was the wrong time. "He wanted to torture you. If you obeyed him you could have died."

"But is my life worth so much?"

"YES!" I had to shout. "That guy was pure evil, you had to see it."

"Still, if he didn't default on his deal and I survived..."

"It wouldn't be worth the risk."

"Why not? I would give my life for you in a heartbeat."

I shook my head. "Jess... I'm hardly worth that risk at all, but what you do with that is up to you. However to risk throwing your life away for a twisted person like that... you just can't... that- that thing must have given up his soul long ago. You can't give yourself to people who just want to see you hurt. Even if they promise you the world, you can't ever deal with them."

"If-"

"NEVER!" I shouted. I grabbed her in my arms and almost started sobbing. "Don't give up on yourself."

Was this ever a change of pace? It was always Jessica who had looked out for me and always her who made me feel better. Now I felt like if I let her go I didn't know if I would be able to hold her again. It was like I was protecting her from the world.

I must have held her for... I don't know how long. She finally pushed me off. "Am I worth that much to you?" she asked. I nodded without hesitation. "Still..."

I had to say something. I couldn't let her go on like this, thinking her life was just a bargaining chip. I grasped at something that meant little to me, but I knew meant much to her. "I thought you believed in a God. What would He want for you?"

"I don't know."

"Jess, you can't tell me you of all people would put faith in a God who didn't love people. Isn't that what I always hear from you about your Jesus?"

"My God is the reason I have always loved others before myself. He gave His life without hesitation. When I felt love like that, I had to give it to everyone I knew. I had to be Jesus to those I loved." She shook her head.

"Might I say something to that? If I remember the story of your Jesus, He died for the sins of the world yes?" she nodded. "But He didn't call His life worthless when doing so. He didn't do it to please the Devil, but to defeat him, right?" Jessica looked away but nodded again. "His life wasn't worthless, and He didn't throw it away. If you really want to be like Him, don't throw yours away." Jessica got up and started walking to the door out of the clock tower. "Did you hear me?"

She turned and spoke slowly. "I did. You're right of course." She looked at the door again. "Still, I have to turn to someone now don't I?" she walked outside.