Juliette "Jules" Halliwell's Story

Danielle River

Danielle walked along the edge of the lake, kicking stones into the deep abyss. It was a kind of day you see in fairy tales, where the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Danielle picked up a stone and threw it into the lake. It skimmed once...twice…and landed in the water. She looked at her wrist, where a silver watch was fastened. She cursed under her breath, slung her bag over her shoulder and ran towards the main area, feet digging into the dry ground and brown hair flying back in the wind.

She stopped in her tracks and bent over, catching her breath. Her stomach rumbled and she decided to give into temptation. So what if she was a few minutes late to class? She sat down on the nearby bench and slipped her bag off her back, unzipping it and reaching her hand in. She ruffled around, until her hand finally caught something. With a triumphant smile, she took the croissant out of her bag and ate it. She looked at her watch again. Late, yet still people were walking around and talking. “Hey!” she called over to someone. “Can I see your watch?” The boy shrugged, walked over to her and showed her his watch. Her own watch was five minutes late. “Uh, thanks,” she muttered to the boy, as he walked off. She reset her own watch and stood up. She wasn't in a rush after all. She still had three minutes to get to class. Plenty of time.

She wiped her mouth with her arm and slung her bag over her shoulder yet again. She walked to the Battle Strategies Area. Before she got there, she hid her bag in a clump of bushes. Even though there was nothing of extreme value in it, you could never be too careful with all the Hermes kids running around. When she arrived, only two people were already there, Jules and Peter. She didn't know them extremely well, but she'd seen them around enough to know their names. “Hi,” she said with a slight nod, to show she wasn't a complete moron. She walked into the area and stood there, waiting, hands in her pockets.

Arissa Adia

After Ava left them in a hurry, Arissa soon left not a second later. Seeing that the two where absorbed in their conversation, she finally decided to go to Mr. Cadwell's class. She knew she won't be late that much, seeing as the bell had only rung but she decided to speed up walking. Her initial plan was to skip class, for the very first time actually. She rather had a bad start this day and she don't think she can keep her I'm a good child aura for today. But since Mr. Cadwell is her favorite teacher, she might as well try her hardest not to blemish her perfect attendance on his class.

"Good morning, kids. How are we feeling, today?" She heard him say and Arissa immediately hastened her steps. She opened the door and quickly entered. "I'm sorry Mr. Cadwell, I was temporarily detained," she mustered in a sweet voice looking apologetically at the teacher.

She saw Danielle, Peter and Juliette and almost let out an audible groan. Just her luck, the Academy's well-known liar in her morning class. She paused at the door for a few moments before deciding that she looked an idiot longer than she would like, went inside and took a seat near the window. She then stared at Mr. Cadwell's handsome face expectantly and eagerly waited for his lesson.
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Nissa Claire Summers

One thing you can always be sure with Nissa Claire Summers is that she is a spontaneous person. She always have new activities planned for every single day. It wasn't like she hated monotony but she figured if you can do something different, something new, why not try it? Such is the case for this early morning. As a child of Athena, one thing she prided of is her ability to shift into an owl. Not only did she like the feeling of flying, soaring into the vast sky, Nissa also deeply appreciates being able to see the world in another perspective. This one is from a bird's eye view, literally.

She flew around the perimeters of the Academy for an hour before she finally tested herself if she can go farther. She never tried it before. Not really seeing a reason to but since she had a shitty weekend she thought it may help with her current bad mood. And she was thankful that she did, flying far away and seeing the world beyond the Academy was the most wonderful and exhilarating thing she experienced. She was able to see the large expanse of water which deeply hides Olympus from the normal human beings and even the dense forest that lies beyond it.

She flew across the ocean and into the forest before finally settling on a very tall tree. Before she knew it, time has gone by rather swiftly and she noticed that it was already time for the morning classes. Only then did she decided to leave and fly back to the Academy, though her class wasn't later this day.

Portia's smirk falls as soon as she's out of view of Ava and the rest, and she raised a hand to her temple; her head is throbbing. She brightens, however, when she spots Chloe and Everlie. She gives them a smile - her first genuine one of the morning. "You two been skinny dipping?" she asks, pointing to their damp clothes. She stops when she reaches them, "I'll never understand how you two can be bothered to get up so early." she's vaguely impressed by the two early-birds; she can't do anything but blink before 8.30 am.

She suddenly realises that the three of them are late for class...that's hardly unusual for Portia, but for Everlie it's unheard of, "Ev? You know that you're late for class? And on an assessment day! Chloe and I must be a really terrible influence on you, yeah Chloe?" she gives Everlie a grin that shows she's only teasing. "I'm in the mood for a drinks tonight...but, when am I not in the mood for a few drinks?" she chuckles, "What do you think? Want to join me?" she asks.

