"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT????" I heard Tellka's voice penetrate my dazed state. My opponent started to try and get her to calm down.

"That was one of my Persona. Judgement:Angel." I heard him respond.

"Did you know that she looks just like Nina Winlan???"

"Come again? Who is Nina Winlan?"

Tellka shook her head and I think I heard her grumble something. "You don't know your history do you?"

"Not of this place!!! I've never been to Windia before! In fact, I didn't even know about this place before today! I come from a town called Lunarvale, about two dimensions that way!" He responded hotly.

Two dimensions? What? I shook my head to try and clear it. "You keep mentioning Lunarvale... and..." I tried to remember that other thing he kept talking about. What was it? I noticed something on his jacket and leaned forward a little to look at it. It said St. Hermelin, that was it. "and St. Hermelin. What are they, and who are you?" I looked back up at him.

He glanced at me, and it looked like he didn't want to talk. Telkla raised her eyebrow lightly and watched him curiously.

"I don't trust him. Two dimensions that way? What does that mean?"

You don't seem to trust anybody Tellka.

"I will, when they give me a reason to." I don't think anyone could be as stubborn as Tellka. I watched him for a moment. He took a breath, and folded his arms and began.

"My name is Frank Maynard. Tellka already knows that, since we met before the fight." I looked over at Tellka.

You could have told me.

"Yea, but I didn't. It doesn't matter now." She looked at me before returning her attention to Frank.

"Anyway, I come from a city called Lunarvale. It's a normal city back in my dimension... has a museum, police station, two shopping malls, a hospital, and my high school, St. Hermelin..."

I glanced back over at Tellka. What? High school? Shopping malls? What the heck is he talking about Tellka? I was about to say something but she stopped me with a look. I glanced down sheepishly, but I don't think he noticed.

"Everything was fine until today, thanks to a man named Guido Sardenia... The man had a machine that he used to overrun Lunarvale with monsters and demons. The problem was that people couldn't get out of town. Lots of people have died already, thanks to him..." Frank shook his head once to clear out some bad memories. He then unfolded his arms before continuing.

My head was swirling with questions, but I did my best to keep my mouth shut. It was best I heard the whole story first.

He continued. "I was in the hospital with my friends Alex, Mark, Nate, and Yuki. We were visiting another friend of ours who's been there for about a year now."

I blinked in surprise. A year? A whole year? I think he niticed my shocked expression because he seemed to answer the question on my mind.

"When all of this happened. My friend, Mary, began to get extreme pains, and was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit. That was a problem, though. The ICU room vanished..."

"I don't believe him." Tellka glanced over at me. "This is too weird."

"That was when my friends and I gained these powers." Frank continued. "We heard a scream from downstairs, and we rushed over to help. That's when we found out that monsters were loose. Three zombies killed Nate's butler, Alfred. Nate took it hard, since Alfred was really the only one who cared about him, besides us. His parents really didn't pay much attention to him..."

Both Tellka and I looked at Frank is disbelief. How could that be? That's just...... not right. Frank just continued.

"By the time Nate had noticed Alfred, two more zombies had joined the three. We placed ourselves between the zombies and the nurses. We were attacked, and then our Persona emerged, destroying the zombies. Alex got Emperor:Starion, Nate was given Hierophant:Voodoo, Mark got Chariot:Shaman, Yuki was endowed with Empress:Vesta, and I was given Emperor:Dragon."

I looked at Tellka again. Are you getting any of this? Because he already lost me.. I shook my head.

We listened as he finished up his story. More questions kept flooding into my head, and I could tell that it was the same way with Tellka. Once he finished, which felt like it took forever, Tellka thought for a moment and looked back at Frank. "That still doesn't explain how you got the Angel Persona."

"That's what I'm wondering too... When Igor fused some spell cards together..." Frank started.

"Spell cards???" I stopped him in the middle of his sentence. That's it Tellka. I hope you know what he is talking about because I am UTTERLY lost...

"Yeah... We can negotiate with demons to get them in order to create new Persona. Anyway, Igor is the man who can create Persona with these. He does this in a place called the Velvet Room. When he created it, we found out that I was the only wone who could equip it. I took it, of course." Frank explained.

