Saturday morning, Paolo, Matt, and Christina are at the mall in search of possible presents for Mike�s surprise birthday party tonight. �Do you know what you�re going to get him yet?� Matt asks. �I have no idea what I should get.�
�I have no idea either,� Christina responds, �Paolo, you�ve known each other pretty much your whole life, what should we get him?�
�Well, I know that he doesn�t like to receive gifts that are expensive and showy. But, I already know what to get him. I know exactly what he wants.�
�How do you know?� Christina questions.
�I have my sources,� Paolo says mockingly. Both Matt and Christina stop and stare at him. �Ok, ok. He told me what he wanted.�
�So, where�s this friend of yours Chris? I thought you said she was going to be here?� Matt says, �we�ve been waiting here for her for almost half an hour already.�
�She�ll be here, she�s probably stuck at a jewelry store somewhere. She�s one of those Princess types.�
�You mean she�s spoiled,� Paolo says.
�Yea, kind of. But not really a full-blown brat that gets everything she wants. She knows when to stop.�
�That�s cool then, I guess,� Matt explains.
�There she is now, I told you she�d show,� as she points to short blonde girl walking towards them. She wore her hair down, and also had a gold necklace hanging from her neck with a charm engraved in both gold and white gold with �XOXO� but with hearts in the place of the �O�s.� She also had a pair of tight blue jeans and a black shirt on.
Matt stares at her stunned at her beauty. His mouth hung wide open as he grasped Paolo�s arm, �Oh my god!� he whispered to him, �That�s nice!�
�Hey Jill, What�s going on?� Christina greets her.
�Everything�s fine hun.�
�Well, Jill this is Paolo,� pointing to him, �And this is Matt.� Paolo reaches over to shake her hand followed by Matt.
�Nice to meet you,� they greet her.
Christina looks at Matt and Jill acknowledging their obvious flirting. She motions to Paolo to walk with her, leaving Matt and Jill alone. �C�mon Paolo, we got to go find a present for Mike.�
At first he doesn�t realize what she wanted him to do. Christina motions to him again and then he realizes that she wanted to leave Matt and Jill alone. He slowly moves away from them rushing towards Christina.
Mike and Amy are walking around in the park. The sun warms the entire place, and it is an altogether beautiful day. �The weather has been going a little crazy lately, hasn�t it?� Amy says to Mike.
�Yea. Things have been a little insane lately as well,� Mike explains.
�Really? Well, what are you doing today? Because I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie today or something,� Amy suggests.
�Ok. That sounds great,� Mike agrees. They continue to walk and Amy reaches over to hold his hand.
Back at the manor, Kate, Tom, and Matt are cleaning up for the party, and also decorating. �Where are the others? They should be helping us out here,� Tom wonders.
�They�re just doing some last minute shopping. They should be back really soon,� Kate explains. Suddenly the doorbell rings. �I�ll get it.�
�That better be them,� Tom says angrily. Vinny walks in holding a bag of groceries.
�I got all the drinks and I picked up the food from the catering hall too. It�s all in the car,� Vinny says. �Wow, you guys are doing a good job here. You need any help?�
�Actually, yea. Can you vacuum the living room and the den? Thanks a bunch Vin,� Kate. �I�ll go fix up the kitchen.�
Tom laughs mockingly at him. �Have fun!� he walks away towards the stairs. Vinny looks straight at him and begins to snicker as Tom�s shoelaces are tied together, tripping him up the stairs.
�I'm having a lot of fun already,� he says laughing. He walks over to the closet and picks up the vacuum and starts with the cleaning.
Christina, Paolo, Matt, and Jill are on their way back to the manor, but in separate cars. Paolo�s driving with Matt in his car, and Christina is in Jill�s Alero. �So, Chris, tell me about your friend Matt�How old is he? Where�s he from? Is he single?��
�Pretty much right to the point, eh? Well, I don�t think he�s seeing anyone, and he lives at the manor with some friends and me.�
�Ah, I see. Lucky you.� Jill says as she laughs.
