Christopher Russell's Story

Morgan Janssen

"That will be all, everyone. Thank you." As Mr. Marinos finished and the students began to swarm out of the hall, Morgan grinned. She got to her feet. She was in the same house as Zac and she had a free day today. She was already trying to decide what to do. Alli would probably be in the dance studio showing off her gymnastic routine and Zac would probably be chilling with some music. She could always just chill out in her room with a good book and her iPod, but it was such a lovely day. It was a day to be outside, not to be trapped in her room.

She grinned as she decided exactly what she was going to do. She made her way up to her room and grabbed Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, her slightly better pair of headphones and shoved her phone in her pocket. Her iPod went in the opposite pocket and her headphones went around her neck. She made her way downstairs and went out into the glorious sunshine. She chose a spot by the tennis courts. It was warm, in direct sunlight and out of the way. She slid her headphones over her head and plugged the other end into her iPod. She pressed play and opened her book.
As Katniss and the rebels battled against the corrupt Capitol, Mo's mind was not on the fictional country of Panem. It was on her reality. At first she smiled. Her and Zac were both in Deakins. They had all their classes together. She had a cool roommate. There hadn't been any major fights yet, and the weather was gorgeous.

But then the darker side of things began to take over. Her dad had a new girlfriend. He still wasn't fully over Mo's mother, and he tended to go for girls like her. Mo missed her mother sometimes, when she didn't understand something or when nothing was going right for her. But she didn't want to replace her. Her mother was one of a kind, and none of her father's girlfriends could replace her. If Mo had to telepathically drive the woman insane, she would. If she wanted a step-mum, she had to be different. Preferably a nurse. Or, admittedly, a teacher.

Her thoughts gradually slightened in subject. She began to wonder when the next party would be held. They were usually fun, even for someone who didn't drink. Except for last time, but someone had spiked her drink once or twice. And then she had only been tipsy, not absolutely shit-faced. Some of the Noctrem students would probably drink all of the alcohol in San Francisco and the surrounding area between them. And then they would still complain that they hadn't had enough to drink.

But watching them the morning after would probably be hilarious. If they even appeared.


Zac stretched and dragged himself to his feet. He was in the same house as Mo, which was great. They would most likely be pairing up on projects if they were given the choice. And they didn't seem to have anyone too bad in their house, which was always a good thing. As he left the hall, he heard various students discussing a party. One of Jackson Murphy's, no doubt. They were usually fairly enjoyable. Mo, Alli and him stayed away from alcohol, and were able to remember every detail of the night before.

Well, most of the time. Last time, someone had kept slipping vodka into Mo's drink. She claimed she had only gotten tipsy, but Zac could vividly remember her with her arm slung around Colby, standing on a table singing her heart out. She had gotten a little more than tipsy, but she handled the hangover fairly well. Probably with three cups of coffee and a blueberry muffin before she even went to class. She had seemed unusually alert, admittedly. She was rarely that awake heading into History.

Mo headed upstairs, probably to grab some reading material to chill out in the sun. Zac had been planning on practising indoors, but one look at the glorious weather outside changed his mind. He instead grabbed his guitar from his room and shoved a few picks in his pocket.

The front lawn was covered in cigarette butts already, so he decided against it. The forest seemed the best choice. He grasped the neck of the guitar and held it in front of him to prevent smashing it against any trees.

It was a wonder his guitar had lasted this long, if he was honest. He had brought it when he was fourteen. It had been hauled to Arcana and back every year since, without a case, and had even called down the stairs once or twice. Okay, it was four times, but the last time didn't even count because his foster dad had caught it a few steps from the bottom. He'd changed all of the strings twice, and the bass string had been changed three times. It had cost him a fair bit, but he had gotten so much enjoyment out of it.

He found a secluded spot just inside the forest. Although he'd be screwed if there was a fire. The fire starter could be at Arcana right now, and if they decided to burn down Arcana, the fire could very easily spread to the forest. And as much as his guitar meant to him, if the forest was set alight, he was abandoning his guitar and getting the hell out of there.

His hand began to strum of it's own accord, and his fingers formed chords on the frets. He wasn't sure what song he was playing, but it sounded good.



Alli was ecstatic. She was in Ardley with Lauryn! She grinned at the girl beside her as she stood up. "Come on, let's go up to the dance studio!" She said, worming her way through the crowds. Lauryn probably wouldn't be able to keep up with her, because Alli was able to worm her way through people and around people. She stood on a chair and waved at Lauryn, before heading upstairs to the dance studio. When she arrived, she zipped off her hoodie and started a few warm-up stretches. She then made a running start and flipped across the floor. She landed in a handstand and somersaulted to her feet. She grinned and found a balance beam. Why dancers would need it, she had no clue. Unless Mr Marinos had intended it for gymnastic use. She dragged it out into the middle of the floor before clambered ungracefully onto it and standing upright. She took a few steps and went into a handstand. She turned three hundred and sixty degrees and walked on her hands to the end of the beam. Her arms shook but her balance remained strong. One advantage of her power meant it was extremely difficult for her to fall off and hit herself on the hard floor.

She flipped to her feet and dismounted as her phone vibrated in her hoodie pocket. She pulled it out. It was a text from her mother, and she opened it.

Allison, dear. There's a gymnastics competition being held next Saturday. It seems to be within your skill level, and it's only an hour away. Are you going to complete?

Alli resisted the temptation to throw the phone out of the window. Her mother insisted on calling her Allison. And every time there was a gymnastics competition, she received a text or a phone call about it.

Mom, I'll have to clear it with Mr Marinos first. Talk to you later.

She shoved her phone back into her pocket and scrambled back onto the beam. She flipped and somersaulted, trying to work off her anger. And when that didn't work, she returned to the floor. She'd completely forgotten about Lauryn. She turned on the music, and began to perform to that. Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know began playing. It was a good song to perform to, lively without being too fast.

She was angry at her mother for pushing her. Her dexterity meant she could have taken up almost any sport. She would have loved to have taken up archery. But once her mother had saw that she had an aptitude for gymnastics, she hadn't been allowed take part in any other sport. It was gymnastics. There wasn't even an option of nothing. And every single time there was a competition, she was pushed to compete. If she didn't, it was, "Why aren't you competing? Are you injured? Why don't you want to compete?" If it was an Olympic trial, sure, she'd compete. But this was a small competition, probably full of novices. She didn't want to crush them before they even began.

She threw herself across the floor with increasing intensity. Her ankle began to complain, but she launched into a handstand. The blood rushing to her brain made it much harder to think.



Today began like any other day. Chris dragged himself out of bed and had a shower. He got dressed in his trademark outfit. Chris was always a snappy dresser. But possibly even more so today. Because today he was starting a new job in his old school, Arcana Academy. It was Chris's first real job. He had done a bit of modelling, but that hadn't worked out. Mainly because he kept being assaulted by teenage girls screaming his name.

He ate a decent breakfast of fruit, toast orange juice and a yogurt. He remembered the food at Arcana being good, but he really wasn't in the mood to eat in a canteen full of students. He washed the plate and put it away. His brother opened the door. "Oi, Chris!" He called. "Sup bro!" Chris replied. "I still can't believe you're letting me stay in your house for free!" Chris stood up and clapped his brother on his shoulder. "Yeah, but if I get broken into, you're paying the damages. Better go." Chris grabbed his suitcases and his car keys. He threw them into the back seat of his little red convertible and slammed the door. His brother was standing at the front door. "I can't believe your car has survived five years of mistreatment." He commented. Chris laughed and patted the car. "Yeah, it's pretty sturdy. Mind my house. It's the only one I've got, and if anything goes wrong, you're buying me another." His brother laughed. "Like you can't afford another one. See you... When will you be back?" Chris shrugged. "You'll know when I walk in."

He climbed into his car and started it up. He let down the hood as he drove out the gate. It was a gorgeous Californian day. The way to Arcana was imbedded in Chris's mind, and the car almost found it's way there by itself. Before he knew it, his red convertible was driving up the drive.

He found the rest of the teacher's cars and parked his. He let up the hood and decided to leave his cases until he had met with Mr Marin- No, Leo. He had to remember to call him Leo now. That was the weirdest part of having supernatural powers. Your headmaster wouldn't change the whole way through school, and when you went back to be a teacher, he'd still be exactly the same.

He went into the reception. It had been modernised a little in the five years he had been at college. He walked nervously up to the receptionist. She had changed as well. Jesus, was he even at the right school?

"Um, hey. I'm Chris Russell, I'm the new PE teacher here. Leo told me to meet him when I arrived." The receptionist nodded. "Take a seat. He'll be down shortly." Chris took a seat across from the receptionist. Students were coming and going, and, frankly, he felt a little uncomfortable.

The assembly hadn't gone too badly, Leo had decided. There had been no shout outs, no arguments, no detentions given, and no interruptions. Well, except from Cain's meddling, of course. He was going to have to talk to the man about that; talk to him about not belittling him in front of his students. They needed to respect him, to look up to him, and if Cain was going to mess around and make him look like a fool, then Leonardo wasn't going to have him hanging around here for much longer. He had offered up his home to the man, given him another job, and had allowed all of his students to follow him here, and this was how he re-payed him? He could obviously see why he had been the Head-Master at Noctrem.

After all of the students and teachers had left the vicinity of the Great Hall, Leo finally felt himself relaxing. His shoulders slumped down, and his hands fell into his pockets, and he turned around to look down at his beautiful girlfriend, before finding himself sitting on the chair next to her. He couldn't touch her; couldn't hold her hand, or push that little strand of hair out of her face, because they were sitting here in public. It hurt, not being able to touch her, or kiss her, but they were his rules, and he was going to obey them, much like everyone else. "What did you think? I didn't do too badly, right?" He smiled in her direction, his trade-mark crooked smile coming back to sit on his face.

"Crap!" Leo bolted up right, and looked over at his Amy, his eyes wide. "I was supposed to go and find Chris before the Assembly and let him sit in so he knew everything." He groaned, quickly standing up. "I'm gonna pop over to the main office and go and get him, wanna come?" Leo held out his hand for her, only to help her stand up, before then letting go once more. Then, he started speed walking at an alarming pace, making his way towards the main reception of his school. "Chris, so sorry I'm late." His voice was apologetic, his tone dripping with it. "We had an assembly, and there were Houses discussed, and schedules were given out, and everything just dragged on a bit."

---

Jackson hadn't been paying that much attention as to what was being said in the assembly. He would learn about it anyway from someone else, and had only really turned up just so that he wouldn't have to suffer a detention. He had sat there, leaning back in his chair, drifting in and out of his own little dream world, a feat which was slowly beginning to cover up the pain that he had taken from Lulu. Wait... day dreaming never usually did that. As he looked to his left, his friend was slowly starting to lose colour once more, obviously gaining her pain back - that was one of the down-sides of his power; he couldn't keep an emotion for that long, and only by concentrating to the extremes when he had passed out before was he almost able to make it disappear entirely.

Then, suddenly, at the end of the assembly, Lulu was up and out, obviously feeling a little worse for wear. He thought about following her, about going after the girl who was with him throughout the worst points in his life, and be there for her in return, but he decided against that when he saw Drake moving quickly in the direction that she had dashed. A small smile appeared on his face, his thoughts conflicting. He knew how much Lulu cared about, and wanted Drake, and so she would be happy to see that he would come to her rescue. On the other hand, Drake was a fiend, someone who couldn't stay with one women for more than a night, and he wouldn't like to see the two of them together in a relationship. He sighed softly, slowly standing up from his seat. He shouldn't dwell on that fact for so long; everything would work out in the end.

