"Let me go!" Lance wailed. His voice sounded foreign. It bounced off the walls, fading away. He was imprisoned in a room surrounded by glass, including the floor and ceiling. Just like his dream. Malachi’s face appeared in the glass wall. "Lance, you are already half dead. All that remains is your soul. Because you were such a worthy opponent atop the cliff, I am going to grant you one last chance to get your mind back. Lose this time and your mind and soul will belong to me." Suddenly, adding to Lance’s terror, hundreds of faces popped up inside the glass. Their mouths opened in silent screams and their eyes permanently widened with fear. "These, my friend, are the souls and minds this curse has claimed over thousands of years. Not just by me, but other Mind Stealers in past and present generations." Malachi passed through the glass. "Ready to fight?" Lance glowered malevolently. "Ladies first." Malachi’s eyes flashed. "Hmm, feisty aren’t we?" They stood across from each other. Their auras appeared. Malachi lashed lasers at Lance. Lance, using his mind, brought up his shield. He could feel Malachi’s aura beating against his, desperate to break past it and destroy his will. Lance willed Malachi to fall to the ground. Malachi resisted, but managed to back off enough for Lance to send a beam of lightening in the direct center of his aura. The force shook the room so greatly spider cracks formed in the glass.

Suddenly, Malachi started taking another form. Lance watched in awe and fright, as Malachi became the form of a Bengal tiger. You can do it too Lance. Use your mind. Challenging me? Lance squeezed his eyes shut and imagined himself as a Bengal. When he opened them, he realized his vision was black and white. He was much shorter. Well done, Lance. The transformation was very impressive. The tigers lunged at each other. Malachi pinned Lance to the ground. Lance slashed Malachi’s nose. He roared angrily. Lance raised his head and sank his teeth into Malachi’s shoulder. The tiger roared again, in pain rather than rage. Lance shoved Malachi to the floor. Give me my mind back now! You haven’t won the game yet. Malachi transformed into a falcon. The falcon soared onto Lance’s back. Malachi’s talons dug into Lance’s fur. Lance howled. I want to be a cheetah. The cheetah, being one of the fastest animals on Earth, seemed like a smart choice. The cheetah bucked the falcon off its back. Running at seventy miles an hour, Lance pounced upon Malachi, biting the bird’s stomach. Malachi shrieked. The room spun psychedelically. In a quick flash, Lance realized he was no longer in the glass room of imprisoned souls. He was standing in a forest. He and Malachi took their original form as humans. Malachi’s aura was extremely weak. Perfect, this works in my advantage. You think you’ve beaten me, Lance. No way! Malachi ran sideways up a redwood tree. Lance tailed him. Malachi jumped from one of the limbs and sailed onto a distant limb of a different redwood. Lance ran across the tree branches. His vision blurred with speed. Malachi jumped to the top of the tree. Lance caught up with him. "You coward! I never dreamed the great Mind Stealer would fear me." Malachi chuckled. "All that running and flying has weakened your aura. Can’t you tell when your colors have faded? I evened the score." Malachi performed a move using his most deadly weapon. A red light beam shot out from the palm of his hand, penetrating Lance’s aura and shooting him in the heart. The beam hit with the force of 500 men. Lance’s body flew backwards until he slammed into the bark of a redwood, nearly two miles away. Malachi instantly used his mind to teleport himself to the exact spot where an injured Lance was curled up in pain.

