Amber Nicole Romano's Story

(Ingore the Lora tag!)

Eden Haven

Buuuuzzzz. Buuuuzzzz.

A groan escaped from Eden's mouth as he lifted his face off of his desk to look at the vibrating phone by his hand. He slowly sat up straight, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked down at his desk to see the outline for his newest comic strip. In this one, the hero Redline took on the Fearsome Five, a group of flirtacious villainesses trying to reek havoc on Arcana City. Though, it really didn't matter how flirtacious they were, because Redline wasn't exactly interested in...people like them.

It dawned on Eden that he fell asleep drawing, but it wasn't exactly the first time he did it. He shook his head and grabbed his phone, looking at the text he recieved from Kali. Oh Kali. She was one of his best friends and he was slightly excited to read what she sent him.

Hey you. Where are you? Are you awake?

Eden cocked his brow and looked at the time on the upper corner of his phone screen. 'Oh bleep.' He thought. He had slept in way to late. He jumped up from his chair, grabbing a tee shirt, jeans and some shoes, before running into his bathroom and rushing to get ready. He couldn't have picked a less perfect day to sleep in. The Noctrem students were coming today and he had to see who he was getting roomed with. He was assuming he would share with another Arcana student, because that was the only way that made sense. Everyone would be happy that way. He came out of his bathroom, dressed, and looked at Mary, who was frozen right next to his bed.

He walked over to her and placed his hand on her hand. "Hey Mary." He greeted her as her face began moving and she blinked. "You got to get up. We have to see who we're going to be living with." She flexed her fingers, which made noises that sounded like cracking, as if she was stiff from staying still for long. Mary nodded at Eden, moving every part of her body before cracking a smile. "Alright. I'm ready."

Eden grabbed his cellphone and started to respond to Kali.

Hey Kali. Overslept lol. Nothing unusual. Mary and I are going to see the roommate list. Wonder who I'll get.... Talk to ya soon :)

He sent the message and left the room with Mary not to far behind. "Do you know what time I fell asleep last night?" Eden asked Mary. She was rolling her neck, stretching and she seemingly took a deep sigh. "About two." Her wings flapped behind her, almost as if they were made from flesh. She looked around the hallways as they soon, they saw the crowd of students around the list. "I hope we get someone good." Mary said. Eden shrugged. "As long as we don't get anyone mean, I'm fine." Mary nodded in agreement as the duo made their way to the mob of students.

They got some strange looks, which Eden could understand. It didn't matter if people knew about Eden's ability, seeing a statue move and talk was a weird sight for most. Eden scooted and politely pushed past several students, saying "Sorry" and "Exuse me." until they made their way to the list. He scanned the list, but his mouth dropped when he saw that the rooms were mixed. "What? What's going on with this?" He asked. "Who'd we get?" Mary asked, attempting to make it look like she was raising an imaginary eyebrow.

Eden shrugged before looking back at the list and finding his name. "Uhhh...Room Fourteen: Eden Havan and Marcurio Espenosa." He read aloud. He turned to Mary with an annoyed look on his face. "They spelled Haven wrong. They put H-A-V-A-N. They put an A, not E." Mary chuckled, making a sound similar to rocks clacking together. "Again?" She asked and Eden shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright, I guess. I wonder who this Marcurio guy is." Mary nodded. "Let's head back to the room. Maybe he's there." Eden thought for a moment and shook his head. "I'm going to try and find Kali. Want to come with?" Mary nodded and smiled. The angel liked the girl. She had spunk.

Eden took out his phone and quickly called Kali. After the ringing stopped and she picked up, Eden began. "Heeeeeeey Kali. Where are you? I'm being to lazy to look around

Amber Romano

Amber woke up early that morning. She had to get everything planned before she moved into the new school. She sat up in her bed, with the infamous Black Book in front of her. She held a pencil in her right hand, scribbling down notes and thoughts to herself. "Hmmm...Note to self-" She said aloud as she wrote. "Pay attention to Jaysin. He seems nervous around me." She put the pencil down next to three knives laying on her bed. She picked up the red one by the tip and with a fluid flick of her wrist- Thud!- the knife whisked through the air and embeded itself into the dartboard she had set up on the wall oppisite of her. A smile came to her lips as she closed the book and jumped out of the bed to get ready for the day.

It wasn't like she needed to put real clothes and make-up on. She could just shift to make it look like she had clothes on, but she liked the process of getting ready. It was...fun for Amber. After her shower, she put on her make-up, deciding which eye color she would choose for the day. "Hmm....blue maybe?" She closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were crystal blue. She frowned. "Green?" She repeated the process and grinned at the result. She walked backed to her bed, putting the Black Book, the knives, and her pencil into her purse. Then Amber took the dartboard off the wall and placed it into her luggage. She smirked and thought to herself. 'Get ready Arcana. I'm coming for ya.'

Amber got off the bus, fully dressed. She smiled and looked around at the school, purse slung over her shoulder. She strutted over to her luggage, grabbing her bags, her heels clicking and clacking on the floor. She studied the faces of those passing her by, her emerald eyes gleaming with a michievious light. This was going to be fun.

She walked over to the list and read all the names. 'Actually...' She thought, taking out her phone and snapping a picture of the list. It would be useful to know where everyone was living. She walked away, staring at the picture on her phone, looking for her name. "Hayley Stanhope?" Amber asked aloud. It took a moment before the image of the other girl popped into her mind. "Oh. Her." Though Amber wasn't thrilled with her new roommate, at least she wasn't with someone she couldn't stand. Like Sky was.

She laughed as she saw him cursing in a mix of English and Spanish. That was a telltale sign of the pyro being pissed off. She walked past him and Colby, looking around for something to do. She heard Mr. Marino's voice boom over the school and a smile came to her lips. She didn't know why, but she liked going to assemblys. They gave her time to look at everyone, time to get to know their facial expressions. It was a personal hobbie of Amber's.

She whistled as she walked to her room to put her stuff down. "Room Thirteen." She said to herself as she walked down the hallways. She found it and let herself in, laying all her bags on her bed. She took out her dartboard and set it up on the oppisite wall facing her bed, just as she had done at the hotel. A smile came to her face. This was going to be great.


Sky Byrnes

He laughed as he held Cor's retorts. Especially the one about giving his new roommate a huge. "Maybe I'll even suck his dick!" He yelled back at her, chuckling as he walked along. Sky smiled as Colby appeared in front of him, with that huge goofy grin on his face and his arms outstretched to help out with his luggage. "Thanks." He said, before setting the Party Box into Colby's arms, the sound of glass bottles bumping against each other coming from inside. It didn't take the speedster long to start talking. He immediately went into a long (and loud) string of comments. He cocked a brow when he heard the part about Colby's roommate being an elf. Sky immediately knew who Colby's elf was, but he just smiled and waited for Colby to figure it out for himself.

Sky opened his mouth several times to try and get a word in, but then again it was Colby and that was very unlikely to happen. So Sky just waited for Colby to finish, but before he could, the speedster was caught off by Leo's message to the school. An assembly? Wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but whatever. They wouldn't have to force him to go. He looked back at Colby who, surprise surprise, was talking again. He said that they should get him settled in. A good idea in Sky's opinon, but he liked Colby's second suggestion better.

"Alright, let's make this snappy then haha." Sky laughed, eager to put his things away and go back to Colby's room. He imagined what they'd do this time and a dreamy smile came to his lips. "Well, let's go. I don't want to spend much time with my new roomie." He grimaced. "I'm in a room with Jay." He shuttered "I really would have rather been with you or that Eden kid." He bit his lower lip. "I'm sorry, but he's one yummy order of asian take-out." He laughed, but then he noticed that Colby was alittle zoned out. "Uh...Are you alright, Colbs? You seemed kinda...out of it. And I should know about that." Sky would and Colby was one of the few people who knew about his own flashbacks.

Hayley came into the gates of the school. She felt a bit nervous at all the newcomers this year from the evil school of Noctrem. She wasn't being her usual happy, super hyper, and friendly self today. Being that her powers were probably the weakest of everyone else's abilities, she felt vulnerable and helpless. Hayley was very sure she wasn't strong enough to fight off one of the big Noctrem guys and this made her have an unsettling feeling.

Hayley walked up the walkway to the front doors and into the lobby. She made her way to the stairs looking for any of her friends to say hi, or really what she was looking for was a bit of reassurance. She went to the second floor where she knew that all the student rooms were located and went up the stairwell. Once she got to her designated floor she walked slowly past all of the numbers on the doors, along the enormous hallway, that seemed to go on and on forever. She finally came to her room, 'Room Thirteen'. SHe opened the door and walked inside. She was surprised to see her room mate Amber, already there. She put on a friendly smile and walked over to her bed and dumped her bag onto the bed.

Hayley glanced over at Amber and said sweetly, "Hi Amber, welcome to Arcana Academy. Are you finding everything...er...nice?" She smiled and giggled at her loose of words.

He thought about putting in his earbuds and playing some music. The room he shared with Zac was one of the last dormitories, and that meant he’d have to pass almost every single room on his way to the cafeteria. Having his earbuds in wouldn’t preclude anyone trying to converse with him entirely. He’d learned that the hard way. It would help, maybe. A slight frown tugged at his lips as he wondered why he was feeling so misanthropic today. Well, moreso than usual, anyway. Even he had to admit that the impulse to wreck Zac’s drums and how terse he’d been were somewhat over the top. Was it just the move? He’d gotten used to having his own motel room and the freedom that it entailed. Or was it something more, something that he wasn’t fully conscious of?

Speaking of Zac, he spotted the boy heading in the opposite direction of him. Feeling ever-so-guilty for how he’d behaved before, Theo lifted a hand in greeting and managed to reorder his thoughtfully frowning lips into a smile. When he heard the sound of Zac on his drums soon thereafter, he found himself very glad that he’d decided to eat rather than read or catch a nap. Ear plugs, he decided. That would be his concession, his act of kindness. He’d just invest in some ear plugs, and Zac could practice with a brass band for all he cared.

As he passed Room Sixteen, he heard Jaysin’s voice, and slowed down just slightly. There were other people in the room- Erin and the strange boy from Arcana, Keirol. He heard the voice of Corentine Quellen afterward and abruptly picked his pace back up. His dislike of Cor outstripped his fondness for Jaysin by whole orders of magnitudes. He didn’t feel like enduring her presence, and the room already seemed quite crowded anyway.

He kept walking. Spotting Amber heading into her room, he tensed slightly, and then let out a captive breath when she just slipped in without seeing him. He’d been avoiding her for… well, a while now. When she saw him, her eyes tended to spark with interest, and her body language suggested that she was going to approach and engage, and he really didn’t want to allow that to happen. He had a sneaking suspicion about what she wanted, and he had far too many secrets to be comfortable letting that girl get close.

He tensed yet again when, closer to the atrium where the list had been posted, he spotted Colby, Landon, and Sky. Just walking by the three of them made him feel very much like he imagined fairly attractive women felt when they walked past a construction site. He was waiting for a cat-call, a proposition, some comment on his arms or his shirt or whatever detail of his appearance that they might bring up today. He wasn’t being entirely fair. Sky wasn’t nearly so bad as Landon, and Landon wasn’t anywhere near as aggravating as the speedster. He nodded awkwardly at the trio. Well, mostly at Landon. Landon, who’d managed to stumble onto one of his secrets. He’d sworn he wouldn’t say anything, wouldn’t mention it. Theo believed that he’d stay quiet, but he worried about the price. He knew the other boy was interested in him, probably even more so after their encounter the week before. How long would it be before it occurred to Landon that his knowledge would give him leverage over the object of his affection?

Perhaps there was an upshot to having a memory-meddler as a roommate. He’d have to broach the subject with Zac cagily. He might have been from Arcana, but he had no qualms misusing his powers for the sake of schoolwork. Getting him to purge Landon’s mind of what he’d learned… well, he’d have to think about it. That would only mean he was indebted to Zac instead of Landon. He might be better off with the latter.

He glanced around at those still near the list, hoping to spot one of the few faces he considered actually friendly. Someone he wouldn’t mind talking to. His mind was busier than usual. That tended to indicate that he needed to get something out of his system. Oh well. Seeing no one promising, he soldiered on to the cafeteria. Maybe there would be someone there. Or maybe he’d just have to wait for his run to blow off steam.

Theo often forgot to eat, but when he did eat, he did it right. He got himself a tray and upon it gathered the following: one bowl of whole-grain cereal with two percent milk, two scrambled eggs and two thick slices of ham, a glass of orange juice, wheat toast, and a small pre-packaged fruit and yogurt and granola bowl that actually looked really good. Carrying his food to a vacant table, he sat down and got to work, eating little bits of this and that, diminishing each aspect of his meal proportionately, except for the yogurt medley, which he saved for lonesome last.

After a minute or two of persisting solitude, he slipped his earbuds in and started some music. Move Along by the All-American Rejects started up from his randomized playlist.

---

Colby grinned when Sky cracked his knuckles; it was a very different grin from the goofy standard he made of his mouth most of the time. It wasn’t so much the way his lips were curved that was different, but the competitive cast to his eyes. One might almost think that he wanted Jaysin to start something with Sky when he was there. He blinked when Sky seemingly held off on saying something when Landon arrived, but that was quickly forgotten because… Landon arrived, and the conversation sped on.

He burst into laughter when his buddy mentioned a sock-on-the-doorknob code for him and Drake. Was it really that funny? Probably not to most people. To Colby it was though. Putting a sock on a doorknob made him think of putting a condom on a carrot, like people did in sex-ed classes, and for some reason, thinking about that never failed to make him guffaw. ”Haha, totally,” he said once he’d calmed down. ”I’m going to have to buy a ton of socks, haha.” Apparently it didn’t occur to him to designate a single sock for that purpose.

He listened to the other two, nodding along as Sky put in his two cents on Eriol and Landon agreed to help back Sky up if need be. Maybe he’d been worried about nothing before. Sky and Landon were getting along just fine. Really, Landon was being his usually awesome self and joining the cavalry. He decided that things were totally copacetic (this was the most sophisticated word in Colby’s vocabulary, though the precise connotation escaped him) and moved on, flourishing another grin. ”Jaysin is a total babe though. Haha, he’s going to like, be sooooooo obsessed with you not seeing him naked.” He turned his grin on Sky as he said it. ”It’s kind of hilarious how mad he gets when I hit on him. It’s like, ‘dude, chill out, it doesn’t make you gay if a gay guy hits on you,’ right? He should be, like, flattered, haha.”

He started off behind Landon, still carrying the Party Box. ”So what do you guys think the assembly is about?” That actually hadn’t slipped through the holes in his mental colander. ”Sounds like it’s a pretty big deal, right? Maybe us being put with Noctrem kids was like, some computer mix-up or whatever, and we’re gonna get our real room assignments, haha.” He blinked, and then gave Sky a nudge with his arm. ”No offense dude, haha. I just wish you were with me. That would have been so awesome.” His eyes glazed a bit, and he imagined what it would have been like had he and Sky been put together. Awesome was certainly one way to put it. The other ways to put it warrant censorship.