Jack made his way out of the hall, and then stopped. Where was he going? What was he supposed to be doing right now? He had heard something about there not being classes today, and they were supposed to help their roommates settle in properly. Oh yeah, roommates. He should probably head over and look at the list. So, that was what he did. "Spencer, eh?" He spoke to no-one in particular, his voice hushed and under his breath. "Well that could be fun." He got along with the scientist well enough, and he was sure that the two of them would be good roommates. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Jackson spotted his roommate, and decided to head over there, to see him and ask him a question.

On his journey, however, Jack noticed who Spencer was with. "Beth..." he whispered softly to himself, his stride slowly down. He hadn't seen her around the school yet; she had obviously hidden from him when he had been near her. He looked like an idiot, standing there with his mouth agape, staring in their direction, but that didn't stop him from beginning to walk once again, making his way over to them. Just don't look at her that much, Jackson. Just stand there, and be cool. But how could you be cool when you looked at someone, and all you saw was the eyes of your dead daughter?

"Hey, Spencer." Jack's voice was quiet as he came upon the two of them, and he didn't try to say hello to Beth as well. He wasn't sure if his mouth would even move near her any more, and his eyes kept flicking back down onto her, looking at her. "So... I-I was wondering, if we could party tonight? In the hall, maybe?" His question was directed at Spencer, although, his eyes were not.

He just couldn't stop looking at her.

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.

Morgan Janssen

Morgan's eyes opened as Panic! At The Disco's Intermission started to play on her iPod. The dance music woke her up and sharpened her senses. Voices came from another part of the forest. As she clambered to her feet, the one lyric of the song played in her ears.

Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue our broadcast of dance music. We shall continue now with our piano interlude.

The piano almost put her back to sleep, so she slipped her iPod out of her pocket and skipped onto the next song.

She paints her fingers with a close precision...

She wasn't quite sure what to do next. Swimming seemed like a good idea, but she couldn't be assed to have to go up to her room and change. Gym also seemed like a good idea, but again, she wasn't really dressed appropriately. Lauryn and Alli would be hogging the dance studio. She grabbed her book from the ground and started to head back inside.

He starts to notice empty bottles of gin...

The grounds seemed to be infected with Noctrem. Already the day seemed... darker, even though the sun was shining as bright as ever. The lawn was littered with cigarette butts, and the stentch of tobacco hung in the air. Something needed to be done about the smoking. But nothing probably would be done, because the detention master also smoked. He wouldn't book anyone for smoking, especially not his very own students.

And takes a moment to assess the sins she’s paid for..

Mo appreciated the generosity that Mr Marinos had shown towards the Noctrem students. But she sometimes wondered if it had been a good idea. On a practical level, there was much more of a strain on resources. And they caused so much stress to the other students.

She was at the main entrance at this point, and headed upstairs to her room. Sliding her iPod from her pocket, she set it on it's docking station. Selecting Paramore's Hello Cold World, she pressed play and began to sing.

I feel happy, I feel sad
I feel like running through the walls...

Zac Barnes

The motion of strumming just felt natural. Once, he would have had to concentrate on the pattern, the chords and the timing. Now everything came together like it was completely natural. His fingers started to play Linkin Park's Leave Out All The Rest. It was a song he could kind of identify with. He could relate with wanting to leave only good memories behind and for everyone to forget the bad. But, of course, Zac could make that happen.

Suddenly a twig snapped behind Zac. His strumming hand stopped abruptly. His hand tightened on the neck of the guitar. He looked over his shoulder and grinned. He left his guitar on the ground and scrambled to his feet. "Ashy!" He said, hugging her. "How's my little prefect? I don't care what-" Zac frowned at her. She definitely wasn't happy. His mind whizzed back to the assembly. And he suddenly remembered why she was so upset. "Oh, yeah. You've got several of the Fearless Five in your house. Aw, sweetie, don't worry. You can get them in trouble and I'll make them forget. Or I've got a decent supply of cymbals." Even though I'm saving them for Sky. He hugged her again and went back to his guitar. "Come on. Music makes everyone feel better. Any requests?" His fingers tapped the frets, while the fingers holding his pick tapped it against the body of the guitar.

Ashy and him had bonded almost instantly. He was always the one who stood up for her. He was the one who she went to when she needed to talk. And she was the one who stood up for him. When he shouted and screamed at someone and they jeered him, she would defend him. She was clueless of the horrors that haunted him, but Zac liked it that way. Especially now with Cor and her cronies in Ashy's house. She didn't need to be worrying about what had happened when Zac was ten or twelve.

"Dad?" A twelve year old Zac came down stairs with a notebook clutched in his hand. Jon Barnes looked up at his son. He had a bloodied nose and was scared. "Not now, son." Zac looked at the clock. "But it's gone ten. I have to have this maths homework in first thing tomorrow." Suddenly a man burst in. He was as skinny as hell, but looked dangerous. "If you don't get out now, you won't ever hand in that homework." He warned, a sinister grin crossing his face. Zac turned and ran upstairs. But even from his room, he could hear the man beating his father.

"OW!" Zac's pick had snapped in his hand, splintering. "Shit, that hurt." He said, picking the shards from his various scratches. "Serves me right for using slim picks." He sincerely hoped that Ashy hadn't responded during his flashback as he rooted in his pocket for another pick. His hand was bleeding, but not that heavily. Picks didn't usually splinter, but that particular one had been cheap. Still, the blood might get all over his strings. So he found a tissue and wrapped it around his hand and smiled at Ashy. "Sorry. Guitarist problems."

Chris Russell

The awkwardness didn't lessen as Chris sat there. Students stared at him as they passed. Some seemed to vaguely recognise him. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. It was starting to get long again. While it was now dark, where as it had been blonde when he had modelled, it still made him slightly more recognisable. He smiled with relief when he saw the Headmaster approaching. He stood, eager to get away. "Chris, so sorry I'm late. We had an assembly, and there were Houses discussed, and schedules were given out, and everything just dragged on a bit." Leo said apologetically. He was about to reply when he was attacked by the pretty brunette who had accompanied him. It suddenly dawned on Chris who she was as he awkwardly returned the hug. "Amy?" He said, stepping away to get a better look at her. His face broke into a grin and he gave her a proper hug. "You haven't changed one bit! How long are you here? How are you?" He asked, ecstatic. His mind was buzzing with a million questions, but those three were the first out of his mouth.

"You look old." She murmured. He grinned. "At least I can get into bars without ID." He joked. "But, seriously Amy, the amount of crap I have been through since I left Arcana is unbelieveable. That's probably why I look so old. And the hair doesn't help either." He grinned. He then remembered the headmaster. "Sorry, Leo. I'm sure you can remember us here at Arcana together. So, am I going to get a spy style briefing? Or will it be more like an assembly?" His smile never slid off of his face as he spoke.

Amy and Chris had been inseperable for their time together at Arcana. They had been in the same year, and had been in all of the same classes. They had teased each other mercilessly but had always been there for each other. There had never, ever been anything romantic between them. Well, Chris had a crush on her for the first three months of their first year together, but he had quickly gotten over that. She had comforted him after a nasty breakup in his final year.

His phone started playing. "Just for the record, the weather today, is slightly sarcastic with a good chance of A..." He snatched it out of his pocket. "Sorry. I thought it was turned off." He checked out the text. "Oh, God. It's from my brother, he's minding my house." He said, paling.

Any good looking single teachers? Male or female. ;)

His brother was the biggest bisexual flirt Chris knew. He felt like slapping him. "False alarm." He grinned uneasily at Leo and Amy.

Piss off.

Chris quickly sent off that text and turned off his phone. "Right, so. My mission." God, that was embarrassing.

Leo stood back as Amy lurched forward, throwing herself into Chris' arms in a tight embrace. He crossed his arms over his chest, allowing the two to rekindle an old friendship. In reality, the male was holding back - he wasn't too happy with the way that Amy had throw herself at the male like that, and he actually wanted to lean forward and pull her away from Chris, taking her back into his own arms, and holding her there for his own selfish keeping. He wanted to show Chris that Amy was his, that he wasn't allowed to hold her like that again, but of course, he couldn't. He couldn't show that he was in a relationship with another member of the faculty; not in front of someone who might challenge him in that department anyway.

Was this jealousy that he was feeling? If so, Leo didn't like it, and he never wanted to feel it again. Jealousy was a brand new feeling for the immortal male, something he had never felt before, as he had never allowed himself to grow as close to someone as he had with Amy. Leo stood there awkwardly as his girlfriend spoke with her old friend, feeling like a third wheel in that moment. The first moment that he had, Leo cleared his throat, loud enough to interrupt their conversation. Once he was sure that there was going to be no more words between the two of them, he stepped forward, nodding to the male.

"Maybe you should go and settle yourself into your new room, Chris. And, no phones on in school hours, please. It sends a bad message to the students." Leo's voice was hard, and authoritative, but only Amy would be able to realize why. "It's on the second floor, through the teacher's hall and room seven. Here's your key." He spoke, pulling out the silver key from his pocket, tossing it in the direction of the male. "On that note, I must steal Amy here for a moment, as we have to discuss some school matters. Please, excuse us."

---

Erin was pissed. No, more than pissed. She was angry. Her blood was boiling underneath her skin, and she was beginning to shake with rage. How dare Keirol act like that around her? How dare he not acknowledge her, as if she wasn't even there. He hadn't wrapped his arms around her, the way that she had with him, or spoken to her since he had entered the room. So, she had stormed out of the room. If he had wanted to follow her, he could have, but there was no sign of him now. She was stalking through the hallways of the school, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now. She had ignored the calls of assembly, not arriving to the event, due to the fact that she probably would have killed someone if she had had to sit there, listening to the irritating voice of Leonardo Marinos.

The girl could barely breath, as she made her way through the winding hallways of the school, not caring who she barged into, or what she moved out of the way. All she knew was that she had to get out of the confinements of the school, to escape into the forest that held her calming place, her tranquil hill where she would sit when she was feeling like this. Erin didn't see who she was walking into, her eyes were clouded with that horrible haze of red that began to take her over before she turned completely feral.

She did however, notice one of the people that she pushed past. His scent was intoxicating, his voice deep and sensual, almost calming in itself as she pushed past him. However, Drake was busy, and had a girl in his arms. She had briefly registered the girl to be Lulu, the one girl who were actually wriggling her way into the depths of Drake's heart, a girl that she hated to the core. Drake was the only person who was able to calm her down properly when she was in this sort of mood, when all she could see was red. But right now, she just wanted to escape. Escape to that one place where she knew she couldn't hurt anyone, and instead could exact her rage on the nature around her.

Quickly, Erin made her way out of the school, and expertly navigated her way throughout the forest. She was trying to push all thoughts of Keirol out of her mind, trying to ignore all of the anger that was coursing through her body, but to no prevail. She couldn't believe how angry the guy had made her, how close she was to hurting him at the moment in time. It was scaring her, feeling like this, which was why she was running away. Running away to her quiet spot, where she could calm down without harming anyone.

Amy was a little confused at first, having hugged Chris. He seemed unsure of what to do. She frowned, drawing back to look up at him, bemused expression in place. He stepped back simultaneously, finally having said her name and she blinked up at him, waiting for everything to sink in on his side of things as well. As her old friend looked her over, she wondered briefly if maybe he blamed her for not taking to him at all after leaving Arcana, but the doubt fled as soon as he grinned and swept her into another hug. She couldn’t help the small giggle escaping her lips. She was just so happy to see him; it felt incredible, because just as she did, she realized how much she’d really missed him. How much he’d been missing in her life, and how amazing it could be now that he was back in it. She’d missed their friendship. “Haven’t changed one bit?” She teased, grinning, “now, I know that’s a lie.” Then she shook her head, still smiling brightly up at him. “As for how long I’m here, I don’t have an expiration date, so I’m thinking for as long as it makes me happy.” With that, she dared a glance at Leo, not able to keep her eyes off of him.

