Blaine fought for breath as she raced down the deserted streets, not daring to slow down and take a chance of being captured. She knew that if they ever caught her, it would be the end for her. Sure, they wouldn’t kill her right away, but she might as well be dead. Marcus was unforgiving, and he was willing to do whatever it would take to get her on his side. She only had one option: to keep running. She had already lost so much; she knew that she couldn’t lose her life too.

            ‘We will never stop chasing you, Blaine. You know that. Wherever you go, I promise that we won’t be far behind.’ Caleb was in her head, using his telepathy to try and intimidate her and make her lose concentration. ‘You belong with us. You belong with your own kind,’ he added, twisting the knife of fear even deeper within her psyche. ‘We’re always watching.’ And with that, they were gone. She had managed to escape them this time, managing to run far enough ahead of them to get out of their radar. Still, she knew that she couldn’t spend the rest of her life in fear, always watching her back, afraid to turn the corner in case they were watching. She had managed to outrun them this time, but would she be as lucky next time? Maybe. But there was always the chance that they would catch her. She knew that she had to be ready for them. She couldn’t run any longer. She had a right to live, and she was going to fight for that right.

“Guys! Get your asses over here!” Harrison called out to the four men standing in the corner.

            “What’s up, Harris?” the one with the dark brown eyes and ink-covered skin asked as he made his way over to where we were standing.

            “Guys, I want you to meet Nikki’s replacement. I have been trying to work with this girl for as long as I can remember, but we could never seem to sync up our schedules. Lucky for you guys, she has been taking a break for awhile, and when I was FINALLY able to track her down, she was ready to get back to work. She’s one of the best dancers I have ever seen, which will really help Mr. Two-Left-Feet-Littrell over there,” he joked. “Boys, meet Blaine Christianson.”

            As I waved to the guys, I studied their behaviors. Three out of the four wore welcoming smiles on their faces while my future dance partner looked a little hesitant. The one with the tattoos, Alexander McLean, seemed to be genuinely interested in knowing me. The tall blonde, Nick Carter, seemed bored, but offered me a sincere smile of welcoming when I glanced his way. The shortest member of the group, the curly-haired latino, Howie Dorough, seemed like the most welcoming, his eyes an open book and his face full or acceptance and sincerity. The last one, the one with the crystal blue eyes and curly reddish-blonde hair, Brian Littrell, was the most resistant of all. His eyes were guarded, leaving me to wonder what he was thinking as he stared back at me.

            “Hey guys,” I smiled, trying my hardest to just relax and lose my ever present paranoia. “I’m glad I finally get to work with you. I’ve heard so much about you guys, especially from Fatima Robinson when I worked with her on Save the Last Dance,” I told them sincerely. I had been pretty blessed in my life. Since I was little, I had been dancing as an escape. My dad had put me into dance lessons to give me some sort of stability, and I just held onto it as a way to keep my sanity.

            “You know Fa?” AJ asked me, a look of pure shock written on his face.

            “Yeah. She’s been a huge supporter of me and my career. She has helped me more than I could ever say and she is the reason I am here today,” I responded. There was something very familiar about AJ. I couldn’t figure out why, but I felt like I knew him, like he was a part of my past.

            “Alright, let’s get started,” Harris announced, clapping his hands to get our attention. I dropped my bag in the corner and took my position by Brian to get started. I had been going over the dance steps that Harris taught me, trying to catch up to everyone else before we started rehearsing. I still had to perfect some of the moves, but at least I knew the basics and didn’t have to worry about holding up practice too much.

            “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8… STOP!” Harrison yelled out for the millionth time that day. The past week had been difficult, to say the least. Once again, as had become routine over the last week, he made his way to where Brian and I were standing, waiting for yet another lecture. “Blaine, can I talk to you in private for a second, please?” I shot a look at Brian, as he gave me a smug smile.

            “I’m sorry, Harris. I don’t know what’s the matter with me,” I covered, even though I knew that it was Brian’s fault. Ever since the first day, Brian had been doing everything he could to make me look like a klutz, tripping me when no one else was looking, pushing me harder than was required for the move, and even going as far as to drop me at points when he was supposed to hold me suspended above the floor and then blaming it on me.

            “Blaine, what has gotten into you? You aren’t acting like yourself at all. I’ve never seen you perform so poorly in my entire life,” he pleaded, begging me for an answer I couldn’t give.

            “I know, Harris. I don’t know what has gotten into me,” I told him, afraid to look at the disappointment in his eyes. I kept staring at the floor, silently cursing Brian in my head for putting me in this situation. “I’ll put in some extra hours this weekend. I don’t want to slow everyone else down.” I knew that even putting in those extra hours would mean nothing if Brian wouldn’t cooperate with me. I had already learned and mastered most of the moves in the dances we had been working on all week, but it meant nothing if Brian refused to do them correctly.

            “On Sunday, I want to do an evaluation on your progress,” he told me, making me dread what was about to come out of his mouth next. “If you still haven’t gotten it by then, I’m going to have to replace you. I’m sorry, Blaine, but I have to do what’s best for the tour.”

            I could only nod as I felt my eyes well up with tears. I had never been a big crier, but I felt like I would have been better staying in hiding rather than have to put up with Brian and his shit. We only had one more rehearsal that week, and I was raging an inner-war, wondering whether or not I should do well on my evaluation for Harris. If I did well, then it would mean having to deal with Brian’s bullshit for the whole tour. If I didn’t do well, though, it would tarnish my reputation, but I could, hopefully, find a job elsewhere and just forget about it all.

            “Alright, let’s run through this sequence one more time before calling it a day,” Harris announced as we made our way back to the group. I avoided looking at Brian’s face until it was absolutely necessary. I didn’t want to see his smug smile and shit-eating grin. I just wanted to get through this rehearsal. When I did look into his eyes, though, what I saw was regret and shame. I didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, because Harris began counting, leading us through the dance. To my surprise, Brian didn’t throw me around like a rag doll. He didn’t drop me in the closing count. And, even more miraculous was the fact that he didn’t try to trip me once during the whole thing.

            “That was fantastic! What a great way to end tonight’s rehearsal. Alright everyone, I’ll see you all tomorrow,” Harris called, putting an end to practice and quickly making his retreat out the door. I sat down in one of the chairs lining the far wall, and let out a sigh of relief, trying to catch a moment to myself. My moment was short-lived, though, as I watched Alex make his way over to me. I knew what he was going to say even before he said it. Every night after rehearsal, he would ask me to go clubbing with him and the Boys, and every night, I turned him down. I knew that they didn’t go out every night, but he was just waiting for the night when I said yes so that we could all go.

            “Hey Blaine,” Alex greeted, taking a seat beside me.

            “Hey Alex,” I smiled, waiting for the inevitable question.