He gave Theo McCaffrey a once over as the moody boy passed them, then looked over to Landon a few seconds later. ”Didn’t he like, totally shoot you down too? Soooooo glad I didn’t get stuck with him. I think I might have like, died of frustration or whatever, haha. Hopefully whoever he’s with can like, cheer him up some.” He looked over at Sky then, whipping his head quickly. ”Was he like, ever happy? Or did he always look like he was having a mug shot taken, haha?”

Amber was finally finished with putting her stuff away. She kneeled down, sliding a small jewelry box (containing some of Amber's favorite things) under her bed when she heard the room's door open and close. She stood up and turned around to smile at the head of blonde hair that entered their room. A polite smile rested on Amber's lips as she listened to the other girl greet her and welcome her to the academy. 'She seems nice.' Amber thought. "Thanks Hayley." She said, still smiling. "The school seems really nice. It's a nice change of scenery, especially coming from that motel." She pretended to shiver and grinned at the girl.

Amber stared at the girl for a moment, assessing all the little things about her. 'Light blue eyes. Curly blonde hair. Fair hair, not dirty blonde. Slim build, not many curves. Heart shaped lips. Tiny nose...' Every second that passed, more and more details were added to Amber's mental list. The Noctrem student kept smiling at the Arcana, then spoke. "You know, we haven't spoken at all since I've been going here." Her emerald eyes lit up as she spoke. "I hope we get to change that. We'll have a lot of time to talk now that we're roomies." Her friendliness seemed sincere enough, but most would be rather unsettled by the way Amber spoke. So...formal for a girl of her age.

She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "I'm going to get some breakfast, but I'll see you at Mr. M's assembly." She walked toward the door and past Hayley, placing her hand on the other girl's shoulder. "I look forward to getting to know you." She said, smiling again, before she left the room and went into the hallways.

Amber walked down the hallways, ignoring all the action going around her and thinking to herself. She made a mental list of potential allies at the school. Now was a time to recruit. People were confused by what was going on and vastly different personalities were clashing. It was a perfect storm for gossip and rumors to bloom. Amber's buissness could flourish, but she just needed the right people to help her add fuel to the fire. Ellie was an obvious choice. Her gift would give Amber a huge advantage. No one would be able to hide anything from them. Then, after Ellie, there was Theo. Theo, Theo, Theo. He had been avoiding her for a while and Amber had an idea of why. He knew that she wanted his help, but for some reason, he didn't seem eager to join her. Next was Freya. That girl had so much potential to cause trouble. Nothing was in more demand on the Gossip Market than some juicy hook ups and romance. Amber wondered if the girl could make a straight guy fall for another guy. That would be an entertaining project.

The girl grabbed a tray, placeing some toast, a waffle, some bacon, and nice, bright red apple on it. She turned to look for a place to sit and- Oh! Was that Theo over there? Amber's lips curled into a devilish smile as she strutted over to his table, her heels clicking and clacking against the cafeteria's shiney wood floor. She sat down across from Theo, puting up her hand and daintily waved at him in greeting.

'Headphones.' was the first thing she observed as she took her seat. She gave Theo a polite smile, setting her bag down in the seat next to her. She reached into it, taking out the Black Book and a red pen. She flipped through the pages until she came upon a blank page. She scribbled something down on the paper, ripped it from the book and laid it down in front of the boy.
It read,

Let's talk

Amber took one of her knives out of her bag and held it in her left hand, apple in her right. She watched Theo as she cut a sliver of the fruit off, and ate it off the blade. She smiled at Theo as she chewed (with her mouth closed, of course) her bright green eyes gleaming as she thought of his potential in the buissness. 'We could do great things.' she thought.



Sky shook his head in amusement as he listened to the two best friends in front of him. It somewhat reminded him of his own relationship with his good friend Curio. 'Where is Curio?' Sky thought, but his attention was taken by the new information Colby has just dropped. Jay doesn't feel comfortable with guys hitting on him? An evil smile came to the pyro's lips as the wheels started turning in his head. "Oh poor guy." He started, smirking. "I'm going to make his life Hell." Sky started on a mental list of things to buy to make his new roomie super uncomfortable. He was going to need a bunch of gay dirty magazines, some Twilight posters (the ones with Taylor Lautner), and few other things that escaped Sky's mind. 'Note to self.' Sky thought. 'Turn any and all coversations with Jay sexual and hit on him whenever possible.' "Oh God, could you imagine what Jay would do if we all came onto him at once?" Sky broke out laughing, just imagining how Jay's face would look. "That'd be great."

Colby has gone onto a new subject (like he usually did) and nudged Sky's arm, making the pyro laugh. "None taken. And I really wish I'd got you too. That'd be fun." God, would it be fun. Sky's grades would probably suffer, but he'd still get a workout everyday. Sky bit his lower lip as he though about it but he stopped when he saw Theo. The kid confused him a little. He was never consistant with Sky. Sometimes he looked really pissed off at him, other times he look amused.

Sky shrugged at Colbs question. "I guess. Honestly, he was picked on pretty bad when he first came to Noctrem. Lots of kids thought his power was useless." The pyro thought if he'd ever seen Theo happy. "Oh wait! There was a point were he didn't seem like he wanted to kill everyone!" A grin formed on Sky's mouth when he remembered. "It was when, I think, he was dating..." His smile fell. "Scott." Scott was the only student to die in the Noctrem fire. The thought of what Theo must've been going through crushed Sky. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to you before it was their time. His own mother, drowned by her dead husband's brother.

He shook it off and continued the conversation. "So yeah, I guess he was happy for a little. I feel really bad about what happened to Scott. Maybe I could've helped." Sky's stomach growled loudly and he looked down at it. "Woah." He said laughing. "Just a second." He went in front of Colby and carefully took off the top of the Party Box, revealing several large bottles of whiskey and tequila, a few boxes of condoms (of assorted colors and flavors), a couple of firecrackers, and lastly, a large bag of candy.

Sky took out a green lollipop and popped it into his mouth before looking at the other boys. "Do you guys want any candy? I know it's the morning and everything, but just so you can eat something before breakfast?"

As usually happened, Theo wound up fairly pleased that no one had bothered to intrude on his solitary breakfast. It was a loop he went through frequently. If he didn’t socialize, he was just giving ammunition to anyone who wanted to abuse him, like so many had back at Noctrem. It also gave the soft-hearted kinds reason to worry about him. Then word would get around, teachers would hear it, and he’d find himself summoned to Mr. Steele’s office for some a one-on-one pandering session. Becoming a student of dreams had granted him a rather acute but instinctual grasp of psychology. Actual psychologists bored him to tears, but the things that went on in people’s heads- well, some people’s heads- were quite fascinating.

And so he’d work himself up to forcing some interaction, even when he wasn’t particularly in the mood. It was easier when people he liked were around. He could just piggy back on them, stand at the edge of whatever conversation was happening and nod, throw in some commentary, try to get off a witticism. Those friends tended to have better friends than him, though, so they weren’t always around. He was forced to resort to everyone else when that happened, in which case he’d strike up some banter about this homework or that essay, smile unconvincingly and nod if anything personal came up, and then wander off, his societal obligation discharged, his ruse of mental wellness intact.

Theo McCaffrey had Googled the word “sociopathy” quite a few times in his life.

Other times, like this morning, he just put himself out there. Usually no one bothered him, but still, he wasn’t hiding in his room eating breakfast. He was out in the open, perfectly accessible. He’d moved on to his fruit and yogurt and granola treat by the time Amber joined him. He wound up blinking when the very next track ended up being by the same artist. The songs, all of them downloaded illegally, tended to wind up in alphabetical order, but even randomized, they’d occasionally play as if they were simply going down the line. Dirty Little Secret came on far too appropriately when the shape-shifter sat down across from him and offered a royal sort of wave. He was midway through lifting his spoon to his mouth when she did, and paused in that action, frowning, before he dropped the spoon disdainfully back into the little plastic container.

His body language was immediately defensive. His posture, always good, became perfect. His eyes never left her, at least not until she began writing something then tore off a message. He inspected it (though really, he just glanced at it; it was only two words and he was a pretty smart guy), then regarded her again. Maybe she didn’t mean anything by the way she ate her apple, but she was a conniver. Theo knew that. He doubted that anything she did didn’t have some meaning to it, and the act of cutting up a defenseless apple and then eating it off the blade was… at least vaguely threatening. He sighed inwardly and killed his music, then tugged each earplug out, right and then left. Wrapping the cord around his phone, he pressed his lips together and decided on a course of action.

He quickly ruled out playing dumb. She knew he was avoiding her. She probably knew why, too. After that he crossed just telling her to get lost off the list. She could be very annoying. It was much better to have her want something from him than want him ruined. He had very little social currency, and no doubt that Amber could bankrupt him in that regard if she wanted. No. What he needed to do was take the initiative. Keep her off-balance. If this really was the prelude to the proposition he was expecting, she’d deal with him on his terms or not at all.

”You probably should have approached me as someone else, if we have anything meaningful to talk about.” The smile he affected probably would have passed for polite enough. He was trying, at least. He’d have gotten at least a B- for the effort, if there were some sort of stupid smiling class. Given the way that most of the Arcana students seemed to class, they might very well have had a stupid smiling class that they’d disbanded before Noctrem had burned down.

He lifted his spoon again, not actually pulling it up. Instead he just swirled it around some, mixing the ingredients of the parfait together more thoroughly and looking down into it as he continued. ”Or is this just a social call? Because we’ve always been such good friends.” He was a little proud of himself. He’d never actually tried to sound particularly bitchy before. He knew he could be absolutely awful when he wanted to, and that most people couldn’t decide if he was more boring or off-putting, but bitchiness was a little novel to him. He felt like he’d done a pretty good job of it. It required a much more cheerful brand of sarcasm than he was used to dishing out, and the corners of his mouth had even turned up slightly on the word such.

He was finally satisfied with the thoroughness of his mixing job, and pulled the spoon out. He slid it into his mouth, letting the sweetness linger before he crunched into the granola. It was a pretty stark contrast to her apple-eating, even if it was just as deliberate. It was… pretty much the exact opposite of how he would normally have eaten it. He didn’t rush through food, but he seldom made such a show of it. He was a little curious how much attention she’d been paying him. How many times had she been someone else, someone he didn’t have reason to suspect, and simply watched him go about his routine? If she’d gotten a baseline for it, his current mode of behavior definitely wouldn’t match it.

Let’s see what you’re made of, Amber. If I’m going to have anything to do with your little enterprise, it will only be when I’m completely sure you’re up to it. He looked somewhat bemused as he thought that, pulling the now-clean spoon from his mouth and dipping it back into the treat.

Amber smiled cheerfully as she observed Theo. 'Posture: Rigid, suggesting the subject is uncomfortable or defensive. Eyes focused on his target: Me. Perfect.' She watched him tug his headphones out of his ears, cutting another sliver off her apple, but she waited before eating it. The boy obviously didn't seem to happy to be talking to the shape-shifter, but after several years of doing what she does, Amber had adjusted to the way people acted towards her. Being successful had a price and her's was giving up the trust of most of the school. A fair price in her eyes.

She crossed her legs as Theo smiled- Well, attempted to smile, at her. She pushed her raven colored hair behind her shoulder, chuckling at his comment. "Who would you rather me have come to you as?" She asked, her emerald eyes suddenly fading and changing color until they were their natual blue-green. Her soft lips rested in a smirk as he stirred his parfait, her eyes suddenly gleaming with interest as a snarky comment came from the dream manipulator. 'Alittle play before buissness?' She thought. 'I'm game.'

Amb ever-so-slightly raised an eyebrow as the boy ate his food in a very dramatic way. It seemed Theo was in a mood to scratch back, something that Amber wasn't expecting, though her face wouldn't show as much. She just kept her smile, then eating the apple off her knife just as she did before. She assessed the new situation in her head, trying to find the right way to counter his strange approach. He usually wasn't so bitchy. This could complicate her plans to a certain extent. She was going to simply put her offer out on the table, for him to accept or reject it, but if he wanted to have a battle of wills, Amber would be more than happy to comply.

She took her knife to her apple, but instead of cutting it like she had previously did, the girl ran it down the apple's side, slowly skinning the red exterior from the white underneath. She repeated this as she looked at Theo and opened her mouth to speak. "Well, there are no reasons for us not to be friends." Another strand of apple skin fell onto Amber's tray. "But then again, you don't seem to fond of having company, do you?" She sped up the process, soon ending up with a completely skinned apple. She was smiling at Theo, though even if she wasn't, her eyes gleamed with a certain amusment. She brought the throwing knife up to her lips, licking the fruit's juice clean from it's blade.

She picked up the apple by the stem, but as she did, the features on her face quickly changed, taking on a more masculine appearance. Her shoulders broadened, she grew in height, her hair shortened and turned a light brown. Her clothes seemed to change as well, until they became a red T shirt with a black coat, black shorts, and sneakers. She took a bite of the apple, now fully in the guise of Landon Hirst.

She smirked, putting the apple down on the tray. It was most likely a strange sight, seeing the boy with his legs crossed in such a feminine way. Actually, everything she did in his guise seemed more feminine. From the way she set down the apple, to the way she was now girlishly twirling a finger in her hair. "You know, Theo, it's obvious that this boy has a thing for you." As she spoke, Amber's voice deepened, until it was undistinguishable from Landon's. She winked at the boy. "But I'm guessing you already know that." Truthfully, Landon was her second choice of people to confront Theo as. Scott, Theo's dead lover was her first, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. It was too low a blow, even for Amber. And she didn't think that Theo would react to well to seeing Amber disrepecting his deseased boyfriend.

She examined her nails for a moment, before switching her attention back to the boy in front of her. "So, Theo. I'm sure you know why I came to talk to you." She set her now manish hands on the table, tapping her fingers against the surface. "But, I'll respect it if you don't want to talk buissness yet. I'll wait as long as you want." She gave him another wink, before picking up a strip of bacon and crunching down on it.

The speedster listened to both his friends- occasionally opening his mouth, like he was about to butt in, but when he couldn’t quite do so, he fell silent and listened again. Obviously they were all in agreement about the roommate thing. Not that he really minded Drake, just… well, someone he could beat off in front of would have been dandy. He made a mental note (or tried, anyway; making a mental note was a bit like trying to pin something to glass for Colby’s always-racing mind) to broach that subject with his new roomie if he got the chance. It would segue nicely from them sorting out the sock system, or whatever method they used to make sure that one didn’t walk in on the other screwing. Not that Colby really cared. As far as he was concerned, Drake could grab some popcorn and watch or, even better, join in. Some sneaky sexy sort of thoughts dragged his attention away from the better part of Sky’s explanation on why Theo was such a head-case without much resistance. He blinked away images of Drake crawling into his bed naked and tried to get back into the flow of chatter.

”Oh yeah! I remember hearing about that. That sucks so hard. I guess I’d get kind of emo too if one of you guys died.” Colby was always the very picture of compassion. He thought about possibly trying to make friends with the solitary boy, but… well, he’d tried that. Sort of. He’d been shot down just as hard as Landon, if not harder, and even as dense as he could be, Colby was well aware of Theo’s dislike of him. It kind of pissed him off, occasionally, but rather than dwell on that he chose to give him his space and think about what he looked like without clothes on occasionally.