"Do you have any of these spell cards?" Tellka asked him curiously. Frank shook his head.

"Alex has them. He's the one who decides which spell cards to fuse together."

I couldn't help it anymore. I was lost lost lost lost. I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. My tail twitched with anticipation. What the heck were they talking about? Tellka wasn't nearly as confused as I was, I could tell. Suddenly, the old question appeared again.

"That still doesn't explain why you helped Kate out there." Tellka began to grow suspicious again.

Frank looked away before answering. "I... I had to... that man... when I heard him this morning... talking like that... He sounded like Guido..."

"what man?" Tellka snapped. Her tail began to lash wildly and I felt her anger returning.

"Not the man who shot the needle, but his master. Kate... your mother...." Frank said sadly.

I glanced up at the mention of my mother, and suddenly it was as if all of the memories were coming back. I shook my head to try and clear it. Frank's voice broke through my thoughts.

"I'm... sorry. This guy, his name is Redwing, was bragging about how he was going to take you out during the fight... I listened in on him in his private room this morning. He was going to kill you and sell your skin... just like he did to your mother..." Frank said sadly.

I looked up in shock. What? Me? I began to feel a little sick. Why.. why me?

Tellka's anger exploded inside my head and noticed her twirl around and start towards the door. "That's IT!! That.. that CREEP!! I'll hunt him down even if I have to hire a forest clan man to track his scent down!! I'll.. I'll.."

"Hold it! We've got a problem there." I hread Frank try and stop Tellka. Good luck, I thought. He'll need it. Tellka whirled around and glared at him. Her eyes were burning with an emerald fire.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM... TEAR HIM APART..." She spat out furiously. Her voice alone made me shiver, but I began to think about what Frank said about Redwing. My mother? Is that what happened to her? Why me.. why did this all have to happen. I felt a lump in my throat and tried to swallow it away.

"That's the problem... I saw him the arena, and he looked at me with glowing red eyes..." Frank continued.

I couldn't hold it any more. I felt the tears in my eyes. Why did this have to happen? That was the only thing I could think about. I tried to sniff them back, but I felt a tear roll down my cheek, and then I heard Tellka's voice.

"Kate... are you alright?" I would have answered but I couldn't talk. I heard some rustling and then I felt Frank put his jacket around me.

"Kate... please... I'm sorry if I brought anything up that upset you." He began to lead me over to a chair and I sat down. I tried to collect my thoughts. I was aware that they were waiting for me to say something.

"I'm.. fine" I stammered out. "It's just that... what you told me... My mother... the man who killed my mother... He wants to kill me too." I kept pauses. It was hard enough for me to talk about my mother, but it seemed that every time I opened my mouth I just wanted to cry harder then before. I felt more tears roll down my cheeks. "We have to. Who know's what he'll try next. Kate's in danger as long as he's alive, and so are you, Tellka."

I looked over at Tellka and our eyes met. We didn't even have to tell eachother, we could read eachothers thoughts just through our glances. He didn't know, but did we want to tell him? Tellka didn't like it when people knew about her, but.. if he was going to help us..

"I'm guessing that he's either possessed, or he is a demon. Whatever he is, he's too dangerous to take on with just one person." Frank explained.

Suddenly I felt a little left out, like he had just been talking to Tellka. I looked at each of them, Frank and then Tellka. I suppose what I was about to say was more directed to Tellka anyway. "If you fight him..." I started, "...take me with you. I want to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone." I glanced down at the floor, like I didn't want to see their reactions.

"I thought you didn't like to fight?" Tellka said slyly.

"I don't but..." I look up at her.

"Kate, I don't want you hurt. Stay out of this.."

But Tellka.. I looked back down again. "..but this is personal..." I was waiting for Tellka to begin her arguement with me again, but she never did.

"All right, Kate." It was Frank that spoke up. "We'll make sure that nothing will happen to you." And I saw him smile a little. I felt a little better.

See Tellka? I told you he could be trusted... And I felt Tellka give a little growl of annoyance.

"If anything happens to you Kate..."

I'll be fine.. Atleast, I hoped I would.

e-mail author, talonr@hotmail.com