For awhile he hovered over him, snickering and shaking his head. "It wasn’t wise to be so bold with me." Lance staggered to his knees. "You’ll-you-you’ll…" "Win, just as I promised." Malachi calmly cupped one hand under Lance’s chin, and the other at the base of his skull. He turned Lance’s head slowly back and forth. Oh Gosh, Lance thought, He’s going to break my neck. Anna’s hint drifted in the still night of the forest: Call upon the great and almighty. I have yet to figure it out. One song in particular stood apart in Lance’s mind. A church hymn. Lance whispered, "That’s it!" Malachi frowned. "What are you mumbling about?" Finding newfound strength, Lance looked up towards the heavens. "God," he shouted, "Please save me!" The clouds parted. Light burst upon Malachi. "Noooooooooooooooo!" He screeched, "MY POWER CANNOT DIE!" The dirt ground opened up where the light shined. Red smoke simmered from the gaping hole. Thousands of charred, deformed skeletons arose. Their bony fingers wrapped around Malachi. Malachi struggled as the skeletons dragged him into the hole. A shadowy, hooded figure rose above the rest and sucked Malachi’s power from his soul. Malachi disappeared into the ground, screaming and clawing till the very end. The clouds closed. The light vanished. "Thanks," Lance whispered. The forest became misty, like a dream. Lance grew warm, but it was comforting warmth. He lost consciousness as he felt his soul returning to his body.

Nsync was at the depths of despair. They thought Lance was dead. Anna clenched her fists. "Will everybody quit their crying? He may not be dead per se!" What was the use? Nobody listened to her anyway. She checked Lance’s neck for the millionth time. A pulse! "He’s alive!" At this revelation, Lance stirred, groaned softly, and opened his eyes. Anna laughed. "Well, don’t sit around gawking at him!" Chris and Joey cheered. Justin helped Lance to his feet. J.C. hugged him. Lance observed the scene. "Why are you all upset? I’ve got my mind back. I remember everything." Next came a barrage of questions. "What was it like?" "How did you beat him?" "Is it cool to be in a mind fight?" Anna held up her hands. "Save it for the hotel, unless you’d rather pitch tents on top of this cliff." Lance tugged at the ring. It effortlessly slid off his finger. Joey wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Get rid of that awful thing." Lance happily pitched the ring off the cliff. It plopped into the waves and disappeared. They turned to the Mind Stealer who’d almost taken Lance’s life. One glance told them Malachi was dead. Lance rested his hand on Anna’s shoulder. "How will you explain?" "Simple. Malachi and I have no other family. He’s had a weak heart since he was a baby, thanks to a bad case of pneumonia. I’ll tell the doctor and the coroner he suffered a heart attack. Then I’ll bury him, and life will go on." Simple plan. Anna drove them to the hotel. Lance rested in the passenger’s seat. Anna turned to face him. "Tell me, what did the hint in the spell book mean?" "The great and almighty was God. I cried out for God, and He sent Malachi to Hell." Anna acknowledged that fact. "Makes sense. The counter charm merely protects the victim, but it doesn’t destroy the Mind Stealer. Guess the only being powerful enough to annihilate that kind of evil is God."

"You may hate me, but it ain’t no lie, baby bye bye bye!" Fireworks burst on the stage. Lance gazed at the mob of adoring fans. Anna jumped up and down in the front row. Before the show, Lance called his family to let them know he was alive and well. He decided it was best not to mention the Mind Stealer. Never again will I take Mom, Dad, or Stacy for granted. Afterward, Nsync entered the nearest local nightclub. As Lance watched Joey flirt with a group of chicks, Justin dancing on the dance floor, Chris sipping a drink, and J.C. singing kareoke on the stage, he realized he’d never again take his friendship or his stardom for granted either. Life is precious. Each memory and moment should be cherished. "Hey Lance!" Sheryl hollered. "Get off your butt and dance!" Lance grinned. "No problem." He left the booth and joined his friend on the dance floor under the lights and blaring music.

ONE WEEK LATER

Emily Nylan strolled down the beach wearing a loose dress. She loved sunsets in Los Angeles. Small waves lapped her bare feet. A hard object hit her toe. Curious, she retrieved it from the salt waters. A beautiful ring, with a thick silver band and a blue stone. "How pretty," she murmured, slipping the ring onto her finger. A perfect fit. As she strolled in the sand, she felt the band grow warmer. The stone brightened. She tried to tug the ring off, but it refused to budge. A voice inaudible to her ears whispered calmly…Your mind will soon belong to me, Emily. Just be patient. Ha ha ha ha ha!