He gladly delved his hand into the bag of candy, rummaging and then pulling out an Atomic Fireball and a yellow lollipop. He unwrapped the former in a blur and popped it in his mouth, hollowing his cheeks as he sucked. He probably would have noticed that Landon had gotten angsty looking if it weren’t for Scott (Andrews) passing by. He rolled his eyes at the nickname that the buff boy employed for him, which was somewhat hypocritical given the level of cheesiness he was known to rise to. It was all in good fun though. He was quickly grinning at Scott and soon thereafter undressing him with his eyes.

”Scotty with the body, what’s up hottie?” See? Cheesiness. Unlike a lot of straight guys, Scott didn’t have a problem with Colby’s perpetual level of interest in getting in his pants. Actually, he sort of seemed to enjoy it. The attention, if not the idea behind it. Colby had high hopes, though, of one day convincing Scott to switch teams, however briefly. He often forgot that Scott and Landon were not fans of one another. Now was one such moment. He laughed aloud when Scott snagged a condom. ”Pretty sure he has some extra-small ones in there somewhere, bro,” he teased. It was sort of like reverse-psychology. It had worked on “straight” guys in the past, preying on the classic male size insecurity to get a glimpse of what was hidden in their boxer shorts. His nose wrinkled up when the boy made reference to Cor, or more specifically, the fact that he and Sky had both banged her. That was something he hated thinking about. Showers were mandatory for Sky before fooling around with Colby- unless he could smell soap on the boy’s skin, he refused to so much as kiss him until he’d witnessed him getting cleaned off. He appreciated the fact that Scott had Sky’s back too, even if the reason for it completely grossed him out.

As Scott headed off, he remembered that he had candy in his mouth and started sucking on it again. The first thing he noticed was the way he was working over his green lollipop. He frowned though as his eyes wandered away from Landon’s mouth. He failed to make quite a few connections, instead deciding that Landon was upset because he’d hit on Scott. He leaned over, wrapping the other boy in a half-hug, affectionate if incomplete. ”Dude, cheer up. You’re totally my favorite, you know that, haha.” He pulled away, and regarded Sky.

”Man, this candy is just making me even hungrier.” He would have patted his stomach, were he not still holding the party box.

---

His eyes slid to her fingers, the knife, the interplay of the edge of the blade with the waxy skin of the apple. He had plenty of experience with knives, in his dreams more than anywhere else. That little trump card was one of the many things that he was worried about Amber ferreting out. He could do anything he wanted in his dreams once he had a working knowledge of it, and he could do it for a very long time if he stretched out the time dilation relative to the real world as much as possible. By keeping his body in peak shape and practicing in secret in the real world, he could, after a fashion, translate that dream-time expertise into very real capability. Watching her play with her food, he made a mental note about her capability with small, edged weapons and moved on.

There are no reasons for us not to be friends.

He could think of a dozen off the top of his head, the first of which was her use of a double-negative. The grammatical sin was minor though, compared to, say, the potential of her getting him committed to full time psychiatric care. Theo was fully cognizant of what would happen if anyone ever found out about his time with Scott in his dreams. The careful act he’d put in place to fool them into thinking he was finally coping would be destroyed, and he’d have earned himself a one-way ticket to group therapy and finger-painting his feelings. His composure was slowly eroding. He’d tried to react not at all to the blatant intimidation tactic, but when she licked the knife, the corners of his eyes crinkled in a slight show of disdain. Elegance would have been far more effective for dealing with Theo…

… and then she transformed. He recognized who she’d chosen when she was only half-way through, and immediately his mind began racing.

Landon had talked. He’d told her. She’d probably disguised herself as Haskins and blew it out of him. Why else would she choose that particular shape? He was cursing himself for letting Landon catch him free-running, cursing Amber for being a manipulative bitch, and cursing Landon for probably-accidentally divulging what he’d sworn to keep quiet. In a fit of paranoia, he sketched out hundreds of scenarios, some of which involved Landon telling Amber to get back at him for denying his advances, others which related to her using guile to work it out of him.

Amber had chosen well, because in Theo’s eyes, she would see fear, a sort of shining glint of brief panic. It was only a few seconds before he’d finished freaking out, but that particular damage was done. She had to know she’d hit a nerve. Theo had lost whatever advantage he’d been hoping to gain entirely.

He calmed down slightly when she spoke again and felt like an idiot. Landon hadn’t said anything. She’d just picked up on his attraction and thought she might be able to use it against him. Dumb luck, on her part. If Landon hadn’t been the keeper of one of his secrets, turning into him would have been about as effective as turning into Justin Bieber (whose songs Theo could not name a single one of). He went from anxiety to bristling in an instant, again angry largely at himself. This is what happens. Things start to fall apart.

It was a very good thing that she’d elected not to become Scott. Theo would have killed her, or tried. His mind was rational enough that he wouldn’t be reduced to sobbing at the sight of him. He saw him all the time, when he was asleep. He’d have recognized it for what it was: a cheap ploy to manipulate him. And he would have been furious, enough so to embrace expulsion, jail-time, whatever, in order to end her.

He needed to explain his reaction to her transforming into Landon. Or maybe he didn’t? If she was assuming that he spazzed because he liked Landon, so be it. He’d reinforce that. Let her believe that, and think she had some hold over him. He slowly looked down into his empty parfait cup, trying to look as sheepish as possible. That was how people looked when people exposed their crushes, right? Sheepish?

”We can talk,” he said quietly, trying to layer his voice with some embarrassment. ”But not here. Tonight. I’ll come to you.” His power was perfect for clandestine meetings… and he’d be in control. Truly in control. He should have thought of that from the start. Finally, he looked up at her, trying to make his gaze pleading. ”Can you change back, please? I don’t want that you were… him… getting back to… him.”

S

Amber slightly raised an eyebrow as she watched Theo react to her new form. There was a look in his eyes that she was used to seeing. They were filled with panic and fright. Amber could practically see the wheels turning in the young man's head. 'Strange' she thought. 'What would he have to fear?' He didn't have much of a reputation to uphold, so what could Amber do to him? He seemed like a man who liked his privacy, but Amber hadn't picked him out to be one to have secrets.

The fear in his eyes passed, the emotion being replaced by anger. But anger at who? Had Amber said something? Did something? What was going on in his head? The curiousity started to claw at Amber's stomach, but she just sat there in Landon's form, watching Theo silently. Amber's thoughts were racing as she started to think of all the possible secrets the boy in front of her could have. Had he and Landon been secretly dating? Had they shared a bed? Did Landon know something about Theo? Did Theo know something about Landon?

She listened to him speak, a pleasant smile coming to her lips. Amber had spent her whole childhood being trained to improvise lies on a moments notice. She could spot bad acting from a mile away. The feigned embarrassment, the sham puppy eyes.'What an amateur.' There was something going on with Theo and Landon and she had the urge to find out what. 'Calm down Amber.' she thought to herself. 'If you're going to try and work with this boy, you're going to have to earn his trust. Leave it alone. Let the man have his secrets.'

Amber obeyed his request and gave up Landon's guise, shifting back into her original form. Her jaw slighly clenched as his other request hit her. In all her thoughts, she hadn't thought about his suggestion of a dream meeting at first. The thought of the boy having complete control wasn't very appealing to the shapeshifter, but it'd have to do. If she had to prove her trustworthiness to Theo, so be it.

Amber nodded and gave him a polite smile, slightly tilting her head. "Alright. I look forward to meeting with you tonight, Mr. McCaffrey." She slightly chuckled at the use of his last name. It fit him, but at the same time, it didn't, if that made any sense. "I'll be in bed by 9:00." she informed him before taking another bite of her bacon strip. She heard Leo's voice over the intercom and she let out a frustrated sigh, looking at her tray of food. "What a waste." she said simply, slinging her purse over her shoulder and standing up. She took out her phone from her purse, bringing up the picture of the list of rooms and tapping the screen to zoom in.

"Just in case I need to reach you in the waking world." she explained as she read looked for the boy's name. "Room Eighteen." She looked down to Theo, smiling at him. "Oh, you're with Zac. He's just a doll isn't he?" Amber picked up her knife and dropped it into her bag and picked up her food tray. She winked at the boy. "See you tonight." She said sweetly, before strutting off to a trashcan, dumping her untouched food into the garbage.

She smiled as she walked to the Great Hall. She had high expectations for this school. Very high indeed.



Eden chewed on his lip, trying to put a face to Kali's roommate. "Uhh...Sorry Kali. I have no clue." Adina danced behind him and Mary as they began to follow Kali. "Oh yeah, I'll sit next to you Kali." He took a few steps to follow her and Mckenna. He playfully put his arm around Kali as he walked by her side. Of course, if it was anyone else, Eden wouldn't have dared done anything like that, but it wasn't anyone else. It was Kali, one of his dearest friends.

The two angels smiled as they looked at the two, romantic thoughts obviously running through their heads. Mary walked towards Mckenna with a warm (As warm as a statue could be) smile. "Hello dear." She greeted, her stone features creating a sweet image. She bent over, picking up the picture that fell to her feet. She didn't look at it as she handed it back to the girl. "You dropped this." She stated, smiling as Adina was heard singing to herself in the backround.

"You don't know you're beautiful!" She sang, dancing behind the group. "That's what makes you beautiful!"

(Sorry it's so short! :O)



A soft smile came to Sky's face when he heard Colby say that he'd be sad if he lost either him or Landon. It made Sky think alittle bit and for a moment, he compared their situation to that movie Savages that he'd seen the other day. The main characters had some weird love triangle-sort thing going on. Colby was Blake Lively and Sky and Landon were those two sexy guys that shared her. It was practically the same thing. Well, except that they were all guys. And that it was less serious between all of them. And that him and Landon weren't best friends. And that they weren't being chased by the Mexican Cartel. That reminded Sky that he had to call his aunt later.

Scott walked by the trio and Sky's thoughts went out the window as he looked the hunky teen up and down. He put his lips together and did a cat call for Sky, biting his lower lip and letting out a laugh as Scott grabbed a condom out of the Party Box. He cocked a brow when he heard Colby's strange comment about Scott needing an extra small condom. Was that part of Colby's plan to get Scott to switch teams?

He switched attention back to Scott when he mentioned Sky rooming with Jay. He smiled and nodded to Scott. Sky appreciated that Scott had his back and honestly, he had his too. And if he wanted Sky to cover any other part of his body, the pyro would be willing to make that sacrifice.

Sky wet his lips and yelled after Scott. "If you need anyone to test the flavor of that rubber, I'm your man!" He started laughing again and made his way over to his room's door. "Alright, let's get settled in." He thought aloud, turning the doorknob. Well, he tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. "Shit. Fucking Jay." Sky cursed. He resisted the temptation to kick the door down as he turned to the other two boys.

"Well, I guess we can go eat some-" He was cut off by Mr. Marino's voice over the intercom, announcing the assemble was happening in 5 minutes. "Or I guess we can't." He let out a frusturated sigh. "Sorry." He apoligized. His first day at Arcana wasn't off to a great start. He was locked out of his room, his roommate was an asshole, and he was hungry.

He dropped his bag and walked over to Colby, opening the Party Box again and pulling out one of the bottles of tequila. He opened the bottle and took a fast sip, tossing his head back and not even giving the liquid the chance to touch his tougue on it's way down his throat. He wiped his mouth and shook his head. He felt a little more relaxed, but- "Just one more." He said, repeating the process.

He smiled, closing the bottle and putting it pack into the box. "I feeeeel great. Let's got to that assembly gentlemen." The pyro's lips curled into a relaxed smile as he felt the alchohol working it's magic.

The dreamer nodded in a faint show of sympathy when she bemoaned Marinos’ announcement. He had no illusions that the assembly was going to be uninteresting. Much though he did have respect for their immortal headmaster… well, the man had problems connecting with relatively normal people like them. That was his opinion, at least. He felt that way himself often. The things he cared about barely lined up with the interests of his peers, and when they did, it was only in the loosest sense. His penchant for horror cinema was the closest thing, and it was still very different from the appreciation that others had for it. He didn’t scare, he didn’t spook, and he certainly wasn’t squeamish (about anything besides fire-related injuries)- to him, it was more like research. No, inspiration was a better word for it. People knew the rules of horror movies. If he abided by those rules in the nightmares he engineered, they’d seem that much more dreamlike and therefore plausible.

He nodded again, this time when she confirmed their appointment. His brow furrowed slightly when she consulted her phone and then produced his room number and roommate. The information was public domain, of course. It was the fact that she’d thought to check, and that she’d announced it, that were somewhat troubling. He didn’t say anything, letting the dip of his chin suffice. They were heading the same way, but he waited a few moments, idly toying with the spoon and musing over the implications of this little run-in. When sufficient time had passed he packed up his things and rose smoothly to his feet. He bussed the empty cartons and trim remains of his breakfast to a garbage can and then set off for the auditorium.

---

He’d chosen to sit in the far back corner. He was still dressed for a run that he fully intended to go on as soon as the information spewing was over with. He relaxed back in his seat, kicking his feet up against the one in front of him, and waited. His eyes strayed a bit, here and there, but he didn’t bother with trying to interact with anyone. There wouldn’t be time, and he didn’t want to enter into any entanglements that might prevent him from escaping to his solitary exertions when all was said and done.

His eyebrows both lifted a half inch or so when Marinos described the house structure and competitions. Several thoughts jockeyed for primacy in terms of being processed, and the Hogwarts comparison ended up making it to the front of the line. Maybe this was a somewhat misguided effort for him to connect with them? To tap into a bit of popular culture? It was plausible. The next consideration was that he’d have another group of people to keep track of. A roommate was bad enough. He listened carefully as Leo went down the list. When Causton House was rattled off, he stopped listening and evaluated the classmates that he’d been saddled with. The psychic and the lust-inspirer would be annoying if only for their powers. Being in proximity to Amber… well, he’d have to see what to make of that after tonight. The others were by and large neutral in his estimation, and Elijah was someone who he actually favored the company of, slightly. It could be much worse, he finally decided. When they were dismissed, he made use of his strategic positioning to be one of the first ones out and into the hallway. As he walked, he got his phone ready and tucked his earbuds in so that he’d be ready, once he made his way out the front of the school, to break into his pre-run stretching.

He went quickly and methodically through the same series of stretches he always did, a process designed to loosen and limber up most of the major muscles in his body and particularly his legs. He’d be stuck there, doing that, for another few moments, but then he’d be off.

---

Colby brightened considerably when Landon seemed to cheer back up. He blinked and then laughed when he realized that Jay had locked the door (which took a few seconds, during which he stared at Sky, then the door, then back at Sky before the other boy explained). His laughter cut out when he figured out the most likely reason that the door was locked, though. Ew.

