Disclaimer:  Like I said before, I don’t own Diadem, no matter how much I may wish otherwise.    J

            Okay, I want to thank everyone who reviewed on the first chapter.  I’m grateful for the good reviews, and if you have any ideas of anything I could do to improve the story line, I don’t mind a little constructive criticism. 

            So, read and please review, thanks!

            Helaine slowly woke up to the sound of the glowing television, still playing cartoons.  She gingerly opened her eyes, blinking as her vision adjusted.  It was still dark, but Helaine usually woke up early. 

            She couldn’t believe that she and Score had spent the entire day and into the night watching television.  They had both fallen asleep on the couch.  Helaine couldn’t figure out how to get up without waking Score.  They had fallen asleep with Helaine sitting up on the couch, and Score laying down with his feet in her lap.  Helaine tried not to think about the fact that they had spent the entire night together like that, and worked on thinking of a way to move Score. 

            She slowly eased his feet off of her lap.  Luckily, he was a deep sleeper.  When she was completely free, she stood up, stretching.  She hadn’t gotten her usual exercise yesterday, thanks to Score’s new device.  She’d have to get in twice the normal today.  But first, breakfast.

            Helaine walked toward the kitchen, her muscles slightly sore at having slept sitting up all night.  But when she got there, she was surprised to find Pixel already up, searching through the cabinets.

            “Pixel?” she asked.

            He jumped, then turned slowly.  When he saw that it was her, he said almost irritably, “What, um… Helaine?”

            “What are you doing up already?” Helaine asked. 

            “I’m an early riser,” he said, turning back to the cabinet he had been searching.  “Where’s the bread?” he asked.

            “First of all,” Helaine said, standing with her hands on her hips, and staring at Pixel uncertainly.  “You are definitely not an early riser.  You barely make it up before Score.”  Then she reached past Pixel to the cabinet beside him and pulled out the bread, tossing it to him.  “And second, the bread is in the same place it has always been.”

            “Oh,” Pixel said absently, catching the bread.  “Of course.”

            Helaine cocked an eyebrow at Pixel.  “Are you okay?” she asked.

            Pixel waved a hand in the air indifferently.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  I just… didn’t get much sleep last night.  That whole thing with the gift from the unicorns.  I was just excited.”

            Helaine nodded, deciding not to push the issue.  “Yeah, okay.”  Something was definitely going on, but if he didn’t want to talk about it, Helaine wasn’t going to force him.

            After breakfast, Helaine went outside for a long jog, and later came back to practice with her sword.  Score was also up by this time, and was once again watching his television.  Helaine walked into the room, watching him and shaking her head in mock sadness. 

            Score looked up.  “What?”

            “Oh, nothing,” Helaine said casually.  “Only that when you get fat and out of shape from sitting here all the time watching that thing, don’t come running to me.”

            “I’ll get plenty of exercise!” Score protested.  “Every once and a while I’ll get up for some popcorn.  That’s a promise.”

            “Popcorn?”

            “Um, never mind,” Score said, trying not to laugh.  “Anyway, there are more important things I need to talk to you about.”

            He got up and walked over to the door.  After poking his head out and looking both ways, he quietly shut it.  Then Score walked back over to the couch and sat back down, turning off the TV.

            Helaine’s eyes widened.  “Wow, Score, are you sure you want to do that?  I didn’t think you could survive if that thing was turned off.”

            “Shut up and listen for a minute,” Score said, trying not to get aggravated.  “I think something’s going on with Pixel.”

            “What makes you say that?” Helaine asked curiously.

            “He didn’t know my name this morning.”

            “Okay that would be a good reason,” Helaine said.  Then she remembered.  “Yeah, he was acting kind of weird this morning with me, too.  He was up really early, and said something about being an early riser.  Then he forgot where the bread was.”

            “Well, it’s not really much to go on,” Score said.  “I know something’s going on with him, I’m just not sure how serious it is.  It could be nothing, but then again, with our weird lives…”

            “Of course we could just be being paranoid,” Helaine said, looking at Score with a meaningful gaze.  “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

            “I’m not paranoid,” Score snapped.  “Just cautious.  And either way, I think it would be a good idea for us to keep an eye on Pixel, at least for a little while.”

            Helaine nodded.  “Okay, I agree.  But let’s not make too big a deal out of this, okay?”

            “Yeah,” Score said.  Then he switched back on the TV.  Helaine looked up with mild interest. 

            “What is this program called?” she asked.  This television could really end up being a problem.

            Dironal led Pixel’s body through the castle.  It was the strangest feeling, being a prisoner inside himself.  Dironal controlled every function of Pixel’s body: which direction his eyes looked, walking, talking, everything.  It was like Pixel was sitting in a corner of his mind, watching everything, but unable to participate.

            Where are we going? Pixel asked.

            Silence, Dironal answered.  He never seemed very willing to answer any of Pixel’s questions.  Anyway, he was angry at Pixel for almost blowing his cover.  When Helaine had entered the kitchen that morning, Dironal had searched Pixel’s mind for her name.  But after that Pixel had realized that he could sort of block Dironal from his brain, rendering him unable to search through Pixel’s memories.  It sort of gave Pixel a good feeling, like if he couldn’t control any other part of himself, he at least had control over his mind.

