The auditorium seemed dimmer then usual, but Jason didn't care. Or, perhaps he didn't notice as he sat, strumming his guitar absently. As usual, his mind was light years from school, from Windia, and from what he was doing.

Last night had been one of the worst nights by far when it came to the Presence.

Jason had felt it begin to overwhelm him as he had layed there on the couch, staring up at the light cast on the ceiling from the lamp beside him. The feeling had stayed with him even through much of the morning, and it wasn't until the red-haired windian had sat down in his first period class that the feeling had begun to die down. Die down, but not go away. It was like a quiet buzz that echoed through and around him. A buzz that he could hear over the loudest noise, that he could sense in the emptiest room. It wasn't a strong buzz, not like the feeling of the Presence at night that threw itself over him and threatened to drown him in shadows, but it was just noticable enough to cause the windian to cast a glance over his shoulder even when walking through the crowded halls of Windian High, just to see if something was there.

Even if he didn't know what he was looking for.

Or maybe he did know what he was looking for, he just didn't want to see it.

But every time he had looked, there had been nothing there.

Great, Burnhart. Fucking great. Look at you, paranoid of everything! Have you noticed one thing that's happened during any of your classes? Have you even realized you've been going to your classes or are you just wandering around mindlessly through your normal day routine without even thinking about it? Jason had stopped trying to argue with the thoughts in his mind. Sometimes it really just wasn't worth it. He simply sat quietly and let them attack him with their words. The windian continued to strum absently on his guitar, not even registering Ray until he spoke up.

"Jason?"

The red-haired windian stopped his strumming and turned to look at Ray. The dragon rubbed the back of his neck uneasily as he walked up to the stage.

"I was looking for you all over the place before I finally found you here..."

"What do you want, Ray?" Jason's voice echoed with impatience as he considered the dragon. Ray just rubbed the back of his neck again.

"So I don't think you've heard yet? About Chad and David?"

Jason just stared at Ray for a moment, his face never shifting from it's impatient look. After a moment, he resumed his lean against the curtain of the stage and started to strum again. "What about them?"

"How they've gone missing..." Ray looked at Jason for a moment, searching for any change in the windian's mood. There didn't seem to be any, but Jason's movements as he strummed his guitar seemed be become more and more aggresive. The dragon shifted his weight from foot to foot for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck once more. "Jason... I've been meaning to ask... isn't it time you told me what happened after school on Monday?"

Jason slammed out a loud chord before turning to glare at Ray, a fire burning dangerously in his eyes. "Fuck you, Ray!"

"Jason," Ray sighed and leaned up against the stage. "Something tells me that it's more then just a coincidence that Monday was the day that Chad and David disappeared..."

"Fuck you, Ray!" Jason went back to aggresively strumming his guitar. "I don't know what the fuck you think happened Monday..."

"So why don't you just tell me?"

Yea, Burnhart. Why don't you just tell him? Go on, tell him all about it. Tell him about the blood, about the fire. Shut the FUCK UP! God DAMMIT! Just fucking leave me ALONE! "Why the fuck do I need to tell you now? I already told you, I'd fucking talk when I fucking feel like talking."

"No time like the present, right?" Ray shrugged and Jason shot him a murderous glare. The dragon rubbed the back of his neck uneasily again. "Come on, Jason... I saw what it looked like out there..."

The red-haired windian muttered. "Fine, you fucking want to know what happened? I'll fucking tell you what happened..." He stopped strumming and let his guitar rest in his lap as he began to rub his left hand. The windian shook his head and muttered under his breath once more before talking. "It was Monday, and you had just pulled me away from beating the shit out of Justin. I was going to go get Britney..."

