Leonardo Marinos's Story

McKenna had sat intently through the assembly. But now she was sitting in the library reading her philosophy book. She sighs, crossing her legs and twirling her hair with one finger as she reads.

With a small click of her tongue and a flip of the page her mind begins to wander in various directions. Some about school: homework, socially...Leo...

Ugh, how much longer was this going to bother her? She sighs, pulling her old school laptop out of her bag. The laptop was her Aunt Lilly's, but Lilly had given it to her before she went to Arcana. Email seemed to be the best way to keep in touch Lilly and other friends from her home town, especially since she didn't have a Facebook or anything.

She scrolls through her emails, deleting the junk mail, and reading some of the emails she had gotten from the Pet Shelter she worked at.



She then stumbled across an email from Aunt Lilly and she smiles, opening it up.



McKenna smiles as she reads the letter, her fingers grazing over the screen for a moment, lost in thought. She missed her home, her dog, her hedgehog and her two fish. She places the email in the "Respond To" Folder and closes her laptop, placing it back in her bag.

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.

Leo thought he had won. He had thought he was going to get out of this without having to deal with any anger from his girlfriend. By the way that she was wrapping herself around him, welcoming his lips, and grasping a hold of his hair, how could he think any different? The immortal male was almost beginning to forget that Amy had been angry with him in the first place, and his trail of thought was moving just onto her; about taking her, right here in his office, proving to her again that she was his. Everything that he could think of was her - Amy Roerig filled his mind, his heart, and every single one of his senses with thoughts of her. Her touch, her scent, her love... it clouded his mind, much to his enjoyment.

However, that enjoyment was short lived, by the atmosphere in the room suddenly taking a turn for the worst. Amy suddenly snapped, pushing him away from her, unraveling herself quickly from his body. Leonardo just looked at her, his expression filled with confusion and worry; one moment ago, she had been begging for him, wanting him, panting his name, and now, she was pushing him away, and had started shouting at him. He was just... confused. He hadn't felt things like this before, had never experienced them before - and now, this was his first experience with the girlfriend angry at jealousy. Yeah, he definitely didn't want to be here again. Amy looked almost scary, her expression full of anger, her eyes baring deep into his own. She had even swore! Leo's eyes widened as that "damn" came out of her lips; Amy never swore. Ever. Oh dear, he had truly annoyed her this time.

"Amy, I'm sorry." Leo's voice was calm and cool as he tried to reason with the angry brunette woman in front of him, taking a step back from her. He didn't want to be within arms reach of her, in case she decided to lash out at him in a moment of blind fury. "I didn't mean to, I just didn't like you being so close to another man like that. I've never had a woman for my own, Amy. I've never been able to look at a girl, and call her mine. In a thousand years, feeling this for the first time has made me a little possessive, I see that. Please, please don't be angry at me, baby." Leo was almost pleading with the woman, taking a small step back towards her, with his arms outstretched. He wanted her back in his arms again, but this time, he wasn't going to force it. He was going to wait for her to come to him.

---

Erin could feel her anger rising with every passing second, her hands beginning to shake more and more, that horrible red haze beginning to cloud over her eyes; when she was in this sort of mood, she was barely human, that primal, feral side of her taking over. She was more like a hungry rabid dog, than a girl once her powers truly took over. Sometimes, it got so bad, that she didn't even remember what had happened when she had been taken over; it was as if she was being taken over by a different force, a different being. Something pushed back that human side of her and in it's place set down a primal being, who's only thoughts are based around blood and fear. Not feeling fear, but creating it. She was a scary being, once her powers took over - more scary that a pissed off Corentine, it had been said before. Which was why the girl had ran away from it all, run outside to her secluded place in the forest; somewhere she wouldn't be able to harm anyone.

The blonde just couldn't believe how Keirol had just pushed her off like that, brushed her off as if she really was just some strange girl in the corridors that he had never met, spoken to, or even seen before. Not the girl that laid in his bed most nights, curled up with him, laying there contently without any sort of physical activity on her mind. Not the girl that he had trusted enough to have given her his most precious possession, to keep close to her heart, always. Her hand came up to clasp the sword dangling around her neck, the pendant that her "boyfriend" had given her as a gift a few nights prior. She tried to go back to that moment, to how happy she had felt when Keirol had placed the pendant around her neck, telling her that he loved her, but she could no longer feel the happiness. No, now all Erin could feel was rage, when she looked at his face. The face that held those eyes that had recently looked straight through her, as if she hadn't been there at all.

There was a rustling behind her, a noise the girl tried to ignore. Probably a bird or a rabbit or something. She thought to herself, shaking her head, trying to bring herself out of that moment, and to put her mind in a quiet, more peaceful place. However, then, a voice resounded around her, shattering her silence; a deep, seductive voice that almost made a shiver run through the blonde's body. That's no rabbit. Erin took in a few deep breaths as she felt herself growing more and more vicious, that primal side of her wanting to take her over, to take full control of her body. It had been ages since she had been this angry, and Erin was slightly cautious of even Drake being around her right now. Usually, Drake Quellen was the boy that she was run to when she was feeling angry, to stop herself from getting this close to the edge, but he was rather late this time at finding her, and she was almost too close to the edge of sanity to be able to stop herself from turning. It was already beginning to happen; her shaking was almost uncontrollable, her breathing ragged.

Erin whipped around after a few seconds, her change almost complete. The rage inside her was almost at the point of explosion; her body shaking with anger. The blonde's eyes were now black, black with hate, and anger, and rage, and murderous intent towards the man that had hurt her like this, and to anyone that decided to get in her way. She was almost at complete strength, holding herself onto sanity as long as possible, grasping onto that tiniest bit of humanity that she muster. "Drake..." She breathed, her voice strained, and shaky. She hated feeling this close to slipping, this close to falling out of her own consciousness, and into the mind of the beast. Drake would help her; he had to.

He just had to.

Suddenly, Erin threw her head back, her inside battle growing harder and harder, allowing the beast within to come out for a moment, her eyes flashing red, signifying that she was no longer in control of her own body. She felt herself snarl in the direction of the man who had come along to find her, before a sadistic grin flickered across her lips. "Oh look, Drake. Come along to stop me, have you? To "calm me down?" Please, you think you can stop me, you puny, impudent little fool. Unlike her, I'd rather not --" Erin's head once again was thrown backwards and her eyes changed back, flashing red again briefly, again showing a change in control over the body of the blonde girl. Erin's primal part was growing stronger, beginning to take over. She hated asking for help, especially from someone so cruel and sarcastic about everything, but Drake was the one person that Erin was able to trust to help her, to save her, when she was in this sort of state.

"Help me."

---

Well, that conversation with Beth and Spencer had gone, oh so well, in Jackson's eyes. That was a bit of an overstatement. After he had mentioned there being a party that night, there had been a silence. And it hadn't been one of those nice, comfortable silences that he enjoyed. No, it had been a horrible, awkward silence between the three of them. Jackson had stood there with his hands in his pockets for about a minute with no reply from the blonde girl that he had been in a relationship with, or his new science-infatuated roommate, before he had decided that there wasn't going to be a conversation between the three of them anytime soon. So, he had quickly excused himself, telling them to "think about it," before walking off, quickly.