"Anyway, I should go. I've got Cadwell's class." she gives them a final wave and then continues on her way to Battle Strategy. Jules, Peter and Danni are already there, and Keating is looking around, obviously waiting for the others. "Sorry, sir. Got held up." She stands by the other three, "Hey, guys." she greets, "You three are looking awfully bloody bright for this time in the morning." she observes.

Portia nudges Jules's arm, "Do you have a water bottle? I'm so hungover - I feel like the living dead." After her drink - a long one after which she feels marginally better - she turns back to the others, "Anyway, speaking of hangovers, I thought maybe we could have a few drinks tonight? What d'you think?" she thinks for a moment before adding, "Obviously we wouldn't invite Ava or Arissa or Nina - or any of that lot. Just the fun people."[/b] Portia plans on [i]spending some time[i] with Will, tonight - and having Nina and the rest of the prohibition group around would be counter productive.

Tristan holds up a hand in apology when he walks into Battle Strategy late, but by the looks of things he's not the only one. Portia, Juliette, Danni and Peter are standing at one end, and Arissa - who had come in a few moments after he had - is at the other, but apart from that the place is deserted. He goes by Arissa - he and Peter aren't exactly best buddies - "Sorry I ran off, earlier...I just didn't want to catch whatever Will has."





Alex returns Danni's smile with a tired one of his own, when she says that she feels great, "Glad to hear it, Danni. I wish I could say the same for myself." He watches as Tristan, and then Arissa, make their entrances and excuses, and gives them a nod to show that their lateness is excused. He gives the kids a 'settle down' gesture when they start asking about his night, "I can't have a night off, every once in a while? he jokes, "Gods know that you all do...some more frequently than others, Portia." he casts an eye over Portia's dishevelled appearance; she looks how he [/i]feels.

"Today, we're going to be practising with non-contact battle. That is, fighting using your powers, not weapons. So throw on some armour - " he points over to the lockers containing the armour in the corner, "-and break off into two groups of five..." he glances round, realising that there's not enough students to actually make up two teams of five. He frowns, creating a line in his forehead, "Has anyone seen Nina? How about Will? Emilee? Malcolm?"

After Nissa retired to her room, she checked her lecture notes for the class later that day. She already completed it last night but flying around early this morning gave her a new idea. She looked over her notes and decided to do some changes. Once she was done preparing her lesson, she walked out of her room and went outside.

When she was walking to the classrooms, she was just mildly surprised to see William Hawk out of class. She certainly knew how little he valued his education but what shocked her was his companion. It was Nina Collins, the shy child of Demeter. "Nina?" She called out, stopping near them. She looked at both of them disapprovingly but she was more focused on the blond haired girl. "I thought you have class with Mr. Alexander this morning?" She stated checking her wristwatch to make sure that she wasn't mistaken. She recently heard the last warning bell so she was sure that classes had already begun.

"What are you doing here outside with Mr. Hawk?" She added turning to the other student for a moment, arching an eyebrow. She looked at her and waited for her response.

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"Yes, I know. If it weren't for Ava...", Arissa said smirking at Tristan, trailing off at the end of her statement. She liked Tristan, he was the type of guy you'd enjoy talking with. Unlike the other son of Aphrodite, he doesn't act like a total slut. She wanted to add more having found someone who shared her dislike but decided to leave it at that.

Now that she was in Mr. Cadwell's class she's certainly in her element. Mr. Alexander Cadwell is the only teacher worth listening to and she always made sure to pay extra attention to everything he says. "I can't have a night off, every once in a while?" She smiled hearing his joke, it was just like him to make things fun. But her smile faded when she saw Portia, the wild and reckless child of Dionysius enter the class as if she owned it. Groaning inwardly she looked at her disgustedly. I thought I got rid of her before! She thought thinking back where she unfortunately saw her earlier at the garden.

It was just her luck that everyone she don't like seem to be in her morning class, aside from Tristan and to some extent, Danni, that is. Good thing Mr. Cadwell is in front of her or else.
"Doesn't she know the existence of a hairbrush?" She murmured to Tristan, still staring at the girl distastefully. "Or taking a bath?" She added raising her chin haughtily, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Today, we're going to be practising with non-contact battle. That is, fighting using your powers, not weapons. So throw on some armour - " Mr. Cadwell had already started talking about their activity for the day. He then started to look for the other students. She rolled her eyes as she was walking towards the lockers when she heard him state Nina's name. Not surprisingly she's still with William. Honestly. It will do her good if she don't associate herself with the guy.