�Yea, I guess. Well, tonight we�re holding a surprise party for on of my friends. You should come by, he�ll definitely be there.�
�Ok, great. I�ll be there.�
Meanwhile, deep in the caverns near the beach, there stands a tall man with black hair and pale skin, wearing dark clothes. He stands before a beautiful woman wearing a black silk robe with a black rope tied around her waist. She bore four silver rings, one on each index and ring finger, which held black crystals.
�So, I heard you tried to save one of the Mystics. Explain to me why!� she shouts and grabs him by the neck, �Tell me now, or the immortal life I have given you shall see eternal darkness,� she threatens.
He pulls away from her. �You may have created me, Silver, but it was against my will, I owe you nothing.�
�You are not content with your new gifts?� she asks. �The kiss of eternal life is a great privilege. So many people desire it. And you were chosen. Why do you continue to fight it?�
�This eternal life and power is pure evil, I on the other hand, am not. Not anymore.� He then turns away from her and starts to walk away.
�You know, you will never be part of their world. You are not and cannot ever again be human,� she warns.
He starts to run and slowly shapeshifts himself into a white wolf and quickly leaves the caverns. �You did this to me,� he thought to himself, �I will have my revenge!� But as he leaves, the Dark mage begins to send whispers to his mind, �You will never be one of them,� he listens. �They won�t accept you, you�re evil, created by evil. Never will you walk amongst them in peace.�
When he finally reached the end of the cave, he stopped running and fell to his knees under the shadows. �I shall overcome you!� he assured himself. And a tear of blood slowly rolled down his cheek. �You will not prevail. I won�t let you.�
The sun begins to set outside and they all await Mike and Amy�s arrival. Matt, Tom, Christina, Jill, Paolo, Vinny, Megan, Kristen, and Kate all sit about drinking and making conversations with each other. The music inside the house is loud and everyone is enjoying the party.
Suddenly, outside it quickly gets dark. The winds start to blow harder and colder. Paolo, Vinny, and Kate both sense a supernatural presence in the vicinity. They look at each other and walk towards the door. All three step outside and the door slams behind them due to the winds. �You feel that too, right?� Vinny asks.
�Yea, it�s a really powerful presence. Do you think it might be a mage?� Paolo says. �It�s a strong one��
�Or maybe there�s more than one,� Kate warns.
Near the porch, vines of plants begin to creep in the lawn spreading itself out and engulfing the front yard with nothing but green plants. They stand unmoved and stunned at the vines. Suddenly, �Hey! I can�t move!� Vinny yells out. �Why can�t I move? I feel so heavy�� he then falls down flat on the ground, unable to move.
The vines on the ground begin to spiral upward in the middle of the yard creating a pillar. Then a green light emanates from inside, escaping only through tiny holes between the vines. The vines then relax themselves and drop to the ground revealing a woman with brown hair, dark skin, and rags as clothing as if she were living in the jungle.
A small tornado also appears in the street then the energy seemed to diminish and the tornado grows smaller to reveal a young man with short black hair and dark clothing. He was about the same height as Vinny and Paolo were. But he stood there holding a light blue staff with a glowing sphere at the top.
Out from the earth, arises a tall dark haired man, who seemed a bit young to be a mage. He wore a ring with a gray stone, which he pointed directly at Vinny. Paolo and Kate rush to Vinny�s aid trying to lift him, �we can�t carry him, he�s too heavy�wait�that must be Drake then, the Earth Mage with the gravity power,� Kate cautions. �The girl must be Ivy, the Earth Sorceress, and the other Skye, the Air Mage.�
�You�re right. But we have to get them out of here, there are innocents inside,� Paolo explains.
�Yea, and I can hardly get up!� Vinny explains.
�Go inside and warn the others of what�s going on, Kate, and I�ll go with Vinny to another realm.�
�That would make it three on two Paolo, those aren�t good odds.� Kate says.
Just as she said that, Mike and Amy pull up in the driveway. �Hey, who are those guys on the street and why are they in front of the house?� Amy asks.