The Irish man hadn't known what to do, and had spent the best part of half an hour walking around the gardens of the school. He had been hoping to spot at least one of his friends; maybe McKenna, Ashy or Julie around somewhere, but to no such luck. He hadn't seen anyone; it was like the grounds of the school was a cemetery. Maybe it was because all of the Arcana students were helping their new Noctrem roommates settle into their new quarters, making them feel all at home and what not. Jackson wondered if he should have gone back inside and spoken to Spencer, offered to help him up to their new shared room and help him settle in. But, seeing how their last conversation had gone, the man had decided against it.

Now, Jackson was walking through the hallways of the school, slowly making his way back to his bedroom. He had decided that waiting there for Spencer to come up would be a better idea than trying to engage the man in conversation again, and had changed his direction from that of the forest on the outskirts of the school, to the dorms on the inside. However, as he made his way along the hallway, an open door caught his eye. "Mhm, strange." He murmured to himself, his Irish accent thick through his voice. There had been conversations about a week prior, Arcana students joking about never leaving their doors open any more, because of the thieving and untrustworthy ways of the Noctrem students, so this ajar door was something that he hadn't expected to see.

As Jack peered around the corner of the door, to determine who's room it was, he noticed a bag on the floor, one he had seen many times whilst he had been growing up. Lulu and him had always used to go out on trips to the woods in the small town they once lived in, and they would take a picnic and all the essentials needed to eat, and have a day out, like a ball, and a frisbee and what ever else you'd want, in that bag. "Lu?" He called out as he made his way into the room, looking around. He could hear the shower on in the bathroom, but even through the walls, it was still possible to hear people calling on the outside. Many a time, the male had been spoken to whilst he had been in the shower, from one of his friends on the outside in his bedroom, so, it worried him a little that Lulu hadn't replied to him. He knocked on the door of the bathroom, once again calling out her name, hoping for a reply. After a minute of not getting one, he opened the door, slowly, making sure that she was decent before going inside properly.

The sight before him shocked him, and Jack moved quickly over to her side, taking her hand. "Lulu? You're like ice.... why are you showering in cold water? You'll freeze if you've been in here too long. Here. Please?" He held up a towel that had been conveniently placed close enough to the shower, so that she would be able to step out of the shower, and he could wrap it around her.

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.

Leonardo didn't know that Amy had registered his slacking, or his pausing at his words. In fact, he had been too wrapped up in his own little world of thoughts for him to really look at her face or focus on her bodily movements and posture. It was only when he heard a sob hitting his ears that he looked down at her, pulling away slightly so that he was able to see her face properly. Slowly, when Amy lifted her face up to look at his, he realized that something was wrong. It was then that he realized that he had upset her, or at least something had. But he was sure that it had been him, and his pausing before saying that he loved her back. Then, it began to dawn on him, how bad it must have sounded. Him pausing before repeating back to her the three most important words in the world.

Leo leaned his head softly into her hand when she placed it on his cheek, turning his head to the left, placing a soft peck on the gentle skin of her palm. Even her hand smelled good, she was so beautiful, so caring, and he had hurt her by not repeating the words to her the way she would have liked him too. Her eyes were so wide, and she looked so confused with him, worried even. He felt guilty, instantly. "Nothing, baby." He whispered softly down to her, bending down to press his lips to her forehead. Again, the guilt poured through the man, and he bit down on his lip, his own lovely grey eyes looking down into her violets.

He couldn't lie to her like that. There was no way that he wanted to, and no way that he was going to. "Okay, well.... maybe... something." He spoke quietly, before listening to her own words beginning to fail her as well. The immortal male's eyebrows came together on his forehead as he frowned, and he tilted his head to the side, looking down at her. "Amy, talk to me... please. What did you think? I can probably guess what you thought, but don't think that." He spoke softly, shaking his head. "Please. I just.... I love you with all of my heart, Amy, I do. I've loved you since I laid eyes on you as a new teacher here, but... do you really want to love... me?" He closed his eyes, hanging his head down. This wasn't coming out right. Nothing was sounding as it should. He was confused, and wasn't really sure what he was saying; but it wasn't what he was trying to say.

"Talk to me, Amy. Please."

---

Erin truly regained her consciousness once she was on the forest floor, sitting there naked. Her... activities in the forest there with Drake had calmed her down, her bonds however only recently been removed. She hadn't been able to touch him whilst they had been having sex, but she was sure that he didn't like it. He liked having control over everything when they were being intimate, to the point of where she was sure he didn't like anyone touching him or taking any sort of control over him. That was why she was usually bound when they were together, even when she was calm enough to act upon her own accord. The blanket on the bark of the tree however had been something different. She had never experienced... a slightly caring side of Drake, unless you counted the fact that he cared enough to help her when she was that close to loosing it. Something was different about him today.

As the blonde sat there, her back against the tree, which was much less comfortable without the shadow blanket, Erin looked up at him, watching him get dressed, his clothes covering his, lets face if, beautiful body. Suddenly, her eyes welled with tears, the though of Keirol coming back into her mind, the man that had put her in this position in the first place. Tears was something Erin never did. The last time she had cried, she had probably been a young child, who had fallen over and scraped her knee. Ever since her power had developed, she hadn't cried. Ever. It was just too weakening, and she was already weak enough, not being able to control a part of herself. "Drake?" She asked through a shaky, breathless voice. As she spoke, she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, as if her position somehow protected her, making her feel less exposed and open.

Erin rested her forehead on her knees and closed her eyes, a deep sigh emitting from her mouth. "Do you think anyone can love me? Or is this really all I have in life? Just sex in the forest with someone who doesn't give a crap about me unless I'm turning into some sort of beast?" Slowly, a tear slipped down from her and rolled down her cheek, hitting her bare stomach when it fell off.

Nothing. The word rang out, such a ridiculously obvious lie she could barely stop herself from laughing hysterically. What wasn’t he telling her? His eyes flashed with a glint of guilt, and she looked up at him silently, hoping with all of her heart that he was going to talk to her. Just earlier this day, she had told him that a relationship between the two of them couldn’t work without communication; that you couldn’t just shut an issue down and pretend it wasn’t there anymore, just because you didn’t want it to be. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when the next set of words came tumbling out. She didn’t think she could handle any more problems today. This was all getting to be too much in one day. First arguing about their relationship, then Leo’s reaction to jealousy, and now this. This was supposed to have made everything better, not complicate them further; certainly not cause yet another issue for them to work through.

She began speaking, but she couldn’t get her tongue to form the words she wanted it to; couldn’t make herself say it, because saying it out loud made it more plausible; made it real. Her gaze had sunk to his shoulder now, avoiding the gray depths of his beautiful eyes. She just couldn’t look into his eyes right now, she couldn’t see that doubt mixing with guilt in his eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to breathe past the lump in her throat, but it was becoming harder. She didn’t like the way he was hesitating all the time, like what he was really thinking was going to hurt, and he was wondering how to smash her heart gently. She could feel her body starting to panic, and she was desperately trying to hold on to her dignity. The sound of his voice made her jump, her heartbeat picking up once more. This was it. This was the end of their relationship. He hadn’t meant it when he’d told her he loved her. He was pushing her away. Again. She had wanted too much from him too soon and now she was paying the prize. She felt sick, just like she had that morning.