Chloe Huntington

Chloe's head popped out of her bedroom door, peering sneakily around. She was on the look out for any of her brothers, well, half brothers really, or that silly boy Chance. Most mornings, it was a race between the children of Poseidon to reach the banks of the lake, to try and nab the best spot that there was for swimming, and keeping towels dry. Sometimes even Nathan Hensleigh, the good old History teacher sometimes came to the lake in the mornings, for a wake-up dip. She was the only daughter of Poseidon at Olympus Academy, which meant she had a reputation to uphold. Her dorm room was one of those closest to the lake, so she had a little of a head start when it came to getting there first. She spotted no movement with her eyes, and decided that the coast was clear. She felt like she was part of MI5, as she crept her way cautiously towards the lake, keeping her eyes open for any signs of a water demi-god.

With her towel slung over her shoulder, and the lake in sight, Chloe was soon whistling a happy tune as she walked. It seemed as if she was the first one to arrive, with no other towels around or any movement in the water. She could be totally wrong; they didn't all rush to the lake every morning, maybe the boys were having a lie-in? Who knew. She plopped her towel down by the big oak tree that stood next to the water, the only large mass of shade around, and slipped out of her outfit, revealing her bikini underneath.

Then, she disappeared under the waves, diving in perfect form into the deepest end of the lake. She stayed under the water for a good few minutes, her eyes open, looking around at the scenery she had grown so accustomed to over the years that she had been at Olympus Academy. She let out a few soft breaths, the bubbles appearing in front of her making her giggle. They always did - sometimes, in moments like this, she couldn't believe that she actually was breathing underwater, or her father was the brother of the all powerful Zeus - but it was all true. After a few tranquil moments of being under the water, she began to kick her feet, propelling her body upwards. Within seconds, her head broke the surface, her eyes closed, blocking them from the already scorching sunshine.

---

Lukas Tricon

Lukas groaned and buried his head deeper under his duvet, as the insistent beeping of his alarm clock rung through his ears, begging him to wake up and get a start to the day. But today, he wasn't feeling like waking up, getting out of bed, and being the happy boy that he had been a few weeks ago. Because he wasn't that boy any more. Nope, he was shriveling, weeping mess. That sounds really unmasculine and soppy, but it was true. Lukas had barely left his dorm room in weeks, only for food, occasional lessons, or when his twin Nova had literally dragged him out into the sunshine. He couldn't help it though - everything reminded him of her. His Clover.

She had been at this school, the Olympus Academy for Demi-Gods for a little while, but had dumped him and left the campus on their one year anniversary. She hadn't given him a reason; she had just stopped talking to him, packed up all of her things, and left. She had even dropped off the little silver charm bracelet onto his doorstep on her way out. He had never felt about anyone the way he did about Clover, and she had literally crushed him, and took every bit of happiness and life out of him with her, wherever she had gone to. Going outside reminded him of her, the sunrise reminding him of her gorgeous red hair, the chirping of birds reminding him of her melodious voice when she sang, the laughing of other girls around the campus reminding him how much he had loved hearing her laugh. He hated himself for feeling this way, for not hating her for leaving him like this, for feeling so sorry for himself that he couldn't do anything any more - but he just couldn't help it. She had been his rock, his life, his everything, and she had broken him.

Without her around, Lukas had closed up - not just himself into his room, but he had closed off her personality, his happiness, and his friends. Many had tried to coax him out of his room, but he hadn't wanted to leave - when he was in this sort of mood, Lukas was an extremely stubborn boy, and it would take a miracle to get him to move now. His hand reached out from underneath the warmth of his quilt, smacking the button on top of his alarm, snooze.

Today wasn't the day to be getting up and out into the world again.
Today was another wallowing-in-self-pity day.

---

Vanessa Tate

R.I.P. to the girl you use to see.
Her days are over, baby she's over...

Rita Ora's song played through the headphones, leading the song into the ears of the Latina woman. Her feet pounded against the forest floor as she ran, each foot smacking against the dirt in time with the beat. Her breath was steady as she made her way through her ready-made path, weaving in and out of the trees, dodging roots and ducking underneath branches. Every morning, Vanessa woke up at six AM, put on her jogging clothes, plugged her iPod into her ears, and left as quietly as she could, heading out into the woods for a two hour run. When she was running, Ness felt a sense of freedom flow through her, as if she could never be caught, never be confined, and never be ensnared. She was at her very best and happiest when she was running, and she always had a smile upon her face.

Ness had been a runner for as long as she could remember, and coming to Olympus Academy hadn't changed anything. Her running time had grown, from only being half an hour when she first arrived here, to the two hours that she would do every morning now. Sometimes she takes her bow and arrow with her, and do a little bit of archery practice, but she found that it was slightly irritating to run with, even with it slung over her back. So this morning, like most, it was just her, her music and the nature surrounding her.

