I don't own Gone! Never have and never will... probably. ;) Also I'm sorry for not updating. Forgive me?

Also please PM me if you'd like to be a beta for My Twisted Lullaby.

Also there are mentions prostitution and drugs in this so if you don't like it don't read it

Now on with the story.

When I woke up, my hair had leaves in it. Sitting up I looked around. I muffed a yell as I saw Drake, lying a couple feet away from me and was asleep. He looked almost innocent. His head was cradled in his arm and his whip hand was draped over his waist. For I while I quietly watched the rhythmic fall of his sides and wondered if he'd ever been more vulnerable. I was half tempted to take him, and cut him up in to tiny pieces, but another more peaceful part of me felt it'd be wrong to destroy something that seemed so ... innocent. For a minute he mumbled something his sleep, rolled over to face me. His face was unlined by his usual sadist smirk and he looked a lot younger than fourteen going on fifteen.

For a moment I wondered what his birthday was. Would he poof out? If he did who would he see calling to him to come? For moment more I stared at him before I sat up and got ready to go. Then I felt it. The Gaiaphage wanted me to come to learn his plans and needs. Soon. I tried to shrug it off but I knew I had to go, either walking pain-free or crawling, dragging myself, crying and begging for the pain to stop.

As I stood yawning and stretching, I surveyed the 'camp' It was basically in a circular clearing with a small fire pit in the middle of the circle, and a backpack was lying on the ground. A thin blanket had been roughly thrown over me was lying crumped at my feet.

Then I saw it. My bow. It wasn't that nice and probably shouldn't have spent the night on the ground but it looked ok. Picking it and the dusty backpack up, I left to hunt.

A part of me screamed at me how wrong it was for killing animals that had never harmed me but another part, a darker part, reasoned that out here it was kill or be killed, and the only the hunter survived and that same part of me, loved the way I walked through the forest undetected. Then I saw a brightly colored, that looked kind of like a parrot but also kind of like a hawk.

Drawing back my bow, I let the arrow fly. It caught the bird in one of its wings and with an awful squawk it seemed to try and fly for a moment before it plummeted to the ground where it lay, struggling to get up and away. Before this all happened I would have been horrified and I would have tried to nurse it back to heath but now, calmly stepped forward and broke its neck and I watched as the life drain out of its eyes.

Picking up, I stuffed it in the backpack. After that I killed two more of those parrot hawks and an owl. Then I walked to town, were I tried to find someone to buy then. All the kids seemed to want them but I went to find who everyone seemed to act like was in charge; Albert.

When I found him, he was dressed in business slacks and a polo, which to me at least seemed overly formal, he did seem to be in charge.

"Excuse me," I said trying to be polite. "I'm Arabella and I have something to sell to you."

Albert nodded tried to look calm but he had a curious gleam in his eye and he watched intently as I pulled out the birds.

"How much do you want for colorful ones?" He asked.

"Three 'Bertos. Each." I said

"One 'Berto and two 'tickets'." Albert said.

"Three," I said firmly

We negotiated for a while but eventually we settled on two 'Bertos and two tickets for each of the parrot-hawks and one for the owl.

After we shook on it, he asked me if I was always here.

"No," I said and fed him the same lie I gave Edilio, but all Albert did was nod and say a quick, "I'm sorry for you." and walked off. Walking down the street I saw a market. Carefully I picked my through the venders who were yelling, for people to buy whatever they were selling.

Taking a left, I headed down the gritty part of the market. I shouldn't have. There was fog that seemed to hang in that alley, or maybe it was the druggie's smoke. This was the black market of the FAYZ. Everything illegal that was- is- illegal in the outside world is sold here. Meth. Marijuana. Crack. Prostitution. It smelled, but I need people desperate enough for money to do anything. I knew they wouldn't be loyal to me, just the money I provided.

Scanning the alley I zeroed in on my target. A scrawny boy was sitting by a stall, hunched over, talking to the guy that ran the stall.

"I need drugs man!" He begged.

The boy running the stall shook his head. "No, Ken, no money no drugs."

Ken let out a whimper. "Please!" He cried. "I feel so sick! I won't be able to live much longer! You wanna be a murder, man?"

Now was my time. Walking up I said. "Hi, can I talk to you for a moment Ken?"

Before he could reply, I grabbed him and dragged him away.

"Look kid, do you want money?" I asked

He nodded his eyes huge shiny and unreal as the fake stars.

"You'd work for me," I warned.

He nodded again unfazed.

"Okay then follow me." I picked up six more kids ranging from eleven to thirteen. When we got to my house's living room, all of them sat down on the previous owners' couches. I scanned the faces of the people I was using. All of them were dirty and grimy, with thin bony faces and bodies.