For just about the first time ever, he’d been a little dismayed to hear the dulcet tones of Leonardo Marinos. That meant he’d have to wait for breakfast, and he was already starving. He watched, blinking, as Sky took his double shot of tequila, straight from the bottle. Colby was no stranger to boozing it up, but 9 AM was a little early for him. He just grinned and shook his head, snagging the candy out of the Party Box and then setting it down beside Sky’s bag. ”I’m totally eating all your candy, bro,” he told Sky, still grinning. The idea of a tipsy Sky was very appealing. With food forestalled, his mind had wandered to other interesting things they might get up to after… or maybe during… the assembly.

---

Colby had taken the middle spot, smack between Sky and Landon. He was leaning against the former, his head nestled on Sky’s shoulder, and he’d kicked up his right leg to rest on Landon’s thigh. The sound of a wrapper being rapidly shucked occasionally came from where they were sitting- by the end of the assembly there’d be dozens of little pieces of plastic stuck in the now-half-empty bag of candy. He let his left hand swing down to rest on Sky’s leg, quite comfortable in spite of the strange way he was sprawled out across his best friends.

He shifted to sit up and actually pay attention when the dreamy Battle instructor started reading off who would be in houses with whom. The information exited his brain just as quickly as it entered; he was really just listening for his own name, trying to figure out who he’d be with. He perked up a bit at a few names (if anyone were paying attention, it would be the names of the guys he had or wanted to have sex with), but gave up by the end Causton house. His mind just wasn’t meant for this kind of exercise. Surely there’d be a list for him to snag at some point. When his name did finally come he’d gotten distracted by using his fingers to create a facsimile of the feeling of an eggshell being cracked on Sky’s knee, having slouched back to lean against him once more.

When Landon sort of loomed over him he reacted with awkward surprise. He’d been in a zone of sorts, just enjoying the feel of his fingers on Sky’s pants, and the sudden appearance of his other friend in the frame of his vision startled him. Landon just seemed to want Sky’s attention, though, so Colby poked Sky in the ribs and jerked a thumb Landon’s way, just to make sure that the message got through.

---

Cain had snuck into the light-booth just before the presentation began. He dropped himself down into the swivel chair behind the sound board and contemplated, briefly, the enjoyment he would derive from messing around with the controls while Leo spoke. Very little enjoyment, he decided. It would be a petty distraction, at best, and it would call attention to his presence.

He wasn’t privy to many of the goings on in Arcana, which bothered him quite a bit. He snorted when the man went on to describe a set-up for the student body straight out of J.K. Rowlings’ educational philosophy. If he was going to rip off teen fiction to run his school, why couldn’t he have picked The Hunger Games? That would have been vastly more interesting, and Cain could have supplied a list of twenty four students he would have enjoyed seeing fight to the death in less than thirty seconds. Assigning or detracting points from students did sound somewhat enjoyable, though. He only hoped Leo didn’t expect him to provide reasoning with his tallies. There were quite a few students who he planned on docking just for the way they dressed.

When the assembly was at its end, he lingered in the booth, swaying back and forth on the chair and waiting for the place to clear out. He had an inkling that Leo had decided on such harsh punitive measures for non-attendance simply to keep him busy for several hours each day, and the weekend. He intended to make it clear that matters of widespread and time-consuming detention assignations should be cleared by him prior to being implemented. He was the Detention Master, after all. Of course, the list of students he’d be babysitting for the rest of the week was mostly a rogue gallery of his favorites, so Leo’s plans had thoroughly backfired on all counts. Like usual.

During the assembly, Amy let her eyes roam the grand hall, observing the students, trying to get an impression of the overall opinion on this entire ordeal. Leo had spent a lot of time in his office this past week, sorting everything out, which meant they hadn’t seen each other as much as she would have like, since spending several hours in your boss’ office at a time might call on some unwanted attention. She was quite aware that some already had their suspicions, which made the matter of publicity even more urgent. Better to tell people themselves, than to have rumours spreading, and considering the students they had just let in, it was probably going to happen sooner rather than later. With that thought, Amy’s gaze went from Amber, to Drake, to Theo… people from Noctrem she could imagine finding out about her and Leo. Sure, she didn’t think Theo was a bad kid, but she dreamt about Leo a lot of the time, although she supposed the most he could grasp from that, would be her infatuation with the gorgeous headmaster. Then again, who said Theo even had an interest in watching her or anyone’s dreams?

She instantly stored away those thoughts and her gaze moved on, now resting on the house captains being announced in turn. Her heart ached for poor Ashleigh, who was going to have a very tough time being captain in her house. She could almost see the poor girl turning paler by the second. She obviously hadn’t missed the fact that she had several of the most troublesome kids to deal with; Corentine Quellen, Erin Hawthorne, and Addison Lawler. Sure, they weren’t all bad people, but they were definitely more… wild, than average. To her knowledge, Sky and Scott weren’t the quietest of guys either, but she couldn’t recall them causing any severe troubles. However, that much could change. Then came Ben as captain of Causton , and well, Amy couldn’t really see that lasting long. He wasn’t exactly the most school-invested kind. Then came Bethany, and Amy felt a soft, unnoticeable sigh emit from her lips. That girl had to figure out herself and feel comfortable with that, able to take responsibility for her own life before she could start taking charge of anything else.

When Leo drew out Drake’s name for captain of Tyms, Amy’s eyes widened slightly, her gaze landing on said male. He looked more or less completely indifferent. Thinking about it, maybe Leo should have just decided on captains to make sure no disasters were chosen. The way it looked to her now, none of the captains were ideal. Her eyes hopped back to Leo, noticing his rigidity, the way his shoulders were shrugged back tensely, his usual smile abandoned in favour of an edgy line, his features drawn tight. Watching him, she felt glad they’d somewhat resolved their argument from earlier, because she couldn’t even imagine how he’d be feeling if he’d had problems with her to top off the day. What had she been thinking, even starting the argument this morning? She knew, yes, the dream, but she still felt like mentally kicking herself. She wondered what he was s nervous about, though. Her Leo was usually such a confident man, although she suspected a situation like this one would bring anyone to the edge.

Later, occupied by watching the throng of students and teachers leave the assembly, and especially seeing Lulu rush from the hall, Amy didn’t even notice the fact that Leo had turned towards her, or even sat beside her, so when he spoke, she almost jumped, her head snapping around, eyes wide in surprise before she registered the voice, followed by her eyes finding the most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on. Her lips curved into a smile filled with warmth at his question, and especially in reply to the vibrant smile he was casting her way. “Well, you definitely need to unwind some,” she said teasingly, a glint in her eye telling her precisely how she’d like to do that, before continuing, “but yes, you di-“ Before she could finish the sentence, Leo was cursing, the abrupt speed of his movements almost making her head spin. She blinked a couple of times, finally closing her mouth when he began explaining. Ah, yes, the new teacher. She remembered Leo talking a bit about a new teacher. He hadn’t told her much, and she hadn’t really asked. More pressing, Noctrem-related matters had been more important at the time.

“Ah,” she merely said in understanding before he was talking again. Leo hated being late, especially when others were depending on him, she knew that, so this wasn’t exactly helping him unwind, which she greatly disliked. Why hadn’t he told her he planned on getting Chris before the assembly? She would’ve reminded him, or at least gone to get the new teacher herself. When Leo extended a hand, inviting her to come with him, Amy bit her lip delicately, peering up at him through her dark lashes. “Yeah, sure,” she said, before eyeing his hand thoughtfully. Would it hurt her more to take it only to let it go moments later, or to not take it at all? Why did he have to do that? It’s not like she couldn’t get out of a chair herself. She sighed softly, taking his hand, feeling that same, familiar electricity, however, the sensation was brief due to the fact that Leo let go the second she was on her feet and she clenched her hand, savouring the brief contact, trying to quench the longing surging through her; the urge to hold him, kiss him, to run her hands through his hair. To see love and lust for her mixing in the gray pools that were his eyes, like last night.

When he began speed walking, Amy had to half run to keep up, but sensing his urgency, she didn’t complain like she most likely would’ve at another time. After all, it’s not like he didn’t know she had much shorter legs than he. And she did fall slightly behind, only catching up with him to hear the words, “-I’m late,” and those following. She took a deep breath to steady herself, curiously moving to the side so that she was no longer hidden behind Leo, and thereby able to see the new teacher. She took in all his features, her head cocking to the side slightly in thought. He looked familiar. Only when Leo finished speaking, did her eyes widen with realization. “Chris?” she breathed in disbelief, gaping at him. “That Chris?!” She blinked several times, then shooting an accusatory look Leo’s way, she almost squealed, “why didn’t you tell me?!” With that, a massive smile took over her features and she turned her gaze on her old friend again, the impulse to hug him causing her to rush forward and wrap her arms around him, somehow feeling like that alone would make him real.

She hadn’t seen Chris since leaving Arcana all those years ago, although they’d been pretty good friends. They just hadn’t kept in touch, truthfully, maybe because she’d, you know, gone to war and all, so she had only kept contact to her closest family. Thinking about it, their current lack of communication was probably her fault, but damn, was it good to see him again. “You look old,” she murmured playfully. She remembered teasing him about how much older than her he looked, despite the fact that she was actually the oldest of the two.

---

Drake almost chuckled at the blush coming onto Lulu’s cheeks, wondering in which direction her mind was taking her. Something told him it probably wasn’t entirely child-friendly, and the urge to tease her about it became nearly overwhelming. She was just so… susceptible, not that most women weren’t, but Lulu in particular could be very fun to play with, he realized. Why hadn’t he ever thought about that before? Well, if was definitely changing now. He wanted to see that red in her cheeks a lot more and he was going to strive to get it, because what Drake wanted, he procured for himself, and if there was one thing he could do, it was charm a woman out of her panties. But did he want to do that to Lulu? He mused it over. Why the hell did he ever give a shit? Normally he wouldn’t have given it a second thought, because it would be entertaining, but now he found himself wondering if she would be hurt when he left her after sleeping with her, considering if maybe he would be going too far. After all, she was a friend, one the few he actually had. Inwardly, Drake’s mind battled itself, but outwardly he maintained is usual, easy stance. It was something he’d taught himself to do quite well.

Soon, Lulu was rubbing her eyes as if trying to clear them, commenting on his slightly reprimanding words. A wry smile pulled at his lips, “ yes, that much it obvious,” he said teasingly. Yep, he was back. He wasn’t really worried anymore. She’d be fine, but… he still didn’t understand this odd need to help and take care of her. Shrugging it off, he guided the blonde on his arm out of the men’s toilets. When he noticed the three guys giving Lulu looks, he merely raised an eyebrow in their direction, as if saying, “got a problem? Take it up with me.” Drake might not be the violent type, or the kind of guy to go headfirst into trouble as such, but he wasn’t one you wanted to mess with, and his entire demeanor screamed as much when he wanted it to, which he did in this case. He relaxed a little once the guys scurried off; obviously deciding whatever they thought of Lulu wasn’t worth any actual trouble over. When Lulu spoke, Drake’s eyes found her once more and another sly smile came onto his face. “Showers, eh?” He teased, his eyes glinting with wicked thoughts. Then he just chuckled, shaking his head. “In your bathroom,” he then finally told her.

They both grew quiet then, Drake taking care to be entirely sure she wasn’t going to stumble and hit the floor with her nose while he could do anything to stop it. After all, the floors didn’t deserve that kind of violence, right? Oh, who am I kidding? He asked himself, inwardly sighing, I don’t actually want her to stumble. But again, that made him wonder why, because there was always at least slight entertainment in people falling over their own feet. And sure, he realized Lulu means something to him, but did that mean he had to go all protective super hero? Damn it, that really usually wasn’t his style. He’d begun growing irritated with himself when Lulu spoke again, and he completely disregarded earlier thought, a devious smirk curving his lips. “Help?” He murmured, his voice deep and seductive in itself as he looked down at her. “Could be arranged.” He deliberately let his eyes roam her body. How was he supposed to try and have morals when she kept tempting him like this? Women.

Her next words made him chuckle, wicked, dark brown eyes once more giving her body their undivided attention. He easily held on to her as she half stumbled, not even stopping in his track. He had a good hold on her, and she wouldn’t be hitting the floor. All she had to do was regain her balance, and as she did, her next words following, he grinned sinfully at her, his eyes intense, his entire demeanor completely in flirt-mode. Drake pulled them both to a stop only to skillfully turn them around and gently press her slight body up against the wall, both his arms winding around her waist now, so that his heat was completely enveloping her, even as his body trapped hers between it and the wall. He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear as he murmured seductively, “now, what’s the fun in keeping our clothes on?” Of course, it wasn’t like Drake was actually going to have sex with her. Obviously, she wasn’t in a state capable of satisfying him properly anyways, but playing with her right now was extremely entertaining for some reason.

If he was going to fuck Lulu, it was going to be done right, and not in some stupid situation like this when she could barely walk by herself. Not that he was going to fuck her at all… right? Yep. Friend. He’d sort of told himself not to fuck the few people he considered friends, but in that case, he really needed to stop befriending hot girls who wanted him, because it was making his life damned complicated. Again, it wasn’t like Drake couldn’t resist and keep his dick in his pants, but he was starting to think he’d really rather not. Hell, maybe that was just because he hadn’t had sex in a while. What had it been? Two? Three? Weeks. Keeping your sex-life alive when he were rooming with Cor in some motel, proved to be harder than you’d think. Thinking about it, he felt pretty sure last time had been with Erin, because Cor actually left when it was her. He suspected it had something to do with the fact that Cor knew what kind of role Drake played in her best friend’s life.

Maybe he should exert some kind of revenge on his sister. Manipulation was a gift of his, and he could definitely use Jay in some way, but then… would using Jay be a bit too cruel? He and Cor didn’t really try to make each other miserable. Sure, they bickered like cat and dog, and they most definitely had a lot of differences, but they were still family and in some incredibly fucked up way, they did care about each other. Despite the fact that living with her had been hell. Good luck to Lauryn, was all he could say.

Cor smirked at Chris’ comment to her words. “Do you, now?” She mused aloud, slowly approaching him. She was already in a better mood. Hell, this was free therapy. Thinking over her options, Cor wondered at which route to take with this one. She could scare him, she could maim him, or she could be nice and merely make him a little uneasy with her. She liked telling people from the beginning, that she was not one to be messed with. She had gotten Marinos off of her back, and Montgomery, well… she knew she was his favourite. All the others were dealt with easily enough. She wasn’t worried in the slightest, because they knew her well enough not to mess with her. She was not above doing to teachers what she did to students who crossed her. Cor liked power, she likes abusing her power, and she was going to make sure everyone knew it in advance. Once he introduced himself, Cor found herself cocking an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over him once more. Well, he sure did look like a PE teacher. Yum on a stick, anyone?

Something, however, in his eyes caught her attention. He looked almost wary, like she was about to discover something he didn’t want her to. Ah well, that was his deal. She was not about to dig around. She wasn’t into that stuff. It was Amber and Drake’s deal. She was more direct by far. He interest was a bit more… palpable than someone’s past.