Ness' mood instantly dropped slightly as she came out of the glades, as it usually did, her sense of freedom and care-freeness disappearing as she left behind the comfort of the trees. She slowed down, stopping her run, so that she was walking, and pulled her earphones out. She paused for a moment, resting her palms on her knees, taking in a few deep breaths. She could see the dorms now, and knowing that a shower was just minutes away, her mood brightened back up again. Reaching up to her hair, the Latina pulled out her ponytail, letting her long brunette waves tumble down her back. A small wave was sent in the direction of Jules, daughter of Apollo, who was walking past her, before she entered into her room.

After just under an hour, she was out of the shower, ready made up, and exiting her room dressed in this, heading towards her history classroom.

"Good morning Nate. Or is it Mr Hensleigh, now?" Were Ness' first words and they had the young teacher making a face, before he cleared his throat. He couldn't quite decide on her tone, if he had to be honest. There was something different about her, though; an air of confidence. She's grown into quite woman, hadn't she? She had been little more than a child back when he'd known her, but she'd been mature enough, and he'd loved spending time with her. She'd been incredibly easy to charm; blushing with every kind word. He'd thought it adorable, but it seemed she had evolved somewhat past that, which he thought at little sad. He liked the old Ness, however, he was certain he'd like the woman in front of him too. She couldn't possibly have changed too much. He cast her a wry smile, "probably Mr Hensleigh," he merely said, glancing at the open door behind her.

When she decided on the table nearest the door, it made Nate's heart sink. She had been skipping his classes, but he hadn't been entirely able to figure out why, and now she was choosing to sit nearest the door. To do what? Run from him again? They needed to talk, badly. He could sense some resentment from her, like she was angry with him over something. What on earth could she be angry about? She was the one who'd been avoiding him, not the other way around. The teacher frowned slightly as he watched her, trying to decipher the Latina woman. She was smiling, but he knew her and it didn't mean she was actually happy - well, he knew her three years ago, and how much could she really have changed? You've changed, a part of his mind peeped, making him sigh softly. Yeah, he hadn't been a very nice guy. He'd used women... in truth he's cheated on Ness several times during the 6 months they were together, but he wasn't that man anymore. He had grown to respect women as well as girls. He would never cheat on a girl now. Actually, he would never consequently date done, because it meant monogamy, and Nate wasn't very good at that. He had no control over his lower parts. It was more it that controlled his actions, not the other way around.

He was drawn from pondering when Ness spoke up once more, however. This made him chuckle slightly, glancing at the door. "I'm not sure how to..." he began. His words came to an end the second Juliette stepped inside, though. Way to time things. He cleared his throat, collecting himself. The gorgeous teacher stood and smiled at the girl as she greeted Ness like they were best friends. Uh oh. Not good. He almost ran out of the classroom right there. He was well aware that many of the girls were crushing him... they made it quite... obvious. Some more than others. Juliette was among the obvious ones, and if Ness still had feelings for him? She had been deeply in love with him back when, but he didn't know whether something was still there. He'd only been there three weeks, and already he wanted to get out. What on earth had he gotten himself into?

As the girls conversed, Nate took to gathering his papers in a nice little stack, ready for delivery, so to speak. Ness hadn't handed one in, which presented another problem; she had to. He couldn't treat her differently merely because they'd dated. One, it would seem suspicious, and two, it would be morally incorrect. And who are you to speak of morals? a part of him asked. He sighed inwardly. He knew himself, which meant he also knew that he'd changed. He was a better man. He was still incredibly weak when it came to women, a problem he was still fighting, but he treated them properly at all times. In fact, that had only drawn more of them.

As Ava stepped inside, Nathan's gaze took a little tour of the girl, noting that this was another woman Ness talked to like she was her best friend. She was also one of the more... active flirters in this class. He sent her a smile much like the one he'd presented Juliette with; gorgeous and charming, yet slightly professional. Okay, so he had to work on getting some of the charming-factor out of his smile, because it overshadowed everything else, and gave this girls the feeling that he was interested. Not that he wasn't... he just wasn't allowed to be, so he tried to keep a little bit of a distance for starters; like not calling them by their nicknames, but rather their actual names, or surnames. He wasn't picky on that one.

As several other student made their way inside, Nathan relaxed, though not visibly. In appearances, he had seemed like he had the entire situation under control at all times, so he was quite at ease already. His thoughts were quite problematic, however. He glanced at the clock, noticing that class had now officially begun, so he cleared his throat to gain silence, watching the group of student with a warning look, telling them to be quiet, along with a wry, breathtaking smile. He couldn't really help his looks. In all honesty he would've loved to be less attractive. It would present less complications considering his job.