Don’t think what? she thought, calming down a little. Some rational part of her brain was forcing its way into her thoughts, guiding her through this. What did he believe she had been thinking? Whatever he thought, he was probably right. She’d gone through a lot of possible panic-options. Currently she was forcing herself to calm down, rationalizing the way she often did, but her entire body stiffened once he told her he loved her… with all of his heart. Her lips fell apart and she slowly moved her gaze back to his face, trying to absorb everything he was saying. Oh, her poor, damaged Leo. She shook her head, blinking several times as though still not quite comprehending what he was telling her. ”Do you really want to love… me?” What did that mean? So many emotions were going through her, she had trouble discerning the meaning behind the words, and the nausea rolling through her was getting worse. She knew he was trying to tell her something, and it didn’t look like he was going to figure out how to tell her himself.

She sighed softly once he hung his head, her mind being rushed by impression. He… didn’t think she should love him? What, did he… did he not think himself worthy of love? Did he not think he needed that happiness? Was he trying to protect her from growing old alone, or himself from watching it? Maybe both? She couldn’t stop a soft, caring smile from taking over her features. “Oh, Leo…” she said softly, both her hands moving up to cup his face. She gently guiding his face up so that she could look into his eyes. She herself, was trying to get over the whirlwind that was her emotions, but right now she needed to inform her man that he wasn’t getting rid of her, especially not now that she knew without a doubt, that he loved her. “What are these silly thoughts going through your head?” She shook her head, warm and gentle smile still on her lips. “Baby, whether the words are spoken or not does not matter. Even if I didn’t tell you, I still love you. Still want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything else in my life.”

With that, Amy let her arms slide around his neck, her lips finding his cheek briefly. “Are you trying to tell me you shouldn’t have love in your life simply because you’re immortal?” She shook her head, her violet eyes capturing his mercilessly. “Leonardo Marinos, I love you. I’m not going to pretend that I don’t, just to spare myself or you pain in the future. You know why?” Her smile brightened just a touch as she looked at him, a determined look in her eyes, “Because I can assure you, we’ll make the time we have now worth it. Love isn’t painless, my darling. Not for anyone. And before you say anything, I can put your mind at ease, because I am not about to let you go through eternity without love.” She leaned in, smiling up at him. “Any objections?” Just as she finished the last word, she felt bile rise in the throat once more, and her eyes widened. “I need to…” she began, not able to finish the sentence. She clamped a hand over her mind to keep from vomiting on the floor. Instead, she ran as fast as she could into the small toilet attached to Leo’s office.

In a movement, the petite brunette was on her knees, head over the toilet. She gripped the sides of the toilet to keep herself steady as her puny breakfast left her stomach. Her body was shaking with every new round, and she had no idea what the hell was going on. Her hair was getting in the way too; she hadn’t had the time to get it out of the way. Gods, she was cramping so badly. It was just like it had been this morning, if not worse. What was wrong with her?

---

Drake had expected Erin to get up and dress herself once they had finished, him releasing her, but nope. Instead, the blonde had kept sitting there in a pile of leaves, her back leaning on the rough bark of the tree he had just fucked her against. And then, believe it or not, she had actually started crying. Drake was rarely surprised, being an expert on the behavior of others, but this was downright damned baffling. What the hell was going on today? He was caring, Lulu was a wreak, and hell, Erin was crying. Erin. Both his eyebrows shot up of their own accord, which in itself wasn’t something that happened a lot. But this… well this had just thrown him completely off his game. Hell, he had no idea how to get by without his game! He was so used to not just being him, that he supposed he’d lost himself along the way, so right now he was just lost. Drake, gather yourself, man. What the hell is this? He shook his head sharply, regaining his usual façade once more.

Okay so, what did one do with a crying girl? Did he even give enough of a shit to do anything at all? Hell, maybe he should just… call his sister or something? Cor’d take of it, right? He put his hands in his pockets, his eyes void of emotions as his mind breezed over his options and what he actually wanted to do with them. Hell, with his level of sappiness today he might just lift her up and ride off with her on a white horse headed for la la land. Before he had reached a conclusion, Erin shakily uttered his name and he cocked his head to the side slightly. What did she want with him? Erin was one of the few people who actually knew how much of an unfeeling dick he was, so she couldn’t possibly be expecting comfort… right? He might just laugh if she did, and that was cruel, even for him. He didn’t like being cruel, it made him feel sick and dirty. Like he was becoming too much like his mother and sister; something he strived never to do.

Well, this certain is a day of surprises, Drake thought after Erin had spoken to him. What was with all the touchy-feely stuff? He thought maybe he was starting to hit his limit, feeling gradually more and more uncomfortable. And seeing Lulu wouldn’t help. Her puppy dog eyes were practically begging him to proclaim deep and undying love for her and then ride off into the sunset with her. Which… was never going to happen. He might care about the girl to some extent, but if she wanted white knight and castles, she would have to look elsewhere. Maybe he should just stay away from people for the remainder of the day. He felt like a rubber band being stretched. He was going to snap sooner or later. Probably sooner. He sighed, his curiosity getting the best of him once more. Curiosity killed the Drake, he mused to himself, thinking it would probably be true some day. He moved to squat opposite her, watching her thoughtfully.

“Seems to me like you’ve already got people loving you, Erin,” he began, his voice soft and caring. Of course, it was a total act, but Drake was an excellent actor. Not even his sister, who had known him most of his life, could see through it. “You sound like you’re doomed to be alone forever, and you’re not. You just haven’t found the guy who’s going to calm your temper and handle your heart with care.” Drake shrugged, giving her a little smile, a smile one would wear when feeling sad but trying to cheer someone up. He then sighed, sinking down to sit properly in front of her. “Erin, what happened? This isn’t like you.”

Throughout Mr Marino's welcome speech, Jess mentally shook her head at the beautiful, but apparently very intellectual man in front of her. She still maintained her belief that this was the biggest mistake since Michael Jackson decided to get a nose job. He honestly expected this whole operation to run smoothly? To be fair to the man, there had been many friendships formed; Jess didn't particularly mind any of the people from Arcana. However, not everyone had the same feeling. Jess's eyes wondered across the room to Drake. He was every inch the bad boy and he knew it. He also had a fan club, mainly compromised of women. Jessica found hilarious. Who could want such an annoying man?! Drake was the worst person to around when she was annoyed, the brunette had learnt this very quickly. She had lived with boys her entire live and yet none of them were as annoying as Drake.

Drake wasn't the reason Mr Marino's ought to be scared, however, Jess though sadly. It was Cor. She was the oncoming storm. Wherever she was, trouble was not far behind. Now, the headmaster of the school was letting her in...Poor man. She felt sorry for him, she did.

The brunette then found out that her house captain was Ben. She didn't mind him too much, they had a good time when there was a party on. But, Ben was a child at heart and therefore was also a wind up merchant. Oh well, as long as the brunette kept her head down, then she wouldn't really need to speak to him.