With his following question regarding her having ideas for a club, she flashed him a sexy, daring little smile. Was he flirting with her? “Why, Mr. PE teacher, I do believe nicknames like these could lead a girl to think you were flirting.” She said, her voice smooth and teasing, her eyes running over his body once more, clearly telling him she wouldn’t mind if he was. Mostly because, if he wasn’t flirting, he was being patronizing, and well, if the latter was the case, he wasn’t going to be a teacher here for long, which would be too bad. One couldn’t have enough man-candy. She reached him then, stopping only a meter from him, casting another gorgeous smile his way; one full of promises. Problem was, it did not tell of which kind of intentions were behind it; only that there was more than just a smile to be considered. That’s when he asked her another question, and she laughed softly. “Moi?” She started, feigned innocence in her tone. Her tone went back to its flirty, more normal ways when she continued.

“Straight to the point.” She grinned, walking close to lean in and whisper by his ear, “I like that.” Once she leaned back, she tapped her lower lip pensively with her right index finger, watching him. “Name’s Corentine Quellen, gorgeous, but you can call me Cor.” With that, the blonde smiled another alluring smile, purring, “don’t tell me they didn’t warn you in advance.” So far, she had to admit she actually liked the guy. Although, she was certain that wouldn’t last for long. He was probably one of Leo’s old goodie-goodies. Didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun until then, though. Besides, it was not like she was tied to anyone. Jay was being a jerk. A hot, irresistible jerk, but a jerk nonetheless. She didn’t like how he’d changed since he’d been at Noctrem. She had wanted to find her former boyfriend in there, and part of him was definitely present, but… he was different. It could only be expected, sure, but that didn’t mean she liked accepting it. Didn’t mean she accepted it at all, in fact.

---

Amy instinctively leaned into Leo’s touch as his hand brushed her cheek, her eyelids fluttering closed. His hand was warm and soft, yet callused from his time as a Spartan warrior, and it called to her, calming her mind, spreading that same warmth through her body. For some reason, even the softest and gentlest contact between them, was enough to make her respond to him. He was calming her down so very expertly, but he couldn’t make the heat in the pit of her stomach go away; the heat that wanted something very different from a gentle caress. She ignored it, hoping it would go away. She didn’t want to cheapen the moment, so instead, the young brunette enjoyed the presence of her Leo alone. Her eyes slid open as he promised her he would apologize, and she couldn’t stop a little smile from coming onto her face. “Thank you,” she said quietly, loving him all the more. There was nothing sexier than a man who could admit to being wrong, and for Leo to apologize to the man he had just been so jealous of? She leaned up and kissed his lips in a warm, but brief kiss, telling him she forgave him completely.

After Amy had spoken those three words; words she had waited to tell him, she could feel Leo stiffen right before his arms loosened their hold on her, and his silence was like a dagger to her heart. She bit her lower lip, clenching him closer so that he wouldn’t be able to see the fear and worry in her eyes. Too soon, Amy. He’s not going to say it back. Idiot, it’s only been a week. Do you really think he could possibly love you like you do him? Honestly. He could have any woman. Why on earth would he ever promise himself to you like that? Doubts ran through her, her heart interpreting his silence in its own way, completely drowning out anything her mind would have had to say. He was so quiet, and she hated his arms had slackened around her, almost like she had completely shocked him. What was he thinking? Was he wondering how to go easy on her? She closed her eyes, her heart pounding rapidly. She couldn’t remember ever being this scared before. The thought of losing Leo was the most petrifying one she’d ever had.

Then he began talking, and her breath caught in her throat. She awaited his answer pensively, her arms hugging her Leo close. If she was going to lose him, she at least wanted him close and in her arms one last time. Gods, Amy, what the hell do you do this to yourself for, huh? She bit harder on her lip when he paused, her head spinning. He’s not going to say it back. She didn’t even realize how hard she was biting, until she tasted blood. But she didn’t care. She couldn’t make herself care, not even a little. Then he continued, words meeting her ears, without registering. She heard him, but she was unable to understand him. She was certain he had just broken up with him, and for a second there, she was close to crying. Until it hit her; what his words had meant and she finally took a deep, relieved breath, letting go of her bleeding lip. A sob rocked her body, her body coming out of a state of shock. Her head was swimming, her heartbeat slowly going back to a pace considered normal.

Her relief, however, was short-lived, because something else forced its way through her fog in her mind. He had hesitated, and though she didn’t know what, something was in his voice. She took another deep breath, finally relaxing her grip on him so that she could tilt her head up to look at his face, his eyes, the set of his lips. He wasn’t happy. She’d thought it’d make him smile. Instead, he looked so troubled, almost sad. She moved a hand up to cup his cheek, worry eating at her heart. “Baby, what’s wrong?” She said quietly, her voice soft and careful, violet eyes slightly widened. “What’s on your mind?” She didn’t like seeing him like this. Wasn’t telling each other “I love you” supposed to be a good kind of event? Was she missing something here? The young teacher searched the face of her boss and boyfriend, quietly looking for clues as to what was going on in his mind. She then sighed, her hand falling from his face. Her gaze fell to his shoulder, avoiding his eyes. “I thought...” she whispered then, before interrupting herself, “no… nevermind.”

---

When Erin breathed his name, Drake chuckled softly, biting down on the lobe of her ear. “Mhmm?” He murmured in response, telling her he was listening. He could tell he was getting her back; that controlling her dark side was getting easier already. Her body was relaxing, the trembling slowly subsiding. So he kissed her neck, just below her ear; a place he knew Erin, and most women in general, was very sensitive. The moan greeting him, brought another smirk onto his lips. The hand on her back moved to rest on her hip, effectively wrapping his arm around her. He pulled her close just as her body ached for his. That was the thing about Erin; he didn’t need to figure out what she wanted, because her responsive body told him all he needed to know. Of course, one needed to know how to interpret her sometimes, but after such a long time, he liked to think of himself as an expert in how to please the pretty blonde. That was the thing about Drake. He was a selfish bastard, but with sex, he more than anything enjoyed bringing his partner pleasure. A lot less selfish than most other men.

When Erin leaned in to kiss his collarbone, Drake let his gaze sweep over her. He knew what it meant. They’d developed a quiet language after a while of this, and it made it a lot easier to calm her down. With her next whispers, the young man began backing Erin up against a tree, disintegrating the bind on her hands only to reposition her hands above her. Then the shadows clamped back down, restraining her once more. Drake might know how to handle himself, but Erin’s strength was not something to just be messed with, and she could get a couple of swings in before he’d have the time to react, so he remained calm, but careful. Maybe that was what set him apart; most men would be scared of her in this state. Drake felt no such thing; never had, and he thought maybe she responded to that. That maybe his calmness swept over her too.

“Not a problem,” he murmured in her ear, his voice deep and seductive. His body was pressing against hers, his hands slowly dancing down her arms which were above her head. His mouth kept busy too, continuing its task at her neck and ear, teasing, nibbling, kissing – adding little flicks of his tongue once in a while. The he meticulously but languidly undressed her, his movements slow and measured in every way. He let his fingers brush naked skin once in a while, teasing her with his touch; not lingering enough to relieve her of the pressure in any way. Instead, he kept right on building. Once he had her body completely bared before him, Drake really got to work.

---

Drake had taken his time with Erin, so once they were finished going about their business, over an hour had passed. Once they had both found release, he picked up his shirt and drew up his jeans. Only once his t-shirt was in place, did he slowly let the shadows release the blonde. He watched her quietly, his eyes studying her. She was still naked; he hadn’t bothered dressing her, mostly because he enjoyed watching women putting on clothes after sex, just as much as he enjoyed watching them taking it off before then. He wondered how she was doing; he couldn’t remember the last time she had been this far gone, and he had to admit he was curious what had tossed her over the edge like that. He had protected her back from scratching against the bark by making a soft cover of shadows between them, almost like a blanket covering the harsh wood. He had surprised himself a little by being thoughtful like that. Ah well, this was a fucked up day in general. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering what had happened with Lulu too.

Fuck, Lulu. Once again, a wave of worry hit him. Was she okay? She had looked alright when he left her, and he'd made sure she had everything she needed. On that note, he began wondering what food to bring her. Something warm and soothing. Soup? Yeah, that sounded about right. He supposed.

Leo sighed as Katia spoke, mentioning their past to his new girlfriend. He didn't follow Amy out of his office after her snide comment about more P.E teachers, as he couldn't let on to the new teacher that there was more between the two of them than met the eye. "Come on in."

---

7:48 PM

It had been about three hours, that Leo had been in his office with Katia, going over her papers. Half way through their conversation, a drunken Max had stumbled in, and had been sleeping on the couch in the corner of his office until now. There was music coming from outside, the party obviously. He wasn't going to stop the party; he knew his students needed some sort of release every now and again, and he felt even better knowing that the party was being held by one of his own, Jackson Murphy. If the party had been held by one of the Noctrem students, he would have been a little more anxious about his students safety. But, Jackson had always been the one to hold the parties in the school, and he was sure that everything was going to be okay.

Going back to the situation at hand, Katia was all sorted; everything was signed and she was now a fully fledged member of the faculty. He didn't care about any of her past indiscretions; why should she? He wanted her as the dance teacher here as she was an amazing dancer, and she had an amazing personality, fantastic for teaching. "Everything's sorted, Kat." He spoke softly to the brunette woman, a smile on his face. "Welcome to Arcana." Leo was happy that he had been able to help her out, give her a job and a home. Max had left a while ago, sobered up and raring to go out, probably to the party. The male had asked Katia to watch out for him, to keep an eye on him the best that she could, and he knew that she would complete the job to her best ability.

Leo pulled his phone out of his pocket, remembering that he still needed to talk to his beloved, or at least find out where she was after she had stormed out of his office earlier. He quickly tapped in her number and pressed the phone to his ear, hoping and praying that she would pick up.

---

Drake had been cruel to her. Well, no. Cruel wasn't the word. He had been evil to her; evil in withholding her pleasure for that long, leaving her hanging until he decided to satisfy her properly. Erin loved being with Drake, but she also hated the way she practically turned to jelly around him. He was her kryptonite, the one male left in the entire school who was able to read her like an open book, and reduce her to the quivering female that she was around him. She was a normal girl around him; weak and submissive. She didn't like the way that Drake made her feel, but she couldn't help but want more of it. Her mind was a cesspool of crazy about him; everything Drake was messed up inside her mind. It was complicated for her, this relationship. More complicated than she wanted it to be.

"Have I ever told you, that you're just hot anyway?" Erin shot back at the male, a grin on her lips as she looked over at him. She couldn't stop herself from laughing when he mentioned about her being taken advantage off. "Baby, please. No-one could take advantage of me. And if you want me to get dressed, you better find my clothes then."

---

7:48 PM

Erin was still slightly shaky from her tryst with Drake in the woods earlier on that day. She had barely gotten over her intense workout with the handsome male, and it had taken her ten times longer to get ready for the party than it usually would have. It had been a while since things with Drake had been that extreme and intense, and she definitely wasn't complaining. She wondered if it was because of the strangely deep conversation that they had been having that had inspired their second and best time, but she wasn't going to dwell on it. In fact, she had decided not to think about Drake at all tonight. He was beginning to confused the blonde woman more and more, and she just didn't want to ruin what they had, despite her urges to do so.

The girl had quickly tapped back a response to her best friend when she had gotten back to her room, mentioning something like "I'll talk to you later, bad day." She was still a little pissed at the girl for not even realizing the loud argument that she had with Keirol, her ex, outside of the room, but she knew that it was stupid of her to feel that way; Cor was a selfish girl who's first priority was herself, but somehow Erin wanted more from her friend. She had again passed up the thoughts of the female Quellen as she got ready for the party, showering and dressing herself up in this.

Soon, she was downstairs, in the grounds. Erin was impressed, Jackson had done well with the decorations of the party, and it looked beautiful outside. The blonde made her way over to the gazebo which had been donned out in lights, and sat down on one of the arm chairs that had been placed out there. There was a glass of archers and lemonade in her hand, and she got herself comfortable. Now, to wait for a while.

---

7:48 PM


Jackson had got everything sorted. After being pushed out of Jess and Morgan's room, and being told Jessica's drink order, the male had gotten back to what he had wanted to do in the first place - sorting out his party. He had gone down to see the Chef again, and this time actually spoken to her about sorting out some sort of buffet for the party; it was filled to the brim with nibbles and bits for everyone to enjoy - crackers and breads, meats of every kind, sausage rolls, salad... she had done well. There was a bar in the main hall, which had the doors completely open so that access was easy, filled with every drink that could be imagined, and a skilled bartender (a friend of his.) The entire grounds had been draped in fairylights and lights put into the grass. It looked beautiful, he had to admit, and he had put a lot of work into everything. The DJ had been set up at the end of the grounds and a dance floor had been set up there as well so that girls in their heels wouldn't moan. He really had thought of everything.

Jack could relax now, standing by the side of the dance floor, sipping a glass of Jack Daniels, wearing a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt, smart shoes on his feet. He wasn't sure who he was going to see first, Lulu, Amber, or maybe Jess, but he was ready to speak to all of them, and had Jess and Lu's drinks already ordered with the bartender, so he could just pick them up. He hadn't spoken to anyone else who had come down to the party yet, and he was just surveying; that was what Jackson usually did at parties - watched, until someone forced him to interact with them. He wasn't one for being a socialite, but he did like throwing parties like this. He thought about maybe searching for Esme, to one, find out what she thought about his party, and secondly, what she thought he could do to make the next one even better.

He took a sip of his drink, letting the liquid create a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. It was nice, refreshing, something he knew and wasn't foreign to him.

---

7:48 PM

Max groaned as he rolled over in his bed, and fell onto the floor. The male had barely remembered coming back into his bedroom, after his little escapade in Leo's office. He remembered something about a new teacher being there, and Leo asking her to watch over him was a fuzzy memory in his mind, but that he wasn't sure of. He moaned as he sat up, the cold linoleum floor of his new teachers bedroom cooling down his warm body. He slowly made his way to a standing position, feeling a little woozy from his previous drinking. He didn't usually drink throughout the day, but with the new Noctrem students making their arrival into the school, emotions around the campus had been on an all time high, and had nearly drove the male insane. So, he had turned to the bottle of vodka in his bedroom.

The shower calmed down his aching body, the warm water trickling over his naked skin soothing him. It was one sure way to help him get over a hangover - a warm shower. By the time the handsome young male got out of the shower, he was feeling much better. The hangover headache was almost gone, but the array of emotions around the campus were beginning to get into his mind once more. He could feel a strong sense of anger coursing through him, someone was ready to murder someone close to where he was situated right now. It was over-powering him, and he didn't like it. Max could also feel some sadness coming from someone, someone else was a little scared, and there was someone around feeling rather horny. Mhm, strange mixture of emotions today. His problem was that he couldn't separate their feelings from his own; too many feelings were overpowering his own, and he hadn't been able to work out what he himself was feeling for the last few years.

Max couldn't stay up here with the angry person around, clouding up every one of his senses with rage. He dressed in a black shirt and jeans, the first couple of buttons undone, with converse covered feet. The male had decided to go down to the party; he couldn't turn down a good hootenanny like this, could he? Besides, he might even find someone down there to take his fancy. He didn't care if they were one of his regulars, like Cor, or Esme, or if it was someone that he just decided took his attention that night. There had to be someone there for him. Within moments, the dark haired male had pulled himself out of his bedroom, his shaggy hair falling over his eyes, un-styled, and made his way down to the grounds where the party was behind held. Max found himself sitting at the bar, ordering a straight vodka shot and a mixer of vodka and coke to go with it.