****************************

Jason was massaging his left hand with his glowing right hand as he made his way quickly towards the Bendrel's. He was still worked up over the fight that he had been in with Justin. That bastard... that fucking bastard... hasn't anyone ever told him you don't fucking hit a chick? Shit.... I swear, I fucking swear the next fucking time I get a chance I'm beating the shit out of him... The red-haired windian muttered to himself as he continued to rub his left hand roughly. He hadn't noticed it during the fight, but now he could feel the Bird restless inside of him. The demon seemed to be stronger then he had ever felt it before, and the windian was doing his best to hold back his anger and the Bird. Calm down Jason, just calm down. Don't want to lose control... remember what Jim said, you get one fucking chance with this barrier to keep that fucking Bird under control, and once it breaks it breaks. Shit... stop by home, change, go get Britney... maybe take her out to the park, just anything to get my fucking mind off of that bastard. Jason growled to himself as he threw open his front door and headed inside. He could hear Kristeen's voice from in the kitchen.

"Ray?"

"Nope, wrong one." Jason tossed off his backpack and grabbed some of his clothes that he kept in a basket out of the way beside the couch. He began to change quickly out of his uniform and into his normal clothing.

"Well can you tell Ray that I need him to pick up Britney? I'm leaving for a bit."

"I'm getting her." Jason threw on his jacket and headed out of the house, letting the door slam behind him. Kristeen glanced her head out of the kitchen, a curious look on her face before she shrugged and went back to her work.


Jason was heading quickly down the roads of Windia towards the Elementary School. The feeling of the Bird was subsiding a little inside of him, and he rubbed his thumb over his fingertips in annoyance as he continued to think about the fight he had been in with Justin. Fuck... just a few more minutes.. just a few more fucking minutes and I would have had his ass all over the place... The red-haired windian muttered to himself as he caught sight of the Elementary School. School had already ended, and he could see young kids crowding around outside the front of the school as their parents and older siblings appeared to pick them up and take them home. Jason's eyes scanned the crowd of children for the familiar blue-pig tailed girl but he was unable to spot her in the crowd. He waited as slowly the cluster of children thinned out, and still no sign of Britney. Jason began to feel a mixture of worry and aggrivation rise up as he started to move closer towards the school. Where the fuck is she?

It was then that he heard her shout.

"JAAAAASON! JASOO-" The high pitched cry was cut off suddenly and Jason's head shot in the direction he had heard Britney's shout. His eyes scanned the area as the windian started off in a jog towards the place he had heard her voice coming from. It was then that he finally spotted the three standing together, and Jason screeched to a dead halt as his eyes went wide.

"What the fuck?"

"Shut her up shut her up shut her up." Chad was frantically pacing around David who was holding a squirming Britney, his hand clamped down tightly over the dragon's mouth as she cried and attempted to scream and kick her way out of his grip. "SHEESH! You've got a little sister, can't you handle a little dragon?"

"This is how I handle my little sister!" David shot a glance in the direction that he had spotted Jason earlier and his eyes went wide. "Um... Chad... he heard her..."

"What?" Chad spun around and went rigid as he saw Jason standing just yards away from them. The brown-winged windian's eyes met with those of Jason's, and Chad felt a cold shiver course through his body as he spotted the murderous fire burning in his gaze. "Oh..... crap...... crap crap crap crap... David, you remember that little omnious cloud that you kept talking about?"

"Um... yea man, why?" David's gaze didn't move from where Jason was.

"Dude, well, I think you were right about it."

"He's going to kill us, isn't he?"

"He's got to catch us. HASTE!" Chad's form was enveloped in a dull yellow glow and he turned and casted the spell on his friend. Not a moment later and they heard a shout from Jason's direction. The two turned to see the red-haired windian running full speed at them. With a yelp, both Chad and David, who was still holding a crying Britney, took off running as fast as they could.

"SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT! Chad, we're dead meat if he catches us!"

"Crap... dude, just save your breath and run, alright?" Chad skidded around a corner as he and David ducked through an alleyway and headed down another street. "Dude! Why do you still have the dragon?"

"I don't know! SHIT! I just didn't put her down, alright? Where are we going?"

"Anyplace he's not going to follow, alright!?" Chad shot a glance behind them as they ran and spotted Jason skidding out of the alleyway behind them. "CRAP! MOVE MOVE MOVE!" The two windians turned sharply down another street and continued to run.