            “Don’t let what Harris said get to you too much. I do have to say that I cannot believe you’re still covering for him after all he has done to you, though,” he comforted me.

            “After all who has done to me?” I questioned, playing dumb. Honestly, I was shocked beyond belief that he even noticed, and I didn’t know quite how to react to his statement.

            “You know who I’m talking about,” he gave me a knowing look.

            “It would just make things worse,” I told him, looking down at my hands. “Harris told me that he is going to evaluate my progress on Sunday.” I took a deep breath, admitting what was going on in my head. “I’m thinking about just blowing it. It’s obvious that Brian has something against me. If we can’t work together… it would just be better for everyone.”

            “That’s not true. As much as it pains me to admit this, you are the best dancer here. We need you,” he told me. “Plus, if you leave, then I can’t keep asking you to come out clubbing with us.”

            I smiled over at him, shaking my head at how he had managed to sneak the invitation in where I least expected it. “Alex, as much as I would love to go with you guys, I can’t go tonight. Thanks for the offer, though,” I turned him down again.

            “One of these days, Blaine. I’ll get you to go one of these days,” he told me confidently.

            “We’ll see,” I responded, as he got up to leave. “I’ll see you later, Alex.”

            “Later, Blaine,” he responded back, waving to me as he walked away.

“Blaine, can I talk to you?” Alex asked, coming up to me as I walked into rehearsal. I watched him make his way to me as the other guys stood at the opposite end of the rehearsal studio deep in conversation.

“Of course! What’s up, Alex?” I asked, setting my bag down and gathering my necessities.

“Come out clubbing with us tonight?” he asked, a pleading look in his eyes. I gave him a look, getting ready to turn him down yet again, but he interrupted me before I even had a chance to open my mouth. “Don’t you dare say ‘No.’ Blaine, I’ve watched you come in here every day, rehearse with us, and then, after everyone else is gone, you rehearse some more. I’ve seen you, so don’t even try and deny it. I’ve asked you to come out with us every time, but you always turn me down. I won’t take no for an answer this time. None of us have really had a chance to get to know you. All I’m asking for is a chance to hang out with you. You can’t stand there and tell me that it doesn’t get lonely rehearsing by yourself every night. Please, just say you’ll come out with us… even if it’s just this once,” he begged.

I looked into his eyes, searching for something. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I must have found it because before I could even register what I was saying, I was accepting his offer. “Alright, Alex, I’ll go with you guys.”

“You will?!” he asked, surprised that I gave in so easily. I simply nodded my head, giving him a small smile before Harris started yelling at us to get into our positions.

As soon as rehearsal was over, I raced as quickly as I could to the locker room so that I could shower and change before everyone else started fighting for the showers. It took me less than 10 minutes to get ready, so I decided to head out to the practice room to wait for everyone else. To my surprise, Alex was already sitting down on the small stage at the head of the room, lost in thought and waiting for everyone else.

“Hey Alex,” I called as I made my way to sit next to him.

“Hey girl. I don’t think I have ever seen a girl take a shower that quickly,” he laughed, picking on me.

“Yeah, well, I’m not your average girl,” I smiled.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked, his tone suddenly turning serious.

“You know you can,” I responded in a similar tone.

“How did you become such a good dancer? I mean, you are an amazing dancer, and something like that takes years and years of practice to perfect. It’s not just a talent, it’s a skill you have to work at,” he elaborated.

“My mom was murdered when I was really young. My father had no idea how to raise a child on his own. He was devastated by my mother’s death, and he was afraid that something might happen to me. So as a way to protect me, he enrolled me in every sport imaginable after school, and, every Monday thru Thursday, from six to eight, I was in dance class. When I finally got to middle school, I was on the school’s basketball team during the fall and then the soccer team during the spring. I kept that up all the way through high school. But through it all, I still had dance. Dance became the only thing in my life that was stable. It was the one thing I could turn to through everything,” I explained. Throughout my explanation, I felt a presence move nearer and nearer. I looked around, trying to spot the unexpected guest, but he was nowhere to be seen. “Brian, you can come out. I know you’re here,” I called, hoping to draw him out of his place of hiding.

Alex gave me a strange look, glancing around quickly before once again returning his quizzical gaze to me. “Blaine, no one else is here,” he told me slowly, as if he were talking to an insane person.

I was about to respond before it dawned on me that they had no idea about each other. “You don’t know, do you?” I asked, only serving to confuse him even more. “How is that possible? You’ve been in the same group for 14 years and you’ve kept it secret from each other for all that time? You must be really good at covering your tracks,” I told him, but he had no clue what I was referring to.

I gathered my strength, taking a deep breath before focusing my energy on the spot behind Alex where I could feel Brian’s presence. I held back my psionic blast as much as I could, only wanting to make Brian lose concentration and not actually hurt him. I focused on him, gritting my teeth through the pain as I absorbed the excess power. Finally, I saw Brian’s form flash in and out before he finally lost control of his invisibility completely, grasping his head as he became visible again. Alex sat there staring at Brian is shock, not believing that one of his band mates could possibly share the same secret that he himself had been hiding away for the last 16 years.

“Brian? How come you never told me? How come I never knew?” Alex stuttered, trying to wrap his mind around what seemed like the impossible.

I watched as they both looked at one another in shock, before the pain became too overbearing and I had to grasp my head, crying out in pain. My cries caught both of their attention as they tried to figure out what was causing me so much pain. “Are you okay?” Alex tentatively asked.

I took a moment for the majority of the pain to pass before answering. “Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t want to hurt you,” I turned my attention to Brian, “so I had to take the blunt force of the blast so that it didn’t end up killing you. My psionic blast wasn’t meant to be used in moderation. It was meant for one purpose only: to kill. It takes more concentration to control the power the way I just did than letting it run its course full power. Whatever I don’t send your way, I have to take the full force of. That way, if anything was to happen and my concentration had been disturbed, I would have been the one killed by it, not you.” By the looks of fear on their faces, it was obvious I had scared them, but the truth was, it took more concentration to control the powers than it did just to use them. And whether they realized it or not, our powers were dangerous and they could kill. I don’t think either of them ever realized the extent of their powers and how easy it would be to kill someone else or even themselves if they weren’t careful.

“How did you know…” Brian started, but I held up my hand, signaling him to stop as I sensed a familiar, yet dangerous presence approaching quickly.

“If you want to live, I suggest you hide now,” I told them, my voice conveying how serious I was.

Both of them shot me a look before Brian turned invisible with Alex following shortly after. So Alex has the power to absorb other’s powers, I thought to myself as I waited for the inevitable being to appear.

“Hello, Caleb,” I said just as a smoky figure began to appear.

The menacing smile on his face was enough to make me want to vomit. “Blaine. I told you I’d be watching.”

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice pure acid as I stared at the man who had completely ruined my life.