Once everything quieted down, the man spoke, graded essays still in his hands. "That's better," he said, noting the silence a tad teasingly, "I'm going to be handing out your essays, where-after everyone will have the opportunity to ask questions. I don't expect there to be all that many, as I have pretty much overwritten the entire thing with comments." He added, voice a bit more serious, though kidding at the end, as he started walking down the classroom, putting essays in front of the right students here and there. After a couple of students' looks or horror, he chuckled - still handing out papers. "Don't look so horrified. It may all be red, but it's not all bad," he said, again with a teasing note. As he passed Ness, he leaned down to quietly murmur, making sure only she could hear, "we need to speak after class." It was all he said as he kept on moving. It wouldn't seem weird that he'd spoken to her; after all, she hadn't handed in the paper, which was honestly among the things he needed to speak with her about.

Ava Sawyer


As Ava entered the classroom she took a seat to the right of Ness as Jules was too her left “Morning ladies” she greeted cheerfully placing her bag in front of her to pull out everything she would need for the class, which consisted of a notepad and pen, leaning forward on her elbows she turned her head to face Ness “So hon, why we sat all the way back here?” she asked Ness curiously, her eyebrow slightly arched as she noted all of the empty desks nearer the front.

Noting the smile Mr Hensleigh sent her way she returned it, nothing overly flirtatious, she was a daughter of Aphrodite, a master of seduction, it sure as hell would take a lot more than a charming smile to reduce her to a giggling idiot, unfortunately the same thing could not be said for many of the other girls who were in the class. She watched them like a sauce of entertainment, the way they would hitch their skirts higher and lower their tops whenever the handsome history teacher was around, the way they would giggle profusely and twirl their hair around their finger…it was sickening to watch yet also highly entertaining. Grabbing her apple, she took a large bite out of it before turning back to her friends “So, you ready for the ball tonight?” she asked getting rather excited, her thoughts quickly turned to Lukas as she wondered if she could get him to go…probably not but she decided that she would do everything within her power to try.

Discarding her apple core in the bin by the door she quickly returned to her seat as Mr Hensleigh began to speak "That's better," he said, noting the silence a tad teasingly, "I'm going to be handing out your essays, where-after everyone will have the opportunity to ask questions. I don't expect there to be all that many, as I have pretty much overwritten the entire thing with comments." Ava waited on edge for her paper to arrive, although some might not believe it but she was actually extremely studious and took her grades extremely seriously, they were the only chance of people seeing her more as a dumb blonde. A large smile graced her lips as she was handed her paper back with a large ‘B-’ written across the top, looking up at Mr Hensleigh she smiled “Thanks sir” she replied quickly, before turning to Ness who didn’t seem to have a paper before her “Did you not do it?” she asked with a small laugh.

Ness Tate

As the rest of the class came shuffling in, Ness slid off of the table onto her chair. "Ava, who chooses to sit at the front of the class? Wouldn't you much prefer to sit back here and gaze at him from afar?" She laughed along with her joke, although the smile barely reaching her eyes. She didn't like the idea of all the other girls at the Academy having a thing for Nate, but she couldn't stop them, could she? So, she played along, and sat down at a desk on the right of Jules. The blonde sat on the other side of her, as they would have done in any other class they have together, and it didn't change here. her head whipped to the left for a moment, turning to the girl who had asked her about the dance that night. In all honesty, she had forgotten much about it. They had gone out as a group and bought dresses for the event ages ago, it felt like months, but since her ex-boyfriend had turned up as a teacher, nothing else had really gotten into her mind. "Oh, the dance? Shoot, I completely forgot." Her hand slapped her forehead gently, and she frowned.

"No, I'm not ready yet, but I've got the dress, and I can figure out something to do with my mop of hair. Have you asked Luke yet? I know you want to." She smiled gently, that confidence that had been in her system moments before now completely eradicated, leaving just the naive and sweet Ness behind. Soon, the gorgeous history teacher began handing out the essays that had been given in, probably last week, and she paused for a moment. She hadn't handed in a paper; she hadn't known that there had been a paper! She had been avoiding the class, remember? As he advanced towards her, her stomach grew more and more twisted, tying itself into knots. She had never missed an assignment deadline before - she was always one of the first to hand them in, right after the daughters of Athena. Maybe this would be on her record forever... what if it ruined everything.

"We need to talk after class."

The husky voice said into her ear as he bent down to talk to her, his tone soft, yet stern. If anyone had realized that he had spoken to her, those that weren't asleep, or were her friends, they would just have expected that he was keeping her behind after class to ask her why she had been missing class, and why she hadn't given in the assignment. She swiveled around in her seat as Ava's voice hit her ears, and she shook her head.

"No, I didn't do it. For the last few history lessons, I've had a migraine, remember?" She spoke softly, the worry evident in her voice about her current situation.

She just wanted class to end so she could get this over with.