When the assembly had finished, Jess let out a sigh 'This is where th-' She started as she turned to where Mckenna had been sitting, before quickly realizing she wasn't there. Well that was nice. Where the fuck had she gone?! The excitement of seeing her best friend disappearing as quickly as the students from the hall, Jess stood up and quickly mingled in the crowd, not wanting to be left like alone in the hall. The girl was angry that her best friend had left her like that. Without warning. Maybe she's upset a voice at the back of her head said, you should go see her. No. She wouldn't, Mckenna knew that she could talk to her about anything, so why run away like that?

To distract herself, Jess decided she needed food. It took her a little longer than usual because...well she'd only just moved in. She was still in awe of this place. It was so big and so grand! Nothing like Noctrem, or at least, what she remembered of it.

Quickly grabbing a bowl of tomato soup, from the cantine, the brunette sat down, dipping her bread roll in the soup and taking a bite.

As Amy placed both of her hands on the side of his face, Leo instantly realized that he wasn't upsetting her any more. No, she was the one taking control now, the one who was going to make him feel better, changing the whole dynamic around from usual. Looking into her eyes took him a few moments, having to bring up the courage from the pit of his stomach to actually be able to do so. After hesitating on his declaration of his love for her, Leo still felt bad, and the guilt in his mind still hadn't completely disappeared yet. The smile that graced her lips however mirrored on his own lips, and soon, he was smiling back down at her, listening to her words, settling his mind and his heart easily.

Leo slowly wrapped his own arms around Amy's waist when her arms came up to settle around his neck, a soft sigh escaping his lips. He wasn't really sure what to say as he stood there holding her, and just let his eyes slide closed when she pressed her lips to his cheek in a soft, comforting peck. On her words, he opened his eyes again, letting his chocolate browns gaze into her beautiful violet orbs. "Maybe." He sighed, before once again letting her take over the conversation. Her words soothed him, made him feel better almost instantly. "No objections, my dear." He whispered softly, his lips against her ear as she leaned into him. Slowly, the male tilted his head to the side, leaning in to press his lips to hers, when she bolted in the opposite direction.

Quickly following her, Leo dashed into the bathroom. This was beginning to worry him now, the fact that his beloved girlfriend kept being ill. She was never usually unwell at all. In fact, she was never unwell - her gift was healing, for Christ's sake. There was something wrong here, something he wanted to get fixed, and soon. However, who was he to ask? The one person he would usually go to for help about someone being sick was the exact person who was being sick now. He knelt down beside her and pulled her hair back, moving it out of the way of her face. Leo didn't care about seeing her in a state like this; in fact, he was glad that he was around to hold her hair, rub her back, and things like that. He liked helping.

"Amy, this is scaring me." Leo spoke softly, his other hand rubbing her back gently. "You're never sick, baby. Can we go to the doctors or something? Please?"

---

Erin knew that she was treading on thin ice trying to get some sort of comfort out of Drake, but there wasn't really anyone else that she could talk to. Her very best friend was probably wrapped up in the arms of a guy that she hated but love at the same time, so she wasn't the best person to talk to about relationship problems, her other "groupies" were just as unstable in their relationships, using guys only for their time, money and penis, and her family, well, she didn't even talk to them. Drake was... the one person in the entire planet right now that she felt she had some connection with, despite how distorted and twisted that relationship was. She knew Drake was probably one of the most uncaring, vindictive and blunt people in the entire school, but yet, she wanted to talk to him.

When she felt movement in front of her, the naked blonde lifted up her head from her knees, looking at Drake. She scoffed at his first few words, about having people around her already that loved her. Yeah, right. Her family had disowned her years ago, her "boyfriend" had just forgotten that she existed, her best friend Corentine had just dumped her for romantic times with her beau, and she had just had sex in the forest with someone who only liked her for her body and her sexual organ, not even for her conversation. His voice was completely fake anyway, that she knew, so his words were even less comforting that she had even imagined. "That guy doesn't exist." She sighed, resting her chin back onto her knees again, letting her eyes close to stop any more of those stupid tears from escaping.

She was surprised however when Drake actually sank to the floor in front of her, and showed the tiniest bit of compassion towards her, asking her what was wrong. Her mouth opened and closed itself a few times, looking a little like a goldfish who had been plucked out of it's bowl. Now that was surprised. Actual care coming from Drake Quellen, despite how small that ounce of care was, about something other than his dick, or alcohol? "What happened? Oh, nothing. Just my boyfriend told me he loved me and then decided to completely ignore me, looking through me as if I was some fucking inanimate object that meant nothing to him, before walking away and leaving me alone, furious and extremely upset. My best friend five minutes before this chucked me out of the bedroom half way through our conversation so that she could get her own jollies, and the only person I have is... you."

Erin shifted herself forward ever so slightly so that she could grab her dress, pulling it over her head quickly so that she could have some sort of cover over her naked-self. At the moment, she didn't care about the fact she wasn't wearing any underwear; she just wanted something to cover her body. The girl then twisted so that she was sitting next to Drake instead of opposite him, her position much more comfortable now she wasn't leaning against the bark of the tree. Slowly, her head fell onto the shoulder of the man that she had just fucked, and she sighed once more, closing her eyes. "You don't want to know any of this, Drake. Why... why even stick around anyway? You probably have somewhere to be, right? Weren't you with Lulu before... this happened? Can't keep her waiting."

McKenna

McKenna was slowly driving her self nuts, of course, she was staring at the picture from every angle trying to figure it all out.. They had the same last name, she knew that for a fact, They looked similar, similar powers... Well, she could have sat there forever making connections, or she could go see Jess and talk to her. Jessie had no idea about this insane theory McKenna had been brewing since she met Mr. Marinos .. She had to see Jess. That was final. Jess knew how to calm her down from these kind of things, she knew how to ground her again. Packing up, McKenna grabs her stuff and begins to run towards the cafeteria, the idea began to drive her crazy.

Leo is my father...Leo IS my father...

She'd been holding it in for much too long since she started here. She finds Jess and slams the picture down, sitting frantically, "Jess... Okay, this is crazy, right? Tell me I'm crazy..." Her eyes plead for Jess to confirm her suspicious, or deny them completely.

"Jessie, you know how insane this makes me sound," Her eyes were frantic, almost pleading Jess to calm her down, "Just tell me that this is him...."

She takes a gulp of air, "Tell me...This is Leo... With MY mom... Or is it just some guy who looks strikingly similar..."

Jessica was the only one who she could babble to about nothing and she still wouldn't judge her for anything, so this probably wasn't much different from all the other crazy breakdowns she had over the time of knowing each other. McKenna was one to worry about a lot, about people, papers, exams, she was a small OCD perfectionist at times. Jess would have to stop Kenna from ripping up her drawings at times when McKenna was completely frustrated.

McKenna lets out an exasperated sigh, "I know this is crazy, but just tell me I'm not the only one who sees it..."

Jess had just finished her soup and was about to put her bowel over in the washing up area when Mckenna came into the cantine looking...ever so slightly crazy. For a moment, the brunette had sympathy for her and wanted to help. But then she remembered. She remembered that Mckenna had left her in the assembly, in a place she didn't know, with people she barely knew.