            That was why Dironal hadn’t known Score’s name.  And that had been a mistake.  Pixel and Dironal had both been able to see the suspicion in Score’s eyes.  Pixel just hoped that either Score or Helaine would figure out what was going on soon.  Pixel didn’t know how much more of this he could take.

            After a while, they arrived at Score’s room.  Dironal searched thoroughly through every drawer, every box, and every article of clothing in Score’s possession.  What was he looking for?

            Next came Helaine’s room.  Dironal continued searching, and after a while, he opened a large chest at the foot of Helaine’s bed.  Lying on the top of several books was Helaine’s precious Book of Magic.  Dironal formed Pixel’s lips into a grin.  “Bingo,” he said.

            “Pixel?”

            Dironal turned around, and found Helaine standing at the door to her bedroom. 

            “Oh, Helaine!” Dironal said.  “Um, what are you doing here?”

            Helaine, looking confused, said, “Well, this is my room.  But I came here to get my sword.  I wanted to get in some extra practice.”  Then she looked at him, that same suspicious look of Score’s now taking up residence on her face.  “What are you doing in here?”

            Unfortunately for Pixel, Dironal was a quick thinker.  “I came here to borrow the Book of Magic.  You don’t mind, do you?”

            Helaine still looked suspicious, though.  “What do you need it for?”

            “Just a little spell.” Pixel could feel Dironal losing patience.

            Helaine shook her head.  “Well I’d kind of rather you not borrow it right now.  I’ll… um, need it in a little while.”

            And finally, Dironal’s patience broke.  “It doesn’t matter, anymore, child!  I don’t know why I’m bothering to explain myself to you!  I’ve got what I came for, and now I have a body that is far more magically powerful than mine ever was.  I hope you won’t miss your little friend too terribly much, because it isn’t likely you’ll ever see him again!”

            And with that, he mumbled a few words under his breath and suddenly disappeared.

            Helaine just stood there for a few seconds, then, at the top of her breath yelled, “Score!”

            When Score came running, Helaine was still standing at the door of her room.  “I think you were right about Pixel,” she said slowly.

            After that, Helaine and Score decided that the best thing to do would be to talk to the unicorns.  If anybody knew about any other magicians suddenly showing up on Dondar, it would be Thunder.  When they left the castle, Helaine called to Thunder, Nova, and Flame, and asked them to meet them at the edge of the woods.  They were waiting there when Helaine and Score arrived.

* What’s going on? * Thunder asked.

After explaining the situation to the three now very anxious unicorns, Score

asked, “So have any of you noticed any new magicians in the area?”

            Flame looked down, nervously scuffing a hoof on the ground.  Thunder seemed to be trying to look anywhere but at Helaine and Score.  Only Nova answered.

*There was someone…*

“And…?”  Helaine asked.

*Well, his name was Dironal, * Thunder said.  * He said he was a friend of yours from Treen.  We thought he was telling the truth, and told him about how we wanted to make you a gift as a token of our thanks.  He said he would use magic to help us make a beautiful statue, and that’s how we got your gift. *

            Helaine nodded.  “I think it’s starting to make sense, now,” she said. 

            “Maybe to you,” Score scoffed.

            “Dironal must have put a spell on the statue binding himself to it.  Then he could enter our bodies through some kind of connection with the statue.  Maybe touching it or looking at it for a long time.  Pixel must have done one of those things and Dironal was able to take control of him.” 

            Score nodded.  “Another power hungry magician.  He wanted one of our bodies so that he would be more powerful, and he wanted the Book of Magic so he could learn how to use the new powers he would gain by taking over one of us.”

            “And who knows where he is by now with Pixel,” Helaine said, looking downcast.

           *We’re so sorry,* Flame said.  * We had no idea we would cause this much trouble.*

            “Oh, don’t worry, about it,” Helaine said.  “It’s not your fault.  You didn’t mean any harm.”

            “Yeah, um, it’s the thought that counts,” Score said weakly.  Helaine elbowed him.

            “I just wish there was a way we could figure out where Dironal had taken Pixel,” Helaine said, sadly.

*What about your agate?* Nova asked.

“What do you mean?” Helaine asked, pulling the small stone out of her pocket.

            *Well, it allows you to communicate telepathically with humans and other creatures, right?* Nova asked.

            “Right,” Helaine said, still not understanding.

            *Well couldn’t you use it to contact Pixel, then?  I mean, Dironal only took over his body, so Pixel’s mind should still be in there somewhere.*

            Helaine began to look hopeful.  “You’re right!  That should work!”

            “Well hurry up and try it,” Score said.  “There’s no telling how much time we have before Dironal finds the spell to cast a portal and gets off of this planet.”

            Helaine nodded and held on tightly to her agate.  She concentrated, and then said, *Pixel?  Can you hear me?*

            *Helaine?  Thank goodness you thought of a way to find me!*

            *Don’t worry, just tell me where you are, okay?  We’re going to find you as quick as possible.*

            *Okay,* Pixel said.  *I’m by that river that Score and I like to swim in.  We’re pretty far from the castle, about 10 miles away.  We’ve stopped because Dironal is looking through the book.  I think he’s trying to find the portal spell, but I don’t think he plans to leave as soon as he finds it.  He’s got some other plan, and that worries me.*

            *Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can.  Just hold on, Pixel.* Helaine said.