However, that short glance also meant she noticed the way he was practically glaring at Chris. What was up with that? He’d been perfectly polite and friendly minutes earlier. She shook out of it, smiling at Chris. “How about you? Oh, and I’m fine.” She laughed softly, “in fact, I’m great.” She squeezed him once more, resting her head against his shoulder briefly while she murmured her observation about his appearances. Then she let go of him, just having realized why Leo would be looking more or less murderous just then. He didn’t like her hugging Chris? Leo was jealous? Why? He didn’t glower at Vince when she hugged him, so how was Chris any different? She did feel her stomach fluttering a little in excitement, though, some unknown part of her loving his possessiveness. So… male. And so hers. Thinking about it, maybe she was slightly happy that Leo didn’t get close to other women. That meant there was no reason for her to be jealous, because she imagined she’d be just as bad as Leo.

When Chris replied to her comment, she laughed. “Yeah, with a pensioner discount too.” She bit back, teasing glint in her eyes. She’d deal with Leo and his issues later. Because they were completely unfounded and she did not like it… at all. Nope, not one bit. Okay, maybe it was a little hot. But then, lately it seemed she found everything about him hot. Lately? Year right. More like always. She cocked her head slightly when he told her he’d been through a lot, wondering what he was talking about. She smiled up at him. “We’ll catch up soon, okay? And you can tell me all about everything.” She turned slightly to look at Leo when Chris spoke to him, and when the man didn’t reply, Amy shook her head, sending Chris a soft smile. “I’ll help you out with the information bit later, honey. And the-“ She was interrupted when sound emanated from Chris’ phone, and gathered her hands in front of her, only nodding slightly when he made comments. Leo was going to be a pain to deal with, she could tell, so Chris accidentally breaking the rules, was going to be a slight issue. Oh, if he was going to take out that jealousy on Chris, he was getting a piece of her mind.

Once Chris has finished texting, Amy was about to say something when Leo interrupted and she inwardly sighed, already knowing this was not going to be a very friendly conversation anymore. And she was right. As Leo spoke, a very clear dismissal of Chris, Amy almost wanted to scowl right back at him, for his tone, and for his treatment of Chris in all. Way to make the new teacher feel welcome. She turned fully towards him, the look in her eyes clearly saying, “really, Leo? Really?” She crossed her arms over her middle, raising an eyebrow when Leo more or less ordered her to go with him. There was no question in it whatsoever, and it hadn’t even been directed at her. He was going to order her around now? She took a deep breath, calming herself so that Chris wouldn’t notice her irritation. Fortunately she had her back to him, which made things easier. She would apologize to him on behalf of Leo later, or make the proud Spartan do it himself. Just earlier they’d had a discussion, and now they were going to again? Amy sighed, rubbing her right temple with a couple of fingers before shaking her head. “Right, medicine,” she finally murmured, playing along.

She glanced behind her at Chris, giving him a soft, warm smile. “I’ll see you later, okay? I’ll come by your quarters.” Then, without another word, Amy took the lead, headed towards Leo’s office. It was among the few places that were sound proof and she felt like screaming at him tonight. Then she’d probably give over her body while taking his, because god help her, she was just as turned on as she was infuriated. Which only served to agitate her further. Why did she find his jealousy to damned arousing? She was only supposed to be angry with him at his way of handling it, not want to throw herself at him all the while. Infuriating man, she thought to herself as the sound of her heels echoed around the halls.

Leo didn't pay much attention to the judging glare coming from Amy's eyes - in fact, he practically ignored her expression for the moment, only giving her a quick glance, to show that he had registered her discontent for his attitude. But, he had a reason. Well, he believed he had a valid reason for feeling that way, anyway. He didn't like his girl with her arms around another man, even if it was just an old childhood friend; was that so wrong of him? He knew it wasn't, and he knew that Amy knew it wasn't wrong of him to feel that way - it was just strange for him to be feeling it, that was all. It was a strange, new phenomenon that was running through his body, one that made him want to run up to Chris and punch him in the face for hugging his girlfriend like that. Jealousy was not going to be a nice colour on Leonardo Marinos, that he knew for sure.

The immortal headmaster didn't speak as he followed Amy through the winding corridors of the school, after he had rudely dismissed Christopher like that. He would have to apologize to the man at a later date, but for now, he was going to focus on apologizing to Amy first - she seemed to be extremely irritated at him for talking to her friend like that, for dismissing him so easily, and he knew that he was going to have to do some grovelling until she forgave him. He was also going to have to talk to her however, about her last comment to the new male teacher. "I'll come by your quarters later." Leo didn't like the idea of that. He knew Amy was a big girl, and was able to make her own decisions, decisions he couldn't control, but he didn't want his girlfriend going to spend the evening with another man - she would have to understand that, right? Leo could already feel his head beginning to throb with all of these new thoughts and emotions as they made their way towards his office, wondering how he was going to loosen them up a little, to not overpower his girlfriend with his new feelings of jealousy.

Once they had made it back to his sound-proof office, Leo closed the door behind them, before flicking the lock onto it's latch. There would be no disturbing the two of them now - not by students, or his assistants, or anyone who wanted to talk to him at that moment in time. With a couple of strides, Leo had made his way across the room to wrap his arm around Amy's waist, and then, she was up again the wall, her back pressing into it. Leo's lips brushed against hers as he held her there, before he pressed his lips in a passionate kiss against hers, his arm snaking around her waist even tighter, pulling her body against his. "Amy..." he breathed when he pulled away, his other hand coming up to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking her soft skin, "please forgive my jealousy?" He asked her, his voice still breathless from the kiss. He moved his head down to her jaw whilst waiting for her answer, little kisses being trailed down her jawline, to her neck, and down to her collarbone.

"Please?"

Amy’s ire had been building gradually as they made their way to Leo’s office. She was riling herself up because, well, passion was rushing through her and it was the wrong kind… initially. She was slowly converting all of it to anger, her violet eyes sparkling with it. She wasn’t entirely sure why she was so turned on my Leo. He hadn’t touched her. He’d been rude. He’d ordered her around! But part of her loved his possessiveness, his need to have her as his alone. However stupid he was being about it, it only showed her how much she meant to her. No one had ever felt jealousy with her before, and it was heartwarming now that the one man she wanted above all others, was reacting like this for her. She wouldn’t accept it though, so just like people would convert hurt into anger, Amy was doing it with her arousal. Of course it was only temporarily distracting her from the way her body was responding. It couldn’t just be his jealousy, could it? No. It must be her body still being wired after their first night of love-making. She’d gone without sex for 5 years prior to yesterday, and even before, no one had ever compared to Leo. Her body heated and sparked electricity for him, and him alone.

Once the two reached Leo’s office, she was so pissed she didn’t even know what to say. She had her back to him as she stopped in the middle of the room, mentally trying to count to ten instead of screaming like a goddamned banshee the second she opened her mouth. She whirled around when she heard the click of the lock, her eyes narrowed on him; a scorching glare. She’d only just decided on what to say when he began walking towards her, and her lips fell apart silently, breath caught in her throat. The way his body moved mesmerized her, the way his gray eyes were gleaming with possessive intent, completely dumbfounded her and all she could do was stare in anticipation of his next move. So much for taking control and scolding him. She was still angry, though, but part of her was excited, for some reason she had yet to decipher. Her mind was too blurry with anger and desire warring for dominion over h body.

Before she knew it, Leo had an arm around her, his body capturing her against she wall. Before she could react, his lips were on hers, his first kiss brief. She kept her own in a thin line, refusing to kiss him back, still glaring up at him. He didn’t seem to notice though, as his lips swept down to take hers once more. Her stubborn resistance was short-lived, his lips eager and so purposefully working on hers. Her lips parted on a breathy sigh only moments later, her lips finally embracing his in a searing, possessive kiss. She felt like he might as well be growling, mine, and it was so erotic, his passion spurring her own arousal. Her arms snaked around his neck of their own accord, her hands working themselves into his hair, clenching him to her. His arm was tightening around her, and she absolutely loved it, caught in his spell once more. All too soon, the kiss ended, leaving them both breathless. She peered up at him, eyes filled with passion, her body having melted against his so easily.

Her eyes fluttered closed when he gently caressed her face, her lips still parted. The young brunette was panting softly, the touch of Leo’s hand sending another shot of electric tingles through her veins. She could hardly think, and it only got harder as his lips began moving on her skin. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what they were talking about. Her hands were fisting in his hair, her mind fighting to clear the fog. “Mmm…” she murmured, a moment of half lucidity hitting her. Her eyes fluttered open even as she tilted her head slightly to allow his mouth all the access it needed. Felt so good. “Can’t think…” she told him, her voice breathy as ever. She needed him to stop so she could remember what she was angry about, but instead, as his lips moved to a particularly soft spot on her neck, she moaned softly, her eyes closing once more. “Don’t stop… want you… need you…” she instead murmured. Her right leg moved to half-clasp his bottom, moving them closer to each other. Gods, one touch and he had her curled around his little finger. Was she that weak? Was she just going to let him get away with everything as long as he was kissing it all better? Was that all it took with her?

No. No way. Anger flaring briefly once more, Amy pushed Leo away from her, her leg leaving his behind immediately. She took a deep breath, trying to quench the unyielding desire rolling through her. Trying to keep herself from throwing her slight form into his arms once more. She clenched her hands at her sides as she finally looked up at him, her eyes fiery with passion; of both anger and arousal. “A kiss to make it all better, huh?” she said, wanting her voice to be cold and angry, but instead the words came out throaty as if a bedroom whisper. She leaned against the wall, trying to make her legs stop quivering with want. “Gods, Leo, you can’t just… can’t just treat people like that and expect me to be all forgiveness the next second! What the hell do you have to be so jealous about, anyway?!” Her anger was returning, as if trying to reach the same level as her arousal. Something she didn’t believe possible. “Chris is a friend. And damn it, he’s been a good one!” She didn’t know why she was swearing. She never really did. Not even when angry, but she supposed her brain was just in so much turmoil she didn’t know how to react properly.

---

Drake only raised an eyebrow when Erin stormed past, the blonde in his arms going positively rigid, her entire body tensing at the presence of the clearly pissed off Erin. Then he sighed, spotting the alarm in Lulu’s eyes. He had a very qualified idea as to the why here, and he couldn’t blame her. He’d probably be slightly worried if he was in her position. But then, again, as he’d often reasoned, Lulu brought this all down on herself. Everyone knew not to mess with the bitch squad. Well, unless your name was Drake Quellen, in which case you could do whatever the hell you felt like. Sometimes being the brother of the school top psycho bitch was quite rewarding. Sometimes it was incredibly irritating. But most of the time Drake chose to look at the bright side of things. Not that he thought people wanted to get on his bad side. That was the thing about Drake, he didn’t show anger. Rarely even showed irritation and his constant inability to feel stronger emotions, made him an enigma to most people. A lot of people didn’t dare try and cross him, because no one had any idea what’d happen. Most people suspected he could be his sister times ten.

