Tears touched her eyes and in minutes Katie had barged through her door and was kneeling by her side. "Ria," she murmured, looking at the mark, "I thought you were smart."

"I know, but I couldn't let them take you yet, not when two of them still don't know," Maria sighed, wiping away a tear.

"You have honor beyond your years, my love," Katie smiled, kissing Maria's forehead.

"And you have wisdom due to yours," Maria laughed, remembering the blessing they had shared in ages gone by.

"Of course," Katie smiled, lifting Maria to her feet. "Have you eaten?"

"No, I have something in the microwave."

"Good, have that and we will talk." Katie smiled, disappearing deeper into the house.

Maria smiled, and removed the dish and ate quietly. Eventually Katie returned to the kitchen and sat in silence, watching the other girl eat.

"You know of the keys?" Katie asked at length.

"I remember them vaguely. There are three, one to match each of the stars, right?"

Katie nodded, "Three keys of light to balance the darkness of the stars. They must be brought together before the last star appears, or all will be lost."

"You sound like a prophet, Katydid," Maria said softly.

"It's what I am," she replied equally soft. "Tell me what you remember," she said sternly, though not harshly.

"I remember Michael, mostly, and Izzy, and you. I remember that it was a beautiful place, with high walls of white stone, and marble statues everywhere."

"Good, good, and what of the three, your mission, their fate?"

"Not much, I remember Michael, again, he loved me," she smiled, almost sadly.

"Yes, passionately and you were both condemned for it. No love was to exceed that of ancient ones," Katie murmured.

"I remember that, vaguely, he was to be executed, but I took his place. He…" she paused, thinking, "he told me he loved me, that no matter what happened, he did. I don't really remember much else of that."

"There isn't much else to remember. But what of the other two, it's obvious that you and Michael would remember each other the most, but what of Max and Isabel?"

"Izzy, I-- she was my-- my what?"

"Isabel was your closest friend, as well as one of sacred guards of the ancient ones," Katie provided, "she was like a sister, you always said."

"Yes, I remember loving her very much, I remember giving her something, before the execution."

"You gave her this," Katie said, holding out a necklace, a small, clear, purple stone wound within silver tendrils of wire depended from the thin, silver link chain. "It is said to be a shard of the crystal."

"The crystal?" Maria asked, confused.

"Yes, there was a crystal, the ancient ones shattered it stupidly, thinking that it would stop the crystal revolution, but really, it caused more trouble than it was worth."

"The crystal revolution, I think I remember that, the ancients were--" she furrowed her brow, thinking, trying to recall her past.

"Stupid, vain, and ignorant," Katie said bitterly, "they shattered the only thing that could keep that world whole, and so that world ended."

"What happened to the crystal?"

"It shattered, six large pieces, three stars of darkness, and three keys. There were shards too, it was said that if all the shards could be gathered together, along with the keys and the stars, that the crystal could be reformed, and our world could be brought into reality again."

Maria's eyes widened at the implication. "It could reverse time? Or raise the dead?" she stammered, shocked and slightly terrified that this wisp of a girl could, conceivably, shatter this existence and bring about another age.

Katie laughed, but it was a disconcerting sound, almost hollow in the empty hush of the house.

"Yes, I suppose, in theory. But there's no way to find all the shards, or even know where they are."

"We have one, don't we," she said thoughtfully, "as well as the keys and the stars."

"We have nothing, Ria, we don't have the keys yet, and the stars will be difficult to extricate from their hosts. Remember that there will be one from the present, possibly a friend, would you be willing to sacrifice someone dear to your heart to bring about an age you barely remember?"

Maria thought for a long moment, looking at her hands, the necklace, and finally Katie's deep green eyes. "If it's a world where Michael and I can be together," she said tersely, in all seriousness, yet let the statement hang.

Katie smiled, touching the girl's hand. "You're manifesting, dear, it'll happen to them too. As they do, at least one of the keys will appear."

"How do you plan on finding the keys?" Maria asked, getting up and retrieving a coke from the fridge.

"I'll know when they appear. It'll be as obvious as the difference between day and night," Katie sighed and drew out a pack of cigarettes. "Do you mind?" she asked, removing one of the long white cylinders from the packet.

"No, go ahead," Maria murmured, getting up to find something the other girl could use as an ashtray.

Katie lit the cigarette and dragged deeply, savoring the acrid taste she'd grown to love. "I suppose I should explain some things about them to you, shouldn't I?" the keeper said softly, letting the cigarette rest in the clear ashtray and their eyes met.

"Explanations are always good," a quiet voice spoke from the doorway, both women turned to see Michael Guerin and Max Evans, waiting impatiently there.

"The time for explanations is not now," Katie stood, lifting her cigarette to her lips and pulling lightly. "Not for you."

"I want to know why I had that vision of the little girl," Max said heatedly, stepping into the house.

"That I cannot say, boy," she sneered, looking at him distastefully. "I am not your keeper, the child is. I house her spirit, not her mind."

"I don't accept that!" Max shouted, advancing on the newcomer to the group. "You were there, you spoke of stars and you took her away, what the hell did it mean?!" his voice was rising rapidly, and his eyes sparked a flame in them that Katie remembered from long, long ago.

"Silence," she seethed, glaring at the dark hared boy. Her hand reached out and caught the front of his shirt. "So help me if you tempt my hand I will seal the fate that has been left open since the dawn of time for you," she snarled, and it was that same animal's sound that Maria had heard from the intruder in her home less than an hour ago.

Something frightened Maria and she stepped back towards the door, unknowingly closer to her wayward soul mate.

Dark laughter filled the room, and a familiar voice echoed off the walls. "You would not seal his fate, infant," the voice chortled, "you lack the courage of your convictions."

Maria whimpered at the tone in the voice that filled the room and, suddenly, she felt strong arms encircle her waist.

"Don't goad me, star of darkness," Katie snarled again, "you need him just as much as I, if not more!"

Maria felt something stir within her, and a low moan escaped her lips as her body went limp in Michael's arms, her muscles lax and heavy.

Katie laughed, "The messiah wakes, wretch, sow your wave of carrion elsewhere."