“Is that any way to talk to me, Blaine?” he sneered, only succeeding in pushing me closer to the edge.

“What do you want?” I repeated.

He sighed, seemingly in defeat, and his tone changed to one of love. “I’m trying to save your life, Blaine. Marcus will stop at nothing, and you know that. He will do whatever it takes to destroy you. I don’t want to see anything happen to you. Just join us and Marcus will leave you alone,” he pleaded. If I hadn’t known better, I might have actually fallen for it. If I didn’t know better, I might think he was being sincere.

“Cut the bullshit, Caleb. Why are you here? Why are you doing this?” I asked. I was tired of his games. I was tired of his lies. I just wanted him to leave.

“I’m trying to save your life,” he responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why?” I pushed.

“I love you, Blaine. I always have,” he told me.

I laughed a sarcastic laugh, trying to hold back the tears. “You don’t love me, Caleb. You can’t. You don’t have a soul, or did you forget that you gave up the ability to love anyone when you turned?”

He looked at me for a long time before revealing that evil smile that had been a permanent fixture on his face for the last 3 years. “You never did know when to just give up. You really think you can save yourself? You couldn’t save me and you couldn’t even save your own pathetic father. You’re life is worthless.”

“I’m stronger than you ever were Caleb, and I will NOT fold. You can go rot in hell with your soul,” I screamed at him. I hated how he could bring out the worst in me.

“You’re weak. You always have been,” he taunted, not relenting even for a moment.

“FUCK YOU, CALEB!” I finally burst. I couldn’t hold my anger in any more. “Leave. Now,” I ordered.

He smirked, giving me a little wave before vanishing in a puff of smoke. As soon as he was gone, Brian and Alex reappeared, staring at me, begging me for answers with their eyes. “Who the hell was that?” Brian exclaimed.

I looked at them with sad eyes, wanting nothing more than to curl up in a ball and cry for all that I had lost. “I don’t think I can go out tonight. I’m just going to go home, but you guys go out without me. It’s a Friday night. Have fun,” I told them before packing up my bag and heading out the door.

*Later that night*

Brian looked around the busy club, his thoughts once again drifting. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her out of his head. The rest of the guys had given up on him, splitting off to do their own things. AJ, as always, was burning up the dance floor with his pick of the night. Howie had been called away on some club business. And Nick was chatting it up at the other end of the club with some fans he had met. Giving the club one last look, Brian stood up, downing the rest of his drink, heading toward the exit, only one destination in mind.

“Hey B! Tell her ‘Hi,’ for me,” Alex yelled after Brian as he fought his way through the crowd. With a wave, he was gone.

I sat there in my apartment, staring out the window as the people passed by on the streets below. My sixth drink of the night sat on the table in front of me while I smoked what must have been at least my twentieth cigarette. I had been trying to lose myself in a world of smoke and alcohol, but so far I had been unsuccessful. I picked up my glass, but stopped halfway to my mouth. Brian’s coming. I could feel him drawing nearer and nearer as I sat there, turning my attention to the front door. I stood up quickly when I felt him enter my apartment building. As soon as I felt him outside my apartment, I opened the front door, surprising him in the process. “How did you kn…” he began, but I cut him off.

“What are you doing here, Brian?” I asked, wearily.

“I came to see how you were doing. Can I come in?” he asked, making a move to enter my apartment, but I held my place, refusing to let him in.

“I’m fine. You can go home, now,” I told him, shutting the door in his face.

“I’m not leaving. I’ll wait out here all night if I have to,” he yelled through the door. I went back to my seat by the window, praying that he would just leave me alone. But no matter how long I waited, he never left. I waited for over an hour, but I could feel him outside my door the entire time.

“Why are you still here?” I asked, opening the door to see Brian leaning against the opposite wall staring back at me.

“I told you I wasn’t going to leave,” he smiled, using his southern charm to try and win me over.

I sighed before opening the door wider, my non-spoken invitation for him to come in. Not leaving me any chance to reconsider, he was already up and making his way into my apartment before I had fully moved out of the way.

“Wow! Your apartment is amazing,” he told me, letting his eyes roam. “I didn’t know you lived in the penthouse.”

“Yeah. I know it’s not as nice as your house, but it’s all I really need,” I told him, offering him a seat on the couch while I closed the patio doors, drawing the curtains.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I really love your place. To tell you the truth, my house is too big. I always feel so alone in it,” he told me, his eyes shining with sincerity.

“Thanks,” I responded, shyly, trying to figure out where to sit. Brian made that choice for me, though, when he shifted over slightly, patting the seat beside him, asking me to sit down. We sat there in an uncomfortable silence, neither of us sure how to break it. “So… ummm… can I ask you something?” I asked, deciding that while I had the chance, I would ask the question on my mind.

“You just did,” he smiled, shooting me his famous smile. “I’m kidding. Go ahead.”

“Why are you here? You hate me, so why do you care if I’m doing alright or not?” I asked, afraid to see the look on his face at my question.

“I don’t hate you… I never did. It’s just the opposite, actually. I was scared. I like you, Blaine, but it’s hard for me to admit that. Do you know what happened to Nikki?” he asked, trying to make me understand. I nodded. When I had first been offered the job, Harris told me that the reason they needed a new dancer was because the previous dancer, Nikki, had been killed in a car accident. “Did you also know that she was my girlfriend and that she died on her way to meet me?” he added.

“No. I didn’t,” I whispered, things suddenly starting to make sense. “You blame yourself, don’t you?”

He looked at me for a second before nodding his head and shifting his gaze to his feet. “She was running late, so she was speeding. She knew that I had to be at an interview. She lost control of the car as she came across a lone slick spot in the road,” he told me, looking at me as tears fell down his face.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I know what it’s like to carry that kind of guilt around,” I admitted, not quite believing I was opening up to him. He gave me a questioning look, urging me to continue. “Caleb, the guy you saw today, was my fiancé. We started dating during one of my tours. He was a techie on the same tour, and we fell in love. I was 19 when we met, and by the time I was 23, he had proposed to me. It wasn’t long after that before he turned. Marcus came to him and managed to convince him to turn. I tired everything I could to try and save him, but I couldn’t. Do you know what happens to a halfie when they give in to the evil?” I asked. He shook his head, so I explained it. “When a halfie turns, it takes 48 hours for the soul to die. It’s only when the halfie is completely committed to evil that the transition begins. Their soul dies, slowly and painfully, but once the halfie has turned, they still have their powers. However, if a halfie is forced to change, the powers die with the soul. Caleb was one of only a handful of halfies who have ever committed themselves to evil. Marcus, Caleb’s evil coven leader, tried to get me to turn as well. They started coming after me, but I refused to turn. Eventually I hid myself away, and they were unable to find me. They killed my father while I was hiding because he wouldn’t tell them where I was, but still I hid, knowing that it was too late for my father anyway and that if I gave in, his death would have been for nothing. I stayed in hiding for a year before Caleb did the most unimaginable thing to draw me out. He started killing innocent children, leaving his mark so that I would know it was him. Three children, Brian. He killed three innocent children,” I sobbed. I couldn’t go on. I couldn’t keep talking, but I knew I had to. “It’s my fault they are dead, and I swore to myself that I would NEVER be responsible for another innocent’s death, if I could help it. I came out of hiding and decided to fight back. So far, I have been able to protect myself against all their attacks, but I still have that ever-present guilt hanging over me. It will never go away, and I will always have that over my head.”