Those people were wrong. Drake could be so, so much worse than that. That he didn’t want to be, or cared to be in any way, did not remove the fact from existence. It would take something extra ordinary to bring about that side of him. It had only happened once before, and well, it had not been pretty. The big fat fact here, however, was that he simply never gave enough of a shit to be angered. His eyes could hint at the darkness lurking within, whenever he wanted them to, and it was enough to scare people off. More than enough. His dark eyes, usually lit with humour or seductive intent – often both, could turn menacing and cold the second he wanted them to. After all, he was a master of deceit it nothing else. He shook out of his reverie, only to ask Lulu about her room number, and only have a slight nod in response. When she curled up closer in his arms, he tightened his hold on her, that protectiveness coming over him; the same he’d felt when he’d given those kids at the bathroom a good look at his eyes at their worst. How odd.

Once they reached the right room, Drake listened to Lulu before a smirk came to decorate his handsome features. In reality, inside, Drake was considering his options. He could go fuck Erin dry against the nearest tree, if she was where he thought she’d be. And she usually was. Or he could bathe the sick, greenish-pale girl in his arms. Why was that such a hard decision? The answer should be easy; a good fuck. But this odd, new part of him wanted to take care of Lulu; make sure that she was alright. But was he going to listen? No way. Besides, he shouldn’t encourage Lulu. He’d only end up coldly breaking her heart because he could never feel for her what she did for him. Right? Right. And Erin needed him to calm herself, anyway. She couldn’t be the only one in the forest and she’d appeared on the verge of a serious rage right then. At least, that’s how he justified his decision to himself. He might just be horny. He didn’t ponder it further, not really caring to. “I like you all sick and green,” he teased her before easing her down onto her feet. Then the male opened the door, only slightly surprised to find it unlocked. Did no one ever steal things around here?

That was just weird. Ah well. He guided Lulu inside, giving the room a once over before finding a door leading to the bathroom. He helped her in there before brushing a strand of hair out of her face, giving her a dazzling smile. “I’ve got somewhere I need to be, love, but I’ll come back to check on you afterwards, alright? Besides, you don’t really want me to help you out here.” He gave her a sly smile. “I might not be able to keep my hands to myself.” He turned to the shower stall, seeing shampoo and such already there. It’d have to do. Looking around he quickly found a cupboard with towels. Did he care that this belonged to someone else? Not even a little. Besides, he’d just buy Alli new stuff if she had a problem. He drew one out and put it on the toilet. “There, you should be alright for now. And get some sleep afterwards, okay? I’ll bring food when I come back.” He turned to look her over skeptically. She looked better than she had earlier at least. Feeling certain she could handle herself for now, he gave her a gentle hug. “And don’t worry about Erin. I’ll take care of it.” With that, he left her, heading for the forest. And he didn’t feel guilty. Nope. Not at all. Not even a little. Nuh uh. Sort of. He immediately shook it off, inwardly frowning at this.

As he walked to that specific spot in the forest where he’d spent time with Erin more than once this past month, he spotted others. Didn’t pay it much mind, however. His mind was plenty occupied. Besides, none of them were all that interesting right now. None of them were doing anything outrageous, and even if they were… well, hot, animalistic sex with Erin topped that any day. Once he reached his destination, spotting blonde hair, he smiled wryly. He rested his shoulder on a tree and leaned against it, hands in his pockets as he watched her, all masculinity. That same, male aura that attracted so many women to the cold man. “What’d the trees ever do to you?” He commented, his tone playful and already seductive. Not that Erin would need any coaxing, but hey, you couldn’t just kill a habit like that.

The blonde was in a peculiar mood as she walked along the hallways, pondering her situation with Jay. Again, they’d had sex. Hot, passionate sex. The kind she’d only ever had with him. But though her body melted for him, and her heart was doing backflips every time she was with him, her mind was still holding back. She sighed, shaking her head as she reached her room, the red suitcase at her heels. If that door was locked, she was going to blow it apart. Because though Cor had just had amazing sex, her mood was far from good. In fact, she had no idea how to define it. All she knew was that she was going to take it out on someone. Yep, that definitely always helped her mood. Hell, she was probably going to fuck around like a whore tonight just to show Jay that she wasn’t his. Not that she didn’t want to be – she just didn’t want him to know it. Gods, when did her life become so fucking complicated? She reached out a hand, testing the doorknob and finding it unlocked. She took a deep breath, almost disappointed that she didn’t get to break something.

And what was with Erin not texting her back about that damned assembly of Marinos’? As she pondered this, she dragged her suitcase inside and took a look around her, her gaze flickering around the room. It was pretty obvious which side belonged to her, so that was always something… she supposed. And well, the room wasn’t the worst she’d ever stayed in, so long as Lauryn didn’t prove a total pain. She pushed the door closed with her heel, moving to sit at the edge of the stripped bed. Running a hand through her curly mane, Cor frowned slightly. It wasn’t like Erin not to text when she promised to, and that had her wondering what was going on. Was she okay? Hell, of course she was. Erin was a tough girl. Satisfied with that short deduction, she drew out her iPhone, texting Addie…

Which do-gooder did’ya get, babe? ;)

She left it at that, sending more or less identical ones to Bells and Jade. She didn’t give enough of a fuck to go check herself. Besides, she wanted her girlfriends’ takes on their new roommates. She had a feeling not all of them would be too pleased, and she was more than willing to help out in that department. Which now had her wondering if any of them had attended the assembly. She had a feeling interesting information had been given out. Ah well, she’d nag Drake later if it became a problem. Guy had a brain like a sponge, and he would’ve taken notice of everything. Because that was her brother. Growing restless, she changed into this, deciding to see if she could go find something to better her mood. Despite popular belief, Cor didn’t exactly enjoy being in a bad mood. In fact, sometimes she’d rather go back to before she’d even met Jay again, go back to the girl she’d been then. She hated the way he was fucking with her mind and emotions.

Hitting the halls, Cor soon spotted a darkhaired male exiting the teacers’ wing. He looked young. And hot. Like, tall, dark and handsome hot. She gave him an observant once over. New teacher? Or a boyfriend to one of the female teachers? Only one way to find out, Cor, she thought to herself, soon finding herself following this guy. Keeping quiet was a talent of hers, and she proudly discovered that he didn’t notice her at all. Probably because ever since she’d discovered sound was carried by air, she’d been practicing making herself soundless. Or, more so, manipulating sound to go in the opposite direction of the person she was following, or sneaking up on. What did people have powers for, if not to find new ways of using them at all times? She endeavoured to get most possible out of her powers. Once they reached the forest, Cor rolled her eyes. Forest in heels? Sure, why not. She grudgingly noted to herself. She considered briefly to just turn around and leave the guy alone, but decided against it in the end.

Cor didn’t pay much attention to the others in the forest, mostly because she considered them all more or less beneath her notice. When he stopped to tie his shoe laces way out of sight from the others, Cor let a smirk pass over her lips, tilting her head to watch his bottom. Not bad. She quietly moved closer, before deciding to lean her back against a tree a little behind and off to the side from him. Then a thought crossed her mind. Time to say hello, baby, she mused, a devilish, sexy grin coming onto her face as she let the wind rustle around in the leaves behind him. When he turned around immediately, battle position at the ready, she chuckled. “Just the wind, love. Nothing all that scary about it. Yet.” Oh, she had a feeling this was going to be fun. “In fact, now that I think about it, it’s been a while since it was last scary.” She pursed her lips, her eyes travelling over him. He seemed sort of familiar, now that she had him in perfect view. Not that she let it be seen on her face.

Leo was one big question mark almost like he hadn’t expected her to stay angry with him. But she couldn’t let him think he’d get away with things by kissing and touching her, although she’d been so close to forgetting about it all, too wrapped up in his heat and passion. His possessiveness. On some level, the fact that he’d so obviously thought he was getting away with this one, angered her so much more. Did he think her that weak? Because if he did, he had another thing coming, that was certain. Amy had been a doormat for the majority of her life, and only life with the army had finally toughened her up, making her realize that she couldn’t just let people walk all over her. Life was simply too short. Besides, if she hadn’t learned to stand up for herself, she would’ve been written off as the gullible nurse, and those young army boys were simply not very nice once they found out they could mess with someone without consequence.

So, she supposed now it was a sort of complex for her. She couldn’t stand feeling weak and gullible, feeling like she was deterring; going back to her teenage self. She narrowed her eyes at Leo when his eyes widened at her swearing. Yes, I’m angry! She inwardly screamed, but she gritted her teeth instead of letting it out. He was looking so regretful and soft with her now. Then he apologized, taking a step away from her. The latter satisfied her a little. At least he had finally realized that she was really angry with him. Although, she supposed maybe she was overreacting just a tad, but she’d refused to be turned on, so that had only added to the fiery whirlwind of passion in her. With his next words, her anger started ebbing, however, throwing itself off of her. She just loved him so much, it was hard to stay angry with him when he was so humbly apologizing, more or less begging for her forgiveness. Leo, her proud, stoic Spartan, was begging her to step into his embrace once more, and it was as heady as anything.

Another proof of his love for her. Her heart fluttered and she sighed, letting her gaze sink to the floor, finally giving up on the anger which had already disintegrated completely. After a little while, the brunette took a deep breath, peering up at his puppy-dog eyes, and immediately felt herself melting for him once more. Just typical. But she couldn’t muster any resistance this time. Her anger was gone, no longer fuelling her resolve. “Leo, you should know I’m yours.” She said softly before moving closer to him, letting her arms dance up his arms to meet at his neck, looking up at him. “Your Amy.” She then said, her lips finding his briefly. “But I’m not angry with you because you were jealous. I was angry with your treatment of Chris. He did nothing wrong, and for the record, neither did I. It was a hug, we’ve only ever been friends – never more, and you need to accept that you’re stuck with me, okay? I am never going to meet a man who will steal my heart as thoroughly as you have. Ever.” With that, Amy cast a soft, warm smile up at the headmaster.

With only short thought, she decided he might need to hear what she’d known for a long time, but hadn’t told him. Besides, right now, with her heart all warm and fuzzy from his words and his possessiveness, it felt like a good time. It felt right somehow. She hugged him close, burying her face against the side of his face, before she moved her head back to look him in the eyes. “I love you, Leo,” she finally said, her voice so filled with love, it was almost overflowing.

---

Drake’s only reaction when Erin turned around, eyes black, body shivering, was a raised eyebrow. He assessed her quietly, his mind already going over his options of how to deal with her. After all, Drake had dealt Erin and her rages for years now, it was almost instinctual. When she breathed his name, however, her tone of voice made him frown inconspicuously. It’d been a while since she’d last been really scared of herself, and it made him wonder what had gotten her riled up this badly, but he knew asking her would only make things worse right now, and she was already on the edge. He could tell as much. Her eyes were silently beseeching him to help her, and like the good, unselfish man he was, of course he decided to do exactly that. He was about to move towards her when her head whipped back, her eyes going red. He stood still, watching her quietly. The beast inside her had taken over. It was like a completely different woman when that happened, so he wasn’t all that surprised by the words being shot at him.

Instead of fear, Drake felt sort of amused, shooting the now red-eyed girl a smirk, his attitude clearly saying, “whatever, bitch, you haven’t even seen half of what I can do.” But he stayed quiet, waiting to see if Erin would be coming back soon, or if she was completely lost. When the blonde he knew finally came back into her own eyes, Drake was already moving, his course of action decided even before she asked him for help. Which in itself was incredibly unusual. Erin never asked him to help her. She just sort of… took it. That alone told him how desperate she was, even if her eyes weren’t screaming it too. He gave her only a nod, reaching her quickly. Once he did, he began pulling on his powers. Shadows enveloped them both, the forest providing him plenty of material to play with. Darkness blocked out all else but the two of them. Then, holding her gaze, quietly telling her that he’d take care of her, a band of shadow whirled itself around her hands, tying them together behind her back. “Now,” he murmured seductively, his eyes glinting, “how about we make things a bit more interesting?”