�No, they�re here�� Mike thought to himself. �Why don�t you go inside and rest, I�ll go ask Paolo.�
She runs inside the house and sees Vinny lying on the ground. �Are you ok?�
�Yea, I�m fine. Thanks.�
She enters the house with Kate as Paolo welcomes Mike back, and begins the spell to transport them. A blue light appears in Paolo�s palm. He raises his arm and throws the ball into the center and starts to chant. The light then explodes sending a circular shockwave sending Paolo, Mike, and Vinny to the ground as well as the mages.
Now they find themselves in a barren desert with no sign of life anywhere. The sun sends down a ray of scorching heat making it difficult for Paolo to breathe. Ivy as at a disadvantage as well, there is very little plant life around for her to control.
Skye begins to rise up floating just above Ivy and Drake. �I think I�ll take Skye,� Vinny says. �Paolo will you be ok?�
�Yea, I guess I�ll be fine. Go ahead, don�t worry about me, just kick their butts!�
�Leave Drake to me,� Mike says confidently.
Vinny rises above Paolo and Mike with arms extended towards Skye. Paolo and Mike stand their ground ready to fight. They all turn their attention to Skye who begins to glow a bright white light. The air around them begins to move restlessly. Then, the wind begins to blow with increasing vigor, pushing Vinny away little by little.
�I�ve had enough of this,� Vinny says angrily. His hands are still directed towards Skye and he lets out a burst of power, knocking Skye down to the ground. Drake takes his staff and directs it at Mike. The orb begins to brighten.
�Um, I have a problem here, guys...� he says with uneasiness. �I can�t move! Why can�t I move?!� He then notices the orb on Drake�s staff lighting up. �Wait,� he thinks to himself. �He has the power to manipulate gravity and matter. If I change my density, he can�t manipulate my weight!�
Mike then slowly fades away, becoming transparent. �What?! How�d you...� Drake says confused. Mike moves slowly towards him and materializes his fists. He strikes Drake�s stomach then throws an uppercut right at his face. Drake slowly falls backwards and hits his head on a rock, rendering him unconscious.
Paolo charges up his magick and levitates from the ground a few inches, as his eyes darken and the winds once again shift. Streams of shadowy tendrils emanate from his fingertips towards Ivy. She stands there unmoved yet full of anxiety and fear. Her powers are useless in that situation. She quickly runs towards the nearest form of plant-life and manipulates it creating one huge entity surrounding her therein. The plant then shrinks and disappears into the air.
Vinny looks around him for a few rocks and animates them sending them flying towards Skye. He is surprised to see Skye vanish into a cloud of steam, evading the projectiles. He then appears above Drake and taking him into his arms and both vanish within the cloud.
�Where did Paolo, Mike, and Vinny go?� Christina asks Kate.
�They encountered some of the mages outside, Paolo took them elsewhere.�
�Oh wow, I hope they�re ok.�
Soon thereafter, the house begins to undergo some unusual disturbances. Outside, the darkness begins to prevail. The lights inside the house start to flicker. Diane, Christina venture downstairs to the basement to gather up some candles incase of emergencies. Kate attempts to ignite the firewood in the fireplace. Amy is in the bathroom fixing her hair. Tom just arrives at the house and is walking up the driveway. Matt and Jill are sitting in the den talking. Megan is in the kitchen getting something to drink.
Upstairs in the bathroom, as Amy fixes her hair, she notices the flickering lights and looks at the chandelier hanging above her. Then she looks into the mirror and notices some drastic changes in her appearance. She sees in the mirror her hair falling off, her skin beginning to droop, and growing acne. She screams in terror and runs out of the bathroom.
Downstairs by the fireplace, Kate sits there waiting for Paolo and the rest to return. Then she hears a sudden cry for help. She jumps up and looks around her, nobody around. She hears the blood-curdling shriek again and runs towards it. She enters the kitchen to find a trail of blood leading to the bar. She follows the trail and finds a greater pile of blood and she sees someone�s leg. She almost vomits and begins to tear. �Hello? Are you ok?� No reply. She inches closer to the body and finds Paolo lying still with his hands crossed around his chest. �Oh my God!� she runs towards him crying, sits beside him and puts his head on her lap. �You�re going to be fine, we�ll get help. Christina!� she yells, �Paolo�s hurt, he needs you!�
No answer yet again. �Where is everyone?!?! Please we need your help...anybody!� Slowly she watches as Paolo�s life drains out of his body. �No, don�t die on me now! Please, I need you...� she begins to sob more heavily.