Nathan took his time walking around the classroom, handing out the Essays. Eira, Ava and Juliette. As he put down Ava's graded paper, she thanked him, which earned her a smile, especially at the sir part. That was probably the first time he'd ever been called sir, and it felt... well, weird, sort of. He didn't spend a lot of time hovering however, so in stead he cast a little "you're welcome, Ava," over his shoulder as he continued. Upon reaching Juliette, putting down her Essay he sent her a smile and quietly said, "rather impressing, Juliette." Then he straightened and was just about to walk back to his desk when she shot him a little remark about the red, making him laugh, his usual masculine chuckle, really. "It does hold some appeal, doesn't it?" he said, wry smile on his lips, amusement in his voice. He realized he might come off as a bit flirtatious to anyone with an ear for that sort of thing, but he was truly trying to stay professional. However, Juliette tended to make it rather difficult.

The handsome man then attempted once more to walk back, but only managed a single step until Juliette was there again, handing him a piece of paper with a list. He couldn't yet determine what it was, however. "By the way..." she said, causing him to raise an eyebrow and take the paper. The teacher gave it a quick once-over, face alight with understanding. "Ah yes, the songs for tonight, I take it?" He said, smiling at her, his piercing eyes focused solely on her. "I'll look it over after class and come find you afterwards." He finished, his eyes finally leaving her to glance around the room before he at last walked to the front of the class, leaning casually against the desk. Nathan put the note Juliette had given him next to him on it, for later inspection. He had agreed to help out with the ball, and so he spent a little time with Juliette and a couple of the other students out of class, setting things up. He would also be chaperoning this evening, something he knew would be quite the challenge. Discarding the thoughts for later, he sent a gorgeous smile the entire class' way, noting some chit chat over by the girls.

"A bit of silence, please," he said firmly, letting no doubt about his seriousness exist. Then, once things had quieted down, he continued... "I realize some of you may be disappointed with your grades. I understand your old history teacher was very... generous with them. However, I have high standards, and my expectations follow those standards." He was rarely this serious, but he needed them all to understand him and why he was to strict with grades. Not because he had a particular desire for them to like him, but because it was important information. If it had been him at the little desks, he would've wanted it. "As you can see, though, I'm very thorough and I give praise where praise is deserved. For everyone." He smiled again, easing up the serene tone. "I do it for you guys - not because I like being mean," he added. Then he chuckled slightly. "Okay, so I do... a little." When the expected chuckles died down, Nathan rubbed his neck, eyes going over every student. "So... any questions?"

Presented with a forest of fingers instantly, Nathan laughed. "And how many of you have complaints about my handwriting?" When almost all the fingers stayed up, he smiled wryly. His handwriting was terrible, in truth, especially when trying to fit a lot of text, in very little space. He'd have to remember to add that they should use proper spacing between lines, or this would be an issue every time. "Alright, c'mon up then. I'll clarify."

Nathan spent about 15 minutes talking about the Essays, answering questions, clearing up issues with his hand-writing and so forth. Afterwards he spent another 15 minutes talking about how a proper essay should be written in history, how to make quoted and footnotes properly - when to put them there, and how many on each page. He also spent time talking about the language with which a proper essay is written and so forth. The way he saw it, he had a lot to pick up on after their previous teacher. Apparently she had been a little more... relaxed, about her job than Nathan. Problem was that it had affected the students, which he would have none of. This was another improvement he was going to work on.

Then he picked up where they'd left off last time; The roman empire. As he only had half an hour left, Nathan spent it conversing with his students; revision was healthy for everyone. He'd long since stood to take notes for them on the blackboard, which he consistently did every time something important was mentioned. He was pleased to notice that everyone remembered many of the more important facts and even some dates and years. During this half hour, Nathan took his time, letting everyone catch up, clarifying if one didn't quite understand and so forth. He wasn't cheap when it came to jokes and a bit of teasing. All in all, Nathan had thought it a rewarding class when it ended.

Glancing at the clock, realizing it was time to stop, Nathan finished the sentence he'd been writing and turned to present his class with a smile. "That would be it for today, everyone. As you all scramble to get out of here, remember to grab a paper from the stack over here," he said, pointing at the papers on the corner of his desk. "It's your new essay-assignment, complete with all you need to know. I hope you took some decent notes this time, because I will be evaluating accordingly." It was on the Roman Empire; he wanted to know how much each individual had grasped about writing Essays. This time it was 4 pages, however, and he'd given them three weeks. Shouldn't be too much to ask of them. Then he merely stood back and watched with a smile as the students stumbled over themselves to grab assignments and hurry outside. The weather was great - he couldn't blame them for disliking being cooped up inside. His gaze, however, soon focused on Ness, waiting for them to finally be alone.

Chloe Huntington

"Dear Fen, there is no way I could loose myself in the water." Chloe's voice was soft as she spoke to her half-brother, her eyes still closed as she drifted along the top of the water. There was no need to stress at this precise moment in time; there was nothing that could make her stress out or worry when she was in this peaceful state of mind. The water really did calm her, took away all of her troubles, and replaced them with that cool affection that could only come from the ripples. "If I'm late, I'm late." She said, a smile playing at her lips as she spoke. Boone would probably crucify her if she was late, but that never usually stopped her. He was her older brother for all sense and purposes, just without the whole "blood bond" thing. They had known each other for so long, that now she wasn't scared of him any more, as other students at the Academy were. He was a big softie really - you just had to get passed the hard exterior.