Shadows began moving in front of her eyes, spreading out in thick, almost solid material to cover her eyes almost like a mask. Only then, did his hands move. One hand began slowly trailing its way up her side from her hip, while the other moved to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him, his body heat sliding over her almost like a calming blanket. He leaned his head in by her ear, his hot breath dancing over her sensitive skin as he whispered to her. “Relax, let your body grow soft, Erin…” He moved to languidly trail kisses up her neck. He kept his movements nice and slow, heated and intense, but gentle. When she was this far out, he figured he needed to reel her back in a bit before moving to the more steam-releasing part of the process. He knew that’s what she’d need ultimately. This was simply step one. “Don’t worry about letting go,” he murmured to her before the hand trailing up her body met her breast, slowly dancing over it. “I can handle it…”

He didn’t let the hand wander much, however, before it began trailing down her back from between her shoulder blades, lethargically and studiously brushing over the side of her spine. Drake knew precisely which parts of the female anatomy would provide the most sensuality, even with clothes on. He let a sly smile take over his lips, even knowing Erin couldn’t see him. His lips kept trailing slow, seductive kisses in all the right places, his breath dancing over her skin in between.

Leonardo felt himself relax almost instantly, the second that Amy stepped forward, and wrapped herself into his arms. They had only been together for little over a week, but he hated himself for making her so angry; having her happy again, having her hugging him and touching him again was just elating. His world was so wrapped up with Amy now; his emotions were linked to her happiness, and having her happy... well, that made him happy too. When Amy's arms snaked up his own, coming to wrap around his neck, he moved to wrap his own arms around her waist, bringing her body as close to his as was possible. He just wanted to repeat his apology over and over again, to prove to her that he really was sorry for how he had behaved. He was already planning to apologize to Christopher as soon as he came upon the male again, and he was sure that would make Amy happier as well.

Leo listened to Amy's explanation of why she was angry; that it wasn't his jealousy that had upset her most, but it had been the way that he had treated her old friend. He smiled softly back down at his girlfriend as she looked up at him, and he brushed a stray strand of hair off of her face, his hand lingering upon her cheek for a moment as he did so. He couldn't really explain to her how he was feeling; that he just hadn't liked to see another man with his arms wrapped around his girlfriend, especially a man that he didn't know all too well. "I'll apologize to him, I promise." He whispered softly down to her, kissing her forehead to seal his promise. Guilt was plaguing at the male's chest, especially towards Christopher, and he would make sure that he fulfilled his promise, going to the male's room later on that day and apologizing to him profusely. He wouldn't be able to fully explain why he had acted so brashly towards the new male teacher, as that would reveal his and Amy's little secret, but he'd work something out.

However, then, Amy was burying her head into his chest, and three little words escaped her mouth. Three little words that Leo hadn't heard since he was living with his family in Sparta. Three words that he never expected anyone to say to him.

This was going to make it harder. Harder for the both of them. Leo knew that he loved her. He had loved her since that moment that he had accepted her as a teacher into his school, and she had been in his eye-line ever since. But now, saying it... The male's eyes widened as she spoke, and his arms slacked a little around her waist, however not fully letting go. It had been a week. Yes, it had been an amazing week, but it was only a week. If he said the words back to her, the immortal male was condemning her to a life of living with him, never aging, never dying, whilst she grew older, and weaker. If he spoke those words back to her, then he would have to sit there and watch her wither away in front of him, and have to live forever after without her, wandering alone with a broken heart. Was he to do that? Could he do that to her?

"Amy, I...." He started, shaking his head softly. He couldn't do that to her. He didn't want her to live a life like that; hating him as he never aged, whilst she did.

"I love you too."

Leo's heart won the battle over his brain, repeating the words back to her, before placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

What was he doing?

---

Erin's primal side didn't like Drake. She had never liked Drake. Drake liked to stop her from coming from full power; usually by tying her up some way, stopping her from moving her arms, legs, and body. However, soon, she was pushed to the back of the consciousness, and Erin took over her own body once more. Then, Drake was in front of her, his shadows surrounding them, pushing everything else out of their space, focusing on just the two of them. Then, her hands were being bound behind her back, shadows pulling her wrists tightly together at her back. Erin was growing too tired to fight her inner demon any more, it was growing stronger and stronger every second and she was growing more and more scared.

The blonde was doing well, holding onto her sanity, her human consciousness, and she had Drake to thank for that. The male was already calming her down with his seductive words, but suddenly, shadows were clouding her eyes. The girl panicked for a moment, her inner beast rising to burst out through her worry, but then, Drake's hands were on her hip, his lips at her ear, and her inner demon instantly sank back down into her dark hole in Erin's mind. Holding onto her humanity was the key to her staying... un-beastly, and the one thing that every human had in common was their want, and their need, for physical contact, and intimacy - one thing Drake Quellen was extremely good at.

Erin's head lolled to the side as Drake trailed his lips up her neck, his hand slowly trailing it's way up her body, to stop at her breast. She was able to feel his lips against her skin turning into a smirk, a seductive smile that she knew all too well. Her body was already beginning to react to him, her shaking beginning to decrease, her mind starting to focus on his movements, his breath, his voice. A soft moan escaped her lips as his kisses reached the most sensitive part of her neck, just underneath her earlobe, and she ached her body, straining for contact against his. Something about Drake's movements kept her human. No-one else had ever been able to; just Drake. There was something about him that connected with Erin's human side, keeping her sane, and calm, and horny as hell.

"Drake...." She breathed to him, her voice still shaky and breathless, although a little clearer now than it had been five minutes ago. She leaned her head forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder as he continued to kiss her, kissing the small bit of skin that she could reach just by his collarbone. By that little touch, Drake would be able to feel that she was calming down, that she was staying human for the time being, and that she wanted him. "Make it go away, Drake..." Erin whispered against his neck, her lips dancing upon his skin as she spoke, "please... make it stop..."

---

Once Jackson had gotten Lulu out of the freezing shower, she made her way out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. She needed her privacy, and he respected that, but the minutes passed so slowly. He wondered if she was okay, pacing the floor of the bathroom for her to call him back into her main bedroom. When the door opened of the bathroom, the male almost jumped out of his skin - he had been deep in thought, pacing backwards and forwards. Finding Lulu like that had shaken him up a little - she looked a lot worse than she had done earlier, and he felt terrible about her being alone. He had thought that he had seen Drake follow her, someone he knew wouldn't have left someone as close to his heart as Lulu alone in a state like this, so maybe he had just imagined the boy following her.

He followed her out of the bathroom into the bedroom, and sat down on the bed next to her. "Don't let me find you like that again, Lu." Jack shook his head softly, his Irish accent thick through his voice as the worry become more and more evident. He watched her expert fingers moving through her hair, pulling it around, creating a braid. He listened to her voice too, telling him that she hadn't been alone that day, and had been with Drake. But, the guy had gotten distracted, and had run off to, as Lulu put it, have a "quick fuck." Jackson moved closer to the girl, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer towards his body. She was still cold, slightly shaking. At least by having her so close to him, he could keep her warm. "Don't worry about that prick." Jack shook his head, his hand rubbing her shoulder gently. It was rare that a swear word escaped the lips of the reserved Irish man, but by leaving Lulu in such a state like that, Drake had annoyed him. He was going to have to speak to him about this later.

Jack hadn't realized that he was pale, so when Lulu told him that he looked like he had seen Beth, he frowned a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." His voice was quiet as he answered her, his mind flicking back to happier times, when he was with Beth, and Holly, and when everything was good. "She completely ignored me. Not even as much as a look. I'm not going to try and more, you know? I'm just going to leave it. If she wants to talk to me, that's fine, but I'm not going to make an effort again." He sighed, looking down at the pretty blonde in his arms.

"I've decided something." The male suddenly came out with after a few minutes of silence between the two of them. "Let's hold a party tonight. You can help me organize it and whatever. There's no point the two of us sitting here moping about Drake and Beth and whatever. Wanna get drunk?"

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.

Chris Russell

Chris laughed uneasily. This girl was trouble, he knew it. "Flirting's not my thing, Miss Quellen." Why the hell am I so old fashioned? "And, no, I wasn't warned. Why, should I have been?" Your sword wouldn't look out of place with the way you're speaking.

He really felt awkward. If they were having this conversation in class, he could pretend that someone needed help and quite literally run away. If they were inside, even, he could pretend someone called his name and walk away. But here, it was so quiet, both of them could hear everything. The "what's that, somebody is calling my name? I'd better go" excuse wouldn't work. He wondered if that was why she had cornered him. Was it possible she was the type of person who enjoyed other's discomfort?

"I'm guessing you're one of Noctrem students. Is... what's his name...Cain Montgomery still your principal?" He said, smiling slightly. "In my junior and senior year, I won the sports tournaments between the two schools. For Arcana, of course." Chris wasn't used to being so friendly for so long. His smile now had a little bit of a glint behind it, trying to tease a reaction from the girl who stood in front of him. People who first met him were usually startled by this attribute. But he could only be nice for so long, before his cocky, competitive side came out.

It certainly wasn't his best personality aspect. A girlfriend had broken up with him over that. She had been meeting up with her ex boyfriend and a few other friends, so naturally Chris had tagged along. Her ex had been really, really good looking, and he had been boasting about a tennis match he had won. He kept going on and on and on about it, so eventually Chris had dropped the nice guy act and challenged him to a game. His girlfriend had encouraged him not to do it, saying that he was ridiculously good. The whole incident had taken place during Wimbledon, so after a few hours of watching the pros, he went out and absolutely whooped the other guy's ass. His girlfriend then broke up with him, saying she hated show-offs.

Chris was becoming bored. He had stayed up late the night before last watching Mission: Impossible and really wanted to try out a few moves. Unlike any of the actors in the movies, he could legitimately do them. There was one time when there had been a break-in at the bank, and- Well, after a few well timed karate moves, Chris accidentally knocked out three policemen and the robber had escaped. He had spent a night in the cells for that particular incident.

Chris folded his arms and grinned at Cor. Suddenly his attitude changed. He could take her. Between the kung-fu movie he had watched last night and the Mission:Impossible movies the night before, he was sure he could take her. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

When the new teacher informed her that flirting wasn’t „his thing“, she pouted theatrically, her eyes widening as she looked up at him. However, it soon turned into a grin with his next words. She could tell she was making him uneasy, which wasn’t all that surprising. She knew her entire demeanor had an air to it that made people uncomfortable. It was much like she was a predator and her prey instinctively knew it. Not that she minded. In fact, it was quite enjoyable. “I like to think so,” she mused aloud, “but then again, I’m sure Marinos just… forgot.” She smirked then, giving him another once over. He wasn’t going to get out of this forest just yet. She had much more she needed to discuss with this new teacher, and it very much involved his previous patronizing of her. See, as it turned out, him telling her he wasn’t flirting, meant he was being condescending, and Cor really didn’t like that. In fact, she had tortured people for less.

With his next words about her school, her principal and about the annual sports tournament, Cor raised an eyebrow, her eyes assessing the handsome teacher before her. She let them wander from the rise and fall of his chest, to the pulse in his neck she knew just how to burst, stopping once her gaze fell on his facial features. His eyes had a new glint in them, he was standing a little taller, and his smile had just that touch of provocative teasing. She tilted her head slightly to the side, watching him silently, almost eerily so, her eyes intense and appraising. Her other eyebrow was cocked as well once he folded his arms across his chest, until a predatory smile grazed her lips. Oh, this one wanted to play, did he? Well, she couldn’t say she hated the cocky attitude, and Cor did quite like a bit of a challenge. Mostly because she always won in the end. That was the way of the world. What this blonde wanted, she got. Whether she had to procure it herself or not, and right now she very much wanted to show this guy who he was messing with.