When I finally finished, I was too overcome with emotion that I couldn’t speak another phrase. Brian pulled me into his arms, hugging me close to him, as if trying to protect me. “It’s not your fault, Blaine. CALEB killed those children. He’s the blame, not you. You couldn’t know that he would go that far. You couldn’t know.”

“But they would still be alive if it wasn’t for me,” I sobbed, leaning into his comforting embrace.

“Listen to me. It is not your fault. You did what you had to in order to survive. No one is to blame except for Caleb,” he soothed, trying to ease the pain and guilt I had been carrying around in my heart.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down before looking into his caring blue eyes. “You should learn to take your own advice,” I told him, offering him a half-smile.

“I know,” he smiled back. When I was finally able to compose myself again, I pulled out of his arms and turned to face him.

“Thank you for caring, Brian,” I told him quietly.

“Anytime,” he responded just as quietly. “There’s something I do want to know, though,” he mentioned, asking for permission to ask what was on his mind. At my nod he continued. “How did you get so good at using your powers?”

“Brian, you have to understand what life was like for me after Caleb turned. For 3 years, I was on the run, trying to escape him. Once he turned and told Marcus about me being a halfie, Marcus sent him to destroy me. While I was on the run, I started practicing with my powers, training myself to be smarter, stronger and faster because I knew it was the only way I would survive. Self-preservation is a strong motivator, and I knew that if they ever caught me, they would force me to either turn or die. I pushed myself to become better every day, until I was finally able to control my powers and use them to protect myself. It’s almost like second nature to me now. I make sure that I am always alert and aware, especially my ability to sense people approaching. I don’t even have to think about it anymore,” I told him as memories of my past flashed through my mind.

He simply nodded, knowing there was nothing left to say as we sat there in silence, watching each other. It didn’t take long before we were both asleep, my head resting on his chest with his arm wrapped protectively around me.

I woke up the next morning, slightly disorientated. I lay there staring at my reflection in the TV opposite the couch, trying to clear the sleep cobwebs. I heard someone moving around my apartment as the smell of freshly-brewed coffee attacked my nostrils, and it took me a second to put my defenses back up and figure out that Brian was the one in my kitchen. It had been a long time since I had let my defenses drop, especially over night, and it frightened me that it had happened so naturally around Brain, a man who had been the cause of so much pain and stress in my life over the last week.

“Hey, good morning,” Brian cheerfully greeted when he saw me start to sit up on the couch.

I turned around and watched him as he carried two hot mugs of coffee, handing one to me before taking a seat beside me. “Good morning,” I replied, taking a sip out of my mug.

“I hope you don’t mind. I woke up and saw you sleeping, so I just went ahead and…” he rambled. I gently touched his arm, letting him know it was alright, when I was hit with a flash, almost as if a movie was playing in my head.

*flash*

“You are such a fool, Blaine. Did you really think you could save me? You couldn’t save Caleb, why should I be any different? You’re pathetic,” Brian said before lunging at me and stabbing me several times with the dagger in his hands, watching with a vicious smile on his face as I crumpled helplessly to the ground.

“I loved you. I gave my heart to you. I trusted you,” I whispered, refusing to give up the fight.

“Like I said… a fool,” he repeated, before I sent him flying into the opposite wall before hitting him with a strong enough psionic blast to kill him.

I watched as Caleb walked out of the shadows, sword in hand, walking toward me with hate in his eyes. As he stabs me, with the last ounce of strength in my body, I use my telekinesis to take the dagger Brain dropped when I killed him and chop off Caleb’s head, killing him, before my body falls to the ground, still.

*end flash*

“Blaine?” Brian asked when the distant look faded from my features.

I didn’t answer him, instead sitting there silently as I tried to understand what had just happened. I felt like I had been there, like I was watching everything from the sidelines. It had felt so real. I remembered my father telling me that whenever he got premonitions, it was almost like a dream, like a movie playing in your head as you watched a scene play out from the side. I knew that it was common for children of halfies to share some of the same powers that their parents had, but until just a moment ago, it had not happened to me. I looked into Brian’s concerned eyes as he stared back at me, and instead of feeling fear or despair, I felt determination and a will to fight. Instead of giving in, I vowed, silently, to do whatever it took to make sure my vision didn’t come true. I had lost Caleb to the dark side; they would not take Brian too.

“Blaine, are you okay?” Brian tried again.

I turned my head, smiling at him, letting him know I was fine. “Yeah, I am.”

He looked hesitant, not sure whether he should believe me or not, but I put my hand on his shoulder, nodding my head to reassure him. He nodded as well, accepting my answer. “Well, I was thinking that since it’s my fault you have to go into the studio and practice this weekend and do that evaluation tomorrow, it’s only fair that I go in with you. Plus,” he chuckled, “I could use the extra practice, and since you are the best and my partner for this tour, you can help me,” he smiled, his charm winning me over instantly.

“Well, since it is your fault, I guess it’s only fair that you have to suffer with me,” I agreed, giving him a look.

While I got ready to spend the day dancing, Brian drove home so that he could get his stuff and change as well. We decided to meet at the studio in an hour, but as I looked around my apartment bored after getting ready in record time, I decided to go ahead and get there early.

As I walked down the deserted halls of the practice studio, I heard music resounding from our usual room. No one is supposed to be here today, I thought to myself as I cautiously made my way down the hall. I could feel someone’s presence, but I didn’t recognize them so it didn’t do me much good.

Opening the door, I stood there watching a mystery woman dancing to the music, lost in her own world. Turning around for a move, she stumbled when she noticed me watching her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone else was going to be here today,” she apologized, breathing hard in an attempt to catch her breath.

“Likewise,” I responded. “You’ve got some good moves. I liked that double-turn-high-kick-split move you did,” I complimented.

“Thanks. I’m Santina Lockehart,” she introduced herself, holding out a hand for me to shake.

“Blaine Christianson,” I reciprocated.

“OH! You’re Blaine! Harris has told me a lot about you and said that if I ever needed any help catching up, I should talk to you,” she informed me. This was the first I had heard of this, and she must had read the shock and confusion on my face because she went on to explain. “One of the dancers for the Backstreet tour, I think her name was Marissa, had to leave because she found out that she’s pregnant, so Harris called me in.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. I sensed Brian pulling into the parking lot, so I calmly waited for him to walk into the studio.

