"Kate?"

She opened her eyes only to find Cassey leaning over her, biting her lip in concern. "You're awake."

Cassey looked around the room, "Where am I?"

Kate pressed her lips together in a thin line, contemplating whether to tell her. "You had a vision."

Her blue eyes widened. "....What did I see?"

She only shook her head, disappointed that Cassie couldn't remember. "I don't know but it was a warning....for me."

Cassie lunged forward and gripped her arms, her eyes boring in hers. "What did I say?"

"You just said, Don't do it, but you didn't really explain." her brow furrowed in concern as Cassie leaned back with a shuddering sigh. "What's wrong?"

"I'm been having these visions," She said quietly. "They're always with different people, people I don't even know, but one thing is always the same. They all die. I-it's....horrible and there's always so much blood. And when I look at you....."

Her heart stuttered to a stop as Cassie trailed off. "What do you see when you look at me?"

"It's not what I see. It's what I feel...." Cassie looked up and pressed a hand against her chest. "And when I look at you, it feels like I'm slowly being burned alive."

 Unconsciously Kate pressed her hand against her own heart, remembering the nightmare.

Cassie turned away from her. "Kate I don't know what's going on but....you need to be careful. Something is coming and no one will be safe."

"Have you told anyone about this?" She asked.

Cassie shook her head. "No, not yet. My visions aren't always accurate but I'm telling Eloise after the Fitness competition."

"But that's at least two weeks," she argued. "You need to tell someone sooner."

"Didn't you hear? The Fitness Competition has been moved for this weekend."

"what? why?"

Cassie shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure but it's been announced yesterday evening."

"Ugh, seriously? I have to train harder if I want to make it out alive this year." She groaned. So much for catching up on sleep, something she has lacked since her late night visits to Vidur.

Cassie smiled as she stood up. "It's pass noon. I need to leave since I'm meeting up with Lisa for my tutoring. Please don't tell anyone about my vision, at least not until I tell Eloise."

"My lips are sealed." Kate affirmed.

Once Cassie left she looked at her clock and groaned again. Darn, it was past noon. There goes her morning training session.

She paused, maybe she could visit Vidur.It would be more riskier but she didn't feel like dealing with any humans at the moment. He'll be happy to see me, she reasoned with a grin.

Vidur seemed less than livid as she came in. What are you doing here?

"I brought an apple. Surprise!" She said holding up the red fruit.

Eyeing the apple with interest he said. Do you have any idea it isss to come here in the middle of the day?

"Yeesh, awesome seeing you too." She huffed as she sat down. "I wanted to see you."

His bones popped and cracked as he moved to grab the apple. You wanted to ssee me?

She nodded. "What can I say? You kinda grew on me. C'mon admit it, you wanted to see me too."

He grinned at her. Are youngsterssss alwayss thiss energetic? But you can't hide from me, there iss another reasson why you came.

Kate sighed. "Yeah, you know the dreams I been telling you about?"

He nodded in response.

"Well, last night I dreamed I was dying. But it wasn't just a dream, it felt way too real. I think...No, I know it's a warning."

You need to heed the warning, it came to you for a reasson. He said.

"I know," she sighed. "But what is it warning me against? Ugh why is everything so vague?....just like that stupid shadow walker."

What?!

She cringed. "Oh...about that. Before I met you, I may have have come in contact with a shadow walker....and we made a deal in order not to kill each other."

A deal? He squawked.

She held up her hands. "We just traded some information, that's all! It's no big deal.

A Sshadow walker? He asked incredulously. Of all the demonss, you managed to come in contact with a Sshadow walker who knowss your true nature and you made a deal with it?

 "You make it sound so bad." Kate bristled. "And so far he's the only demon that I know of- other than you- who hasn't tried to kill me."

Well actually, I did try to kill you. He pointed out.

She gave an exasperated sigh. "You get the point."

He nodded. I see....But you have no idea on what you have expossed yourself to. Do you even know what they are?

"Uh....they're shadow walkers?"

Now it was he turn to sigh in exasperation. You are more clueless than I thought.

"Well sorry, but we didn't exactly have slumber party and braid each other's hair....wait I don't think he has hair."

He beckoned towards her. There iss much I need to tell you. Firsst off, in your casse a Sshadow walker is the worssst demon you can come in contact with.

