Alse woke up when her nanocom's alarm went off. She rolled over and turned it off then stood up and stretched. She gently woke up her nanos and went to shower for the morning when she saw a little red paper heart stuck on her mirror. She curiously pulled it off of the mirror but it didn't seem like anything like tape or glue stuck it there.

"Strange," the Utonium nano said, "do you think Dexter somehow put that there?"

"No." Alse said, opening the heart. The inside was a slightly sparkly layer with brilliant gold-colored cursive delicately written. She read aloud: 'You, Alse Kai, have been invited to Him's Halloween party October 31st at 8:00 PM. Bring a friend but don't bring a date! Tasteful costumes are a must. No weapons allowed. Please RVSP by checking off 'yes' or 'no' about your attendance. If you agree to come, at exactly 8:00 PM wherever you are you will be transported into my home.'

Alse raised her eyebrow, "No dates?"

Dexter rubbed his chin, "No weapons?"

"Hmm…" Alse thought to herself. "I'll see if Dexter's going. If not I probably won't. This sounds like a real adventure though." She said with a sarcastic tone. She shoved the invitation into her bag and left her apartment. The morning was crisp and the sun was shining bright enough to make Alse's eyes hurt. She stopped for a quick breakfast at a local bagel shop then made her way to class.

Mr. Green had arrived early and was sitting at the desk reading a book while he waited for class to officially start. He hid his toothy smile behind the book when Alse walked into class. The other girls were stretching and gossiping over their invitations. Dee Dee sat next to Alse and chattered about the invitation she received.

"I want to go! I love parties!" Dee Dee chirped. Mr. Green checked his watch and saw it was time to start the class.

"Ladies! It's time we begin." Mr. Green proudly stood up and showed off his black dancing tights. There was a moment of silence that was shattered by ear-piercing laughter from all of the girls except for Alse, who had hidden herself behind Dee Dee at the sight.

"Dad!" She exclaimed in disbelief. Mr. Green jumped a bit to hear her suddenly call him dad.

"Dad?" One girl in orange asked. "He's your dad?"

Alse grumbled to herself, upset that she let the cat out of the bag. "Yeah, wanna make something of it?" She balled her fist and raised her arm. The girl shook her head and scooted back.

"No fighting. Channel that energy into dancing!" Mr. Green said cheerfully doing a pirouette. "These help with dancing but they're so snug..." He said to himself. "I miss my other pants."

Alse sighed and bit her tongue. She and the other girls practiced until class was over, then Mr. Green poofed his actual pants on with magic.

Alse was getting ready to leave and change with her duffel bag slung over her shoulder and her nanos snuggled in her free arm when Kilroy stopped her. He waited for all of the other girls to leave before speaking.

"You're a really talented dancer." He smiled at her.

"Thanks." She said shortly.

"It means a lot to me that you called me 'dad' today." He smiled broader. Alse didn't say anything but frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing; I have to go."

"Wait, wait. Please take down my phone number so that you can call me if you need anything."

Alse took out her nanocom phone, "I thought we did this already." She didn't save his number the first time. She entered his name and number after he told it to her and she left for Dexter's.

Dexter was hard at work designing inexpensive and eco-friendly hovercrafts for people who needed them. He was scribbling frantically on long sheets of blueprint paper. His brain was working overtime, brimming with brilliant ideas and fantastic innovations. Computress was helping to keep the place tidy by rolling up and labeling the blueprints.

"I have done it again, Computress! I am truly a genius." Dexter beamed, "These hovercraft will run off of the Fusion Matter on the ground! They are also solar powered."

"Very good, Dexter." Computress said, "I'm proud to be your assistant."

Dexter's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID and boastfully shouted into it. "This is Dexter, the world's greatest genius redhead!"

Alse raised an eyebrow, "Dexter. Quit acting like a fool."

"OH! Alse! Hi…sorry about that…I'm just so excited about my latest inventions!"

"What are they?"

"Hovercraft!"

"Why are you shouting at me?"

"I'm sorry…again I am so excited about this. Can you come over today to help test them?"

"Sure."

"Thanks! How was class?"

"It was okay."

"Any trouble with my stupid sister?"

"No. She's a great dance partner. Dexter, open the door."

"You're here already?" he asked. Dexter instructed Computress to open the door to the lab and to escort Alse into the part of the lab he was in. Alse hung up her phone when she was in the elevator with Computress. Dexter greeted Alse with a brief hug then excitedly showed her his blueprints.

"Stylish." She said. "They look beautiful."