“Hey,” he greeted me with a hug. Then he turned to Santina and held out his hand in introduction, “Brian Littrell.”

“I know who you are. I’m Santina Lockehart,” she replied, shaking his offered hand. “I’m actually just leaving. I’ve been here since 6 this morning and I’m going to get an early lunch. It was nice meeting you both, and I guess I will see you in rehearsals on Monday.”

Brian got the same confused, shocked look I had gotten just moments before. ‘Marissa’s pregnant,’ I told him telepathically. He just gave me a slight nod, letting me know he heard me.

We spent the next 6 hours rehearsing the dance sequences over and over again, but accomplishing more in those 6 hours than we had all week prior. Now that we were able to work together and cooperate, it made our rehearsal time that much more productive.

I wiped the sweat off my face as soon as we finished our final run-through, and glanced over at Brian. He kept shooting me nervous looks, and with my empathy powers, I could sense fear and something else I couldn’t place. He must have felt my eyes on him because he looked up before blushing slightly and busying himself with packing up his things.

“Brian, whatever’s on your mind, just say it,” I prodded him gently, trying to ease his nervousness.

“Well, we’ve been dancing practically all day, and I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. And I was thinking that if maybe you were hungry too, we could go get something to eat together. But I completely understand if…” Brian rambled.  

“Brian, are you trying to ask me out?” I asked, smiling at his anxious ramblings.

“Well, yeah… I’m trying,” he chuckled nervously.

“In that case, I would love to go out with you, Brian,” I told him, easing his fear of rejection. “I do want to go home and take a shower and change first, though.”

“Of course. How about I pick you up at 6:30?” he asked, the shy look crossing his face again.

“I’ll be ready,” I smiled, feeling my insides flutter in excitement.

We picked up our gear before walking out of the rehearsal studio side-by-side. When I reached my car, Brian grabbed hold of my hand and gently kissed the back of it. “I’ll see you in an hour and a half.” And with that, he walked to his car and drove away.

I was about to get in my car and leave when I felt Caleb coming. I let out a sigh of frustration and closed my car door. “What do you want, now, Caleb?” I questioned, not even trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

“There’s something different about you, Blaine. There’s something in your eyes I haven’t seen in a long time. Could it possibly be hope and determination? Have you finally found a new reason to fight?” he said, reading me like he had always been able to do.

“Once again, Caleb, do you have a reason for being here or are you just here to make my life a living hell?” I smiled sweetly. “Because if there isn’t a particular reason you are here, then I have somewhere I need to be.”

He gave me a sickeningly sweet smile before astral projecting himself behind me and wrapping his arm around my neck. “I do have a purpose. I was sent here by Marcus to make sure the prophecy fails,” he told me, choking the life out of me. I tried my hardest to shake him off of me, but it was no use. Caleb was just as strong as me, so my attempts were futile.

My vision started to blur, but I wasn’t about to give up. I focused my energy on his physical being, knowing that attacking the astral projection would be pointless. I hit him with the hardest psionic blast I could muster, and I felt his grip loosen before disappearing all-together. I fell to my knees, chocking and gasping for air, taking a moment to recover before climbing back to my feet to face him. I watched as he grasped his head, crying out in pain from the immense pressure my psionic blast had caused. I was getting ready to gather my strength again to hit him with another blast, but he sent me a glare, deflecting my second blast before vanishing into thin air. I may have won that battle, but I knew that Marcus would never give up his attacks on me. I thought back over what Caleb had said about a prophecy, and my mind started racing with thoughts about possible meanings. I would worry about that later, though, because I had a date to get ready for.

At exactly 6:30, there was a knock on my door telling me that Brian was on time for our date. I grabbed my jacket, heading for the door, but as soon as I opened the door, Brian’s smile turned to one of concern, and he immediately, started questioning me. “What’s wrong? What happened?” he asked, throwing me off guard that he was able to read me so well after so little time.

            “What do you mean?” I asked, playing dumb, trying to push him out of my apartment so that we could leave.

            “Don’t play dumb with me, Blaine. What happened?” he pushed, giving me a stern look.

            “Brian, please, let’s just go,” I pleaded with him, hoping he would just drop it and we could go out to eat. I really didn’t want to think about Caleb anymore. I also didn’t want to think about how close I had come to losing my life that afternoon. I had been so terrified, and I really didn’t want to go back to that moment again.

            “No, Blaine. We’re not leaving until you tell me what happened?” he continued to interrogate me.

            “FINE! Caleb surprised me at the studio this afternoon. I almost died today, Brian! Is that what you wanted to hear?” I screamed, tired of him pushing me. I threw my jacket and purse back on the couch before leaning against the back of it.  

            “He attacked you?” he asked, his look of concern turning to one of anger.

            “I wasn’t prepared for his attack, so I didn’t have my defenses up. He never should have been able to get that close to me,” I told him, trying to hide how scared I really was.

            “Why didn’t you call me? I could have helped you,” he questioned, a hurt look crossing his features.

            “Brian, you know what my life is like. I’ve been fighting Caleb and Marcus for a long time now. I can’t guarantee that nothing will happen to me, but I know how to take care of myself. He just caught me off guard.” I tried to downplay the severity of the situation.

“Just promise me that you will be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he pleaded.

I nodded my head, telling him, wordlessly, that I would be careful. He nodded as well, pulling me into his arms and holding me tight as I let the feeling of safety soothe my frayed nerves.

            “Do you still want to go out or would you rather stay in?” Brian asked after a few moments of silence.

“I’m not going to let Caleb ruin my life any more than he already has,” I told him, a look of determination crossing my eyes.

He gave me a long, scrutinizing gaze before finally nodding. I grabbed my purse and jacket, turning off the lights as we exited the apartment. As we walked down the hall to the elevator, Brian grabbed my hand, lifting it gently to his lips and kissing it lovingly before returning our hands back to their original spot between us, our fingers remaining interlaced.

            “So where are we going?” I finally asked when we made it to his car.

            “It’s a surprise,” he told me, giving me his infamous ‘I’m-up-to-something- sneaky’ grin.

            “Briiiiiiiiaaaaan,” I whined. “You KNOW I hate surprises.” And it was true. I hated surprises. I hate not being in control and not knowing what is going on. I felt too vulnerable, and I hated feeling vulnerable. Vulnerability was a weakness, and it could get me killed.

            “Do you trust me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me in a challenge.

            “You know I do,” I told him. It scared me to admit it, but in the last 24 hours, he had managed to change my entire perspective on him. “But you also know how I feel about surprises.” Over the last week, Brian had become increasingly good at detecting my moods and feelings, leading me to wonder whether he had the power of empathy or not. It wasn’t rare for two halfies to share powers, but it had never happened to me before.