She stared at Mckenna with cold eyes as she started saying something about Mr Marino's being in a picture with her mom. Part of Jessica, the more motherly part saw that Mckenna needed the support and guidance of her best friend, because she was scared. But the majority of Jessica was now in a bad mood and it was incredibly hard to get her out of it. She'd had anger management classes once, but she'd ended up kicking a few things, including the guy who was leading the class, in the face. They had offered her counselling here at Arcana. However, Jess was terrorified to tell anybody really about her past, incase they judged her. Her mother had always told her that she had done the right thing, that it was an act of self defense but... She'd killed a man. She wasn't sure that anyone would ever understand that.

Jess looked straight into her best friends eyes as the girl offered the photo out to her. 'So this is where you've been..' She said quietly, 'You left me on my own, in a place that I don't know, to what? Stare at some photo. We all have families 'kenna... and we all issues.' She stood up. still boring into Mckenna's eyes. 'Let me see that.' She said shortly, taking the photo from the girls hand's and taking time to look at it.

There was a man and a woman in the picture. The women did look like Mckenna, striking like her actually. Then there was the man in question. He did look like Le-Mr Marino's. Mckenna was right, the resemblance was striking. However... this was impossible, wasn't it? She turned back to her best friend. 'He does look like him, 'Kenna, but Mr Marinos has been around for a long time. He's written many a report it. It can't be. It doesn't make sense.' She placed the photo back on the top, still not breaking Mckenna's eye contact. 'If you'll excuse me.' She told the girl infront of her, grabbing her soup bowel, putting on the washing up area and walking briskly out the hall.

She had been wound up by her best friend and Jess was sure that the girl would understand that she just needed some space to calm down some. There was a small part of her that felt bad for leaving Mckenna in her hour of need. But she had left her this morning, fair was fair.

The girl was heading back to her room. She was so distracted, she didn't notice the upturned piece of carpet, and she feel straight over it. Brilliant. That was all that she needed. The girl decided that she couldn't be bothered to get up just yet, So she sat againist the wall, hugging her knees. This had been a shit day.

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.

Leo could only nod when Amy said to him that she was going to check herself over. He had to admit that she was a little intrigued as to how her power actually worked on herself, as he had never seen her use it in that sense before. He had only ever seen her use her power on students, or on himself - seeing as he was so accident prone as of late. He sat there quietly as he watched her power arise from her, and the concentration on her face grew as she moved her hand downwards over her body. The male practically held his breath as he watched his brunette girlfriend's lips fall open, and the way she dropped her power in shock. He hoped it wasn't bad. Wished it wasn't bad. Wished more than anything in the universe that it wasn't bad, and that his Amy was going to be okay.

"What? What's wrong, Amy?" Leo's voice was merely a whisper as he looked into his beautiful Amy's eyes, his chocolate browns looking into her stunning violet orbs. He was confused as to what she was saying, about a doctor not being able to help them at all, that she was confused herself as to what was causing her sickness. He shook his head softly, signalling to her that he didn't really understand what she was saying; how could she not have been able to find what was wrong with her? That was her power, wasn't it? To be able to heal, and detect sickness in a person? So what could be affecting her if it wasn't medical? Could it be supernatural? A supernatural illness? Is that why a doctor couldn't be around to help? Now he was getting worried, working himself up.

However, the next words out of Amy's mouth turned his life upside down.

The immortal male practically froze in his position as Amy's words registered in his mind. She was pregnant. She was... carrying his child? No, that couldn't be possible. They had made love for the first time the night before - there was no way that this could happen. It shouldn't be possible. He was immortal, never changing - there should be no way that his... reproductive organs were even in working order, if they were frozen too, like the rest of his body. He didn't blink. He barely breathed. Frozen in fear, and shock, and panic. His eyes stared through hers, not registering that he was even looking at her. It was as if he was comatose, not there in mind, only in body. His mind was somewhere else, stuck in a panic. A baby? There was no way that he could look after a baby? He was barely getting used to the idea of a committed relationship with Amy, and now there was going to be a baby thrown in? He couldn't do that. He had never been good with babies. Ever. Babies and Leo just didn't mix. They usually cried when they were around him, threw up on him, peed on him - they didn't like him. The same thought was going around and around in Leo's mind, his eyes still vacantly staring forward, not moving, not speaking;

I can't do this....

---

Erin was surprised by the way that Drake had wrapped his arm around her shoulder, but she wasn't going to push it away; in fact, it was oddly comforting, having someone that knew her actually listening to her for once. She knew that Drake was probably the worst person to talk to about the things that were upsetting her or angering her, seeing as he was a dickhead, and a player, but there really was no-one else that she felt closer to than him. Sure, she had Cor - her best friend and all, but the girl was a bitch; everyone knew that, including Erin - she was never around when she was needed, and like Drake had agreed anyway, she was selfish. The whole point of being best friends with someone was that you'd have someone to talk to, but that person just wasn't Cor.

"Yeah, I know she is." The blonde girl sighed, letting her eyes slide close. She was actually quite comfortable, relaxing there on Drake's shoulder. He had taken all of that anger out of her, all of the upset, and thrown it away wherever he usually did. Sex with him was for some reason, the only way she was able to calm down - sex with others hadn't worked, as she had tried to move herself away from his attachment once, but she had just ended up killing the guy, and going back to Drake crying, and with blood on her hands. She knew that she shouldn't trust him; Drake Quellen and trust were two things that you should never put together, but she just couldn't help it. She did trust him; she trusted him with her life, her power, her sanity, and her body. And now she was trusting him with her thoughts. Erin Hawthorne was travelling down a dangerous road, and she knew it, but she just couldn't stop. She .... liked him.

However, soon, the girl was smiling again softly, looking up at the male who was half-heartedly trying to convince her that all he wanted out of Lulu was a good fuck. "Drake honey, one - you care more about her than just getting into her pants. You can lie to most people, but surprisingly, not to me." This was what caused her to smile softly, shifting a little in her position so that her head was still resting on him, but so that she was able to see him easier. "And two - do you really think that she's going to be a good fuck? She's so.... awkward and.... annoying." The playful smirk on Erin's lips indicated that she was already feeling a little better. "She won't be as good as me, anyway." The smirk changed into a sultry grin, one that the blonde reserved for the male with whom she was sitting with, and she moved her head softly to press her lips to one of the sensitive spots on his neck, her teeth nipping the skin of his collarbone ever so slightly. The change in her tone had to make Drake feel a little more comfortable; he looked like he was feeling extremely out of his comfort zone and wanted to bolt.

Then, her phone buzzed, and she moved from her oh-so-comfortable position, moving to retrieve her phone from in her jacket pocket. "Ah, a party tonight; hosted by your buddy. Hey, with a few drinks in her, you never know - your plan may come to fruition tonight." The blonde joked to the male, that playful grin back on her lips once more.