Jason was growling menacingly. "I'm going to kill them... I'm going to fucking kill them both.. what the FUCK do they think they're doing?" He darted down another street after the two and continued to follow them through yet another alley. "FUCK! What the hell have they got Britney for?!?" The windian chased them down another street, through two backyards, another alleyway, and finally down one last street before they all found themselves racing out of Windia and heading straight into the woods that surrounded the city. Chad just barely ducked a low hanging branch of a tree as he barreled through the underbrush.

"Chad!" David was panting. "I'm a wrestler, not a track star! I can't exactly keep this up!"

"You value your life, right? Dude, trust me, you're going to want to keep running!"

Britney was sobbing loudly, David's hand no longer covering her mouth as the windian ran, holding her roughly in his arms. The dragon screamed loudly for Jason as the two windians zigged and zagged through the forest, hoping to lose the enraged Burnhart that followed them. The had no such luck. Britney's screams pounded through Jason's head and coursed through his blood like adrenaline as the red-haired windian continued his chase. His lips were already pulled back in a deadly snarl, one like that of a hunting animal as he raced after Chad and David. He didn't even feel fatigued as he began to gain on the two tired windians.

"CRAP! He's still there?!?!" Chad shot a wide-eyed looked over his shoulder as he saw Jason gaining on them. Unfortunatily, while looking behind himself he didn't see the tree root that was stick out of the ground. His foot connected with the exposed root, and the brown-winged windian let out a startled shout as he went crashing the ground. David skidded to a halt next to him, dropping Britney as he did.

"Shit! Man, are you alright?"

Chad looked up to responed but immediatly ducked his head down again as suddenly Jason leapt through the underbrush just beside him, his hands going for David's throat as the enraged windian grabbed up the wrestler by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against a nearby tree with such force that some of the leaves were shaken from the branches. Chad raised his head slowly again to watch as Jason brought his face close to David's, the large windian seemed to shrink under the venom-filled glare of the red-haired teen. Britney pushed herself onto her hands and knees, shaking from her crying and from when David had dropped her. She was crouching almost right beside Chad and glanced over at the brown-winged windian as he pulled himself onto his shaky legs. Chad heard her let out a sob and his eyes turned to her for just a moment before he returned his gaze to Jason and David.

It was the growl of an enraged animal that rumbled from Jason's throat as he held David in his murderous glare. Jason had brought his face close to David's, his eyes trailing over the features of the frightened windian. Jason could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he caught a scent emanating from David. It was a scent he had never noticed before, but suddenly it stood out all to well and washed over him. It was a scent that caused his lips to pull back into a silent snarl as he continued to growl, a scent that caused the tips of his fingers to itch and his eyes to narrow, a scent that caused the Bird inside of him to rise restlessly. It was the scent of fear. And he hated it and loved it at the same time.

It was exhilarating, an odd feeling of dominance at being able to bring about such fear in another person. He felt as if he now had control of every movement, every action that anyone made while they were frightened of him, Jason felt like he could manipulate them to do anything he wanted them to.

At the same time it was enraging. It was such a powerful scent, it washed over him, overwhelmed his senses, and he wanted nothing more then to react to the fear, to shut it off somehow. He felt that unless he could get away from the immense feeling, he'd lose himself and his control to the overpowering waves of the fear he felt from David. He had to make it stop.

The red-haired windian shook his head, trying to clear himself of the scent before focusing on David once more. His voice was a mixture of a growl and a fiery hiss as he spoke. "What the FUCK did you think you were DOING?"

"Man..." David shook his head, his eyes wide as he stared helplessly at Jason. He was unable to move, caught between the red-haired windian and the tree he had him pinned against. David was only able to swallow and manage out the first excuse that came to his mind. "It was just supposed to be a joke..."

That was probably by far the worst answer David could have given Jason.

The red-haired windian's mind came to a screeching halt as he stared at David in wonder. What the FUCK??? "A JOKE??? A FUCKING JOKE?? YOU THINK THIS IS FUCKING FUNNY, STARK? IS THAT IT?" Rage raced through Jason's blood, and he could feel it inside every inch of himself. "You want to fucking see something funny? I've got something that's fucking god damn HILARIOUS right here for you!" Jason let out another deep growl as he tightened his grip on David's collar. The windian let out a quiet whimper and once more the scent of fear flooded through Jason's senses.