            “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Just trust me, and you can keep your defenses up the whole ride there, if you want,” he assured me.

            “Fine,” I sighed, not at all happy with this new development in our plans.

            Throughout the car ride, I kept my defenses up while still managing to hold a pleasant conversation with Brian. We didn’t dig too deep with our questions, and we tried to keep it as light-hearted and loose as possible. Brian knew that I was already on edge from not being in control, and I knew that I might take out some of this fear and uneasiness out on him, so we tried to keep the serious questions out of it for now.

            Finally, I saw Brian pull his car off the road and onto a dirt country trail that was barely big enough for his car. Eventually, the trail disappeared and we were driving on a grass-covered area. I watched in silence as we made our way through the rows of trees and bushes that lined our path, keeping an intense eye for anything that might have the intent of causing us harm. Thankfully, the forest was quiet and we were alone.

            As I felt the car come to a stop, I looked up at our destination, my mouth dropping open in awe. Brian had taken me to a place I had only heard about in legends. A place I had only imagined existed in my dreams. It was one of the last remaining mystic caves in the world. My father had told me stories of this place when I was little, telling me that it was the last magically protected location we still had in America. As legend went, mystic caves were built on sacred land, protected from all magical detection. The only way to find one was to already know where one exists by having the memory passed down from generation to generation. If you were within range of a mystic cave, no one could sense you and if you were a halfie, your magic would be enhanced, making you stronger and more powerful. These caves were rumored to have unimaginable, limitless powers and abilities, many of which had never been shared through the generations. Legend also said that these caves held the secrets to our past. These caves held the history of our people. It held truths that had been long lost in our fight.

            “Brian, how did you know about this place?” I asked, taking in all the sights I possibly could at one time.

            “My grandfather told me about this place once when I was a young boy. When I moved to Orlando, I went searching for it and found it the first week I was here. Whenever I need to just get away or recharge, I come here,” he explained, a small smile forming.

            “Why did you bring me here?” I questioned, turning to look at him.

            “You wanted to know about ‘The Prophecy’ right? I figured that if any place had the answers you were searching for, this would be it.” My face must have conveyed my shock because he went on to explain more. “I can read thoughts… it’s one of my powers.”

            “But I didn’t find out about the prophecy until after you asked me out,” I pondered, confused.

            “I know. When I came to pick you up, I sensed you were upset with my empathy, but, for some reason, all I could get out of your thoughts were two words, ‘the prophecy.’” He hesitated for a second before continuing. “I’ve heard legends about a prophecy, but I never believed it until now. It spoke of a halfie who would lead a small army to victory against an ever-growing dark force. My grandfather told me that this leader would have the power of the entire universe in her hands.”

            “Her?” I asked.

            “Yeah. The leader, my grandfather told me, could only be a woman because only a woman would be able to control and harness the power, not letting it corrupt her,” he explained.

            I could only nod as we made our way into the cave. I watched with a critical eye as we passed multiple carvings on the sides of the cave, telling the story of our past… the same story I had heard many times from my ancestors about the original coven and the “cure” that created the soulless creatures that now roamed the earth.

            After walking for a few more minutes, we came to a large, open room with a black pool in the center. I gave Brian a questioning look, but he simply motioned me over to the pool. As we drew nearer to the pool, I noticed that the liquid within the pool was bubbling. I watched closely, mesmerized by the sight, as an image formed in the black sludge. I saw myself as a child appear, seemingly like I was watching a movie of my past. Suddenly, a voice resounded within the cave walls. “I am Delthea, protector and keeper of the knowledge of the universe. I know what you seek. You seek The Prophecy, do you not?”

            “I do. My name is Blaine Christianson,” I responded to the unseen being.

            “I know who you are, my child,” the voice spoke, this time much softer and much closer. I turned around to see a ghost-like woman standing behind me, an inviting smile gracing her delicate features. “I have been waiting for you.”

            “I don’t understand what you mean?” I responded, a quizzical look on my face revealing my thoughts.

            “You are the one, Blaine, the savior of all halfies. A great evil is upon us now, and it grows stronger by the day. You know the evil I speak of?” she half-questioned, half-stated.

            “Marcus?” I responded back in a similar manner.

            “Marcus gains strength every day as his army grows. You are our only hope. You must lead us to victory. There are five who will follow you. You must find them and train them to be stronger, faster and smarter.” She walked over to the pool, waving a hand over the sludge and bringing forth a picture of a face. “The one who wears the sign of Fire will be your strength.” The face of a handsome man who I had met on more than one occasion appeared before us: a man full of passion and fight. A man named Jason David Frank, or J.D., for short. “The one who wears the sign of Air will be your conscience and light of reason.” The face of a well-known actress, Kate Beckinsale, replaced J.D.’s image. “The one who wears the sign of Earth will be your support and anchor.” The newly-familiar face of our new dancer, Santina Lockehart, replaced Kate’s image and Brian and I both exchanged looks. “The one of Water will be your guidance and your tie to the past.” The face of a young boy, who I had seen countless times during my childhood, appeared in the sludge and began morphing, as if growing up in front of our eyes. Before I could stop myself, the gasp left my lips. “The long-lost brother you have been searching for has been within your grasp for some time now. Alex has no memory of his past, though, so you must be careful as to not scare him away.” I looked on with tears hanging off my eyelashes as I stared at the face of the man I thought I would never see again. My father had told me of my brother when I was a child, but I never thought I would see him again. Back then, my father and mother were on the run and thought there was no way they could raise a child. So my father used his gift of memory erasing and memory replacement, and he gave my brother to a lonely woman named Denise, to watch and care for. He replaced both of their memories, making them believe that Denise was Alex’s biological mother and that Alex’s father left them when Alex was merely a baby of two. After that, my father left, only seeing Alex once a year when he would stop in to check in on him. I looked up at Delthea, thanking her with my eyes to which she simply nodded. “There is one more who will join you on your quest. He who wears the sign of Light will be your motivation, your truth, your hope, and, most importantly, your heart. He will be your reason to fight. He will be your soul. He will be YOUR savior while you are the savior to the rest of us. You know who this man is. I can see it in your eyes.” I looked at her, nodding my head in affirmation before turning to look at Brian, the man we were referring to. As I had predicted, he read my thoughts, a look of shock appearing on his face. “Yes, it is you, Brian,” Delthea confirmed.

            “This is impossible,” I said, shaking my head at the unbelievable situation I suddenly found myself in.

            “I am a messenger. Nothing more. I am here to pass down the messages that your ancestors could not. I am nothing more than a collection of memories brought to life and preserved for all eternity to share the wisdom of the ages. It is your choice to believe me or not. You always have a choice. What you do with this information is completely up to you,” Delthea warned, sounding an awful lot like a disclaimer.