"Thank you. The best part is that all I have to do is scan these blueprints into my supercomputer and she will build the parts for me."

Alse scratched her head, "that's all? How long will it take?"

Computress picked up Alse's weapon and duffel bag and put it in the nearby closet. Her Mandark nano perched himself on Dexter's head.

"Get this thing off of me." Dexter said, annoyed. He did not appreciate anything "Mandark" on his person- even if the nano was Alse's.

"Before I forget," Alse said, picking up her nano, "did you get a letter for Him's party?"

"Yes I did." Dexter said, feeding his blueprints into a scanner. The computer sucked up the blueprints like a soda machine sucks in a dollar bill.

"Are you going to go?"

"When pigs fly." Dexter said, "And I have not yet created a splice between pigs and seagulls. I was hoping to use them against Fuse. I can't think of a more destructive animal combination."

Alse raised her eyebrow but decided to ignore what Dexter just said. "I was thinking of going."

"Well if you are then I should go too." Dexter finished feeding the blueprints into the computer and turned to face Alse.

"That was a quick change of heart." She smirked.

Dexter blushed and frowned, "Well I think it'd be fun…plus I want to be there to protect you if Him tries anything."

Alse laughed, "Thanks." Her nanos giggled.

"Anyway, to answer your previous question it will only take about an hour for all of the prototype hovercraft to be completed."

"Let's grab something to eat then. I'm starving." Alse said.

Dexter nodded, "ok." Dexter took Alse and her nanos to get a snack at the nearest shop. While this was all happening, Susan was hard at work in Mandark's lab tending to the lab animals. At first she was skittish when dealing with the rats but when she found out how gentle they were she was delighted to hold them. Sugar insisted on helping her clean the rat cages.

Susan tried to avoid him, remembering what Jack told her. She finished her work with the lab animals quickly while not saying a word to Sugar.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"No. I'm just tired." She said shortly.

"So go take a nap." Sugar shrugged.

"No, thanks." Susan said brushing her bangs behind her ears with her fingers.

"How come we don't talk anymore? We used to be good friends. Since you started working for Mandark you've changed." Sugar frowned.

Susan double checked the cages then turned to Sugar. "I haven't been here a month. I didn't change I'm just working."

Suddenly over the PA system Mandark calmly called for Susan to go down to the underground garden.

"What floor is that?" Susan asked Sugar.

"I'll just escort you there." He said smiling broadly, which creeped her out. He took her down to the elevator and to the garden. Susan looked at it wide-eyed. She thought it was the most beautiful indoor garden she's seen; even if it was all just pink, sparkly roses. She inhaled the scent of the room deeply. It smelled like fresh rain and sweet perfume. Every row of roses was different.

"There you are." Mandark said. He looked tired and his hair was messy. His clothes had dirt and sparkles on them.

Susan raised an eyebrow, "what happened to you?"

"This." He said tiredly. "I hate nature so much. Ugh." He groaned. "I'm finished crafting my perfect rose for Dee Dee." Mandark held up a potted rose. It was the most marvelous pink rose with the sweetest scent and the most delicate sparkles embedded into its petals. There weren't any thorns and the leaves delicately curled under as if the rose was curtsying. The stem of the rose was twisted like bamboo.

"That…is beautiful." Susan said. "I can see there's something from every flower in the Twisted Forest."

"They're all magnificent!" Susan's Dee Dee nano squealed. She flew to the roses and started inspecting all of them. Susan's Mandark and Dexter nano followed, playing in the roses.

"I'm pleased you like it, Dee Dee. Hm, that your opinion on the rose matters," Mandark said to Susan, "but this will surely be a big hit with her. She will fall in love with me now!" He gently put the rose down on the plastic yard table he was using as a desk.

"She'd be stupid not to." Susan smiled warmly.

"Indeed." Mandark said. "Now, what I need you to do, Lastig, is to tear down these rejected roses."

"Tear them down?" Susan's eyes almost filled with tears. "But…"

"Mandark, Susan is a nature worshiper. She's in the Magic Tree cult." Sugar said.

"It's not a cult it's a following." Susan corrected him.

"Okay, the Magic Tree following." Sugar nodded.

"She has no problem eating plants or picking the flowers I required for this project. Why start crying now?" Mandark was not amused by this.

"I picked the dying flowers or the flowers that were already on the ground. These are all beautiful, healthy flowers. Why not just donate them somewhere?" Susan suggested. "What about the Tyrranical Gardens? When it's uninfected…"

"If you want to donate them you can do that. Enjoy lifting, literally, a ton of roses. Mandroid, come here." He instructed a nearby Mandroid. The Mandroid obediently went over to Mandark.