“Ideally, yes he is. This pesky little fire, however, landed me in this dump,” she finally told him, her voice easy yet menacing at the same time, her eyes alight with amusement and purpose. “And I do believe using your powers in the tournament is considering wrong,” she taunted, putting a mocking tone on the word “wrong”. “At least, I assume that’s what you did. I mean, there must be a reason you’re a PE teacher, hm?” Her voice remained almost too soft; a tone that would give anyone chills to hear from Cor. Her lips curved into a wry smile next before her eyes glimmered for only the slightest of a second, a forceful wind slamming him into a nearby tree, hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs. For now, Cor had decided not to maim him too badly. Oh, she could easily show him how painful going up against her could be, what with internal bleeding, suffocation, blisters and the works. Cor had spent a lot of time figuring out every little way to use her powers, and she meant business with them. She wasn’t big on mercy.

“Too bad that’s not going to help you against air manipulation. You were right to feel uncomfortable around me at first, love. Don’t. Ever. Patronize me. Again.“ Her eyes had a dangerous, sadistic glint in them now, as she finally let him see the real her; dropping the act entirely. Really, that was the only thing that had bothered her so far, oh, and the fact that he’d gone to Arcana. But she liked his cockyness, the competitiveness; she just didn’t like him thinking of her as a kid. She was 18 years old and pretty freaking rocking in PC class. Hell, even as a kid, anyone who ever patronized her in any way, was dealt with.

---

Erin’s negative view on the world right now, sort of surprised Drake. Her saying that there wasn’t a guy perfect for her out there was stupid. “Sure he does,” he said, not really sure whether he believed it himself. He couldn’t exactly be said to be a romantic, and he didn’t really care whether Erin found someone or not, so why was he even saying this shit? In spite of himself, he continued, sitting down in front of her, asking her what was wrong. He personally wrote it off as curiosity; pure, selfish curiosity, but a tiny part of him had grown to maybe not be completely indifferent towards her. Maybe that was what happened when he spent so much time with a person. However, he didn’t much care for the way she sometimes saw through him. No one besides her could do it, and even though she was alone in that club, he didn’t like its existence in itself. Another side effect to them spending so much time together. What the hell were even pros, here? Sex? Yeah. Great sex. To Drake, that kind of made it worth it. To a certain extent, in any case.

He cocked his head to the side a little once Erin let loose with what had gotten her so far out. He listened attentively until his sister was mentioned and he couldn’t help chuckling a little. He wasn’t trying to be mean, really, but since Erin knew Cor so well, he couldn’t help finding it amusing that Cor being Cor, had bothered her. “Erin, c’mon. You can’t possibly be upset with Cor for being herself. She’s always been, and will always be, a selfish bitch.” He shrugged, watching her a little while she put on her dress. “You shouldn’t take that personally.” He smiled a little, not entirely sure what to say about the topic of Keirol – which had never been mentioned to him before. He had figured that out on his own. Not like it wasn’t obvious with the way they had been staring at each other like little lovebirds, though. His eyes followed her as she moved around, now sitting next to him, and he instinctively put an arm around her. He figured she might need it, and hey, wasn’t that the whole point of his and Erin’s relationship? He got sex, and she got anger management. He figured this was part of it this time.

Even if he wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. In fact, Drake was secretly feeling very out of his comfort zone. He should have been long gone by now, so her question to him made sense. He glanced down at the blonde hair now half draped over his shoulder and shrugged, wondering at the answer himself. This was just a fucking weird day. That’s all the explanation he had. “Nah. She should be sleeping by now,” he simply said instead, thoughtful. Would he have to rethink himself completely? Caring about Lulu was one thing; he had felt something weird for her for a while now, but this – whatever it was – with Erin, was just too fucking weird. There had to be a limit somewhere, right? Hell if he knew. He sighed wearily. “Not like I give a shit, anyway. It’s just a part of my getting to fuck her; easy enough considering her feelings for me. I only need to blow at the flames a little.” He said almost matter-of-factly. Of course, he knew he was lying. Deep down he knew it, but he was kind of trying to convince himself of what he was saying, as much as he wanted to convince Erin. Even he knew it was a half-hearted attempt, though.

Morgan Janssen

Morgan slowed to a walk as she reached the front doors. Her head was clearer, but it only made the thoughts worse. She noticed Jackson and Jess talking together. She gave them an enthusiastic wave as she headed upstairs to change out of her sweaty and crumpled clothes. She picked her phone up from her bed and took advantage of her free internet to check her Facebook. She gasped and dropped the phone on her bed as she read all of her notifications. Friend requests, likes on statuses, likes on photos, comments on statuses, comments on photos... All from one guy.

She whirled around and resisted the urge to hurl her phone from her window. She quickly changed into a new outfit. She ran her hands quickly through her hair and headed out from her room, leaving her phone on the bed, not wanting to look at it again. She headed down and went over to Jackson and Jess. "Hey guys!" She said, a fake smile fixed on her face. Her voice sound a pitch or two too high. "Oh my God, I'm not fooling anybody." She said, letting her smile slide from her face.

She then noticed Jackson and Jess's expressons. They both looked worried. "Hey, we should start a club. Worriers Anonymous. Worrying about Worrying since 2012." She said, allowing a small smile to lift the corners of her mouth. "My name is Morgan, and my ex is stalking m- Oh crap. I didn't mean to say that." She said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Nobody knew. Not even Zac. Zac, who trusted her enough to tell her about the crap he had suffered in his past. Now she had blabbed in front of a girl she barely knew and Jackson.

Admittedly, Jackson was like the brother she'd never had. She loved his power, his personality everything about him. Unfortunately, he wasn't that fond of Alli or Zac, but he was still so sweet.

"Okay. Um, kinda awkward. It's a long story, and it probably doesn't matter any more. He can't find me here." Her voice wavered at the end and made it sound like she was asking a question. She stared at the floor. She hated it. Hated it. She hadn't done anything to deserve this. She had only ever tried to be friendly. She had never bitched about anybody. Even telepathically to Zac. Or Landon.

She wanted to scream. At him. At the school for not protecting her. At herself. Mostly at herself. She had revealed her darkest secret to two people whom she didn't know if she could trust. She had handled this all wrong. She should have just, like, gone to Mr Marinos or something. She wasn't sure what he could do to help her, but she was sure he could do something. Hell, even Zac would have helped. He would have just silently smashed his face in inside his head or tracked him down and made him forget all about her. But it was useless now. She just had to wait for their reactions.

Chris Russell

"For your information, my power is one of those you can't just turn off. I can't help it." Was that anger creeping into Chris's voice? He never got angry, but this girl was just too cocky for her own good. His authoritativeness was taking over- the side that made him such a good teacher. "You can't simply turn off adoptive muscle memory." He said, his eyes beginning to glint. He wasn't going to take this girl's shit. He was the teacher here.

Suddenly he was slammed against a tree. The wind was shoved forcibly from his lungs and for a moment he struggled to breath. He saw stars and for once began to wonder exactly how dangerous this girl was. As he struggled to get enough air back into his lungs, his anger began to build once again. He wanted to stand up and punch her in the face. Or flip her. But he was too sore, too out of breath to try anything. “Too bad that’s not going to help you against air manipulation. You were right to feel uncomfortable around me at first, love. Don’t. Ever. Patronize me. Again.“ He managed to wheeze, "I'm a teacher. That's my job."

Oh hell yeah. Even when I'm winded, I've got attitude.

He struggled to his feet and took a vaguely defensive position. If she smacked him against the tree again, he was screwed, but maybe she would leave him alone. His lungs still took in as much air as they could, and he knew she would pick up on his racing pulse and deep breaths. But there had to be someone around. Someone who could save him if he needed saving.

She would kill him without hesitation if he gave her enough reason. That much he knew. Her eyes told him that. His eyes had lost their previous glint, and he felt weak. But he would fight. If he needed to, he would fight.

"If you're going to attack, just do it. You know I won't and can't react. There's no-one around to hear me scream." Why the hell he was doing this? He could be dead before the day was out. "So, how are you going to kill me? Cut off my air supply? Force an air bubble into my blood stream?" Geez, Chris, there are counsellors out there if you're suicidal.

"Or are you going to let me run? Is it the chase you like, or simply just seeing the pain on people's faces?" Christopher Russell. Died an arse.

The young nurse vaguely registered Leo’s following her into the bathroom, not really focusing on that, but rather her very unusual need to rid herself of stomach contents. Truthfully, it was starting to worry her. No, not worry… scare. It was scaring her right now. Once was understandable to a certain degree, but this was more than unusal; it was downright exceptional. She had never thrown up twice in a decade, much less a day, so now, yes, she was scared of what might be going on with her body. It was like nothing she had ever known. She could feel Leo’s cool hands gathering her hair, rubbing her back, and she wanted to thank him, but was overwhelmed by another bout of breakfast pushing its way up her throat. This was disgusting. How did people deal with this on a more regular basis? Counting this time, Amy had thrown up four times during her 24 years long life. She knew it was pebbles compared to other people, but it was by far enough judging by her standards.

Amy was heaving for air by the time Leo began speaking, and she sat back flat on her bottom, taking a deep breath. She had left-over vomit in her mouth and it made her want to bend over the toilet once more, except she had nothing more in her system to actually throw up. Leo was only voicing her own thoughts. He, as well as she, knew how rare this was. How freakish it was, in truth. She couldn’t blame him for worrying when she herself was petrified, and she could come up with no words of comfort, so instead, she gave a weak nod, as she sat there, scared and still slightly dumbfounded. She blinked several times as she sat there, trying to get her wits about her after this shock. Then it hit her that she hadn’t even bothered checking herself. She was not about to see a doctor if there was nothing to see him for, so Amy looked from the door, to Leo, her eyes slowly turning purple. “I’m just… going to check myself first.” She told him, her voice shaky and low.

Reaching for her inner power, closing her eyes, Amy could tell it was weak, like whatever was wrong with her, affected her powers too. Maybe they were fighting whatever it was, already. She took another deep breath to gather herself and grab a string of the currently small bundle of inner strength, Amy began examining herself. Something she had no done it many years – not since she had begun examining others. Having no idea where to start, she began from the head and moved down from there. Her forehead creased after a little while, her lips subsequently falling apart in first incomprehension, then shock. No way. She couldn’t be. This made no sense! None of it made sense, but she recognized the pulsing sensation. It wasn’t the first time she had sensed it, but it was the first time she had sensed it in herself. This was just not natural! She couldn’t possibly be… no. Just… no. Something was wrong here, she was kidding herself, trying to find impossible explanations and… gods, even she couldn’t argue against this. The evidence was there, clear as anything.

She was pregnant. Actually pregnant. Amy could hardly believe it. She had had sex once in the last 6 months, and it had been yesterday! How could she be this far ahead already? No signs at all should be showing already. None. She let go of the power, still too stunned to actually react or even know what she thought about this. It was just… impossible! She bit down on her lower lip, eyes still closed as she tried to work through all of this. Hadn’t Nana once told her that her pregnancy with mum had been very brief? Like… only a month or something along those lines? A kid back then, Amy hadn’t paid much attention to such things as that, but now she wished she had, because she didn’t feel sure at all. She would have to call her mum. Oh gods, if she was pregnant… That was when it actually hit her; the situation she found herself in. She was pregnant. Somehow, Leo had gotten her pregnant last night, and she had no idea what to do about it.