---

Jackson wasn't really sure why the girl was sitting in the hallway, and he was half-thinking of letting her be, and walking away, to go and sort out the rest of the things on his to-do list for the party tonight. But something about Jessica's position made the gentleman inside him wonder why she was there, and looking upset, and he came to the conclusion that he couldn't leave her in such a position alone. That he would have to stay with her until he was sure that she was okay, before moving on and carrying on with the rest of his day. He hadn't really spoken to Jessica before; he wasn't even sure what her power was. He believed it was something to do with her eyes, but powers didn't really bother him. He didn't care about being around Erin and her rage, and he didn't care about being around the girl who could take life with a touch. He saw through the powers, to the person inside - that was who mattered to him.

Jack nodded as she spoke, agreeing to her bad day statement. He was about to reply to her when she asked about Lulu - ah, yes. One of the small amounts of people who had the ability to make his day good or bad in a couple of words. An exasperated sigh escaped the male's lips as he leaned against the wall opposite her, crossing his arms over his chest. Jack looked down at her as he spoke, registering her. "She's all right, I suppose." His Irish drawl was completely obvious now, more than it usually was due to the amount of stress from the day. "She's sleeping right now - overworked her powers yesterday." He felt a little uncomfortable talking about his friend to someone that he didn't really know, but Jess seemed like a nice enough girl, and he would have felt bad if he hadn't answered her genuine sounding question.

However, before he could ask her more about her strange position on the floor, Morgan bounded up to them, happy as a bunny. He liked Morgan, treated her as a little sister of sorts. She wasn't really the sort of person that he usually associated himself with; hyperactive, a little dim-witted, but there was something about her that was so accessible, something that he wanted to protect. When her mood crashed in front of him, his eyebrows came together at the top of his forehead, confusion and a little bit of worry taking over his expression. It was then that Jess' words registered in his mind; that she was dragging him along to her's and Morgan's room, to talk. Really? Had she ever met him before? Or at least heard about him? He wasn't one for talking. There was something about talking he didn't like. But there was something in Jess' eyes that told Jack he was going to pay the price if he didn't go along with them; and seeing as he didn't know her power, that was a risk he wasn't going to take.

"Sure." He spoke, his voice slightly mumbled as he pushed himself away from the wall. The male tensed up ever so slightly when Jess came closer to him, and whispered in his ear about him being closer to Mo that she was. It wasn't as if there was something wrong with her; he just wasn't all that keen on people being that close to him when he didn't know them well enough. "I'm coming along. I'll do my best, okay?" Jackson forced a smile onto his lips as he looked down at the girl who was pressed against him. She was actually quite beautiful, he realized as he looked at her; her bright eyes, her curly, soft looking hair... He was then being pointed in the direction of the bedroom, and he grinned as he started to talk. "Okay, I'll cheer her up for you, okay beautiful?"

Before he carried on walking, Jackson quickly whipped out his phone, having felt it vibrate in his pocket. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he saw who the text was from, and a tapped back a response before dropping the phone back into it's previous position, and walking on.

To: Lu<3

I know, but I still felt bad leaving you alone in that state. That being said, you probably would have killed me for sitting there watching you sleep, wouldn't you? ;D

I'll be alright doing it on my own. Besides, I need you to rest up if you're going to have any fun tonight. You, me, and a bottle of JD sound good?

That's what I'm here for - sense-knocking.

At the moment, being dragged into a dorm room by Jess and Mo for "talking". Kill me now?

REST!

From: Your Jack<3

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.

There wasn’t even a tick of a clock pervading the room. Lulu’s eyes once again scanned the walls. Her roommate was tidy, a good sign at least. She had seen the double rooms at Noctrem and been mystified not only by the sheer amount of mess but the smell. She liked a clean and orderly space so long as she was free to live in it. There had been enough stories about the germaphobes and clean freaks. She hoped that Ali would be somewhere in between. When finals and tests and midterms rolled around, the last thing she wanted was to be harassed about a pile of dirty clothes and the huge amount of paper and books that tended to become strewn around everywhere.

Lulu sighed, her shoulders slacking. She had to admit that her bed was comfortable, a nice change from the hard mattress she’d had in the hotel or even in Noctrem. It was bigger too. To that extent she stretched her toes, flexing her feet and rolling over onto her side. As she closed her eyes, her cellphone vibrated again next to her. Grunting, she slapped her hand out for it, bringing it up to her face while trying to keep her shoulders covered by the duvet.

Text: To: Lu<3

I know, but I still felt bad leaving you alone in that state. That being said, you probably would have killed me for sitting there watching you sleep, wouldn't you? ;D

I'll be alright doing it on my own. Besides, I need you to rest up if you're going to have any fun tonight. You, me, and a bottle of JD sound good?

That's what I'm here for - sense-knocking.

At the moment, being dragged into a dorm room by Jess and Mo for "talking". Kill me now?

REST!

From: Your Jack<3

She raised an eyebrow at the screen, snorting her surprise. Since when did Jessica and Morgan have a thing for Jackson? She wasn’t extremely familiar with the two girls but that said, she had never known them to be close to Jack. He’d certainly never said anything. She was quick to reply.

She was halfway through her response when the door to the room slid open. It appeared that in Jack’s efforts to slip out quietly he hadn’t actually shut it properly. As it swiveled she heard a slight knock on the doorframe. Her heart leapt into her throat immediately. Lulu sat upright, running a hand through her hair and shifting in the bed to arch her back. “Come in?” she said aloud, questioning what she was doing. She had spent the past few hours completely hating herself for liking Drake, for falling into his trap. And here she was completely brushing that aside. He was back.

And then he wasn’t.
Now that disappointment was consuming.

The door swung open and Jaysin Dennis of all people stepped in, his stride confident as his eyes immediately landed on her. As he closed the door behind him, she shifted the comforter immediately, pulling her covers up over her chest, even though she was fully dressed. She leaned forward and brought her knees up to her chest. She quickly finished her text and sent it, her eyes only momentarily darting from Jay to the screen of her phone.

“I’m assuming it’s fine that I come in,” he announced, chuckling lightly to himself as she nodded, letting her fingers slide across the keyboard of her blackberry and sending her response as quick as she could.

To: Jack
Most men would be praising the heavens – locked in a room with two women? Sounds like you might be in for a threesome.

PS. Jaysin Dennis just walked into my room. Don’t think I’ll be sleeping.
From: Lulu xxoo

As he sat down on the chair by her desk, Lulu found herself eye level with him. He was directly across from her and she couldn’t deny that he was incredibly sexy. As he pushed his hand through his hair, she found herself wrapping her arms around her knees. She turned her head to face him, tilting it slightly. She knew that he had gone to Noctrem. She had met him shortly after she’d arrived and found him incredibly intimidating. He’d been in control of his power, able to make clones of himself at an alarming rate. And they were nothing like the clones from movies. They were solid copies of himself, more than capable of doing…whatever. Right then she still felt…defensive. She didn’t really know him. And he had quite an attitude. And then he’d left for some reason or other – she wasn’t sure. It was no surprise that he was now at Arcana really – he had powers and he needed to go to school. Seeing him around the school had been a minor surprise when all the Noctrem students had first arrived for classes. Now he was just there.