And then he was no longer able to keep control.

The Bird exploded from inside of him. All Jason felt was daggers of fire shooting through him, tearing him apart from the inside out and suddenly there was a detached feeling. He no longer felt the ground beneath his feet, or the feel of David's shirt in his hands. Now he was simply surrounded by the suffocating feeling of fire burning all around him, bearing down on him like a storm. The sudden realization that he had lost control sent a shock through Jason so powerful that the sudden change of emotions from enraged to startled was enough for Jason to somehow regain control over the Red Bird, but it was too late. The demon had only needed that one instant to break free and strike out. Jason felt himself suddenly regain control, the fire around him vanished into the scenary of the forest he was standing in. Once again he felt the ground he was standing on, the cool breeze that was sifting through the forest, and once again he sensed the fear pulsating around him. Only this time it wasn't David's fear he was sensing.

Jason could hear Britney bawling loudly, but even her high wailing seemed nothing more then a muted buzzing to him as he stared wide-eyed at what the Red Bird had done. An instant was all the demon had had, but in that instant, the damage the Bird had done had proven to be fatal. The smell of seared and burning flesh reached Jason's nostrils and caused the windian's stomach to flip as he stared at the place where David had been pinned up against the tree. Jason still had a hold of the windian's shirt, and he was still pinning his body up against the tree, however he was no longer staring into the eyes of the frightened windian, because they simply were not there. In fact, nothing from the windian's shoulders on up was there anymore. The huge chunk that was now missing from the tree was also evidence of the sudden bite the Red Bird had taken before Jason was able to regain control. Jason felt the demon rumble hungrily inside of him as the scent of fresh blood wafted through the air around him, and Jason let out another animal growl as the smell caused him to salivate.

Good fucking job, Burnhart. You did it. You lost control. You broke the barrier. And now, you get to deal with the Bird. So, what the fuck are you going to do now? Nothing. Jason did absolutely nothing to fight the Bird as he felt it rise up inside of him once more. The windian simply closed his eyes as the fires of the demon encircled him, and he let himself go enterely to the demon as the Red Bird resumed control to finish its meal.

****************************

There was a metallic taste in the windian's mouth and Jason ran his tongue over his teeth, shivering lightly as he felt the Red Bird stirring inside of him. He went back to rubbing his left hand as Ray stood quietly, still leaning against the stage.

"So... that's it then... the Bird broke through the barrier... it got Chad and David..." Ray rubbed the back of his neck uneasily as he glanced over at Jason. The windian made no reply. He simply stared absently off across the stage, rubbing his left hand. Ray let out a sigh and moved uneasily. "Looks like the Guards are going to be looking for their missing persons for quite a while then..."

"Ray, don't tell them..."

"What?" Ray gave a curious look to Jason. The windian's voice was quiet as he spoke.

"The chicks, Janet and Lucy... don't tell them. I don't want them to know that the Bird as power again... they don't have to know." Ray studied Jason for a moment before nodding.

"Alright... if you really think so..."

Jason stood up and walked over to the back of the stage, setting his guitar down where he usually kept it. The windian let out a sigh and stared down at his instrument for a moment, still rubbing his left hand. There you go, Burnhart. You finally confessed to it. Killing your two best friends. Yup. Fuck, well, do you feel proud yet? You've got a list going now, Burnhart. Chad and David, they're dead because of you. Brandon, he died because you didn't save him. Shit, want to throw in your mom and Troy? Perhaps they would still be alive if you hadn't come home in the first place. Yea, if you hadn't even come back to Windia... shit, or maybe if you had been that blood stain out there in the woods instead of Brandon. If you were the one that shadows had killed instead of Brandon, think of how different it would be now. Think of how many people would still be alive, there would be no Red Bird. Fuck, Burnhart, you really did just screw everything over by living, didn't you? The windian stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned, walking towards the edge of the stage and jumped off of it. "Ray..." Jason muttered quietly without looking over at the dragon. "Ray, I'm going home. I'm tired, I want to try to grab some sleep. I'll see you after school." Ray watched as Jason made his way up the aisle and then out the doors of the auditorium. The dragon let out a sigh and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully.

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