Hey, who could pass up free drinks, right? And apparently, the best way to fully get rid of a hangover? Drink more.

Leo's heart started to beat faster, and his palms started to get a little sweaty with every ring that went past, and Amy didn't pick up with. He wondered where she was, if she was okay, was.... everything else okay? Now that there was... a child, his child involved, everything started to seem to panic the male a little more. Was this the sort of person that he was going to be, now that there was a life inside his girlfriend's stomach? Worrying at her every movement, panicking when she didn't pick up the phone, thinking the worst to have happened. He was worried, scared, that this was the new Leo, the new person he was going to be. So much responsibility and pressure had fallen onto his shoulders within a few hours, and he was scared. Leonardo Marinos, the immortal Spartan Warrior, was scared.

The immortal male literally felt his heart leap with joy when he heard Amy's voice on the end of his phone, and verbally let out a sigh of relief, letting go of the breath that he hadn't realized that he was holding. Something about his beloved girlfriends voice was different however; she sounded, tired, or weak, or both. Again, the male felt his heart start to race, and he had to take in another deep breath before he spoke, giving him that few more seconds to put on a facade of voice that didn't show through his worry. "Hey." He repeated, wondering what else to say to the woman. Their last meeting had been a little short and brief, and in that time period, she had revealed to him that she was expecting, and Katia had arrived, seriously pissing her off before her leaving. He had made an error there too in not following her, but he hadn't been able to leave Katia alone. Leo wasn't sure what he was supposed to say to her, or how he could make any of this right again - because it wasn't right. There was an unspoken air of tension between the two of them, even down the phone he was able to detect it. He just didn't want it to last long.

"Amy..." Leo sighed, biting down on his bottom lip, a nervous habit of his that he rarely exhibited. "I'm sorry I didn't call earlier, and I'm sorry about Katia. I'm sorry about everything, but I'd really like to see you in person to talk to you about it - where are you, honey?"

---

Erin had failed. She hadn't been able to keep the handsome face of Drakethrean Quellen out of her mind for long, and soon, her drinks weren't lasting as long as her first one had. One. Two. Three. Four. The fifth was in her hand now, and it was too going down readily. The blonde girl knew that she was going to have to move onto something stronger soon, something that wasn't so feminine, and something that would get her very drunk, very quickly. She didn't like the feeling of being tipsy and woozy, which was how the Archers in her hand was making her feel. No, whiskey was in order. Or something along those lines. The girl readily finished her fifth mixer through the straw and put the glass down on the table, sighing. She went to move, to stand up and make her way to the bar, but her head instantly started to swim the second that she pushed herself to a standing position.

So, she flopped back down again, deciding to take a couple of minutes to let her head settle down, before moving to the bar again, to get her stronger drink. However, before Erin could make her move, someone came over to her; the first person to enter the vicinity of the gazebo since she had sat down there - most people didn't interact with her, unless they knew her well, and that was for three reasons - one, they knew she was a friend of Corentine Quellen, two, they knew about her power, or three, they had heard about her reputation as a whorish bitch. Either way, she didn't mind - the alone time was peaceful. But that peacefulness was soon trashed by the drunken movements of a male, tall, dark and handsome. She was surprised by his voice hitting her ears from afar. Her head snapped up as Jay crashed down onto the couch next to her, downing the rest of the expensive looking bottle that he was drinking all in what seemed to be one breath. Erin could see that he was obviously drunker than her and was lashing out at Cor.

Before the blonde could say anything to male however, he was soon gone. She hadn't had time to defend her friend, or even bitch about her friend, before Jay had left her alone, walking away and getting himself another bottle of whatever he had been drinking, or similar, at the bar. She frowned at the scene unfolding in front of her, and combined it with her confusion at the situation at what had happened. Apparently, Jay and Cor were no more. Why hadn't Cor told her? Why was her best friend sitting at the bar with Max, practically a stranger other than in bedroom, and wasn't sitting there with her, talking about it? She hadn't even replied to her previous text, anyway - about the bad day! Cor was growing higher and higher with every passing moment in Erin's bad books, and she huffed as she pushed herself up once more into a standing position. The girl moved, her heels clicking on the floor, making her way over to the table where the intoxicated male had seated himself.

She passed the bar where he friend was seated, without a word to the other blonde, and soon, she was standing to the side of Jay, her hand on her hip. She watched how Addison came over and touched the back of his neck, smirking at the girl's bravery. If Cor had seen that... well, the girl wouldn't have had those two slinky legs to stand on any more. She stopped for a brief outfit adjustment, pulling her dress down cover more of her modesty, as her dress barely reached the underneath of her bum. Then, she moved and sat down on the other side of Jay, completely ignoring Addison and her flirtatious movements towards the male. Without a word, she casually took the bottle of whiskey out of his hand and took a swig for herself, before replacing it. "She's pissed me off too, today. And seeing her sitting there, doing.... that... instead of talking to me," she paused for a moment, before looking over at the male, "so tonight, I am on your side. It'll get me killed, but why should I give a flying fuck." Erin's confidence could have been seen as stupidity by anyone that knew how Corentine Quellen would react to her best friend sitting with her ex-boyfriend and current enemy, but the blonde just didn't give a fuck. Besides, the copious amounts of alcohol coursing through her system would make her feel better about this betrayal.

---

Taking things slowly, Jackson was only on his second drink of the night, sipping away in his position, perusing everything around him. He was watching his party, which was now full in swing. The music was playing, loud enough to be heard by everyone, but not loud enough to deafen those standing closer to the speakers, people were picking at the buffet food and seemed to be enjoying it, and the bartender seemed to be incredibly busy, not being able to stop for a moment as the amount of orders were flooding in. He could see that people were getting drunk quite quickly, but that wasn't any of his concern. He knew that Mr. Marinos wouldn't be angry at him for hosting such a party, and would be angry, rather, at those who were stupid enough to drink away their troubles and not turn up for classes the next day.

He hadn't really seen anyone that he was close to yet as he looked around; no sign of Lu, Amber, or even Jess - someone he wasn't all that familiar with, but was quite excited to see tonight at his party. Why? He wasn't really sure? Maybe it was the way that she had acted earlier, and it had intruged him? That was his best guess, anyway - Jackson was rather attracted to people that he had to figure out, people who interested him. It was a rather similar situation with Amber. However, it was the complete opposite with Lulu. She was the one person in the entire world who knew him better than anyone, and who he knew better than she did herself; there was no way to describe his relationship with her, other than he was attracted to her because of her amazing personality, her stunning looks, and the way that he didn't have to explain anything to her - she just knew.

Speaking of the devil, Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket with his spare hand when he felt it vibrate, and his lips instantly changed into a smile when he saw who had text him. He made his way over to the bar once he had placed his phone back into his pocket, and grabbed a bottle of JD from the bartender, his pre-order, and left his other drink. He instantly spotted his gorgeous blonde friend by the bar with a cocktail stick with cheese on the end in her hand, and made his way over to her. The tall Irish man made his way around the back of her however, disappearing into the crowd before he could be spotted at the bar. When he was behind her, he gently placed a hand over her eyes, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Guess who?" He spoke with his thick Irish drawl, the bottle of Jack Daniels pressed into his back, hiding it. "Drake has good taste, by the way. You look beautiful tonight."

---

Max hadn't interacted with any of the students who had come up the bar; none of them had sparked his interest, none of the women enough to rouse him from his position, crouched over his glass of vodka. He had felt that there were eyes on him somewhere, someone watching him, but he didn't pay too much attention to the notion - usually, there was someone watching him, especially at events like this. Leo was the sort of person who would send someone out to watch over him, to make sure that he was being sensible, and acting all "professional." Ha. No-one had ever stopped him from acting like this, and now that he was on a level closer to that stature of Mr. Leonardo, he still wasn't going to be controlled. Besides, the alcohol was calming him down anyway, dulling the horrible concoction of emotions that were building inside his mind.

The brunette male didn't have a preferred drink - anything strong and alcoholic was his main preference. Spirits, mainly, and tonight, he had decided on some vodka. This morning, it had been whiskey. Ah, the drink of men. Suddenly, the male was snapped out of his little reverie about alcohol, and into his personal space (which included the two seats either side of him), slid Corentine Quellen, one of the naughtiest little bitches Max had ever had the pleasure of being with. She ordered a hefty supply of shots, and expertly downed them in one go when they were finally placed in front of him. He didn't turn to look at her as she drunk, or return her flirtatious smile. When it came to Corentine, Max was careful. She was a devil in disguise, this one.

However, when she spoke about him being someone who could use her type of company, Max's expression changed from an emotionless blank slate, into a sultry crooked grin that had come to be his trademark. He couldn't stop his eyes from wandering her perfect body as she twisted in her seat, the dress which barely covered anything riding even further up her thigh, exposing her creamy, supple flesh. He slowly brought his gaze up to look into her eyes. He decided not to reply to her comment, his expression revealing his answer clearly. "Your emotions are tightly wrapped today, Corentine." He spoke, taking another large sip of his vodka. "Why so desperate for, as you say, "my company" tonight?" Before the male could inquire about the girls needs for his attention further, Max received a little present in front of him, something he hadn't expected to receive that night. "A condom? Either someone's flirting with me or this is the worst coaster ever. Besides, it's the wrong size - too small for me. What's that in front of you?" He asked the blonde next to him, tossing the condom into the bin behind the bar, getting it straight in his goal.

Kitty had gotten her room number and went there to unpack, which in itself was a horribly boring task for the girl. She sat on the carpet, her suitcase open in front of her, and she just stared at it, as if the contents of the bag was going to put itself away. She sighed loudly, standing up and kicking her suitcase to the side. She could just unpack later, it wasn't a big deal.

Kitty heard a large crash from outside her room, so she popped her head out of the room, seeing some kid on the floor. "Are you alright?" She asked, coming out of the room and (carefully) helping the kid up. He nodded and smiled at her, so Kitty took the time to take in his features. He was an asian guy, cute, but kinda young looking for her taste. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped on my shoe laces." He said, laughing slightly. "I'm Eden." He continued, sticking his hand out. Kitty grinned back at him, shaking the friendly stranger's hand, squeezing slightly. "Hi Eden. I'm Kitty." He let go of her hand and running his fingers through his black hair. "Nice to meet you Kitty. Are you new?" Kitty nodded. "Well, kinda. I used to come here, but I just came back today." Eden nodded to show that he understood, but then his eyes lit up with an idea. "Oh, you should come to this party tonight! Everyone's going to be there!" He wore an adorable smile on his face, almost childish in nature.

She bit her bottom lip, thinking, before she made her decision. "Alright! That sounds like loads of fun, I just need to change really quick." Eden looked her up and down. "Why? You look great." Kitty's jaw dropped and she let out a loud "Awwwwwe! You are so cute! Just a second." She ran back into her room, slamming the door and tearing into her suitcase to find a suitable outfit to meet her new classmates in.

Several minutes later, Kitty left her room, fully dressed and ready to go. She posed in front of her door, swinging her small pink bag over her shoulder. Eden smiled and nodded. "You look great." Kitty let out a laugh. "I should. The last time I wore this, I was trying to impress One Direction at their San Diego concert." The boy laughed. "Well, I'm sure you got their attention. Let's go and I fill you in on some stuff going on at the school." Kitty nodded, looping her arm around Eden's, who she felt tense up when she touch. "Alrighty. Let's go!"

The duo walked down the halls as Eden began to brief his companion. "You know the kids from Noctrem are rooming with us, right?" "What?!"

The two soon found their way to the party, which seemed to be in full swing. People were everywhere, dancing, eating, and drinking. Kitty was definately impressed. She hadn't been to a party like this in a while. "Wow." She commented, simply. "This is nice." Eden chuckled, leading them through the crowd of people and getting them to the bar. Kitty's eyes wandered the party, taking in the glorious scene, when she saw it. "Oh Eden! Let's go dance!" She squealed, jumping up and down, tugging at Eden's sleeve. He smiled nervously and glanced sideways. "I don't really dance. But you can dance! Go have some fun, I'll be right here." Kitty pouted at him, but she complied, going over to the dancefloor. She swayed back and forth at first, but it wasn't before long Kitty got into it. Her body moved to the beat and a grin grew on her face. This was going to be a fun night for her.



Eden shook his head and laughed as Kitty left to go dance. He had only known her for a few minutes and she was already acting like they were best friends. He didn't mind though. Happy people like her made the world just alittle brighter. He turned around to face the bar. "Exuse me," He asked the bartender. "Could I get a Coke?"

After he had gotten his drink, Eden looked around, searching for people he knew. That's when he saw her. She was a blonde girl, just stitting alone at a table, drinking. There was something about her that Eden was instantly drawn too. Sure, she was a beautiful girl, but he just wanted to go talk to her. He put a smile on his face, mustering up some of his courage, and he walked over.

"Hi. Are you new here?" He asked, sitting down across from her. "I'm Eden." He smiled kindly, but his mind was racing with insecure thoughts. Why did he sit down? What if she wanted to be alone? 'Lord help me' Eden thought to himself.




Amber walked into the party, clad in a little red dress. She was in such a good mood today. She had finally gotten some dirt on Cor, though she didn't know what to do with it. The wind-manipulating little trollip had been a thorn in Amber's side for years at Noctrem and the blonde seemingly had no secrets, keeping her safe from Amber's claws. A small smile rested on the girl's lips as her heels clicked and clacked against the floor. She searched for Jackson, but instead of finding him, she saw Lora, the gypsy.

Lora was a cool girl in Amber's eyes. Not only did they share Gypsy heritage, but they kinda just clicked when they spoke. Amber strode over to the weather-manipulator, tapping her on the shoulder. "Hey there." She gave a fox-like smile to her friend. Her eyes scanned Lora, her brain making quick observations. "Love the henna!" She exclaimed, lifting Lora's hand to get a better look. Then she saw them out of the corner of her eyes.

Amber looked up and to the side, seeing Lulu and Jackson. It slightly bothered her that they were so close. While others saw them as good friends, Amber saw them for what the really were. They had potential to grow into something more...something romantic. Amber's smile fell, a tiny frown taking it's place. She turned her attention back to Lora. "So, you having fun?"



A huge smile was plastered on Sky's face as he entered the party. He was practically shaking with excitement like a kid as he made his way to the bar. There were certain things he was concerned about, but he tried not to think about them. The thing currently occupying him was Cor. She had come into his room and things quickly got heated (like they usually do) but then she just left. Sky should have known something was wrong. Her eye's were almost...was sad the right word? Sure, Sky would have preferred to nail Cor, but it wouldn't have been right. Something was obviously wrong with her, but Sky didn't even bother to ask her. All he had cared about was forgetting his own problems. Why was he so selfish...