Their relationship was secret, and Leo… oh gods, he would have to watch his own child grow old and die. That was the most unnatural thing for anyone to ever experience. Yet, she didn’t know if she could actually go through an abortion. Didn’t know if it would even work on her. Obviously the child was doing some serious tapping on her powers, so what if it would protect itself? She breathed a deep sigh before opening her eyes, looking up at Leo. Her now violet eyes were wide and surprised. “I think going to a doctor would be… well, let’s just say he wouldn’t be able to give us any explanation. In fact, I can’t even explain it.” Her voice was weak and slightly hesitant, but she managed to gather herself enough to look him in the eyes before she forced out the words “Leo, I… I’m pregnant… with your baby.”

---

Cor smirked at the teacher’s little remark, even as was practically wheezing for air, his body slumped against the tree she had thrown him into. He was such a smartass, wasn’t he? She watched him, still smirking triumphantly, her arrogance and confidence clear as day. “No, see, that’s where you’re wrong,” she corrected, giving him a slow and calculating once-over. “Your job is to teach me things I don’t know, but seeing as I’ve been here long enough to graduate in half a year, and that you’re not all that much older than me, I believe the amount is limited. Especially since you’re a…” she scoffed, “PE teacher. Real intellectual, bro.” She watched as he got to his feet so adorably weakly. His attitude and cockiness had taken a definite hit with that tree, even a moron would be able to tell as much. And well, she figured his pride wasn’t big on taking hits from a girl. He couldn’t hide the fact that he was heaving for air from her, though, and it made her cast him another sadistic smile.

His next bunch of words made her laugh and she began circling him slowly, watching him all the while. “Chase? Now, what’s the fun in that? I’m only going to get my shoes all dirty, and no one likes a sweaty girl… well, unless she’s naked.” She mused the last bit before flashing him an amused grin. “As for that other business, if I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be breathing anymore, sweetcheaks.” That much was pretty true. Or, at least he’d be in a lot of pain presently. Which he wasn’t. In fact, he should feel very happy that he was a total hottie, or she probably wouldn’t be feeling all that damn generous. Also, fact was that Cor liked jerks, and this guy had definite jerkish touch. No doubt about it. Sure, she had probably just made an enemy of the guy, but who the fuck cared? Only way he’d ever get one up on her, was if he surprised her, and she wasn’t easy to surprise. Especially since she was usually around others who would warn her.

She clicked her tongue as she let her gaze roam his body. “Fact of the matter is, I’m doing you a favor here. I am warning you in advance, not to mess with me. Because, you see, you start that condescending shit with me around other people, and I will make sure you beg me to kill you for hours before I finally grant your wish.” She finally let her gaze meet his, her eyes cold and hard, yet sadistically amused, letting him know that this was by far more of a promise than a warning. There was not the slightest hint of hesitation in her eyes, because she truly would do it without a second thought. Her eyes had a glint in them telling him she’d enjoy it, and that she had interesting ways of torture she wanted to try out… possibly on him. Then suddenly she grinned, tapping her lower lip with her right index finger. “Now that we’ve got that settled, would you like me to do you another favor and tell you who else not to mess with, hm? Oh, don’t thank me – I’m just doing my duty like the good little student I am, really. “

She cocked her head slightly to the side, her eyes set on him still, observantly noticing any change in him. Her brother had taught her what to notice in people; what to pay attention to, but she only ever utilized it in situations such as this one. Ones where she’d need to react quickly. If Mr. New Teacher decided to something stupid, she’d react instantly because she had been watching him like a hawk. It was quite effective. Sometimes her older brother and his tricks, came in handy.

"I'm guessing if they're hanging around with you, I should avoid them." He said, his eyes narrowing. "You know, Corentine, with that attitude, you'll never get anywhere in the world without fear. And if people are afraid of you, they won't respect you. Eventually they'll stand up to you. And then you'll be nothing. Nothing. You'll become a joke."

What he felt wasn't fear. It was hate. He wasn't afraid of this bitch. He hated her. She thought she was so cool, threatening people with death and extreme pain and other horrific things. She knew that he couldn't do anything, and she enjoyed it. She could do whatever she liked to him, and nobody could prove it was her. But if he punched her, he could lose his job. And his knuckles would bear the proof. Not to mention the fact that Leo had a talent for finding things out. It was slightly unnerving. And this Corentine girl would kick up such a fuss, Leo would have no choice but to investigate.

"You'll fade away. And before long, the only remarkable thing you'll have ever done will be written in the halls of this school. Because all of your Noctrem achievements burned with the school." He straightened up fully. It appeared physical attacks were the least of his worries. "You think I can't teach you anything? I can teach you so much. I can- but I won't. The first thing you need to learn is respect. And I'm afraid you appear to have a shortage of that."

Chris wasn't quite sure where he was pulling all of this from. But deep down inside, he knew he spoke the truth.

"I appreciate that you're- what, five years younger than me? That's not much. So I don't expect you to call me Mr. Russell. I'd prefer it if you called me Chris. But you can at least respect the fact that I'm here to teach you. I'm not just going to be teaching you to climb a rope and all of that shit. I'm gonna teach you some self defense. And I'm sure your powers aren't perfect. I'm sure you've got a weakness. And that's found by an enemy- or a friend..."

This sure had been an eventful first day. He had met an old friend, pissed off the headmaster, and had an argument with a student. And it wasn't even lunchtime yet!

He stared at the girl in front of him. "Just remember the influence I can have on your future." He said, his breathing rate finally returning to normal. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got lessons to plan, and people to meet." He started to walk away but stopped. "You know, sport is a better option to vent anger as opposed to, let's say, terrorizing teachers and students." He said without turning, a grin on his face. He was going to keep walking but instead turned to see her reaction.

She was seated in her car, her fingers toying with the piece of ID in her hands. It had been years since she’d even looked at her birth certificate. The stamps were prominent and the color of the paper was orange. The Italian words were so evident, jumping out at her and taunting her. They very well could have been neon lights. They meant something to her. Katarina Romano. Another life time ago maybe she was that sweet girl whose ambition was nothing but hated by her domineering parents. She pursed her lips and reclined into the driver’s seat, allowing her hands to fall into her lap. Leonardo had requested her full story. He had run a background check on her, as most American employers did, and had found no information on her life, credit…or anything earlier than 2000. It was part of their deal. He needed to know and she needed a job. Rent was due and lord knew her landlord was going to be on her tail with the check for this month bounced.

He said he would help me, she reminded herself. That promise of course, included a ‘signing bonus’ of just enough money to get by. It felt like charity. In truth though, she had no other option. She wasn’t going to be a whore for one night to get by. She needed this job and she sure as hell couldn’t pull a stunt on Arcana the way she had previously at her other school. It was so important for her to contain her impatience and yet she felt threatened already. Just by stepping into a school she felt as if she was exposing herself to triggers. Snide teenagers could just as easily tick her off. And then she’d be more than willing to make them gut themselves. Which of course was illegal. And she was still dealing with the information disclosure with the previous school she’d worked at. Of course, Leo had wanted that information too. It was hard to admit that she’d nearly made one of her students stab himself. When she did he was surprised. She could see the hesitation in his eyes. It wasn’t a secret that she was dangerous, that she had a temper that flared the moment someone tried to unpack her bottled up issues. Then he hired her and she was floored. She didn’t know if it had to do with their month long fling years ago in New York or if it was more his compassion.

It had to have been the sex. No man was compassionate, especially towards her.

Katarina Romano was gone, that much was certain. Yet even with a change in name, the demons remained. She had much to deal with and he wanted to help her. It felt so hard to give in. She never wanted to be dependent like this on a job. She felt like she could very well become his puppet. If he threatened to fire her if she didn’t do something, then she was essentially bound to him and that scared her. In some ways however it excited her. Old flames and all. That was still there. At least it was for her.

Begrudgingly she gathered her purse and exited the vehicle, standing on the side of the road and sighing heavily. She watched several students mill around the front of the building. Shrill laughter and taunting filled the air. Katia had never particularly liked high school. Even in Italy the bullying and the drama was present, if not more so. Now she felt permanently stuck there. Injury had her unable to dance professionally at the moment - a bad fall had fractured a disk in her back during a performance three weeks ago. The pain was manageable, so long as she wasn't exerting herself to a great extent. This was all she had for now and with no knowledge of when she would be back and capable of dancing professionally, she wasn't about to screw it up.

Katia crossed the road swiftly, clutching her purse to her side, pursing her lips in a low smile as she passed several students. With a skip to her step she carried herself beyond the main entrance and stairs inside. Immediately things appeared louder than she would have expected. Classes weren't running and students milled casually as if it were the weekend. She sighed to try and avoid the tension she felt building in her shoulders, moving swiftly beyond the foyer and towards student services where she could get a line on Leo's location.

Cor remained silent as the teacher in front of her spoke, and spoke, and then spoke some more. Gods, he really liked listening to himself, didn’t he? But then, she supposed all teachers did in one way or another. Then thing was, this guy was surprising her. A lot. He was actually standing up to her, which she supposed was due to the anger and hate she could see in his eyes, and hear in his voice, and she wasn’t sure whether she was more impressed or pissed off by it. Fact of the matter was, this guy had no clue what was good for him, and it made her wonder if he was too stupid or too prideful to back down. Looking at him, though, she soon realized that his pride made him foolish. So typically male of him. He knew he could do nothing to defend himself against her, yet he continued digging his own grave. Unbelievable. The fact that he was also full of shit, was not lost on her. Had he ever listened in history class? Every successful leader ruled with fear. And it had always worked for her, too. He had no clue what the hell he was on about, this guy. And he thought he could teach her shit?

Like, oh, say, respect. Because she had so much reason to respect him, did she? She smiled wryly, looking him over. Her eyes were cold, promising retribution from his words. She cocked her eyebrows when he spoke to her about him having some kind of influence on her future. It was as ridiculous as it was astounding. See, this was why she taught people not to mess with her from the beginning; so that they didn’t get themselves into trouble with her unknowingly, but it seemed this new teacher had need of a more extensive lesson. Which really wasn’t a problem. At all. She crossed her arms casually, watching him still, eyes eerily piercing. Then he actually began walking away. He actually turned his back on her. Silly thing to do. Very silly. Turning your back on Corentine Quellen bordered on suicide, especially considering his previous words. She frowned slightly as he spoke again. Her mind had just started going over how to punish his foolishness, but was given pause when he turned towards her with a grin on his face. He had no idea how much pain he was about to experience.

Eyes narrowing immediately, Cor lashed out, strong wind tossing Chris 10 meters deeper into the forest, hitting several trees hard on her way, earning him both scrapes and bruises. Until he was finally pinned against a big, broad tree, the wind once more knocked completely out of him. Core quietly, slowly stalked towards him, her eyes dead set on him. Blades of wind began lashing at his skin; arms, chest, stomach, thighs, causing blood to ooze, and pain to set in. All the while, Cor walked calmly, eyes still narrowed on him. This was only the beginning. She continued cutting him up. The cuts weren’t deep, but there were many of them, and would feel much like lashes of a whip. What really managed to irritate her, was the fact that this gave her no satisfaction. Instead, she found herself thinking of Jay, wanting to be touching him instead. Sure, she had come out here pissed at him, but now she just wanted back in his arms, instead of wasting her time torturing his fuck. Besides, she also needed to text Erin, and figure out why the girl hadn’t texted her yet. It was a tad worrisome.