            I nodded, letting her know that I understand. And just as silently and as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone. I turned to Brian, giving him a bewildered look, as we wandered out of the cave and back into the darkest of nights. With my mind going a million miles a minute, we got back into the car and headed back toward the city lights, our hunger long-since forgotten.

“Blaine, we’re back,” Brian whispered, afraid to break the silent spell that had fallen over us on the ride back.

            “What?” I asked, breaking out of the daze I was in.

            “We’re back at your apartment. Do you… do you want me to leave you alone?” he asked, clearly wanting to stay, but not wanting to make me uncomfortable.

            “No. I don’t want to be alone,” I whispered, staring out the window. It seemed like in just a few hours, my entire world had changed. It was like everything I had ever known or learned seemed irrelevant now. I had never been a strong believer in fate or destiny because I didn’t like the idea of not being in control of my own life. I viewed life as more than just a set path, but rather a series of decisions that carved a path in our lives. Suddenly, my whole view on life had been altered and I had no idea what I was supposed to do now. How do you deal with finding out that you are supposed to save the world? How do you handle knowing that you are the world’s last hope to survival? It was a lot to take, and I knew that if I was alone, I would dwell on it, driving myself crazy.

            “Okay.” That was all he said as he pulled the keys from the ignition and opened his door. Still, I sat there, staring at the night sky, lost in thought. Brian came around to my side of the car, opening the door and then silently urging me out. We walked, slowly and silently, neither one of us knowing what to say.

            “Blaine, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…” Brian began, thinking I was upset with him for taking me to the cave.

            “Brian, you have nothing to apologize for. I don’t mean to be so distant; I’m just trying to process everything. It’s… a lot to take in,” I eased his worry.

            “I know. I just… I never wanted to upset you. I just wanted to help you and instead I ended up adding to the confusion,” he continued.

            “You gave me answers I never thought I would find. If anything, I should be thanking you,” I told him, touching his shoulder to show him that I meant what I said.

            His only response was a slight nod of his head as we came to my door. As I unlocked it, though, I was hit with a wave of uneasiness and dread. Someone’s here. It was already too late to turn back, though, so I walked into the apartment, ready to fight. I searched the darkness for a face… any face. It was as if my power was being blocked, or possibly deflected, which led me to believe it could only be one person. “Caleb… where are you?”

            As I expected, he took the bait, appearing before us in a cloud of smoke. “Such a good little halfie. Always prepared. Always aware,” he sneered.

            “Haven’t you had enough today, Caleb? I kicked your ass once already. Do you really want me to do it again?” I challenged.

            “You got lucky. That won’t happen again,” he confidently announced. I was waiting for him to strike at any second, but he still managed to knock me off my feet, catching me off-guard with a new power. I felt like my organs were tearing themselves apart. The pain was unbearable, and I couldn’t even stand, let alone fight.

            I saw one of Brian’s energy balls wiz past me out of the corner of my eye just before I felt Caleb’s hold relinquish. “I won’t let you hurt her anymore,” Brian declared, sending another energy ball at Caleb. I jumped to my feet, trying to reestablish my bearings.

            “You expect to stop me?” Caleb laughed a horribly cynical laugh.

            “If I have to,” Brian stated, determination written across his features. He threw another energy ball, since that was his only offensive power, but this time Caleb was expecting it. I watched in horror as Caleb deflected the energy ball, sending it back towards Brian.

            I don’t know what came over me, but before I even realized what I was doing, I was in front of Brian, my hands out in front of me as I screamed one word: “NOOOOOOOOO!” I felt an energy surge through my body, an energy unlike anything I had ever felt before. I watched, amazed, as the energy ball slowed down before stopping a mere foot in front of me, as if suspended in mid-air. I didn’t take the time to dwell on it, though, as I quickly pulled Brian and myself out of the path of danger. I wasn’t quick enough, though, as I felt the ball scorch the skin on my right shoulder before crashing into the wall.

            Caleb stared in disbelief at the energy ball, and I took the opportunity to send him flying into the wall.

            “You bitch!” he shouted, getting to his feet. He held his hands up, and it was like lightening was being created from his fingertips as he sent bolt after bolt of electricity in our direction.

            I concentrated on the energy I had felt before and felt it flowing through me again. Using the power, I started disintegrating each bolt as it approached. I didn’t know where this power was coming from, but it was the only thing keeping us alive, so I didn’t question it.

            “That’s impossible!” Caleb yelled, watching with a dissatisfied frown across his face. He tried using the same attack he had first used on me, but it was different this time. It was as if I could see the attack, which had been invisible before, as it approached, giving me the ability to stop it in its tracks.

            “So you have found the power. No matter. You will not be able to stop us forever, Blaine,” he proclaimed before disappearing.

            I looked behind me, at Brian, who was staring at me as if I had grown another head. “How did you do that?” he questioned.

            I felt the power drain from me, as I fell to my knees, my energy spent. I looked up at Brian, confusion written all over my face. “I… I don’t know.”

            “That must have been what my grandfather was talking about. ‘The power of the Universe,’” he concluded. “What was it like?”

            “I felt invincible, like I could do anything,” I confessed. “It scares me. It’s like the power was controlling me, not the other way around.”

            “But we’re alive because of that power,” he said, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

            “Yeah…” I responded, as I let Brian help me onto the couch beside him. I watched as he then lifted his wrist, using his nail to slice it open before offering it to me. “What…?” I began, but he interrupted me.

            “You need to drink so that you can heal faster,” he told me, gesturing to the burn on my right shoulder from when the energy ball had skimmed my skin.

            I had never been a fan of drinking, only drinking what was necessary for my survival, but I knew that he was right. If we didn’t want anyone to get suspicious, I needed to heal quickly. I gently grasped his wrist, glancing into his eyes to make sure. He nodded, trying to reassure me. I lowered my mouth to his open cut, letting his warm blood flow across my tongue, savoring the taste. No matter how much I hated it, I couldn’t deny the innate desire and pleasure I had for the taste of blood. It was something I had come to terms with long ago. Somehow, though, halfie blood was always better than human blood. Once I got a taste of Caleb’s blood for the first time, it was like I had become addicted. Human blood no longer tasted as good as it once had. But after Caleb turned, I had to convert back to human blood. I would pick up a random stranger at a club, go back to his house, drinking his blood while I was kissing up and down his neck, and the next morning, when he woke up, I was gone and he was none the wiser.

            I would never admit it, but I had missed the taste of halfie blood, and Brian’s seemed even sweeter than Caleb’s had been. I kept drinking until I’d had enough, pulling back and watching as the cut healed before my eyes.

            “Thank you,” I told Brian, looking back up into his caring eyes.

