windows feeling the sturdyness of the bars.  I look over to Drew who is motioning me to come over.  I slink over to him and he shows me a window with two bars missing.  We work together to remove the other bars that are rotting.  We finally get a hole between the bars big enough.  We slip inside just in time.  We hear the hunting party leave.  We both let our breath out.  Quietly. 

       We stand there quietly for a while looking around.  We were in an empty hallway.  It was dark, damp, and dangerous.  We decide to split up.  We think about how we'd get each other's attention if we find Jay, and decide it would be best to just find each other.

       "Wait," Drew says when I start to go,"Wait.  Emethyst, I love you.  I love you and I want you to be happy.  Choose who you love when this is over and I will respect your decision even if it breaks my heart.  I will leave you or stay with you."  He sighs and turns around to leave, but I stop him.

       I can only look at Drew.  I don't know what to say.  Time is getting short, so I look him in the eyes and tell him the last nice sentence I will ever say to him.  And what I don't know, is it's not even true.  "You'll always be my friend no matter what happens."

       I want to go, but I can't break his gaze.  He pulls me close, kisses me, then turns around and slinks away.  I make myself focus on the task at hand.  I close my eyes and focus.  My mind blocks everything else.  I become Jays girlfriend again.  I become the destroyer who is going to conquer Abyss.  I become myself.  When I open my eyes, I am no longer bound to anyone.  I stalk off.

       I look around a corner.  I see cages.  I see tons of bars and cages.  I listen to my instincts.  I close my eyes again.  I focus my hearing.  I hear..... breathing.  Labored breathing.  Hurtting breathing.   Pain.   My eyes open and I'm running down the line of empty cages looking in each one afraid of what i'll find.  Then I get to one.

      I can't breathe.  He's there, laying on the floor, blood all over him.  He has huge claw marks along his back, so deep it will definately leave scars.  I see what I thought I would never see.  Jay is weak.  He coughs, pain spreading across his face.  His face.  I can't believe it.  Blood all over it and two gashes across his eye.  His eyes.  I can hardly recognize him. 

Ch. 6

         I see all of this in seconds.  I am no longer the conquerer.  It all melts away when I see him.  I am soon by his side and pull him up into my arms.  Tears are running down my face at the sight of all of his pain.  His suffering.  He opens his eyes (what he can of the slashed one) and does what I can't believe.  He smiles at me. 

         Through all of his pain, being able to still smile at me makes me start to sob.  He smiles at me and says something that breaks my heart.  "I knew you'd come.  I knew you loved me more than he made it out to be.  He kept telling me you didn't love me.  He kept saying I sould just give up waiting.  He told me you probably found someone else."

          Guilt floods my heart but I push it away.  It's better for him right now.  I just hug him.   I pull back and stroke his face.  "I've missed you."  That's all I can say.  Then I hear footsteps.  "Drew?" I ask.  Hoping, praying, that it's him.  I see Jay's confused face.  I'll tell u later I mouthed.

          "No," says an evil voice.  "Tornado.  I am Abyss's brother.  Nice to see you here after waiting for so long."

          I turn around, ready to beat the breath out of him.  I feel my rage burning inside of me.  I turn around to a wolf just like Abyss, but different.  He had the bluest eyes I have ever seen.  He had one scar, right on his cheek.  I thought he was kinda cute.  To bad for him I hated his guts.  "Did you do this to him?"

          He smiles at me.  "I'm sorry.  I did.  I couldn't help myself.  It's what I do.  But you know, I could just let him go right now if you do whatever I tell you.  Otherwise you'll have to go through a fight."

          My disgust for him grew.  "You can die for all I care," I spit at him.  I have to try hard to keep from screeming it at him and drawing attention.  "If Jay doesn't live, you will die."

          "Temper temper.  Calm down and listen to me and he will go."

          "Never."  I jump him.  I win for a while, then he overpowers me and grabs me around the neck.  He is too heavy to push off.  I start to choke.  I can't breath.  I look over to Jay.  I don't know how, but he's standing up.

          I barely hear him say, "I just got her back.  I am not loosing her again."  His face is of pure hatred. 

          I look back to Tornado.  He's so consumed with choking me, he doesn't notice Jay.  He is taking joy in killing me.  I look back, and Jay is walking toward us.  There is no limp. There seems to be no pain.  He is ready to kill Tornado.  I am amazed. 

             "I will not loose her again," he says.  He leaps and grabs Tornado, just as Tornado lets go of me to turn to Jay.  Big mistake.  I go without my throat ripped open in exchange for this.  He lays on the ground choking, gasping for breath.  His throat is ripped open.

             All of these thoughts and things happen in seconds.  My final thought before Jay leaps as I'm growing unconcious is that I will never get to tell him what happened and that I'm sorry.  I didn't think Jay could win.  When Jay leaps, I feel all of that wieght from my thoughts go away.  I will be able to tell him.  I will live.

          "Before I die, I want to cause you more missery, knowing you won't be able to stop it," he chokes out.  "My brother has Drew.  Drew will ..... soon be.......dead.  Either him.... or Jay.   My brother.......won't settle for..........no."  The last word comes out in a sigh.  His head drops and he dies.

          I turn to Jay.  He is feeling his pain now.  He collapses on the ground holding his side.  I run to him and help him up.  "We need to go.  I don't believe Tornado but we still have to find Drew."

          "Alright.  Let's go."  He gasps but clenches his teeth and walks beside me.  "I don't know who he is, but if you care about him, I'll help."

          "Thank you.  He was a childhood friend.  He helped me get here.  He also taught me some stuff.  I'll show you later."

          "You have to understand there may not be a later."

Ch. 7

          I stood there.  That's all I did.  I was shocked.  "Wha... What do you mean?" I ask, my heart beating fast.

          "I'm hurt Emethyst.  I mean really hurt.  I may not make it...."

          I cut him off,"Don't talk like that.  You'll make it."

          "You don't know that.  C'mon.  Enough.  We need to rescue Drew.  I need to thank him for watching over you."

          We start walking again, Jay with a lot of help.  I start to realize that my big guy, my love, the one who has always protected me, may not make it.  I don't know what to say.  Then I stop. 

          "Why did you stop?" Jay asks sitting down to rest breathing hard.

          "I feel Drew.  I've been with him for three days now, I know when i'm near him."

           "Let's go then."

           "Wait.  Let me go first.  Stay here," I say walking around the corner to a hallway.  I study the hallway, and see a door cracked open.  I call back to Jay, but he doesn't answer.  I panick.  I run around the corner and he's not there.  I smell another wolf.  I run after the scent, and burst out