The dark entity couldn't help but be a slight bit curious as the young raven haired woman and her reaction as she pushed herself away from the exit and began to walk back down the dark hallway after the glimpse of a shadow she had seen. It was certainly someone that she knew from before she had come to the island but who and what did he mean to her? For the moment all that mattered is that she walk deeper into the building and into the maze of shadows he had prepared just for her.

Delighting is always trying to push his prey and not realizing that the song sung earlier might have held more meaning than it did, the whispered echo of the song seems to travel down the hallway from where the shadow had moved.

No one to walk with, all by myse~lf..
No one to talk wi~th, I'm happy on the shelf

The song sounded disjointed, like different voices jumbled all into one but it was hard to hear. Ever like before the words seemed someone twisted in there meaning as the song was repeated once more. Had the Nightbringer known more about this Thomas and knew more about the girl, he wouldn't have hesitated to make use of it. Human attachment was something the dark monster understood, having spent time amoung them and even having lived inside of few of them in his early years. Perhaps...later he would learn more about this Thomas...perhaps later he would use that to his advantage to twist and torment the young girl further.

A cold chill shot down her spine as Ella heard the echo of her song again, altered and distorted by what she assumed was a voice reaching from beyond. And yet, it sounded nothing like the Thomas she knew, nothing at all. But who else would be singing to her? She couldn't imagine, and that likely would be a serious threat to her well being in the near future.

She continued to stumble forward along the hall, turning the corner to follow the fleeting shadow, desperation speeding her progress, but causing her to stumble more and more often. Tears filled her eyes as her shoulder slumped against the wall, sliding against the frigid stone as she continued to follow the echo.

"Thomas, baby, where are you? I can't see you. Please...please don't run from me."

A small part of her realized this wasn't possible, that there were no such things as ghosts. Even worse, that same small part realized that she didn't care, even if it meant she was going insane, seeing things, hearing things. Better to be crazy and happy. A grieving yet fearfully hopeful smile trembled on her lips as she pushed away from the wall again, quietly starting to sing along with the phantom echoes, her quavering voice now the true echo.

"I know for certai~n, the one I lo~ve
I'm through with flirtin', it's just you that I'm thinking o~f
Ain't misbehavin', saving all my love for yo~u~.."

The dark being gave a brief moments pause at he basked in the raw emotion pouring from the young woman's words and her song. He could hear the deep love she must have felt for this Thomas and how his absence only caused her suffering. It was nearly enough to have the creature want to change the gears and course of his game completely, but for now, he'd settle with just stringing her along following after the shadowy apperation that she never seemed to be able to get closer to as he drew her further into the building.

With the next corner rounded the shadow was gone, along with the song itself. Leaving her in the cold silence and alone once more. Well, she wasn't really alone but as far as she might have considered the illusion had passed. The shadowy maze that now connected the hallways would send her wandering in circles, unable to find the exit and the windows were stuck closed. As the shadow currently was his smile could not have been seen, as he begun to scratch at a few of the near by windows...sharp talons grating against the glass.

He'd leave this Thomas for later...wanting to make sure he'd learned everything he could about him before trying to make use of that rather tight connection the two of them had seemed to share.

Ella kept after the receding echo, nearly sobbing between lines, terrified of catching up, more terrified of losing what she thought was her lover's ghost completely. The number of corners turned, and cold, empty hallways ambled down began to blur, until she was well and truly lost. And then...nothing. No song, no ghost, no fleeting shadows in the distance. Shivering and panting, her breath wreathing her face in fog, she stared down the hallway mutely, mouth twisting into a grimace.

Slowly her legs buckled, her body sliding into a slump against the wall, her forehead pressed to the cold, unfeeling stone. A dream, it had been a waking dream, a hallucination. The darkness, the song, and her own grief had conjured up a phantom of her own creation, nothing more. Thomas was dead, and he wasn't coming back, as a ghost or otherwise. She was alone. The silent, frigid darkness suddenly felt almost like home to Ella, the pall echoing what she felt inside.

Her head jerked up with a start at the sound of scratching against glass. Her eyes went slowly to the nearest window, a gradual expression of understanding dawning across her features. The wolves! Her delusional episode had attracted them to the building! More scratching joined, at other windows. Fresh terror filling her limbs, she scrambled to her feet, staggering and turning to run back toward what she thought was the exit, casting frantic glances over her shoulder, praying the wolves didn't make it inside.

