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Matt saw knitted brows al around him But suddenly the realization hit him that he had to tel soroup - including Stefan - had picked him to hide it because he had so stubbornly resisted when Shinichi was using Dao Matt had proved then that he would die in hideous pain rather than endanger his friends But if Matt were to die now, Misao’s star bal roup forever And only Matt kne close he had co with Shinichi

Far below they al heard a shout "Hel o! Is anybody home? Elena!"

"That’s nity, she ran to launch herself froed to break her fal before they both went down on the porch

"What’s been going on?"he said, his body vibrating infinitesiht "The whole house sht,"Elena said "Coot him in the root cel ar,"she added

Stefan looked confused "You’ve got who in the root cel ar?"

"With iron against the door,"Matt said triumphantly "And herbs and aot his key"

"His key? You’re talking about - Shinichi?"Stefan turned on Meredith, green eyes wide "While I’ve been gone?"

"It was mostly an accident I sort of stuck my hand in his pocket when he was upside down and off balance And I lucked out and got the Master Key - unless this is an ordinary house key"

Stefan stared at it "It’s the real thing Elena knows that

Meredith, you’re incredible!"

"Yes, it’s the right one,"Elena confirmed "I remember the shape - pretty elaborate, yes?"She took it froht as well test it,"Elena said with a mischievous smile

She walked to the door of the rooed key in the lock, and opened the door, stepping through and shutting the door behind her

Before anyone could speak, she was back, with the poker from the den held aloft in triu,"Matt said

Stefan looked almost feverish "But don’t you realize what it o anywhere we like without using Power Even to the Dark Diht to do so about Shinichi"

"You’re in no condition to do that now, dear Stefan,"Mrs

Flowers said, shaking her head "I’m sorry, but the truth is that we have been very, very lucky That wicked kitsune was off guard back then He won’t be now"

"I Stillhave to try,"Stefan said quietly "Every one of you has been torht - whether with your fists or your htly to Mrs Flowers "I’ve suffered but I’ve never had a chance to fight hio with you"

Elena added, "We can al fight together Right, Meredith?"

Meredith nodded slowly, taking Stefan’s poker froether"

"I say it’s a higher blow than letting hi people Anye’l take care of ittogether,"Elena said firet up, but his motion was frozen in race of hunting lionesses or bal et dancers the two girls closed in on Stefan, and si hiroin Stefan reeled away from the blow to the head, but simply said, "Ohen Meredith hit hi as precisely as if he were on the footbal field, got Meredith out of "Stefan’s"way too

But this iht back

Stefan’s forreen leaves woven into her scarlet-tipped black hair, stood before them To Matt’s shock, her face was pinched and pale She was obviously very il , although Stilldefiant But there was no ht

"What have you done with my star bal ? And my brother?"she demanded feebly

"Your brother’s safely locked up,"Matt said, hardly knohat he was tel ing her Despite al the cri sorry for her She was clearly desperate and il

"I know that I was going to say er"Now Misao looked wretched and frightened "You’ve never seen hiry either,"Elena said "At least not when he had al his Power"

Misao just shook her head A dried leaf floated from her hair

"You don’t understand!"

"I doubt we understand anything Meredith, have we searched this girl?"

"No, but surely she wouldn’t have brought the other one - "

Elena said crisply, "Matt, take a book and read it I’l tel you e’re done"

Matt was reluctant to turn his back on a kitsune, even a sick one But when even Mrs Flowers nodded gently he obeyed

Still, back turned or not, he could hear noises And the noises suggested that Misao was being held tightly and searched thoroughly At first the sounds were al negative murmurs

"Huh-uhhuh-uhhuh-uhhuh- oops!"There was a rattle of metal on wood

Matt only turned when Elena said, "Okay, you can look It was in her front pocket"She added to Misao, as looking as if she ht faint, "We didn’t want to have to hold you and search you But this key - where in heaven’s naet keys like this, anyway?"

A pink spot showed on Misao’s cheeks "Heaven is right

They’re the only two left of the Master Keys - and they belong to Shinichi and ured out how to steal theo"

At that moment they heard a car on the road - Stefan’s Porsche In the dead silence that fol owed, they could also see the car through Stefan’sas it swung into the driveway

"No one goes down,"Elena said tersely "No one invites hilance "Shinichi could have tunneled out like a mole by now And he’s already been invited in"

"My fault for not warning you al - but anyway, if it is Shinichi and he’s done anything to hurt Stefan he’s going to see s of Destruction just popped intoinside me wants to say them"

There was a chil in the room

No onefootsteps Stefan appeared at his door, burst through, and found hi at hi on?"he de held up between Meredith and Matt "Misao - "

Elena took two steps toward hi him into a deep kiss For a moment he resisted, but then, bit by bit, his opposition col apsed despite the rooo, she just leaned against Stefan, breathing hard The others were al crimson with ehtly

"I’m sorry,"Elena whispered "But you’ve already ’come home’twice First, it was Shinichi and we locked him in the root cel ar Then it was her"She pointed, without looking, toward the cowering Misao "I didn’t kno to make sure that Shinichi hadn’t escaped sonize you You’re always ready to letand quickly stood up so she could sit, for at least a minute or two, in peace

The peace lasted less than a minute

"I want my star bal !"Misao cried "I need to put Power in it or I’l go on weakening - and then you’l haveout of the star bal or so about what he’d seen on his hoot hiathered Power to put in it?"he asked mildly "Power from yesterday, maybe?"

"Power from ever since you took it But it isn’t joined with

me With my star balIt’sCole Reece eat his guinea pig while it was alive? Fro kids burn down their own houses?"Matt’s voice was gravel y

"What does it matter?"Misao retorted sul enly "It’s mine

They were my ideas, not yours You can’t keep me away - "

"Meredith, keep me away from her I’ve known that kid Cole since he was born I’l always have night water "Have nighthtmares,"she whispered

There was a silence Then Meredith said, careful y and expressionlessly, as if she were thinking of the stave, "You’re a nasty little thing, aren’t you? Is that your food? Bad htmares, fear of the future?"

Misao was plainly stuular hungry teenager "How about some pizza and a Coke? Is that what you want?"Misao couldn’t even see that her appetites rong, so she couldn’t lie

"You were right before,"Stefan said forceful y "We have your star balThe only way tofor us We’re supposed to be able to control you anyway because we have it - "

"Old-ways thinking Obsolete,"Misao growled

There was a dead silence Matt felt his sto"al along To get Shinichi’s star bal by oal had been to control Shinichi using his star bal

"You don’t understand,"Misao said, pitiful y and yet angrily at the saain

But e did in this town - it was an order, not just for fun"

"Could’a fooled me,"Elena murmured, but Stefan’s head jerked up and he said, "An order? Froets the orders

Then he tel s me what to do But whoever it is should be happy by now The town is allared at the group, and they stared back

Without knowing that he was going to say it, Matt said, "Let’s put her in the root cel ar with Shinichi I’ve got this feeling that we ht"