As she drifted closer and closer to Fen, she could feel the air around her growing a little tenser. Her eyes opened for a moment to examine his face briefly - he looked sad and different, his beautiful smile being instead replaced by a growing grimace. She knew that he was slightly less confident, compared to his three other siblings, as for one brief moment, he had spoken to her about it. She felt bad after that conversation, as she realized that she did "baby" him a lot, always looking out for him and protecting him, but she couldn't help it - that was the way that she felt. She was just about to turn back onto her front, go over there and hug him and ask him what was wrong, but instead a shrill voice, calling out her name hit her ears.

Instead of jumping up to see who it was, Chloe just lay there and laughed. Soon, the water was moving and bouncing all around her body, and she was almost instantly being wrapped in her best friends arms. Most people when they saw Chance, especially in a hysterical state like this, they would probably just believe that he was drunk, or high, or something. They probably wouldn't even be able to understand his insane babbling. But she could.

"Okay, okay." She spoke gently, hugging her best friend back, stroking his hair softly as he cried into her shoulder. She didn't answer his previous question, but instead just focused on his insane words. "Miss Piggy? You smashed her? Oh Chance... don't you even worry about it, okay? You're not a murderer; she was just a money grabbing pig, you know that. I've seen her steal from people." Yes, she knew that she had to treat Chance like a child sometimes, but they were best friends, and she would do anything to see that smile back on his face again. "You don't need to do anything, Chance. You got her for her crimes. She deserved it."

---

Luke Tricon

Lukas ignored his brother's playful voice as he shoved a brownie into his mouth, stifling his words. He didn't really care of the brownies were "aw-thomm" in all seriousness, they reminded him too much of Clover - she had baked brownies for him on more than one occasion. Of course, that didn't mean that he wouldn't ever eat brownies again, because they really were one of his favourite snacks, but for now, they reminded him too much of her. Nova didn't know this though - how could he have remembered that tiny little detail? Besides, Nova had too been making brownies since they were children. His head was still shoved into his pillow as there were a few moment of a comfortable silence. Maybe Nova had finally given up on him, and was going to let him go back into his own little dream world where Clo-- Then he started talking again. Maybe not.

He suddenly felt something foreign on his chest, and his head slowly rose from it's position, to examine it. He looked at the device for a moment, before he almost robotically removed his hands from underneath the quilt. His fingers delicately traced the name that had been engraved into it, and it was almost impossible to see that his brother had edited it, changing the 'C' into a 'K.' The back was glass, meaning that he could see the inner workings of it, and his mind began to work almost instantly, working out what he would have to remove, or change, and tinker with to make this thing work again. "T-Thanks, Nova." He spoke gently, feeling his brother's tools, his favourite ones, being placed down on the mattress next to him. Ever so slowly but surely, he moved from his almost fetal position, so that he was now sitting up. That would give his brother some hope.

However, there was soon a knock at the door, and before Lukas could start to work on the trinket, Nova was bounding over there, answering the door to Jayme Winters. She was a nice enough girl - Everlie's sister. Everlie was one of his closest female friends, which meant that he had to like Jayme, even if their personalities clashed. However, they didn't, and they were quite good friends. "Do you really think I'm going to that ball tonight Nova?" He sighed, placing his present back down on the bed, next to the tools. He nodded a greeting to Jayme as she stood there, ignoring his brother's comment about him being a skeleton. Although, that was a good metaphor for how he was feeling. "Oh, she brought me breakfast? Could... could someone thank her for me? I don't... really want her seeing me like this."

That was strange, that he didn't want Ava to see him in this state. Well, they had grown slightly closer since her departure.

---

Ness Tate

"I've not been feeling well recently." Ness shrugged, a smile playing on her lips as she answered her friend, who looked generally shocked at her abundance of knowledge about the ball. It wasn't a completely insane answer - that her migraines had grown worse. She actually did have a problem with migraines, she would usually get at least one a week. It just so happened that recently, "they" had to fall on Mr Hensleigh's history lessons, didn't it? Shame that. Ness knew that one day, she would have to tell Jules and Ava what had happened in her past, but for now, she was quite happy keeping it a personal secret. She would only tell them when it was absolutely necessary. Anyway, that could be never. It really was her choice.

