Isabel woke to find Liz grinning down at her, and a small hand clutching at her throat. The small brunette lifted Isabel up and held her tightly. "Give me the key," she said coldly, no trace of Liz Parker there at all.

"I don't have it!" Isabel said coldly, trying in vain to hold an imperious gaze in the face of death.

"I know you do, where is it?" Liz demanded, shaking the girl hard.

"I don't know!" Isabel cried, her hands clawing at the vice grip on her neck. "God, I don't want to die!"

Suddenly, in one sweeping motion, the cold blade of a scythe had come to the base of Liz's neck. The woman who held it smiled at Isabel. "Have you so little faith in me, my Isabel?" she asked with a smile, before turning to face Liz. "I think it would do you good to drop my charge, child."

Liz grudgingly complied, trying to edge away from the sharp blade.

"Not so fast, little one," the silver hared woman grinned, she was beautiful, even with the look of sheer malice washing over her features. "You have something we need."

Liz looked up defiantly, "oh?" she smiled, "what's that?"

The silver hared woman smiled before touching the satchel at Liz's hip. "This," she smiled. "Give it over."

Liz grinned, "No."

The blade of the scythe brushed her neck. "Don't tempt me, you may hold a star, but I'll kill you if I have to."

"You'll kill me anyway, the star of the present is the host, and the others die if I die."

"The others are already dead, fool!" and the silver hared woman laughed. Liz frowned.

"They were weak," she smiled calmly and placed her hand on the blade to move it away, but found her hand passed through it. She smiled. "Tricky."

"No so tricky, silly girl," the silver hared woman grinned and the blade swept cleanly across Liz's neck, the sickening thud ushered death into the corridor slowly and silently, and Isabel tore the satchel from Liz's side. She shook out the star and looked down at it, unlike the other two, this one was of pure black, no light could be seen through it, and Isabel thought it seemed like a piece of volcanic glass. "Here," she said, handing the star to her keeper. "Ria needs it."

The woman smiled, taking the star and holding it tightly in her hand. She closed her eyes and slowly the piece of faceted crystal faded into nothing. She turned to her charge. "Hurry, my Isabel, I'll show you the way…" She stretched out her hand, the scythe gone now, and Isabel took it, feeling the warm glow of friendship that passed through the grasp.

Elsewhere, Max and Alex hurried down the halls, but stopped when a small girl appeared before them.

"Katydid?"

"Liz is dead, and the final star is ours. We must hurry to retrieve the keys. I'll show you the way," she smiled and turned, taking off down the maze of corridors with the two men following close on her heels.

"Liz is dead?" Alex asked, pain in his voice.

"She was the star of the present, darkness surrounded her, she would have killed Isabel if her keeper hadn't acted," the little girl said, and there was sorrow in her voice, "I'm sorry for your loss, but if we don't hurry, you may well lose more than just your friend."

Alex nodded, wiping away a tear. Liz had threatened Isabel? He was torn and confused, but kept running. His heart was hammering in his chest, not simply from exertion, but from pain and anger.

Max, on the other hand, was silently pondering his sister's words. He had loved Liz, but the moment he regained his memories, he had noticed something strange about her. Something not quite right. He shrugged it off as they heard arguing down the hall.

"It's Maria!" Alex shouted, unneeded, picking up his pace.