'Speak of the blonde.' Sky thought, seeing Cor at the bar with Max. Mr. Henderson was an interesting man, but Sky didn't think he was the best teacher in the world. What kind of teacher sleeps with their students? That was pretty illegal. Sky decided not to think about it, so he got a couple shots from the bartender and he winked at Cor, smiling. He turned around, taking a quick shot, letting the alchohol work it's magic. He thought for a moment, noteing that he had been drinking earlier today as well. Maybe he should take it easy tonight. The pyro shook his head and let out a laugh. There was no way that was going to happen.

Another shot went down the hatch when Sky noticed Ashy drinking an orange juice by herself. "Ashy!" He shouted, grinning. "Come have a shot with me!"

As Jackson had obviously left early for his own party, Drake had been alone for the better part of the afternoon, the room almost too quiet. So, to cope, he’d turned on music. Currently Scorpions were playing ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ and it was definitely improving the dark male’s mood. After a bit of after-sex flirting with Erin, Drake had left and to be honest he hadn’t been planning on actually going to see Lulu again, but he’d wanted to check on her, to make sure she was alright. Besides, he had a feeling she probably hadn’t gotten around to eating anything, so after a pit-stop in the cafeteria, where he’d charmed the cook into making Lulu some soup, he’d headed to her room. And found the door torn off its hinges. The room had looked like it’d been struck by a hurricane, or, as Lulu had informed him, his sister Corentine. He’d honestly been a bit surprised. Lulu couldn’t possibly have done anything to agitate Cor already today, and it wasn’t like his sister to blow things apart unless she was seriously pissed. Well, he’d wondered until he had been told Jay had stopped by Lulu’s room. Then things had become clear.

She’d given him a brief recap of everything that had happened and he remembered wishing he’d been there to handle Cor, because obviously the things his sister had said to Lulu had gotten to the girl. Not that he was surprised. Cor was good at that. Mostly because he was the one who had sort of maybe taught her a little. How to use people’s weaknesses against them. Cor was a… quick study. Of course he hadn’t expected her to use him against Lulu, but if Jay had been involved? Drake knew precisely how merciless and fierce his sister was when it came to things she cared about, and she cared a lot about Jay. Unfortunately the two were also having issues, and Drake had actually started to wonder if maybe he should talk to the guy. Or hell, even Cor, because though Drake loved some drama to keep things interesting, he could only imagine what was going on with his sister, and in spite of everything, he didn’t want her miserable. He wanted her happy and making others miserable. Back to the Cor he knew and loved… albeit also hated sometimes. But hey, that was the way of siblings, right?

Either way, Drake and Lulu had soon dropped the issue and gone back to just being them, messing around, laughing and having fun. It’d taken some of the tension out of Drake, and he was actually quite curious to see whether she was actually wearing the outfit he’d picked out for her. Especially the lingerie. He’d more or less just thrown on his outfit, his hair kept in its usual slightly messy style. He was so late as it was, but that was just what Drake did. Although he had to say he actually had a lot of things he wanted to do tonight. Flirt with Ashy, talk to Cor, drink with Lulu and probably Jackie-boy too. In fact, Drake had big plans; getting back to himself. All this emotional shit today had thrown the male Quellen quite a bit, and he needed to get drunk and be a cold bastard just to even the score. He liked things to be even. Nice Drake equaled an equally cold and indifferent Drake at a later time. That was just how he coped and it worked for him. The world was tilting too much currently and he didn’t like it.

Drake ran a hand through his hair taking his first look in the mirror and shrugged. Should do. A grabbed one of his bottled with aged rum, like he’d promised Lulu, and walked off, taking a look at the door to the room before leaving. It’d be so like Cor to sneak in and steal more of his booze tonight, and he really didn’t have much left after living with her for the past month. He needed to get in touch with his usual supplier, but the guy was being difficult at the moment, so as it was he needed to put a lid on his little thief of a sister. Drake looked around him, gathering shadows from every corner he could spot, letting them shape and harden to form a protective shield for the door. It’d have to do. No one was getting inside now. People would probably wonder when they walked past, but what did he care. Jackson wasn’t coming anytime soon anyway. Drake put his hands in his jacket pockets and walked down to the party. However, he kept himself in the shadows at first, surveying the scene, eyes wandering.

Jay was just now leaving Erin and Addie in the gazebo, looking like he was searching for someone in particular. Someone Drake knew wasn’t Cor. Because she was pretty obviously seen, sitting at the bar talking to Max. Her posture wasn’t the relaxed one she would usually have with the teacher, but rather tense and stiff with anger, and… hurt? Obviously. If Jay and Cor were having issues and Addie was jumping at the chance. Hell, even Erin was talking to the guy. He raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. He’d catch his sister later. The male had just decided to talk to Jay when the guy found what he was looking for in Esme. Ah hell. This wasn’t going to end well. He let out a slight sigh, eyes finding Lulu talking to Jack who was obviously liking the outfit Drake had picked out. It caused a small smirk to graze his lips to see that Lulu was actually wearing it, and it again made him wonder what was underneath. Shaking it off, his eyes moved on. Amber was talking to Lora. He might have to stop by the two. Now, where was little Ashy? He’d find her soon, that was for sure.

He chuckled to himself, making his way over to Lulu and Jack. On his way he let Lulu see his eyes traveling down her body, a satisfied smirk on his lips. “I have to say this is better than I imagined.” He put the bottle of rum down beside her, “you look amazing.” Then he chuckled, looking over at Jack, “not that you don’t Jackie-boy, but you know I don’t roll that way.” Gaze back on Lulu, he began walking off with a last comment and a typical Drake grin, “rum as promised. Enjoy. I’ll see you guys later.” That done, Drake made his way over to the bar about to order something when he heard Sky’s voice just a little to the side. Calling out to Ashy? Drake followed the other guy’s eyes and located the little innocent blonde. Great. He ordered a couple of shots and went to join Sky, calling out to Ashy, “yeah, Ash, you’re looking a little too sober tonight.” Downing one of his shots, he sent the blonde a devious smirk, clearly telling her which mode he was in tonight. Ashy was just too fun to mess with. He looked at Sky then. “So are you by the way. Just got here?” He asked the Pyro, actually wondering. Sky wasn’t one to get drunk slowly. He usually partied fully from the second he stepped into an occasion.

A pout formed on Sky's bottom lip as his company left him, leaving him looking like a sad puppy. "Fine! I don't need any of you anyways!" He took a couple of steps toward the direction that Ashy went. "Ashy! I was kidding, I love you! Come back!" But she was gone. Sky chewed on his bottom lip, drunkily looking around again, searching for something to entertain himself. His sober self came took over for a moment. "Maybe I should go to sleep in my room." He thought aloud, taken several steps toward the rooms, but his sober self quickly gave into his blood alcohol level and he forgot about what he was doing.

He looked around, sighing. Why was everyone leaving him? Was he being annoying? No, everyone loved him, that couldn't be it. He walked towards the bar, taking a seat. "Botella de agua por favor." He said to the bartender, who just looked at him in a confused manner. Sky glared back, slightly annoyed. "Am I not speaking English? Could I get a water bottle please?" The bartender rolled his eyes and grabbed a water bottle and gave it to Sky. "Thanks."

The pyro quickly down the water before looking to his side, a smile coming to his lips. "Heeey Eden."



Eden was alone, just drinking at the bar. The night hadn't gone the way he had hoped it would've. The girl he was talking to had just stopped replying to him for no reason, but that was probably his fault. Maybe he creeped her out for some reason. He looked down at the glass of yellowish liquid in front of him. Why did people like to drink? This was his second glass of the stuff and it hadn't made him feel any better. The only difference he noticed was the warm feeling in his stomach. Maybe Eden deserved to feel like this. He hadn't done anything great since he'd been at Arcana. Sure, he'd learned how to control his power alittle more, but it wasn't like he'd saved any lives or anything. His parents probably expected him to become some kind of superhero. Oh God, his parents.

He rubbed his temples as a wave of guilt hit him. He still hadn't told them that he liked guys. But how could you bring that up? 'Hey mom and dad, Arcana's great and by the way, I'm bisexual. Alright, love you guys, bye.' Eden sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Heeey Eden." The Arcana student jumped when he heard another man greet him. Eden sighed with relief when he saw that it was just Sky. "Oh, hey Sky." The pyro laughed. "Didn't mean to scare you." "Yeah, It's no problem. I'm just alittle tired, I guess. I think I'm going to go to bed soon." Eden looked over to the other boy, seeing an evil glint in his eyes. "Are you alright?" Eden asked, laughing nervously. "You got the villain eyes going on." Sky shook his head, laughing. "Yeeeaaah. I'm just pretty hammered right now." Eden laughed. "I figured." "But let's do some shots before you call it a night. What do you say?"

Eden raised an eyebrow at Sky, but shrugged. "I guess, what's the harm, right?" Sky nodded in agreement, grinning wildly and waving over the bartender. "Could we get eight shots please? Actually, could we get twelve?" The bartender nodded and left, soon returning with twelve small glasses filled with tequilla. Eden's heart quickened when he saw the liquids, suddenly nervous. Sky, however was perfectly comfortable, smiling and handing Eden a glass. "Ready? One, two, three!"

In less than fifteen minutes, all twelve of the shot glasses were emptied and flipped over on the bar. Both of the boys laughed and giggled, clearly drunk. "I'm-I'm kinda glad that I didn't go to bed yet." Eden swayed in his chair as he spoke, a goofy smile resting on his lips. "And now I know how fun drinking can be." The boy spoke slowly, trying not to stumble over his words. Sky played with one of the glasses, smirking at Eden. "Well, would you like to go to bed now? I'd be more than happy to take you to your room." Eden waved his hand in Sky's face. "No, no. I don't want Mary to see me like this. She'd never ever ever let me hear the end of it." Sky fell asleep for a moment, but when he woke up, he sat up and snapped, suddenly bright with an idea. "How 'bout you just sleep in my room?" Eden smiled. "Th-that's really nice of you, but where would you sleep?" Sky laughed, putting his hand on Eden's shoulder. "We could just share my bed. It doesn't even have to be weird."

Eden's eyes fluttered as he thought about it. "Sure! That sounds good." The two got up from their chairs and held onto each other to keep their balance. "You know, you're really nice." Eden said, laughing and the two began walking to Sky's room.


Coming soon...


Coming soon...

A soft smile rested on Eden's lips as he slept, warmly wrapped in the covers of the bed he was in. He dreamed of home, back in Hawaii, being with his adopted family and being happy. He could feel the beach's warm sand between his toes and the spray from the nearby crashing waves landing on his face. His skin soaked in the sun's gentle rays and he saw he brothers and sisters surfing in the distance. Eden had never been much of a surfer, but he was one hell of a sandcastle builder. Suddenly, he felt someone come up from behind him and wrap their arms around his waist. Eden grinned, believing that the person behind him was Aiden, his lost love. This dream was aweso- "How crazy was last night?" Eden heard playfully whispered in his ear.

Eden's eyes snapped open, suddenly remembering moments from the previous night. He remembered drinking with Sky and having a really good time, going back to the Noctrem student's room afterwards. 'Oh. My. God.' Eyes widened, the boy slowly turned his head to look over his shoulder, the sight of a naked Sky sleepily smiling back at him confirming his initial fears. The pyro tightened his grip on Eden's waist, before slightly leaning in to try and kiss Eden, whose heart jumped with panic.

The Arcana student sprang out of the bed, falling onto the floor below. He blushed fiercely before standing up to face Sky, who smirked as his eyes traveled down Eden's body. Why was he smiling? Apparently, his question was apparent because Sky grinned and said "You're naked." The boy's eyes widened in horror as he looked down, seeing nothing but bare skin. "Oh God!" He cried, grabbing Sky's discarded shirt (which was hanging on the corner of the bed's headboard) to cover his loins, before frantically searching for his own clothes.

Eden's cheeks were a furious red as he grabbed his boxers and pants from the previous night. He jumped into them, shaking his head. He folded Sky's shirt at lightning spead, setting it down on Sky's bed before rushing out of the room, embarressed and looking at the ground. He felt horrible, but he was too embarressed to even look at Sky. "Eden? You don't have to lea-" He heard before he closed the door and rushed down the hall, without shoes or a shirt, taking his room key out of his pocket and barging into his room. He quietly closed the door, taking a sigh of relief before walking over to his bed and throwing himself onto it.

"Lord help me." He moaned to himself. A pulsing pain suddenly hit Eden in his temple. Great. Now his head was hurting.



Amber sat up in her bed, furiously writing in her Black Book. Sleep tugged on her eyelids, but she resisted the temptation to go back to sleep. Nighmares had terrified her every time she had tried to get some rest the night before, resulting in a very tired, very cranky, Amber. She took a moment to look over at her roommate's side of the room, seeing the other girl stirring awake. Amber met her roommate the night before. She seemed incredibly nice, but Amber knew the girl would probably end up distrusting her when she found out what she did. Amber sighed at the thought. She was somewhat tired of no one trusting her. She shook off the thought and kicked the covers off her feet, getting out of her bed.

She walked over to the bathroom and began the process of getting ready. Soon enough, she was all dressed and ready to go. She grabbed the Black Book and put into her bag. Maybe she'd go by the cafeteria and get some breakfest. Sure, it was alittle early, but there was nothing else for her to do. She walked towards the door, but not before hearing a perky voice yawning "Morning!"

Amber turned around and smiled at Kitty. "Morning." Kitty grinned back at her. "You're an early riser too?" Amber shrugged. "I guess. You know, I'm going to get some breakfest, want to come with?" Kitty shook her head. "Nah. I have a free period and I think I'm going to go dance for a little bit before I have to go to a class. Thanks for offering though." The asian girl smiled cheerfully. "Alright then." Amber said, opening the door. "See you around." 'Bye!" She heard Kitty exclaim.

Amber walked to the cafeteria, grabbing a tray when she got there. She put several bacon strips, two waffles, and an apple. After the incident yesterday where she had to waste an insane amount of food, Amber wasn't taking any chances. She sat down at a free table and took out the Black Book, reading it as she took a bite out of her apple. "Hmm..." She reviewed all her current stories and leads, also crossing out any notes that were now irrelevant. "God, I need some new material."

The blonde listened quietly while Katia explained her situation with Amy… and her past with Leo. She raised both her eyebrows slightly in silent surprise. So Katia had been with Leo, and Amy had reacted poorly when told of that information? Well, that was… interesting. But none of her business, of course. That didn’t keep her from being rather curious about it, though. She nodded slowly in response to Katia, letting her know that she was indeed still listening. This all sounded rather odd. Since when did teachers at Arcana get hired not by ability, but by who they happened to have dated? The blonde didn’t particularly like that route. Maybe that was what had bothered Amy too? Then again, maybe it was the thought of another woman having been close to Leo. Or something. It’d make sense. She’d heard of people who got very possessive over friends. Oh, who was she kidding? She wasn’t that naïve. She’d sniffed out something between Leo and Amy a while back, but she hadn’t sought it out. Not that she was going to now either. Nope, if the two of them had something going, they deserved to be happy. She wasn’t going to meddle in that.

