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Felix walked past Millie's shop. he was considering a purchase but decided against it. where is Nali? he asked himself

Elizabeth stood up and looked around. "Excuse me, Miss? But why have we been brought here?" Her thoughts were muddled and then something caught her attention, "An entire day?! What do you mean?!" She turned to Kemry. "We left the children alone!" Her knees buckled thinking of all the nasty things that could have happened to the children while they were gone. It was one thing to go out for a couple hours at night when everybody was asleep...but to be gone for an entire day...

((Have you noticed...that Kemry, Elizabeth and Alexandra were the only older ones who lived at the building. Seriously guys...this was supposed to be like this big ol' family thing. Not hey lets go off and do our own thing. Too many people....@@ Don't be surprised if I kick some of you out of here. Where did BlackStrings go? I might have to PM her. >>

If you guys could please, when you say somebody's name, bold it, italicize it, or put it in a different color. This is waaaay too confusing. ))

((I completely forgot about that. On another note, sure, I'll try and remember to boldify names and such. Yeah, what did happen to the whole group thing? Anyway...))

Kemry's arms spiraled wildly as she was thrown off balance, dragged into the strange darkness of the door. Karl must have let go of her hand as she tumbled to ground in an ungraceful heap. Taking in her surroundings she stood and brushed herself off. The light was dim, and the air had a heavy, stiff feeling to it like a room not much used. A familiar feeling to someone who spent their time seeking hidden unused hidaways to survive. She took the offered hand from Millie and glanced back at Elizabeth, whose worried cry for the children suddenly had all her attention.

"We've got to get back there, something could have happened. Even the slightly older kids..." she trailed off and looked at Karl and Millie in turn, "Is there a reason you dragged us down here? I told you we had to get back to those kids and now you're telling me I've been away from them for an entire day? What's going on here? I want answers NOW" her eyes blazed, her arms folded stiffly across her chest as she tapped her toe in angry impatience. This whole thing was going too far and she was about ready to...

Minron put his right hand of Elizabeth's head. "Hello Elizabeth, how's your day?" He was glad he didn't have to search far for her, but he would have to find a good reason to reveal his deepest and darkess secret to someone he barely knew, but Minron didn't have many friends besides Shade. Minron sighed and looked unconflictedly at Elizabeth. "Can you...Keep a secret?'

Karl looked at the two older ones, who were yipping and yawing about this or that, he didn't care. Well, he did care, but what was he going to right? He made a deal with Millie and hadn't made good on it for over two years since the first night they met.

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Karl had wandered into her shop, cold and lonely, his brother's corpse in their den near the fringes of the city. He held his father's compass in his hand, and laid it on the shop counter. Millie looked into his sad eyes then, and knew that he was in need. She swathed him in warm clothes, and pressed her evil eye to his forehead, a sense of warmth and comfort filling his body. He didn't know Millie's power then, but took comfort in her care. She invited him to stay with her, and he loved it. He remembered sneaking down to this room, feeling the stifling air, and wondering what lay inside all of these books.

He ran up the stairs and into Millie's drawing room, where she sat, weighing gold and crunching numbers.

"Millie, what is this?" He held up the book with crescent moon on it, and some strange writing he couldn't read.

"Where did you get that Karl?"

"In the basement, I found it near—"

"Don't open it."

"But I did Millie, it says you must do it if I tell you to."

"It's not right Karl, you mustn't ask me to—"

"Do it Millie! Bring Andrew back from the Dead!"

Millie's evil eye glowed. It was her obligation, since the eye had been passed down to her by her mother, and her grandmother before that, and her great-grandmother before that, always to bear the burden of the eye's secrets. She walked to the door and gestured for Karl to show her the way. They left the comfort of her house and walked through the pouring rain.

Reaching the den, which Karl hadn't been back to in weeks, Millie entered. The stench was so profound, Millie doubled back. She held Karl's hand, and they walked through the dead air. She held her hand over Karl's brother's dead and decaying body, and began to chant. It began to draw in air, and moan, but it didn't change form. It shot up, and gazed at Millie and Karl with its one eye, and began to chase them. Millie and Karl ran through city streets, into her shop, where the beast followed them. Millie put Karl behind her, and spoke.

"This is what happens Karl, this is why you must learn to deal with the circumstances of life. I can stop him, but you must make me a deal first."

"Why? Just stop it! I'm scared Millie!"

"You've asked of me to fulfill an ancient obligation Karl, and now you must make one. Bring me all the Children, all who are lost to the streets of this city, so that I may take them to a place where they will not be harmed. You must do this within two years Karl, or it will undo the sealing I will perform. Do you promise Karl? Do you?"

Karl held onto her hand, tightly. It was all the confirmation she needed. Millie took the evil eye and held it up to a box, a plain wooden box, that stood in the corner of her shop. It was unassuming, but when you looked at it, you felt uncomfortable, as if something was standing behind you.

It opened with a groan, and the room began to fill with a torrent of air, knocking everything in the shop from it's place. Karl's brother screeched and tried to move toward Karl and Millie, but it slipped, and began to fall toward the box.

"Be Gone, into the abyss of my family's sadnesses, be gone!" Karl's brother fell into the box, which then shut itself up, without seem or hinge. Millie sank to her knees, as Karl stood up, slowly, and then walked over to her.

"You owe me a deal now Karl. Time is ticking."

Millie got up, and walked out of the shop, leaving Karl to his thoughts, in the mess of the shop.

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Karl looked at Kemry, seeing her anger and frustration. Millie began talking to all of them, showing them to another room where there was a table full of food. Before Kemry could follow, he grabbed her hand.

"Listen. Follow me. I gotta tell you her secret."

((Sorry, I've been really out of focus the last few days, school has got me tired out of my wits.))

Minron shook his head, he came to the cold realization this wasn't Elizabeth, his senses must beclouded by his very thoughts and the fact he had only seen Elizabeth a few times. "I'm sorry little one, I thought you were someone else. Have you seen Elizabeth? I must speak with her."

"Little girl, you do not want to get on my bad side, mess with me and you will see a whole new world of shadows and fear. My very face can strike cowardice in the bravest hearts. The very mention of my name can cause entire nations to fall to their feet in utter hoplessness, but you seem to have me at a weakness here; I don't kill little girls." Minron chuckled slightly as he rubbed Irene's hair. "I have nothing to do with Elizabeth's dissapearence, I'll help find her, it is my duty to help those in need...Most of the time."

Karl sighed deeply and looked at Kemry, thinking why must she always cut off her nose to spite her face... He could hear shanks tapping at the window and looked up to him, waving his hands. The bird peered in for a second, and then blew off. Karl rolled his neck from side to side to collect himself, then turned back to Kemry.

He grabbed hold of her hand, taking her towards the door up the stairs. It was like the doors in the shop: it had an evil eye glyph, to which Karl took an evil eye off the wall, and then placed it on the door. After a minute or two, it creeked open. Karl replaced the eye, then pulled Kemry into the room at the top of the stairs.

"Kemry," he said, letting go of her hand, "you got to believe me, I didn't mean for this to happen, but I've got no choice." He walked away from her and rested his hands on a table in the room. Leaning there for a moment, he let out a large sigh, then turned back around.

"Millie is...she's evil."

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Millie began to plate up six plates, seeing Elizabeth walk in. She thumbed a knife in her robes, which couldn't be seen thanks to her layering. Her eyes had a sinister look to them, but as she turned around, they turned bright, and she put on a smile.

"Dear, what did you say your name was? Anne? I love the name Anne." She gave the food to Elizabeth and watied for her to eat, smiling.