“It’s been too long,” Jay told her, breaking her thoughts on him. Lulu swallowed as he cleared his throat, biting her lower lip. She really wasn’t sure what to say. He was still so….attractive. But he wasn’t like Drake. He didn’t have that brooding stare. He was blond as well, lacking in that dark charm. He looked more like a prince charming than the guy she’d come to fall for.

“How have you been, Miss Allen?” he asked her, his lips pulling into a warm smile. But it wasn’t Drake’s smirk. Lulu could only weakly return the gesture. “You are much prettier than I remember, so what is a girl like you doing all alone?"

“I got sexiled,” she blurted out, her eyes shifting to look at the floor as she laughed at herself and shifted so that she could lean into her headboard and the wall. “I had a major power hangover this morning from pushing my powers. And I made the mistake of using them again this morning to help some kid. Broke a guy’s nose with a door but got really sick. Was carried back here by Drake and left because,” and here she paused in her rant to lift her hands to make air quotes, “Erin needed him.”

She looked at Jay, shaking her head at herself. “Jack dropped by but I fell asleep so he left to plan a party only apparently he’s now cornered in a room with Morgan and Jessica.”

She paused and wrapped her arms around her chest, looking at him, licking her lips and wondering about him. Jay was kind of like a mystery to her. He had few friends but she had seen him once or twice around Cor. And if you hung around Corentine and weren’t subsequently on the floor, you were kind of her friend. But talking to him was surprisingly easy.

“So that was my morning, and how I got here alone,” she told him matter of factly. “Now why on earth are you here?”



Katia was quick to walk up to the secretary. No students seemed to be bothering the woman. She leaned over the counter, expecting a quick reply only the woman stared straight into her computer screen.

"Excuse me," she asked then, leaned back and tapping her nails absently on the counter. The blond turned to stare at her with narrowed eyes. It only took an instant for her to look at Katia with such a glance before the brunette turned seething. Her eyes narrowed and her smile dropped into a frown. She looked sternly at her. It was a look she had long perfected. With it came a forceful and intimidating air. She watched the woman shrink back into her seat. "Can I help you?" the secretary asked shortly, her words clipped as she tried to remain composed. "I'm looking for Leonardo Marinos. I'm the new hire, or one of them," Katia replied. The blond looked down at her notes before responding. "He's in his office but I believe he's not alone."

"Was that so hard?" Katia snapped, standing upright and shaking her head as she walked away, her stride forceful and emphasizing the click of her heeled boots. She straightened her outfit as she approached his office, knowing where it was. She'd been there before of course. She knocked on the door, finding it closed. She could hear the hum of voices beyond. "Leo, it's Katia," she announced, leaning into the wall and putting a hand on her hip with a sigh.

Leo couldn't move. His mind wasn't where his body was right now; it was somewhere far, far away, thinking of cribs, and diapers, and crying babies covered in sick. He couldn't be a father. There was no way that he could be a father. How could he watch his son or daughter slowly grow up, become an adult, and then wither away into nothing? He couldn't fathom seeing that happen to his beloved Amy, let alone something that they created together; his own flesh and blood. He wouldn't be able to do that - stick around to see his girlfriend and child die. This is why he had avoided getting involved properly with a woman throughout his long life; he hadn't wanted... well, this to happen. Anything like this. What sort of person would be able to do that anyway? Who could stand there, never aging, and watch their family slowly age and die, whilst they stayed young, pristine and healthy forever?

He barely noticed when Amy shifted closer to him, his eyes still staring into the same place they had been before, still vacant and empty of all signs of life in there. However, her voice penetrated his mind, somehow, and he began to walk away from the horror that was his future. The male began to remember where he was, and his eyes slowly started to brighten up with colour, as well as his cheeks. The pale man was slowly becoming Leo once again, and it was Amy's voice that had brought him back. The soft skin of her hands were on his hand, caressing it softly, and then one was on his cheek. Leo moved his gaze to settle on Amy, his weak eyes looking into her beautiful violets. "A-Amy..." His voice stammered as he pressed his cheek into her palm, taking solace in her touch. "You're not alone..." He whispered, sincerity taking over his tone.

Before he could speak to her more about their situation however, Leo was interrupted by a banging on his office door, a noise that mad the jittery man almost jump out of his skin in fright. Then, Katia's voice entered his ears and he looked towards the door of his office, before then back at Amy. "New em-employee." He spoke, his voice becoming less shaky, but still shaky enough to be noticed. He took in a deep breath before standing up, offering his hand out to Amy. "Come with me?" He asked her, his voice a gentle plead. Now that he knew what was wrong with his beloved, he didn't want anything to happen to that - and if that meant he kept her by his side at all times, then so be it. He didn't want to let her out of his sight in her... condition.

When both were standing, and Leo had made sure that he looked presentable and professional enough, he made his way over to the office door, unlocking it and opening it in one moment. "Katia, hello." He smiled, instantly putting on that professional facade that he had perfected so well over the years. "You got here safely then? Good. May I introduce you to our Philosophy teacher, and School Nurse, Amy Roerig. Amy, this is the new female P.E teacher, Katia Hunt. She's an old friend of mine."

---

The physical change in Drake was enough to show Erin that she had made him feel more comfortable, taking him out of the deep conversation that they had been having, and replacing it with flirtatious remarks and gestures; to be fair, the blonde girl too felt more comfortable around Drake when they were like this; she felt a little awkward talking to him about how she felt deep down, wondering if he was going to turn around and laugh at her at any moment, or just push her away for trying to get it off of her chest. This, was easier. Much easier. This, she knew how to do with him. His laugh made the girl relax, feeling better around a comfortable Drake; tense Drake was a little worrying.

Erin felt her skin shudder with arousal at the feeling of Drake's hand on her thigh, moving towards the most private part of herself. Her lips stayed against his neck, moving delicately, barely brushing against his skin. He would be able to feel the smirk playing on her lips come to out properly when he spoke about her knowing things about him that others did not. His voice was pure lust as he spoke, another one of the many things about Drakethrean Quellen that drove the petite blonde girl insane with desire. "Unfair?" She smiled, once again using her teeth to graze against the sensitive skin by his collarbone. She was about to comment on her extreme knowledge of his anatomy when her phone buzzed, and she moved out of his embrace, to collect her phone and read through the text, her invitation to Jack's party that night.

Before the blonde could once again get comfortable on the shoulder of her "friend", she was pulled towards him by her ankles, a small squeal escaping her lips, surprise taking over her body for a brief moment. She hadn't expected that. Erin was soon laying down on her back, the handsome male hovering over her body, her hands pinned either side of her head. Her body was once again yearning for him, wanting him - as stupid as that was. She knew he was bad news, and that their relationship was one purely physical and unemotional, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting him. Her breath grew labored as his mouth moved across her neck, her jaw, her earlobe, before his husky voice was whispering into her ear. "You're right; I know you better than that, Drake." She grinned through her struggling breaths. "All you need is your smooth words and your wandering hands and you make a girl go crazy."

It was hard enough to be in the school, let alone to be forced to wait. She looked over her shoulder from Leo’s office doorway to the secretary who was now on the phone and hunched over her computer. Had the woman lied to her? Katia curled her hands in a first, feeling the frustration grow, until she heard the hum of voices grow louder and before she knew it the door was opened. She found herself face to face with Leo, and behind him a woman who…looked ill. Katia saw her pale face and tired eyes and swallowed, pushing herself off the wall and wrapping her arms across her chest.

