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**Dani couldn't get the stain out ofh er dress and was starting to become really upset about it. Then she came the the realization that she could just stain the entire dress!!**

*quickly she ran back into the Gym, snatched the large punch bowl and took off with it back into the ladies room. Once inside locking the door, she striped off the dress and proceeded to dye the entire thing pink.*


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Achilles turned his head from the man whom he was shaking the hand to look at the small figure standing in the doorway.

"What're you all doing out in the yard?!"

Achilles's mouth and eyes both opened wide in stupified shock. His jaw looked as if it were about to strike the sidewalk leading up and into the house. Slowly, he shook his head, unable to grasp what he was seeing.

"W-Wally...? Wally!"

Achilles charges forward up the steps, past the adults, and grabbed the boy in a big hug and lifted him up off of his feet in a fierce embrace, unable to contain the rapture of joy he felt at the sight of his dear friend, alive!

"Ribs...crushing...."

When he was finally set down, Wally grinned up at his pal. In the dim porch light, Achilles could see the faintest remains of a scar where the knife had once struck him.

Wally yawned.

"So, uh...what am I doing home? I get sick or something?"

Barry opened the door to escort everyone inside.

"I suppose I had best start from the beginning, for both of you."

They all sat in the kitchen. Rudy busied himself making a pot of tea as Mary handed Wally a shirt. Barry cleared his throat.

"From what Doctor Strange and I were able to piece together, Wally, a few weeks ago, you were drawn in to a pocket dimension known as Azarath. While there, you were 'infected' by a being...."demon"..."

Barry's voice indicated skepticism at the term.

"Known as Trigon. This being is connected to Raven Roth, a student at the school."

"It's...sort of fuzzy, but yeah, I remember being in Azarath..."

"Raven had been trained since birth to control her connection to Trigon. Somehow, her control slipped, and Trigon was able to transfer that connection from Raven, to Wally. You became the "Path of Trigon," and the creature's intent was to use you in a ritual to open a door to his dimension to this one for his conquering army."

Rudy set down tea in front of every one and joined them at the table.

"Now, son, you know your mother and I approve of your choice of lifestyle, but allowing demons into this realm from the netherworld is not something we approve of."

Mary nodded, and Barry continued.

"Trigon, using you as a conduit, 'infected' many of the student body...the people you call your Peeps, the AV club, the football team...essentially putting a seed in them that he was able to use to, through you, influence them. Are you getting this so far, Wally?"

Wally nodded.

"It's sort of like remembering a dream..."

Achilles turned his head from Mr. Allen to Wally and his stare unnerved the small boy. So much thrust upon this boy, the threat and danger...

"I-I do not understand anything you are saying. We knew something seemed wrong, but had we known...had your friends known Wally..."

His eyebrows rose and he shook his head, the weight in his chest growing heavier.

"I was there...my sister and I...we heard them say you were..."

From behind Wally, Achilles saw Barry shake his head 'no' to ward Achilles from saying anything further about Wally's 'death'. Achilles looked back to Wally and was about to say something further when mary spoke up, her words directed at their guest.

"She said, "I don't understand...how do you remember...?"

Achilles frowned and shook his head, not knowing what she was attempting to hint at. That was when Barry intervened and spoke up, thinking quickly.

He said, "Achilles, when exactly did you leave the campus?"

"A week ago, give or take a few days." Achilles answered. "When I lost Patroclus and Wally...got, sick, I had to take the time as I almost did something to another student that would have been unforgivable. I left in the night and found myself ... here."

He looked up to Barry and his blue eyes were hard.

"The gods work in mysterious ways."

"Hmh. Maybe so."

Barry continued.

"There was an 'incident' in Midvale, Wally, and you were injured, grievously. We can go in to more detail on that later. Suffice to say, once you were brought back to campus, Doctor Strange discovered what Trigon's intent was - to use a sacrificial spilling of innocent blood...your blood...as his gateway. You have to understand....Trigon's power was so strongly wrapped around you, we had to do what we could to try to stop him from consolidating his power. And so we..."

Barry cleared his throat.

"We told everyone that you had died. The students who were infected by Trigon believed it. That piece of evil in them believed it had been thwarted. We slowed it down, that way....but did not stop it completely."

Wally twirled his teacup.

"So....everyone thinks I'm...."

"Yes. Yes, they did."

"...Does that mean I can get out of midterms?"

The joke cleared the mood, and everyone laughed a little bit as Wally grinned.

"Afraid not, young man. Once you're fully recovered, it's back to the study grindstone for you."

"Aw, man."

"Like I said, making the infected students believe you were dead was slowing them down. But that evil was already working on a contingency plan. We believe that the infected students were targeting Chris Powell, your roommate, as their backup sacrifice."

"Chris?! Is he okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. We had two steps left to try to fight this evil. The first was a drastic measure we had Mister Hellstrom and Ms. Harkness undertake back at campus as we brought you back here, far away from the infected students."

"What did Hellstrom and Harkness do?"

"They cast a spell on the campus...a spell of forgetting. The theory was, that if the infected students forgot you, Wally, they would lose their connection to the path of Trigon, and in that way, we could eliminate the infection from the students completely."

"So....I'm dead...AND forgotten?"

Wally looked incredibly less-than-thrilled.

"The Peepulation is zero?"

Achilles smiled brightly, thrilled that his little buddy was alive, after all. He leaned forward against the table and gave Wally a tap on the forearm.

"Not zero, no. There is one, in myself. Hm, maybe two. Mysia would be thrilled."

Achilles looked to Mr. Allen and wondered what others would be thinking.

"If this threat is over...can the spell now be lifted?"

The Halloween Dance seemed to be quite lively as the black clad figure stepped into the Gym, scanning the occupants quietly, his long cloak-like scarf billowing behind him. He kept to the fringes of the crowds, trying not to get too close to attract any suspicious eyes...but then, in a costumed party, he might be well overlooked by all the more gaudy and colorful getups. Still...best not judge a book by its cover...

"Of course, of course." Barry nodded. "I think we should all head back to the school tomorrow and start working on a plan. We can't sit here waiting to hear back from Doctor Strange. Mary."

"Yes, Barry?"

"Is it all right if Achilles spends the night? I was going to take the roll-out couch, but I'll run back to Hero High now and start trading notes with Hellstrom and Harkness."

"Certainly, right, Rudy?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. Mary can drive the boys back tomorrow. I have an early shift at the plant."

"All right, it's a plan. Rest up tonight, Wally. Tomorrow, we'll bring you back to Hero High."