Diane and Christina are walking back up the stairs from the basement. The lights suddenly shut off entirely and they both gasp. �Christina? Where are you?� Diane whispers in concern. �Please, Chris, I�m scared. Stop playing around, it�s not funny at all.� Everything around her becomes bitch black, she cannot see anything at all. She just walks ahead using her hands as guides to where she is headed, feeling the walls and walking slowly dragging her feet across the floor to be careful not to trip. �I hate the dark...� she whispers to herself. �I�m terrified of it...and to add to it, I�m alone.�
Christina continues to walk and the lights decide to come on once again, and she turns around to find Diane, gone. �Diane?� She calls out. She walks towards the living room and finds the fireplace lit. She approaches the fireplace and stares at it, a little scared of it. She notices the sparks flying within the fireplace and she just stands there, frozen. She sees the fire spreading to the ground and slowly draws closer to her. Eventually, it surrounds her in a circle of fire. She is frozen in her own fear, and she falls to her knees, �This is only a dream, only a dream, only a dream,� she said to herself loudly then decreasing into a whisper.
Megan stands in the kitchen and moved to the dining room when she saw Kate aimlessly walk right passed her and straight to the bar. Suddenly she felt she couldn�t walk. �Oh no, I can�t feel my legs.� She slowly fell, collapsing her whole body onto the floor. �My legs...what�s happening to me?! This can�t happen. I...I...� and she passes out on the floor.
Matt and Jill are still talking in the den and they notice how quiet the house has become. �Where is everyone? Why is it so quiet?� Jill asks.
�I really don�t have a clue. Nobody came to say they were leaving. So they should still be somewhere around here.� Matt assures her.
Jill looks around and sees a snake wriggling around near the door. She gasps for air and hesitates. �What�s wrong Jill?�
�There is a snake over there by the door, can�t you see it?� she says.
�There�s nothing there Jill. I don�t see anything...�
�How can you not see that thing? It�s huge!�
She then hears the hissing of more snakes, she looks around her to find them on the table, television, and windowsill. �They�re everywhere Matt! Make them go away, PLEASE!� She screams in terror. She looks down at her leg and sees a smaller size snake crawling over her foot. She screams once again and kicks it away.
Matt just sits there staring at her as she slowly falls into insanity. �There�s nothing there! Calm down.� But she doesn�t seem to hear him. He waves his hands around in front of her face. �Hello? Listen to me, there�s nothing there.� Again, she seems as if she�s looking right through him.
�Matt!� she screams, �where are you??? How can you just leave me here! Help me!�
�I�m right here Jill, can�t you see me?� She still seems to be ignoring him. He notices her standing in the table�s edge. Still, she screams and cries. The table slowly tips over and he watches her slowly collapse onto the ground still in shock.
Elsewhere, the Silver stands before her obsidian crystal orb and looks deep into it. �My magick is working. All their fears are manifesting before their eyes, and all the fear is feeding me. Giving more strength to my magick. I can feel the power growing inside of me.� She lets out a maniacal laugh. �Slowly, their energy is being drained, and all to feed my powers, which feed on their fears.�
�Silver!� A voice calls out from the shadows of the cave. �You know I can�t let you do this.� Then the shadowy figure emerges from the shadows and reveals itself. �I�m not going to let you hurt them like that.�
�Dan, you�re so pathetic, I created you, and I can make you disappear with ease,� she threatens. �Leave now.�
�No, I can�t let you harm them!� he extends his hands growing his fingernails longer and sharper. He then charges towards her. She simply waves her hand at him and he flies straight back, towards the wall.