Hallway after hallway the girl would scramble down, each turn leading to another oppressive and grim corridor. They all seemed the same and never getting her any closer to the exit she shouldn't have be all that far away from. The scratching only seemed to begin growing louder with each passing moment, more urgent as muffled feral hungry snarls began to join them as if the wolves or beasts were following her, perhaps drawn by her scent. Behind the growing noise she would hear the soft playing of the piano...the same song she had been playing before...just slower...as if beckoning out to her. She was certainly quite quick on her feet, that might help serve her well later on, of course it wouldn't save her from him or his games.

Her intense emotion towards this Thomas had piqued the dark beings curiousity as she had now earned his full and undivided attention. Something that had she known it had happened would doubtlessly regret. Of course, if she didn't follow the faint whisper of music and wanted to stay inside the maze...

Ella was rapidly spiraling into fullblown panic now. She turned corner after corner, and met nothing but more windows, more scratching. And then the snarling began. She couldn't help but whimper at the feral, hungry sound, shuddering as she ran, on and on seemingly without end. Wait, that sound?

Skidding on the icy tiles, she scrambled toward the sound of the piano, desperately casting about for direction. There! She no longer cared if the music was a hallucination, a ghost, or whatever, so long as could get out of these twisting darkened hallways, and the wolves at the windows. Gasping for breath, she paused a moment, then dashed off again, cold sweat beading on her pale skin as she darted down the hallway she thought she heard the sound coming from.

Rounding the last corner down nearly everything comes to a halt, all the scratching, snarling, even the darkness seems to have lifted a bit. The only sound that remained was the last notes of the piano's song being played. The silence once more shuffles in, hanging in the air as only an empty school building can manage. No shadows at the windows, no lingering footsteps of haunting ghosts, just the young raven haired woman, the hallway, and at the very end of the corridor sits the exit.

One of the doors lights was even on, casting light into the hallway as if it had never been turned off in the first place. The room of course was choir's practice room. Everything seemed as it had been...

The creature knew he had to back off a bit, he didn't want to send her off screaming completely just yet. That he could have just accomplished by revealing himself and that would not do, not one bit. Likely, the dark monster mused, even with everything returning to normal she would remain paranoid and hurry back to her sanctuary.

Running, running, then...a fading note on a piano, and silence. Chest heaving from her frantic running, Ella stared down the faintly lit hallway, disbelieving that the exit stood so easily in sight. Her eyes turned to the lit doorway, one hand shaking as it rose to wipe sweat from her brow. She didn't think for a moment, simply absorbed information, turning in place slowly.

The hallway behind her, while dark, was silent, the windows free of clawing wolves, the shadows free of whispering voices. Back to the door way of the rehearsal room, one hand clenching tightly on the door frame as she looked inside, staring at the piano, key cover closed as she'd left it. She glanced at the light switch, then at the overhead lights, free of any flickering.

She took a deep breath, and flicked the lights off, arms wrapping around herself as she walked toward the exit briskly, her nerves on raw edges. Had she hallucinated everything since touching the light switch? Was she not as recovered from Thomas' death as she thought? Angrily she scrubbed the tears from her eyes, a hic in her breathing the only evidence of a stifled sob. Would she ever recover?

She knew she needed to get back to her room now. She wasn't well. She needed rest, and a hot shower in the morning. Maybe she'd try the piano again, this time during the day, with people around to ground her. Hopefully she wouldn't have another "episode". Having sanely rationalized her experiences, but still thoroughly shaken, she hurried out of the building, not even looking back as her occupied shadow snaked out behind her under the glaring lamplight.

For awhile the Nightbringer just left the young woman to her own thoughts, as he was left to his. He hadn't expected her reaction to his whispered singing or how her mind had chosen to make it seem like this Tomas had been responsible for most of the events that took place. He could only figure that whoever he was, Thomas was dead and that fact hurt her a great deal. Even with that he didn't know who this Thomas was, his relationship to her, or even anything about him. That made things a bit more difficult, but not impossible if he had wanted to play upon the obvious deeply emotional strings the girl had held for him. No matter, he was pleased with how things had turned out so far...her terror, her heart wrenching saddness, her blind panic had thus been entertaining to behold and gave him something to truly look forward to.