"Okay then," Noting how they all stared at me with a hunger like they would eat me alive if I'd dragged them here from nothing, taking them away from their illegal activities. "Here's basically how it works. You will do whatever I tell you, when I tell you. You will remain sober, clean, not on drugs during this time period understand? When you're done with this job and how done what I've told you and stayed clean you'll get your money."

I looked at the prostitutes. "And none of you are allowed to continue your business until this is over with." I said choosing my word with care. The two girls nodded,

"Wait! I need a fix though!" A twelve year old cried.

I shook my head. "No. You have to stay clean. If you don't you won't get paid and I'll find another kid."

That shut them all up.

"Look" I said shortly. "You're all replaceable. Every single last one of you. And before you go; one more thing. If you tell anyone about this, you won't live to see the sun the next morning." I said my voice low and deadly.

As they departed I watched every single one of them carefully, memorizing everyone's face.

After that I explored my current house a little more. It was a nice house and no had taken it over. It's had a master bedroom which I intended to take over, and four others. One was a kiddy room. The other was a baby's. The other two rooms were a guestroom and a room I assumed a grandparent had. It was frilly and lacy and had a bunch of black and white wedding photos and colored pictures of the same couple in their sixties, then of the old lady with others, so I assumed it was a grandma's room.

Seeing who lived here made me wonder about my cousins. I'd had one a year older than me who used to be nice but had turned into a whore.

I wondered where they were. Where was their house? Did they still live here? I tried to remember there address. Was it Chessey Road? No. It was... Chesney! Getting out of my cul-de-sac I ran down to Brace I saw Chesney. Wait... what was the house number... it counting thing we used to use... Oh... 2040 Chesney Rd.

It took me awhile but when I tracked it down it was cake. The door was unlocked. This was typical Aunt Jean. I walked in cautiously slowly, like a ghost was in there. I don't know why. Maybe it was because it was exactly how I remembered it.

The furniture lay-out, the color of the carpet and walls, pictures. I looked around carefully through the hall that connected to the front door and into the living room, kitchen area. Another hallway led to their bedrooms and the guest rooms but I decided to see what I could find in the living room. It looked the same and I prepared to move on. Wait. There were new photos with a new member. Looking I see a picture with my slutty cousin with - holy shit! - A baby bump.

Looking under the table franticly searching for the photo albums, Jean was always wasting her time on, I found one dating a couple weeks after I disappeared. Wait. This was definitely helpful but my cousin kept a dairy that would hopefully fill me in.

Walking to her room, I was over-whelmed by powder-pink stuff. Blinking, trying to clear the pink dots that blocked my vision I moved to her bed. Reaching under her mattress I found it. Pulling a fuzzy faux fur covered book, I was revolted by the cover's ugly color. If you guessed pink you win. It wasn't like a nice pink though. It was a dark ugly pink that you sometimes see in old women wear.

Trying not to puke, I opened the book.

Dear Diary,

Ara is missing. Literally missing, like gone. Poof!

I smiled, if only she'd known how ironic that statement was.

Anyways, ever bodies making a big fuss, trying to find her.

Gotta go!

Mora

I started on the next page, but then I heard something, a floor board creaking. My head snapped up and I looked around warily.

Someone else was in the house. My lips drew back into a primal snarl and I got up slowly. I walked slowly and cautiously, into the bedroom hall, instantly remembering which parts of the floor creaked and which were silent. Meanwhile my mind was whirling trying to thinks who it was. My mind flashed on Edilio but that couldn't be it. Drake? I hoped he was smart enough to obey me and the Gaiaphage. What if, I thought with a sudden chill of horror, that the Gaiaphage might have, somehow gotten a hold of a body without me. Maybe he wanted to get mine, never letting me go, but no, that wasn't possible. He needed Nemesis' body and his body alone.

Looking around I grabbed an old antique lamp that was Aunt Jean's pride and joy and raised it as a weapon. I swung around the corner and brought the lamp down on the person's head.

It passed through empty air.

"Wow." A girl said "Aren't you nice to visitors?"

"Who are you?" I demanded, my grip tightening on the lamp.

"The Breeze," She said dramatically

"Seriously, kid who in the hell are you and why are you here?" I growled, annoyed at this interruption.

"I'm the Breeze," She repeated and I tightened my grip on the lamp ready to bring it down on her head.

"Enough," A calm steady voice came from the living room. I heard her padding into the hall we were in. "I'm Dekka and this is Brianna. The Council wants to talk to you."

"Why?" I asked immediately.

Dekka sighed like I was being stupid. "Because," She said slowly "You appeared out of nowhere, and let's face it, you don't know a thing about the FAYZ."

My lips tightened. I didn't want to talk to them, but what choice did I have, without raising supioution, so I nodded and let them lead the way.

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