She frowned. "And why is that?"

He looked at her, his lips set in a stern line. SShadow walkers are part shadow, that's much is commonly known. But other than that, they're a complete mysstery. There is only one thing I know about them, their eating habitss.

She rose an eyebrow at that. "Their eating habits?"

Vidur nodded. Sshadow walkers are parasitic entitiesss. They ussually feed off the energy of other, but they have a tasste for Ssshadows.

"Shadows?"

Our Sshadows are the closests things to a soul. He exaplined. They ussed to feed on soulss but that practice has been banned long ago. Shadows, unlike souls, regenerate which offerss an endless food supply. The rarer the shadow, the more sssought out it is. And sso far you're the only necromancer I have met.

"Oh," was her pathetic response. "So no talking to shadow walkers."

What is hiss name?

She blinked, her curiosity piqued. "why do you want to know?"

Namess hold power, he simply said.

Her agreement with Asraen flashed through her mind and she shook her head. "I can't. We agreed I wouldn't talk about it to anyone."

But you told me.

"I trust you." She responded.

His black eyes widened in stunned silence. After a moment he titled his head at her, his mouth twisted in a small sad smile. I will resspect your decision.....You know, you are quite honorable for a human.

Kate chuckled. "Gee, thanks." She looked down to her watch and saw that she was late for dinner. Standing up she gave him a smile. "I'll see you later Divur."

Good bye, Kate. He had never spoken her name, something that caused her to pause. There was something in the way he sat there, his skeletal sshoulders hunched forward as he gave her that same sad twisted smile.

She wasn't sure what to say and instead turned and walked out.

Even as she sat with her friends, her mind kept coming back to Divur. Something was wrong but she couldn't pin what it was.

"Kate, you should have seen Alain at the training session today." Josh boasted. "He was wiping Andrew's ass all over the floor with his ninja moves!"

Alain's cheeks darkened as Kate looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "It was just training."

"Just training?!" Both Brad and Josh echoed.

Josh snorted. "Andrew was an asshole and he needed someone to put him in his place."

"Anyway," Annabelle said with a roll of her eyes. "We all need to start on deciding who takes what position. This fitness competition may seem easy but we can never underestimate our opponents."

Kate titled her head to the side. "Why would it be easy this year?"

Anabelle leaned in. "I overhead Teresa and Eloise talking about it. With the increase of demon attacks, our holding cells are reaching their maximum capacity. This year we are eliminating all the old and sickly."

"W-what?!"

Anabelle gave her a confused look. "It's only logical. We can't just have a horde of demons under our feet."

Everyone stared at her and she forced her lips to twist up into a smile. "Yeah that makes sense. I just wasn't expecting it."

"I'm loving it. More demons means more ass kicking!" Brad whooped out as he high fived Josh.

Her stomach churned and Kate resisted the urge to clobber him right there and then. Calm down.

"Even if we have a clean up every year, they'll just keep coming. Thei're nothing more than parasites who cling to every scrap of life."

Parasites... That word echoed in her head causing her to flinch. And what am I then?

Vidur flashed in her mind then. His small twisted smile hinting at some dark and heavy secret. Realization crashed so hard, she jerked back. Everything made sense now. He knew...

Goodbye kate... His words reverberated through her and she slouched forward, eyes starting to burn with unshed tears. Oh God, how could she not see?...How could she not have asked him or-

"Kate, what's wrong?"

"I need to puke!" She blurted. Standing up she raced to her room, ignoring her friends as they yelled after her.

She pressed her hands against her face, feeling the tears run down her cheeks. No, no, nononono....This couldn't be happening. Why?....WHY? She couldn't let this happen...she had to do something.

"But what?" She asked out loud. Her mind began racing and she paced back a forth in the room.

The Fitness Competition was only a couple of days away, and she had to figure out a way in order to protect Divur. He wouldn't survive this year, that much was certain. There was no choice....she would have to get him out.

Don't do it...

Could the warning be?....Kate shook her head, there was no choice. She couldn't let her friend die....she had failed to protect the ones she cared about once before but one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to fail again.

_____________________________

A/N: Ooh things are picking up! :D Stay tune for the next chapter!

PS: Don't be afraid to point out any mistakes, I typed this up at 11pm haha