Tom stands before the front door trying to pry it open, no good. Nothing seems to work. The door is not budging. He then sees Paolo, Mike and Vinny approaching. �I think there�s something wrong inside the house,� Tom informs them. �I�ve been trying to get in, but there�s no way I can. All I�ve been hearing from inside are screams from everyone. I don�t know what�s going on in there.�
Suddenly, as they got closer, Paolo and Vinny stare at each other in horror. �There�s a very strong evil here,� Vinny says, �and I think that�s what is going on inside. But it�s a very strong presence. I would guess that a mage is at work here.�
�Yea, you�re definitely right. A curse has been put upon the house. A really powerful one. I don�t think my powers are strong enough to overcome it.� Paolo says.
�Try anyway,� Mike says. �We have to, Amy is in there. Wait, who else is in there?�
�Um, surprise?� Tom says sarcastically, �happy birthday. Everyone is inside, except us, of course.�
�Ok, I can try to dispel the curse...But it will be difficult.�
�I�ll try to take the door down.� Mike suggests. He charges towards the door and makes contact with his shoulder. To his dismay, the door does not budge, nor does it even scratch. He then hears a loud shriek from inside. �That�s Amy,� he says to himself. �I�m coming!� He hits the door with all his strength, but nothing seems to work.
Vinny, stands before Paolo, watching him. He then turns to look at Mike, desperately trying to break the door down. He then begins to see blood...leaking from the windows of the house. Slowly dripping to the outside... �blood...� he whispers to himself.
As Paolo begins his spell, he conjures a small ball of energy in his hand. It slowly floats above his palm, but something seems to be wrong with it. It starts to go crazy and it burst right in his face, dividing itself into smaller bits of energy. They start to attack him, striking him and exploding. �My spell�s not working. It�s not Working!� he yells out.
Mike still seems to be failing at his task to break the door down. His last attempt. He lowers his shoulders and runs towards it. Finally the door gives way, but all he sees as soon as he enters are bodies...bodies of his friends, lying on the ground before him. �I�m too late??�
In the cavern, Dan picks up two rocks and holds them in his claws. He throws them at Silver and transforms himself into a wolf and charges towards her. She evades the rocks and hits Dan in the face with her fist. Sending him spinning to her feet. �Why do you still resist?� she asks.
�You�re evil, I can�t let you hurt them.� He transforms back into human form with his claws and scratches her leg, wounding her. He jumps up as she falls, and takes the staff and smashes the orb at its end. �That should break the spell.�
�NO!� she cries out in anguish. �You will pay for that you coward! Vampire turned good, ha! Good luck with that one. The elders already are asking for your head.�
Back at the mansion, all the illusions fade away bringing everything back to normal. The bodies before Mike disappear, the blood, the snakes, everything disappears. Kate is found still sitting in the corner of the bar, sobbing with her head in her knees. Amy hides herself in the closet with a scarf wrapped around her face.
�Paolo...� Kate weeps.
�I�m right here Kate,� he says. She looks up in amazement. �It was all an illusion. There was curse set upon the house.�
Still shaken up, she attempts to rise to her feet. She stumbles a little and jumps onto Paolo hugging him tightly, �I thought I lost you...�
Mike finds Amy in the closet, �Why are you hiding in here?�
�Don�t look at me! I�ve become a hideous monster. I don�t know what happened...�
�It�s ok Amy, I�m here. You look fine, take off that scarf.� Mike assures her.
�No, you don�t understand. I�m ugly.� She stares at his eyes. And she looks down back at her feet then slowly removes the scarf. �See?�
�I don�t see any change, you�re still beautiful, look,� he says to her handing her a mirror. �I told you, you must have been dreaming.�
Christina finds Diane in the hallway crawled up into the corner...both also shaken up. �Come, we have to go see the rest of the group.�
In the den, everyone sits down. The silence prevails and they all stare at each other in confusion, fear, and amazement. No one knows exactly what had happened. Except Paolo, and Vinny. But they could not speak of it in the presence of Amy, Jill, and Megan. Vinny immediately alters their memories, and Mike leaves with Amy to take her home. Christina and Matt leave with Jill, and Diane takes Tom with her to drive Megan home.
Everyone still kept their silence. No one spoke a word the rest of the night.
Breakdown 
Chapter VII