“Listen up, because I’m only going to say this once,” she told him, voice hard and unbending as steel, finally stopping the constant wind-whipping. She squatted down before him. She knew he was in a whole lot of pain right now, but she didn’t care. Didn’t even enjoy it, in fact. Actually, she only felt indifferent. Bordering on bored. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not your typical student. You want my respect, you earn it, baby, and just then, all you did was convince me that you’re either incredibly stupid, a masochist, or some idiot with a death wish. Neither of these options inspire a lot of respect in me, you see.” She looked him over, assessing the damage. It would have to do for now. “Now, I could easily spend hours torturing you. In fact, I’d usually enjoy it quite a bit, but I have better things to do today, so I guess you’ve lucked out.” With that, the blonde got up, tilting her head slightly, cold eyes studying his face. “I can assure you that won’t be the case next time.”

Corentine took a few steps back before smirking. “Oh, and don’t bleed too much on the forest floor - it attracts so very many insects.”

---

Well, at least he’d got her smiling. That was all the positive stuff Drake could come up with presently. Why? Because Erin was totally calling his bluff, and he hated it. He felt annoyingly much like the joke was on him for once, and it was a disgusting feeling. How did other people live with it on a daily basis? This was the first time Drake had experienced it, and it was awful. Not that that was going to stop him from doing it to others in the future. Especially since they hardly ever registered how he was merely using them for his own entertainment. It was a part of Drake few people knew existed, really. Erin was one of them. Generally, Erin knew him a lot better than most people, and the thing was, he thought they were both closer to each other than either of them wanted to be. Because due to Erin knowing him, she also knew precisely how stupid getting involved with him, not to say trusting him, was. She knew how much of a cold, indifferent, calculating, selfish bastard he really was. Well, that was how he normally was. Every day but this day. This day was a piece of shit.

He smiled wryly as she moved and his gaze caught on her once more. Blond hair, blue eyes, smooth, light skin. He didn’t say anything in reply to her former words, because she was right, and he didn’t need to tell her that. She already knew. When she compared herself and Lulu, Drake laughed, feeling a lot better immediately. Erin had changed the air of the conversation, which was quite relieving. They were back to the more flirtatious tone again. A place he felt comfortable with any woman. He was about to reply when her lips were suddenly on his skin, and he raised an eyebrow, smiling wryly. “That’s not a fair comparison,” he teased, moving a hand up her thigh, while he pulled her closer with the arm around her, “you’ve got experience with what I like.” Her teeth then nipped his skin and he chuckled, his voice deep and masculine. All sex and seduction. “Like that,” he commented. “It’s an unfair advantage, Erin.” His voice was husky and teasing, a heady mixture very defining of the male. He was about to move them both down to lie on the forest floor, planning on a second round, when her phone buzzed and she moved.

He could feel his own buzzing too and pulled it out, checking the text just as Erin spoke. He felt a wry smile come onto his lips. For some reason, his and Jack’s nicknames to each other were still oddly amusing to Drake. They were so gay, it was ridiculous. “Jackie-boy” and “Drakey-poo”. Yeah, not really what any of them introduced themselves by, but during this past month, the two of them had actually grown surprisingly close. Well, as close as two somewhat distanced guys could get in a month. He smirked at Erin, putting his phone back in his pocket before he gripped her ankles and pulled her over to him, not saying a words until he leaning over her, his torso hoisted above her, kept up by the hands he had on each side of her head as he had forced her onto her back. “I’m offended you think I need to resort to cheap tricks,” he teased, his mouth moving down to nibble on her earlobe and the sensitive skin on her neck. “C’mon,” he murmured huskily into her ear, his warm breath dancing over the soft skin, “I’m better than that.”

---

At first, when Leo froze, Amy bit her lower lip, nervous but not all that scared. It was only natural for him to be surprised. Hell, she had been just a moment ago. In fact, she had yet to get over the shock, and she felt an extreme need to call her mother. Problem was, she hadn’t even told her mother about herself and Leo, not wanting answer the avalanche of following questions, so if she was to talk about pregnancy, she’d have to throw her mum not one, but two bombs. And she didn’t know if any of them could handle that. Especially not considered how Leo was staring right through her, his eyes vacant, like there was no one home. His body was empty of Leo, and she didn’t like it. Shock was normal, she supposed, and she could deal with that, but this was new. She had never seen her Leo like this. Ever. And it was honestly starting to worry her. Why wasn’t he saying anything? He wasn’t even moving. No, he was just sitting there, an empty carcass, eyes void of anything.

She looked at him, her eyes wide and scared. This wasn’t normal, was it? What was he doing? What did this mean? Was he panicking? Oh gods, please don’t let him be panicking. The young nurse had no idea what to do right now. She was pretty out of it herself, so how was she supposed to calm Leo down? Amy didn’t even realize how her breathing pattern was speeding up, her heart pumping faster. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Calm yourself, Amy. Do what you’re best at. Focus on something else. Focus on calming Leo. Focus on getting him back. She slowly forced herself to breathe slowly, willing her heart to slow down, adrenaline leaving her body again. Gods, this had been one eventful day, hadn’t it? She wondered how the baby was responding to her stress levels. The baby. She wondered if she’d be able to tell if it was male or female soon. This pregnancy was weird, so it was hard to know anything, really. Gods, what was she even thinking? Could she keep it? She interrupted that line of thought immediately, reminding herself that she needed to stay calm.

Amy took another deep breath, steeling herself before she opened her eyes, looking up at her statue of a boyfriend. “Leo,” she said quietly, carefully. “Please say something.” She scooted closer, warily and oh so gently taking his hand in both of hers, her fingers daintily caressing the back of it. Her violet eyes were wide, still showing the worry coursing through her. What was she going to do here? “Please?” She then begged him, voice choked with unshed tears of panic and worry for him. “I know it’s weird… and… and none of it makes sense, but I can’t do this alone.” Her one hand was then gently placed on his cheek, hoping that the touch would calm him the way it usually did. “Baby, come back to me.” Her voice was soft and low, but her eyes were focused intently on his, vigilantly watching for any sign of life. She didn’t like his eyes to dead. They were usually so filled with light. Usually, they were filled with Leo. With his warmth and love for her. She didn’t recognize this, and like all other humans, Amy feared the unknown. This was unchartered territory in every way. For both of them.

She loved him more than anything, and she was going to be with him no matter what, but she didn’t know what she’d do if he asked her to remove the baby. Would he do that? She hoped not. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t force him to watch his child grow old and die before him. She didn’t want him going through that. In her mind, there was no question that Leo would be a wonderful father, so that was in no way even a subject. The only thing worrying here were the repercussions in the future. She hadn’t even wondered if she herself wanted a baby. Her mind hadn’t had the time to think of that.

Mo led the way to her room, a small smile lifting her lips. As she reached her door, she rooted for her key, before remembering she hadn't locked it and she had never given Jess her key. She opened the door and went in, before perching on her bed and daring to check her phone. Her heart stopped for a few beats when she saw a new message, before returning to it's normal pace when she read who sent it. "Jackson, you're having a party? Awesome!" She said, a grin lighting up her face. Her phone buzzed lightly and she nearly sent herself and her phone flying from the bed.

Mor? Are you okay? Listen, if you're still single, I'm living in San Fran now. You're in school there, right? Fancy... Meeting up? ;)

She hated being called Mor. She hated people calling San Francisco San Fran. She hated people using smiley faces. He knew she was in school in San Francisco, but he knew nothing about her. Oh my God. He knew she was in school in San Francisco. She had a vague memory of telling him she was attending a private school. There weren't that many private schools around. How long was it before he figured out where she was attending?

She quickly and angrily typed a text back.

Piss off. I'm happily single, and I'm not changing that for you. My name is Morgan. Only friends call me Mo. Nobody calls me Mor. I'm not meeting you, I'm not telling you where I'm going to school. Go find some other sad fool that will fall for you.

She hadn't even put the phone back onto the bed when his reply came.

Well fuck you then. I've changed, and if I'm honest I'm too good for you. But I thought you'd want to hear from me again. There are girls falling at my feet left right and center. It's your loss. I'll find you, don't you worry about that.

Her hands began to shake and she fired her phone across the room onto the desk. She wasn't worried about it breaking- she had dropped it down the stairs on one occasion and the battery had fallen out, but that had been the extent of the damage.

Her hands shook with a mixture of fear and anger. She wanted to slap him, and scream, and... Nobody could help. Nobody. This was between him and her. No-one could help. Not even Jackson, who had always stood up for her. Not even Zac, who had once wiped a dozen people's minds and given himself a nasty power hangover just because she had fallen down some stairs and made a fool out of herself. Not even Mr. Marinos, who had fought in goddamn Sparta. It was strange, but her current situation felt like a scene from an old Western movie. Facing off against each other, silhouetted against the San Francisco sunset. A weapon each- her power versus his cronies. Only one would walk away.



One grin. He knew, in the brief second before she lashed out, that it was his grin that had triggered it. Before he knew it, he was flying backwards, tree branches scraping his face. Once again, he hit a tree, hard, the air knocked out of his lungs forcibly. His head began to swim. And the worst was still to come.

It felt like she was whipping him. He had never known that air manipulation could cause that kind of pain. Shallow gashes appeared on his skin. Her eyes were so cruel. She was enjoying this. When she eventually stopped, he collapsed onto the ground, blood pouring out from his numerous wounds. "Oh, and don’t bleed too much on the forest floor - it attracts so very many insects." If he had the strength, he would have given her the V sign.

He had seen this so many times in movies. The hero, wounded by the mastermind, struggled to his feet or managed to crawl to where he could be seen and helped. But that was the type of thing that came with mental strength- something that Chris's ability didn't quite extend to. He just couldn't sum up the strength to get to his feet. It was almost like he could feel his strength ebbing. Unfortunately, he was fully conscious. The pain was clouding his mental capacity, but he was aware of the pain. It was hard to ignore it, if he was honest. Oh, how he envied Amy's power at the moment.

Amy. What if something happened to him? What if Corentine decided she wasn't happy enough with leaving him in extreme pain and decided to kill him? What- How would Amy feel? They had only been apart for five years, but it felt like an eternity. He had been so happy to see her, and she had been so happy to see him. And Leo. Chris didn't want to sound cocky, but he would be hard to replace. And he had upset Leo this morning with the phone incident.

Chris took a deep breath. Hell, this was going to hurt. He placed his feet flat on the ground and managed to shove himself to his feet. Almost immediately his head began to swim. That wasn't so hard. He took a step and pain flooded through his legs. Another. And another.

He managed to make his way to his room without too much incident. Obviously he received several strange looks, but he ignored them. Nobody rushed to help. Nobody rushed to help him to Amy's office. He couldn't remember her telling him that she was the school nurse; but if she worked here, what else could she be?

He collapsed onto his bed, not worrying about staining the pretty covers. The blood flow was beginning to stop anyway. He grabbed the strap of his bag, involuntarily letting a gasp escape as he pulled it towards him. He rooted in it and pulled out a first aid box. He wasn't quite sure what to do, so he just produced a box of anti-septic wipes from the box. He wiped as gently as he could, but he still gasped with pain on more than one occasion. In fact, there were fewer occasions that he didn't gasp. He just left it at that- partially because he knew Amy would turn up before the day was out, and more so because he was just too tired to do anything else. He staggered to his feet and changed into an outfit that was comfortable but hid most of the cuts- just in case anyone except Amy came in. This had to be kept a secret. He wouldn't let anyone know. Amy was the only one who he could really trust.