"Yes, all-knowing master of darkness?" The Mandroid asked.

"Carry my laptop and follow me. I have to put this rose in a safe place until I'm ready to present it to her. I also require a shower." Mandark said. The Mandroid folded up Mandark's laptop and held it securely while Mandark picked up the potted rose and walked off.

Susan looked up at all of the roses and frowned. "It's sad."

"I know. I'm sorry." Sugar said, it sounded genuine. "Do you know that the Mandroids will listen to you?"

"Why would they listen to me?" Susan asked.

"Because you're an employee." Sugar said. "Just show them your ID card and they'll generally listen to you. Of course they won't do you any extreme favors."

"Why does it matter?" Susan asked.

"Because you can ask the Mandroids to help you move the roses." Sugar smiled."You have access to a lot of this laboratory. Use it." He encouraged her.

"I don't want to get in trouble." Susan shook her head.

"I don't think you will get in trouble for doing your job." He shrugged, "Besides, what could he possibly do? You put up with him constantly cutting you down. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything about you being half Chinese. Don't be so afraid of him."

"I'm not afraid of Mandark. I just respect him. I know how to work with villains." Susan went into the nearby utility closet and swept the floor.

"By the way, has he paid you yet?" Sugar asked, helping her too. Susan felt better about being around him. She started to think Jack was teasing her after all.

"No." Susan said.

"Well, payday is tomorrow. Do you know how much you're getting yearly?" Sugar raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't care much about the money." Susan said, concentrating on sweeping.

"You're getting paid thirty million taro a year. After taxes."

"WHAT?" Susan dropped the broom. "That much? Why?"

Sugar chuckled, "Mandark makes billions and billions a year. He's one of the richest people on the planet. Dexter makes a few billion more than Mandark, but spends more of his money on the environment and testing than Mandark does. Mandark paying you so much is a symbol of how much he values you as a human employee. Unfortunately your value is in money…not affection."

"Well he loves Dee Dee. I don't expect affection." Susan picked up the broom. "With all that money I'll be able to get my uncle out of debt and I can go to college. I could help so many people…" Susan daydreamed.

"You're so not a villainess." Sugar chuckled.

"Sure I am!" Susan said, pouting.

"No, you are not a villainess." He laughed, "You're more of a mercenary than anything. You might even be a good guy."

"Well I'm not a bad person- I'm just not a hero."

"Speaking of heroes, did you ever fly with those wings?"

"Wings? Oh my Angel's Prayer. No…not yet."

"Are you going to?"

"Maybe after work."

"Well, bring a heal and a revive nano. I'm tired of reading in the papers about kids who crashed into buildings and died. Someone really needs to set up a flight school. Oh…hey there are all these pots that are empty. If you want you can take some of these roses home in them. There's plenty of dirt around for them too."

"I think I might do that. Lou loves plants. Do you know how to fly?" Susan asked him.

Sugar nodded, "Yes. I don't bring my wings with me often. I have the big blue moth wings. I'll give you a hint though: it's best to fly into the wind, not with it."

Susan nodded, "thanks."

"I have to go now, see you later." Sugar said, leaving that part of the lab.

Susan was left confused; should she believe Jack or not? She's been good friends with Sugar for years and never suspected that he might be a murderer in the future.

Susan's nanos were still bouncing among the roses when her phone rang. She picked it up, "hello?"

"Susan! It's me, Artemis!" She sounded excited. "Did you get your invitation?"

"Yes." Susan said. "What's up?"

"We've gotten most of them back and they were almost all yes! I'm so excited! The Halloween party is going to be a big hit!"

Susan smiled, "that's awesome."

"Are you coming?" Artemis asked excitedly.

"I guess so. It should be fun…but I don't know if Mandark is coming."

"So? Who needs him? I know you like him and all but…he's quite the party pooper. What if you meet a nice guy at the party?"

"Then I'd be lucky." Susan blushed. "Listen, can I call you back later? I'm in the middle of work."

"Oh! I'm sorry I should've known. Sure you can call me back later."

"Wait, before you go would you like a rose? Mandark made a bunch trying to make the perfect one for Dee Dee and all of the ones he doesn't want are here in his lab and I'd feel bad throwing them away."

"Are they potted?"

"Yes."

"I think Him would love a dozen roses then. What colors are they?"

"They're all sparkly and pink."

"That's right up his alley! Let me know when you're going to stop by then."

"Sure. I'll talk to you later." Susan said, hanging up. She looked at her nanos and smiled. "Things are looking up."