Unlike other monsters, he didn't feed on emotions, sexual energy or really have any need with the young woman he had been trailing behind disguised as her own, if not slightly darker shadow. He had learned about humans and their emotions from the first one he had possessed and it interested him. They just simply amused him.

Other playmates Night had taken he hadn't bothered to find out their names, but this situation was different as he had taken the time to learn the names of all the new arrivials during his investigation and gauging their worthiness for his attentions. It wasn't much to go on, just her name but it would have to do for now. He'd have to get access to her student file at some point...he was quite sure the Administration had quite the detailed background on all of their students. Why wait? On top of a building, far above and out of sight from prying eyes the shadows gathered at his will. Pulling its small body forth from the murky blackness as if trying to climb out of a hardened tar, a small 1' winged gremlin like shadow fought to freedom. Scampering off quickly, the created imp disappeared into the night to carry out its order.

As Ella continued to walk forward along the path, the lamp lights surrounding her began to wobble and waiver as the light in the choir room had begun doing. It didn't last long and moment after nothing else seemed to happen or at least...nothing else seemed to happen yet. The wicked shade didn't mind the effect his mere presence or will had upon the light around him and saw little reason to truly stop it from happening. If it startled or frightened his newest prey, then it was perhaps an unexpected benifit.

Ella began to calm down as she hurriedly walked back to the dorms, the glaring lights of the lamp posts comforting after the darkness of the building. She kept a wary eye and ear out for wolves, but neither heard nor saw anything to suggest they had ever been around at all. Maybe she'd hallucinated them to. Shoulders sagging, she slowed her pace, feeling terribly foolish and stupid. It had all been a waking dream, her own mind playing tricks on her, punishing her for falling back into the grief she'd been trying to stave off.

She sighed, scrubbing at her face again, though the tears had since dried. A good nights sleep, a big breakfast, and a jog. All of those things would help, and a nice, long, hot shower would be just right to finish them off. For now, it might be best to simply not think at-. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the lights flickered, wavering as they had in the choir room. She clenched her eyes shut and took long, deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves, sure that the flickering was just another trick of her mind, warning her she was still thinking too much.

Gritting her teeth, and shivering from remembered cold, she hurried back toward the dorms, blocking out the world around her until she was in the front doors, and nearly running up the stairs. Two flights and a hallway to her door, a fumbling for her key, and she was inside, locking the door and turning to slump backward against, the nervous tension seeping out of her, leaving her boneless now that she was safe. She hugged her knees up to her chest, burying her face in her arms. What was wrong with her?

The silent shadow was pulled after the fleeing woman as she hurried and moved back to the dorms. He almost couldn't restrain the chuckle at the reaction that small flickering of light had caused but her fear, insecurity and panic was certainly and finally primed at its peak. He had chosen to give her a break, though the action certainly wasn't a gesture of compassion or mercy. Instead he wanted her to start feeling safe and secure, away from the nightmarish shadows that had terrified her.

Instead the shadow attached to her own took the small break in his tormenting to look around her room, perhaps he'd find information about this Thomas she had spoken about. He didn't move from her own shadow however not wanting to risk being seen or twisting the shadows to his will and giving away that she wasn't as safe or as sound as she had imagined.

It was nearly time to reveal himself, or at least unveil the next portion of the game and welcome the young woman properly to the school. The next chapter in his game would depend on what he could find, if anything but if not it isn't as if he would be completely denied tonights enjoyments. After all the night was still young...

After a few minutes with her face pressed to her arms, and the only sound her own ragged breathing, Ella began to calm down. She was just stressed, and more uncomfortable in her new home than she had thought. She wasn't crazy, no more so than anyone else. If she kept seeing things, maybe she'd go see the school therapist or something. She sucked in a lung full of air and held it, forcing the greater part of her anxiety and fear into a ball, and expelling them together in one long breath. Keep it together baby doll. Daddy don't need no basket case for a daughter.

Lifting her head, she felt a small smile tug at her lips, imagining the kind of reaction her overprotective father would have if she came home a gibbering wreck. Almost chuckling now, as euphoria came hard on the heels of abated terror, she rose and stretched, moving to her desk, and swiveling the lamp she'd left on earlier. With more light directed at her dresser, she dug around for a pair of pajamas, then just gave up. Shutting the drawers, she pulled off her tank top and running shorts, her sandals kicked into the corner first. Stretching again in her underwear, she took another deep breath and groaned slightly, her tense muscles tightening across her fit frame.