She was about to moved towards the cabinets, having decided to help Katia regardless of consequences, when the brunette spoke again, and Rebecca paused, looking at her in wonderment. Soon, however, it turned into soft laughter – then a little smile. “It wouldn’t be the first time drugs made me into an unwanted hallucination.” She started, ignoring the pang the hint towards her past shot through her. “Try and relax for a minute, will you? The only reason I haven’t found you the meds already is that I’m not really allowed to. None of us are, but I’m gathering you’d rather Amy didn’t find you in this particular situation, and a strange part of me gets that, so I’ll see what I can do.” She shook her head slightly, still a little smile on her lips as she looked through her bag, getting out a bunch of hair pins. After that, it didn’t take her long to unlock the first of the top cabinets, her eyes scanning the shelves. Nope. Nothing there.

She closed it again, relocking it, and like so she continued for a couple more cabinets until… bingo. Well, she knew some of them, so that was better than nothing. She turned back to Katia. “Ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen, ketoprofen or Sumatriptan?” She asked. She’d hurried, so the whole deal hadn’t taken too long, and if there was one thing Rebecca knew, it was pain killers. And lots of them too. She held the cabinet open with a hand on the door of it as she watched Katia, not for one second doubting that this woman hated being this incapacitated. This… unable to take care of herself. It was a feeling Rebecca knew well, and she imagined it would be even worse now that she was an adult. If she was in Katia’s situation, what would she be like? Most likely very bitchy. Hell, if Katia bit her head off for still being there, Rebecca wouldn’t even blame her, which was weird. She wasn’t that understanding. Most of the time she just got irritated with people moaning, because if she had to be perfectly honest, actual sympathy from her was rare. That was why she admired people like Amy, who had so much sympathy and caring to spare for everyone. Or maybe she was just curious about those types, because it seemed to be doing the impossible.

“I’m Rebecca Fields, by the way,” she then added on a second thought briefly after, realizing she hadn’t even bothered introducing herself. It had just seemed rather redundant to her in the beginning. “I teach History.”

---

”Noted,” Chase commented when Sky spoke of the fire and… not being the one who set it. It seemed like a rather odd thing to say if you asked Chase, but hey, if the guy needed to reassure him then fine. He didn’t get to say anymore, however, because Sky stretched and then… fell out of bed… naked. Chase let a sigh escape as he turned to the side slightly, picking up his bag to give him an excuse not to look at Sky, because honestly this was feeling very strange. He wasn’t even accustomed to public changing rooms, because he’d never really been in regular schools, where kids got used to things like that. Instead, Chase had always changed alone. He hadn’t been naked in front of another guy since he was young enough to be unable to shower himself. So though he had been naked in front of girls, it wasn’t really the same thing, and to chase this wasn’t actually natural. Sometimes he cursed his grandparents for homeschooling him, even though he knew it had been with the best of intentions.

He was ready to leave the room when Sky spoke up again, and Chase turned carefully, relieved to see Sky fully dressed in front of him. Well, that was a nice change wasn’t it? Chase certainly preferred Sky with his clothes on. He smiled when his roommate spoke of Arcana, and nodded. “I’m sure I will,” he replied, just about to excuse himself so that he could go get some breakfast, when Sky spoke yet again. This time it truly made Chase pause. He wanted to know about powers? Well, that was certainly different. “what’s your power?” wasn’t usually among the first questions he got when he met new people. In fact, his powers had always stayed in the family, so he’d never spoken to anyone but his grandparents and his sister about them. To just up and say something seemed almost impossible. Were all people in this place like this? Because if they were, Chase would have more than a little to get used to. He hadn’t expected things to be this difficult.

He rubbed his neck, unsure all of a sudden. At least Sky’s comment about the Noctrem fire made sense now, which was a small favor, but a favor none the less. Fewer things to be confused about. He cast a small smile in Sky’s direction. “Pyrokinetic? So you can create fire out of… nothing? That’s pretty cool.” He said, actually feeling a little curious. “I… well, I guess I can control time. You know, stop it, rewind, and fast-forward. All that…” He trailed off, surprised at how easy it was to talk about. Maybe Sky’s devil may care attitude was rubbing off on him… which was a really bad expression to use. No one was rubbing anything on him. Especially not Sky. Nope, no rubbing. Besides, it seemed like Sky had had plenty of “rubbing” already. No need for Chase then. Fortunately. Oh, gods, now he had those images in his head. A chill ran down his spine, and he ran a hand through his hair, clearing his throat. “Anyway, I’m gonna go get some breakfast; I’m starving. I’ll see you later, Sky.” He rounded that off with a polite smile before he made it out of the room.

In the hallway Chase took a deep breath, trying to relax. This had him wondering how his sister was doing. Was she alright? Did she have a sensible roommate? He took out his phone, typing as he made his way towards the elevator he and his sister had gotten to the second floor with. That, he at least knew where was. “Hey, sis. Doing alright? How’s your roommate? Mine happens to be gay. Yep. Gay. So guess what I woke up to. xD” He sent the text just as he reached the elevator, and once it was there, the brunette got in. Soon, Chase was on the ground floor and he took out his map, which was surprisingly easy to follow, so Chase found the cafeteria easily enough. The letters he’d gotten said food was included in the tuition, to that meant he could just grab whatever, right? Right. Chase moved around, getting a yoghurt, an apple, and a bun before looking around, tray in hands. He smiled when he spotted a darkhaired girl sitting alone. She was reading a black book. Which, to be frank, was what interested him the most. It didn’t look like a school book, which meant she read purely out of interest, or she was a writer. Either option hinted at intelligence of some sort.

And so, intrigued, Chase made his way over, stopping by the table she was at, a smile still on his lips. “Excuse me, Miss,” he began, his upbringing causing him to sound rather old fashioned at times, “would you mind my keeping you company?” He then added, always the type to ask before simply doing. To merely sit without approval would be highly impolite, and the last thing he wanted to do was intrude on her personal space.

"Adios!' Sky said as his roommate left to get some food. When he was alone, he stretched slight and entered the bathrrom to freshen up a bit. He scowled slightly as he look into the bathroom mirror and saw his reflection's bloodshot eyes. His scowl was replaced by an evil smile when he saw his messy hair, which had been pulled at furiously the night before. Sky procceded to get ready and after he had fixed his hair, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and put on some deodorant (and some Axe, just in case) he heard his phone in the other room vibrating. The pyro ran over to his bed, grabbing his phone and reading the message from Jess.

To: Sky :D
We need to talk... or get drunk; whatever gets me out of this foul mood
From: Jess xxx

A smile came to the pyro as he quickly typed a reply and sent it off to Jess.

To: Jessie <3
Alrighty! i'm cummin over in a second but no drinking haha. had a bit too much last night.

P.S. lolz i just noticed the i spelled coming cummin. do you get it? like i'm cummin? i'm not, but do you get it?
From: Sky

Sky smiled and put his phone into his the pockets of his shorts as he walked out of the room. Only moments later, he was knocking very loudly on Jess' door. "Jessie! I'm here!" he shouted. He took out his phone again (out of pure boredom) and saw that he had some new pictures in his gallery. He looked through his, his eyes widening as he saw that the pictures were of him and Eden from last night. "Holy shit." Sky said under his breath. "How did we do that?" He would have to delete these...maybe.



Kitty wiped beads of sweat from her brow as she ran, her pony tail bouncing up and down with every stride. She breathed slowly, timing her inhales and exhales with every step. That was the kind of thing Kitty had to do to keep herself entertained whilst exercising. It also help her to think about home. She slightly frowned as she thought of it. She missed her family and it was only the first day of being apart from them.

Trying to get her mind off of her homesickness, Kitty stopped running for a moment and reached for the ipod she tucked into the waistband of her sweatpants. She unwrapped the decive from it's white headphones, freeing it, before she went to her "Favorites" playlist and pressed the play button. She put the earphones in and a small grin formed on her face as she heard Kiss You by One Direction came on.

She closed her eyes and began dancing, laughing. "Let me kiss you!" she shouted, opening her eyes and taking off in a full sprint. She let out a sigh of relief. This felt great. The wind brushing against her skin, the fresh air fulling her lungs, and, best of all, the 1D running though her ears. Nothing could quite compare to this feeling. She just reached what she called the "Na na na" part of the song when she reached the peek of her speed. Her pearly white teeth were fully exposed in a smile as the song came to an abrupt end. She stopped running, taking in several deep breaths as she waited for the next song. A pout formed as she recognised the beginning of Little Things and she brought up her ipod to pause it. She loved that song, but it never failed to make her cry. "Why are they so perfect?" she asked allowed, wiping her eyes. 'God.' she thought. 'Directioners are crazy.'



Amber sighed heavily as she read from the book, slightly chewing on a strip of baccon. Maybe she'd have to stirr up alittle trouble around Arcana because she barely had any material to work with. She had no leads and it had been weeks since anyone came to her with gossip. Was her business dying? 'No, it can't be.' she thought, but with every passing moment, it seemed like she was crossing off something in her Black Book. She shook her head, obviously stressed with the lack of gossip going around school. Amber turned to a clean page and titled it POSSIBLE RUMORS. Now, all she had to do was come up with something.

“Excuse me, Miss, would you mind my keeping you company?” Amber instantly closed the Black Book as she heard an unfamiliar voice come from above her. The girl looked up, seeing the brunette boy in front of her and smiled politely. She had no clue who he was, but she had to admit, he was handsome. The greeting also got her attention. He sounded so old timey (if that was even a word) and polite. If most guys wanted to talk to Amber, they would have just taken a seat and done so. "Sure" she finally said, still smiling. "Have a seat." She picked up the Book and placed it into her bag, before looking back to the young man. Her mind began to working furiously to study the details of his face. 'Blue eyes, light brown hair, tanned skin. Most likely comes from somewhere sunny.'

She crossed her legs and extended her hand to him, smiling softly. "Hi, I'm Amber Romano. Pleased to meet you."

When Katia asked about other sedatives, Rebecca gave a slight shrug and a muttered ”let me check”, before turning her back once more to search through the top shelf of the cabinet too. As she did, she figured she might as well introduce herself, and for doing so, she was rewarded with yet another bout of information about her brunette colleague. However, the words caused Rebecca to stiffen slightly, but she did manage to turn around, now regarding Katia with a thoughtful mien, her mind trying to figure out how much of a threat she would be. To Rebecca, whose life had been steered for her in the most horrid of ways, the thought of someone being able to just… take control of her body, even now, even with all her training… well, it unnerved her.

It creeped her out, and in all honesty she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. Instead she put Katia’s desired drug, Valium on the counter next to her, cocking her head slightly. Then, finally, the blonde shuffled her feet, knowing she couldn’t judge Katia based on her power. However, if it every came to her using Rebecca in any way like that, this would change. Radically. Benefit of the doubt, Fields, she told herself, her voice sounding almost normal when she spoke, “to what extent?” Yes. This was a good question. A question she felt like she needed answered. Also, she had to admit she was kind of curious. Katia’s power was different from the ones she’d heard of, which spoke volumes since Rebecca had been a student at both Noctrem and Arcana, and now had been a teacher in both places too.

She’d heard of a lot of powers, from elemental control to advanced intelligence or telepathy, yet none of them had made chills run down her spine like this either. She really wasn’t trying to be judgmental, but it was really hard not to, in light of Katia’s power. When Katia then apologized, obviously just now realizing the mess she’d made in the medical room. Rebecca regarded her with a vague, yet friendly, smile and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Really, I taught at Noctrem before the fire, and this is far from the worst I’ve seen.” As she spoke, she began moving around the room, cleaning up the mess Katia had made. Amy would know someone had been here though, so Rebecca might have to let a bit slip, although she would leave out all the details.

The least she could do, was respect Katia’s privacy, and let her keep whatever amount of dignity she felt like she still possessed after this. The blonde had just dumped a large amount of glass into the trash, all former contents of the containers in a pile on the desk, when Katia asked her about Leo and she paused, looking thoughtful for a moment before turning back towards the brunette. “I’m pretty sure he has a class or two. Most of us work every day. It sounds weird that you would have none on a Tuesday,” she explained, her voice perfectly level and pleasant. “However,” she then continued, “he’s oftentimes in his office during the day.”

Actually, he was in his office most times Rebecca went to look for him, doing headmaster stuff, whatever that particularly entailed. Probably a lot of paper work. He had to sort of be used to it by now, though, right? It seemed like Leo had run Arcana forever. It was at least a century or two old, wasn’t it? She couldn’t even remember, even if she was pretty certain she had been told at some point.

---

When the ravenhaired girl in front of him looked up, presenting him with intelligent, deep, blue-green eyes, Chase wondered if he’d been right in assuming her to be the kind of girl he’d like to hang around, because a little glint on her eyes seemed rather… calculating. Shrugging it off, however, he sat when she offered and smiled at her, placing his tray of food carefully on the table. He noticed her putting the book away entirely, which was a small triumph in his mind. If she put the book entirely away, it meant she was genuinely interested in talking to him, as she would otherwise keep the option of finding other pastimes available. So, not just a pushover. Great. Chase had never found pushovers attractive, although he did have friends who were like that.

He returned her gaze as she seemed to study him, a playful smile on his lips as he quietly took a bite of his apple, waiting for her as she took him in. He liked it. Not because he enjoyed being observed that way, but rather because it showed something in her he found appealing, except he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase it yet.He finished chewing, quickly sinking his food and putting the apple back on his tray as she at last seemed to have reached a conclusion to her studies and extended her hand, greeting him. He inclined his head slightly, taking her hand in a gentle, yet firm handshake. “You too, Amber,” he said, smiling at her, his voice kind and calm. “I’m Chase Westley.” Only then did he release her hand, gesturing towards her back as he smiled and said, “may I ask what you were reading?”

Chase didn’t work the way most other guys did. Instead of obvious, over the top flirting, he let girls know he was interested with subtle hints, like holding her hands just a little longer than necessary in greeting, or something of the like. If they got it, he’d know they were interested too, and if not, well then they weren’t interested. He’d found that women didn’t read a lot into the actions of a guy they only planned on a friendship with, but rather they read too much into the actions of a guy they did wish more with. It was a delicate balance. Besides, there was something to be said for the ability to read others.

Not that Chase wasn’t all for friendships. Really, he hadn’t come over with the intention of coming onto Amber, but rather to get to know some people. Something, he didn’t know what, in her eyes, had him thinking she could be more than a friend, though. She just… sparked his interest. He wasn’t going to be aggressive about it, however. He hadn’t been planning on a relationship here at all. He just figured he’d take the 6 months he’d promised his grandparents, even if they were academically redundant, and then move on to somewhere else… find whatever it was he needed to do. He should’ve already decided on what to do with his life, he knew that. He and his sister had taken their final exams about a month ago, so he should be starting college this summer.

The fact of the matter was, however, that he had no clue what he wanted. It irritated him, because he was the type to just decide on something and then do it, yet he didn’t want to start an education he didn’t feel for, or aim for a job he would never be happy in. Because, to be honest, all Chase wanted was to be happy. To have no years of sadness or unsatisfactory moments. He knew the road to happiness wasn’t through money, because to him life was so much more, and he refused to waste it.