"In a platonic way? Really?" A laugh came from her lips as she looked at Ava, her eyes filled with denial. They had spoken about Luke Tricon before, and each time they had, Ava's eyes had always brightened up a little, her eyes got slightly wider, and her voice had began to babble, her words running together. "Yeah, you just believe that, honey." She grinned, before her blonde friend quickly changed the subject to that of them getting ready together. Ness nodded in affirmation of this idea. "Sure, we can get ready together. I was actually going to ask if you could help me with my hair, before I forgot all about it. Is... is that okay? You know how hopeless I am with hair." That was true - it always had been. Then, her friend's hand was on her shoulder, gently comforting her. "Thanks..."

As the lesson dragged on, Ness grew more and more uncomfortable. She didn't want to be alone in the room with Nate any more - especially if he was going to tell her off for not doing a stupid history assignment. Her palms felt hot as she took down the notes, and she had to take a sip of the water out of her backpack as her lips and throat grew dry. The Latina was one of those girls that cried when she was told off by teachers, but only after she had left the room and was in the comfort of her bedroom. However, this teacher was different. If he shouted at her, or told her off... well, she didn't know what she would do. Soon, he was dismissing the class members, and his eyes came to rest on her. She avoided his gaze, turning quickly around to talk to Jules and Ava. "You guys go on ahead to the ball meeting, or whatever. I'll meet you there okay? No point waiting for me." She smiled, secretly begging her friends not to leave her alone. However, this was something that she had to do - She had to speak to him.

Soon, the room was empty, and it was just the two of them left; Nate standing at the front of the room, and her seated at the back. Her confidence had been shot completely now, and she was back to that innocent little mess that he had known three years ago. She cleared her throat quietly as she packed up her things, and felt her knees buckle underneath her as she stood up. Her steps were slow as she walked towards the front of the classroom, and she put her bag down on the front desk.

So, Sir," She spoke, trying not to let her voice crack in front of him, which surprisingly worked, "you wanted to talk to me?"

Nate told Ava he'd join them shortly in the gym, and chuckled at Juliette's little reminder. "I won't.." he merely said, his voiced laced with flirtatious undercurrents. Man, he couldn't even control it anymore. Or maybe it was merely because it was Juliette. It wasn't that his words were wrong, exactly, but his tone was, and he was incapable of changing it. Only woman he'd ever been capable of not flirting with was Amerie; for some reason, the English teacher just didn't appeal to him, which was weird, 'cause she was certainly not unattractive. It was just as well, however. Boone could have her. It seemed Nathan had enough on his hands as it was, and if Boone wanted the stuck up English teacher, who was Nathan to say anything against that?

As Ava and Juliette left the room, he was suddenly alone with Ness. The beautiful girl he'd actually cared for. Now, Nathan wouldn't call it love, but he had always cared a great deal for her, even if it had pretty much all faded during their years apart, and he certainly didn't want it back. Feelings, no matter how weak, were problems, especially since she was now his student. Man, had he been fighting himself the entire class, trying not to look at her too much, or get lost in worried thoughts. He wasn't sure whether anyone had picked up on his slightly less himself way of acting, but he thought not. He was normally very talented when it came to hiding what was going on inside. He always came off as the funny, smiling, charming guy who never had any problems, and never felt awkward about anything. In truth, Nathan felt sort of awkward about the whole student-flirting going on, and now with Ness there? He was in trouble. That much he knew.

While Ness packed up her things, the gorgeous teacher took the few necessary steps to reach the door, which he then closed before turning to the beautiful woman in his presence. At that point she'd already placed her bag on his rectangular desk at the front; his desk. He was just about to say... well, something. He wasn't quite sure what, when Ness spoke first, a little sarcastically hostile when she spoke the word 'sir'; probably payback for him calling her Vanessa in stead of the nickname he'd given her years ago. Her grandfather had always called her Nessie, but somehow Nate had had some issues with that. To him it had seemed more like something you'd call a little girl, and Ness had been young enough as it was. So yeah, he'd started called her Ness, and apparently it'd stuck.

Nathan sighed before smiling at her; just a little, soft smile - nothing overly grand. Then he walked up next to her to resume his position, leaning against the desk, but this time he was looking only at Ness, and not an entire class. It felt a little weird being here with her, of all places. "You've been avoiding me," he ended up saying, a little teasingly. He needed to break the ice somehow, and he was strangely unfamiliar with situations like this one. "What'd I ever do to you?" Again, his tone of voice was teasing. He didn't blame her at all, really, but he could tell Ness was extremely uncomfortable, and he didn't like it. He didn't like anyone feeling uncomfortable around him in truth, but especially not Ness.

Nathan looked at Ness, focused on her, his beautiful eyes warm, yes with that ever-present glint of flirtation, along with a tad of humor. He put his hands in his pocket, rather unsure of where to put himself. He was always confident with women. Always, with no exception. Yet here was one, and look at who'd caused it. He was betting he felt a lot better about things than her, however, even if he was the one with a job on the line.