Satisfied with her preparations, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail, and sat on the edge of the bed. Grabbing a brush she started on the 100 strokes she gave her rather unruly mane every night, just to make it more manageable the next morning. By all appearances she was nearly ready to crawl into bed, and forget the whole night, put it behind her.

Like a dark mirror her shadow followed her about the room, matching her every movement. Ever unseen the dark spectre used his time to continue searching for data about Thomas, yet the only thing he was able to find was insubstantial at best. A picture on her desk of her and a human male at some sort of performance. Was that Thomas? He didn't honestly know but it seemed like his best bet. How best to make use of what little information he had so far was the question.

His concentration was quickly broken as he watched the raven haired beauty give a long hard stretch before stripping out of her clothing and down to her underwear. As if it weren't already enough to have seriously considered just tearing free from her shadow and having his way with her, he watched her delicatble form give yet another stretch, her muscles tightening across her body.

The shade managed to restrain himself from pouncing upon her, but only just as she took her seat on the bed. His mind flashed with an idea, he probably could have used her feelings for this Thomas to blackmail her into all sorts of things but he'd done that before. No he wanted to do something new, something that would cause a great conflict inside of the woman. He had it...and it didn't even have to say a word. Pushing out from her shadow and slinking under her bed the dark being moved quickly, moving off to one of the shadowy corners of the room and had begun his work once.

With a simple flick of his hand the lights in the room disappeared with the barely audible click of the light switch. Coalescing like a dark pool the shadows on the wall gather and swirl as a dark form pulls itself into reality. The shadows cling to the form like a thick tar, slowly dripping and oozing down, peeling away in protest as if the shadows had been trying to pull the strange form back inside of them. As the last of the black goo drips free the face is finally seen. The face of the man from the picture but there were slight differences, his hair was a bit unkept and wild, his skin held a gray pallor and his eyes were subdued blood red. He stood in front of the door, his head lowered looking at the ground...unmoving and wordless.

54, 55, 56, 57...Ella mentally counted out the strokes, feeling little bits of tension ease with every repetition of her nightly ritual. Safely ensconced in normalcy, the earlier events of the night felt more and more like a dream. She was almost ready to laugh at herself again when the lights went out, not gradually as her hallucinations had, but suddenly and with the sound of a light switch clicking. Someone was in the room with her! Panicking she floundered backward across the bed, thumping into the wall and brandishing her hairbrush like some sort of weapon, though the actual odds of it being any help were ludicrous.

Her eyes went wide, her heartbeat starting to hammer in her ears as her eyes started to adjust, the moonlight filtering through the window just enough to illuminate the pool of liquid shadows in her doorway, and the figure rising from it. She was too stunned to move, to scream, to anything but watch in disbelief and fear. What was happening? This couldn't be real. Shadows didn't move like tar, drip like honey, and they sure as hell didn't turn into-Thomas?!

Her mouth hung open, lips soundlessly working as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. He looked like hell warmed over, but that face, that beautiful face, it didn't belong to anyone but Thomas. Why? How? Had it all been real after all? Was this really his ghost? Why did he look so bad? She cried out softly at seeing what she thought was her lover in such a state, hairbrush falling forgotten as she crawled off the bed and stumbled slowly toward the apparition.

"Thomas? Oh sugar, that is you isn't it? Please baby say something." her hands stretched out beseechingly as she came nearer, wanting to hold him, feel him, to comfort him from whatever hell had left him looking so wild, so ragged.

The effect the current visage he had assumed upon her was more than he could have hoped for, the pained, confused look in her eyes and the sweet sound of longing sadness in her voice. It was not often he had to force himself not to smile or laugh but he was absolutely thrilled that his little gamble had paid off. She had thought he was Thomas! He could have made himself look more human than he did, but not knowing how the human sounded or even how he acted the dark shade had thought it best to keep him looking like some sort of ghost returned.

The dark spectre of Thomas remained completely motionless, it didn't even seem he was breathing. He merely just stood there his head hanging down as his exhausted looking slightly red eyes remained focused solely on the floor beneath his bare grey feet. He wandered just how close she would get to him and wondered if he would be able to spur her even further into action. Perhaps all it would take is a simple gesture. With a whispered mumbled groan he called out to her, "Ella..." his slightly grey lips barely moving. While he didn't know hardly anything about these two, it wouldn't matter as it was nearly time to properly welcome this new student...