            “You don’t ever have to thank me,” he smiled. I could feel the desire he had coursing through his veins, and I wanted nothing more than for him to lean in and kiss me. I saw him smirk as he read my thoughts, doing exactly that. He leaned in slowly, leaving me time to change my mind if I so desired. Finally, his lips captured mine in a gentle, slow kiss, neither of us in the mood to rush things. I closed my eyes, losing myself in the feel of his hands, one resting on the back of my neck, pulling me closer, while the other ran slowly up and down my arm, careful not to touch my burn. I had never felt this much in a kiss before, and it scared me that I could have so much emotion for one person. By the time we both pulled away, we were gasping for breath. I looked into his eyes, lost in the emotions they held. This time, it was me who initiated the kiss, leaning into his embrace and kissing him deeply. When we finally pulled away, he pulled me into his arms as he lay back on the couch. I felt him kiss the back of my head, whispering, “Goodnight,” into my hair. With both of us worn out from the battle, we fell asleep within a few minutes.

*The next morning*

            The next morning, I awoke to the sound of a ringing phone. I reached over, blindly, pulling the phone to my ear before mumbling an incoherent, “Hello.”

            “Blaine? Are you still sleeping? You were supposed to be at the studio a half-hour ago,” Harris lectured through the phone.

            “OH SHIT! We’ll be there soon,” I exclaimed, my eyes flying open. I quickly hung up the phone before turning to Brian, who was still fast asleep, spooning me from behind. I was surprised that the ringing and my movements hadn’t woken him up. I smiled softly at the peaceful, serene look on his face, contemplating waking him or not. He made that choice for me as his crystal blue eyes opened, looking at me with child-like innocence.

            He smiled sleepily at me, a small yawn escaping his lips. “Good morning,” his sleep-thick voice greeted me.

            “Good morning. It seems we overslept,” I told him with amusement present in my tone. “Harris just called and told me that we were supposed to be there 30 minutes ago for my evaluation.”

            “SHIT!” he exclaimed in the same tone I had used just a moment before.

            We both dragged our tired bodies off the couch, getting ready to head out to the studio to meet Harris for my evaluation. Luckily, Brian always carried a couple changes of clothes in his car, so he was able to change at my place and we were on the way within 15 minutes of Harris’ call. We walked into the studio 10 minutes later, surprised to find Alex and Santina there with Harris.

            They all looked up at us as we entered, Alex and Harris surprised to see Brian and I together. I smiled over at Santina, giving her a slight wave as we approached them.

            “I’m so sorry I’m late, Harris. I just had a very difficult night last night,” I explained.

            “You’re here now. That’s what matters,” he said, waving it off. “Are you ready to dance?” He directed his question to both Brian and I.

            Our only response was moving into position for the opening number. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…” we counted in unison, executing the moves perfectly, despite our tired state of mind. As the last strains of the music echoed throughout the room, we held the closing pose, with Brian supporting me in a dip while I held one leg wrapped around his waist. We didn’t even have to see their faces to know that we had done well. It was like after all we had been through together, we were connected. We were able to dance with a passion neither of us had experienced before.

            “That was amazing! Why haven’t you been dancing like that all week?” Harris questioned, shocked by the sudden turn-around in our dancing.

            “It was mostly my fault. I just had some things to work out,” Brian confessed, finally shifting the blame from me to him.

            Harris nodded his understanding before turning to the other two people in the room. “What did you guys think?”

            “I’ve never seen two people dance so passionately before,” Santina looked at us with awe shining in her eyes. “The way you two moved together, it was like you could read each other’s minds.” The scary thing was that she wasn’t too far off. It was like we were linked together and could feel what the other one wanted without even talking. It was how I knew exactly what he was going to do before he even made a move.

            “Brian, man, I’ve NEVER seen you dance like that before, and I have been watching you dance for far too long. That was amazing,” Alex complimented.

            Brian and I looked at each other before turning to our group of admirers and bowing in appreciation. “Well, I guess this was a wasted trip. I’ll see you all in rehearsal tomorrow.” With that said, Harris was gone.

            Brian and I both let out a sigh of relief before collapsing to the floor in a heap of arms and legs. “I guess we’re still tired, huh?” I laughed as we used each other for support.

            “I would have to say ‘yes,’” he laughed as well.

            “Soooo… exactly WHAT happened with you two? The last time I saw you, you were both civil, but you still couldn’t stand to be near one another. Now, you’re not even flinching about the fact that you are touching when you don’t have to be,” Alex observed.

            “We settled our issues, right Bri?” I asked.

            “Most definitely, Blaine,” he agreed.

            We watched Alex shake his head before joining us on the floor, Santina following suit. “So what did happen? Really?” he asked again. “I know you were heading over to Blaine’s apartment Friday night, but I haven’t heard from you all weekend. I left you several messages at your house,” he told Brian.

            “I went to her apartment, and she wouldn’t let me in at first, so I waited in the hallway until she gave in,” he confessed. I hid my face in Brian’s arm, knowing what Alex was going to ask next.

            “How long were you in the hallway?” he asked, glancing quickly at me before returning his gaze back to Brian.

            “An hour,” he smiled, laughing at the uncomfortable situation I was now in.

            “AN HOUR!? You made him wait in the hall for an hour?” Alex exclaimed as Brian and Santina both laughed.

            “I thought he would give up and go away. He didn’t, so I had no choice but to let him in,” I defended.

            “Geez. I would have given up on your ass after 20 minutes,” Alex laughed as well.

            “Yeah, well, it’s a good thing he didn’t give up on my ass or we wouldn’t be here right now, and my ass could have very well been kicked off this tour,” I pouted.

            I wouldn’t have ever given up on you, Brian told me telepathically, bringing a smile out of my pout, followed by a slight blush. I wasn’t the type to blush very easily, so it took a special man to make me blush… especially in public.

            I’m glad you didn’t, I told him back.

            As the silence settled over us, so did the thoughts we had been trying to avoid. We have to tell them, he urged me.

            You heard what Delthea said. I don’t want to scare him away with too much. And we don’t even know Santina very well. How do we know if we can trust her? I argued back.

            You have to trust her. She is part of the prophecy… of your destiny. Our destiny. They both are, he continued.

            Deep down, I knew he was right. I was just scared that they would turn on me or they wouldn’t believe me. I knew I had the ability to prove to them who I was, but I didn’t want to resort to that power any more than necessary because of the fear I had of it. We’re putting a lot of faith into people we hardly know. Santina, Kate, and even J.D. to an extent, I cautioned, giving him a look.

            We don’t have a choice, he reminded me.

            I sighed in defeat, giving him an ‘I-hope-you’re-right’ look. He grasped my hand, trying to give me strength and confidence as we both turned to face the inevitable. “Alex, Santina, we have something very important that we have to tell you. You will probably think we are crazy, but please hear us out,” I started, shooting Brian one last look.