"Katia, hello,” Leo smiled. His voice was as warm as always. It didn’t have the sultry air most expected from a man who looked as he did. But it could and she imagined it then. A voice a silky as dark chocolate.

"You got here safely then?” he asked her, to which she nodded. “Obviously as I'm here before you and in one piece,” she replied, her voice like night and day compared to the tone she’d taken with the secretary. She was smiling. She couldn’t help it around him. Her voice was sweet and congenial.

“Good,” he answered, before stepping back and towards the woman who stood slightly behind him. Katia expected her to sniffle or something but she just remained pale looking. She hoped the woman wouldn’t get her sick now. The last thing she needed was the flu on top of all these students.

“May I introduce you to our Philosophy teacher, and School Nurse, Amy Roerig. Amy, this is the new female P.E teacher, Katia Hunt. She's an old friend of mine,” Leo introduced her. “An old friend? That’s all I get?” she retorted to Leo. Katia hummed a small laugh before she turned to look at the woman directly. “I was far more than a friend, amante,” she smiled. The Italian slid off her tongue like habit. Lover. Yes, indeed they had been and almost more.

“Nice to meet you just the same,” Katia smiled, her gaze shifting from Amy thereafter to Leo. “I brought the paperwork and info you requested. All I need to do is sign,” she offered to Leo. Katia couldn’t deny that she wanted this Amy out of the room. Especially if Leo was going to be dealing with her Italian ID and the advanced pay. It just seemed too private. And of course no move could be made on him if she was here. And she was sick. God don’t get me sick. You’ll pay for it if you do,” she thought idly, shifting her weight from foot to foot as she waited for a response.

Amy breathed a sigh of relief when Leo came back into his own eyes; back to earth; back to her, and a soft smile grazed her lips when he spoke to her, his cheek pressing into her hand. For some reason, her hand on his cheek always calmed her Leo. To be perfectly honest every time she could feel him relaxing with her, her heart fluttered in excitement. It made her happy that she was able to help him like this – even if she was the reason he was stressed out in the first place. He didn’t think himself worthy of love because he had been given immortality, so she could imagine he didn’t think himself worthy of fatherhood either. She really had some fixing to do. He needed to know that he was amazing. Perfect even, in her eyes. Well, as perfect as could possibly be. At least, he was perfect for her. She wasn’t sure he’d ever think himself perfect for her too, though. In fact, Amy had a feeling that if he could, he would put her in the arms of another man. Someone who would grow old with her. Not that she would ever let him.

She was waiting for him to continue speaking when they were interrupted by a knock – then a female voice which she did not recognize. Katia? She didn’t know a Katia. Leo hadn’t mentioned a Katia. She felt her own eyebrows push together as she frowned, wondering who it was. The woman sounded sort of testy. Her eyes found Leo once more when he spoke, telling her who the woman was. Another new employee? She mused, cocking her head slightly to the side. She didn’t want interruptions. In fact, she didn’t ever want to leave this room again. She wasn’t sure her legs could even carry her right now. And she looked like hell. Way to make a great first impression. She sighed softly, but nodded slightly when he asked her to come with him. He had stood so easily, she was a little surprised. Her own legs felt like jelly, and her stomach was empty. On top of that, the young nurse still felt drained of energy and strength. Then of course there was the never ending nausea to deal with. She took his offered hand an unsteadily got to her feet with his help. Her stance was slightly wobbly and she had a feeling she was about to fall over.

While Leo got himself properly sorted, Amy washed out her mouth with water from the tap. I didn’t help with much, but it was better than nothing until she could get to her toothbrush. Then the two made it to the door, and Leo instantly opened. She could see his face transform into that professional façade he kept up around almost everyone who wasn’t her. Especially if he needed to hide something. Like, say, his own shaken state of mind. She remained slightly behind Leo, wanting run back into the bathroom. Gods, she felt so sick right now, she figured she might as well get acquainted with the toilet. Though Leo was completely professional, Amy could tell the other woman wasn’t. In fact, Amy hoped her illness was telling her things, because the looks she was giving Leo, were not ones you would give your new boss. At least, you shouldn’t. And that smile. It was just too flirtatious. Amy felt like the new teacher was silently hitting on her man, and she didn’t like it. On top of that, she didn’t like the woman’s tone of voice. There was something not quite right here.

When Leo introduced the two, Amy was about to greet the woman and welcome her to Arcana, even though she had this immediately sort of dislike for her. Why? She hadn’t done anything, and Amy was usually not one to judge people so quickly. Besides, she was just being paranoid. Why would the woman be hitting on Leo? Well, she told herself that for about a second, but it was shattered by Katia’s next words – interrupting the welcome Amy had been about to utter. Her lips fell slightly apart, her eyes widened just a little. Just enough to show her surprise. Oh god. Now she just felt even worse, but it wasn’t due to the baby. No. Amy felt sick because Leo had just hired a woman with whom he had obviously had more intense relations. The thought made her face pale even more. She tried her best to gather herself, clearing her throat once this Katia was done babbling. “Right, uhm… nice to meet you too.” She glanced at Leo, her eyes flashing with irritation. “We really need another PE teacher?” She couldn’t keep the bite out of her voice, however hard she tried, and so she made a decision. She couldn’t be there anymore.

She didn’t want to be around this Katia person anymore. Gods. He had hired her. Why would he do that?! She didn’t even seem like the kind of teacher Leo would usually hire. In fact, to Amy, this girl was way more of a Noctrem person. And it made her sick to know Leo had been inside her. Made her even more sick, knowing that this woman was going to try something again. It was clear as day. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly. “Anyway, I need to go find Chris. I’ll see you both at some point.” To others, Amy might’ve just been considered sick and jumbled, but to Leo, it would be obvious that she didn’t like Katia. That she didn’t like having her around. And that she certainly didn’t like what she had just been told by the woman. Amy managed to walk steadily out of the office – out of sight. She would maintain whatever scrap of dignity she had left. She felt like she had just been punched in the stomach, all the air knocked out of her.

She stopped once she had turned a corner, steadying herself with her hands on the wall. Amy tried her very hardest to breathe normally once more. To not be completely out of it once she found Chris, but she soon gave up. Didn’t matter, Chris had always been a great comfort when she was upset. She’d just curl up with him, finding solace in his arms. She knew Leo would hate her doing that, but she just couldn’t make herself care. It was his fault she felt like this in the first place, and he obviously wasn’t available for comfort himself. He was busy with Katia. Even her name sounded like a god damn Russian whore. She shook her head, hating herself for the thoughts crossing through her mind. Stop it, Amy. You’re better than this. She told herself, before she opened her eyes and kept walking, heading upstairs to find Chris’ room. She hoped to god that he was there, because for some reason she had reached her limit. She felt like crying. Crying always made you feel better in the end. Why had Leo introduced her as only an “old friend”? She bit down on her lip.

She knew which room was his, so that was always something. Her gait was wobbly, her legs still feeling weak. But she made it there, and once she did, she found herself knocking, her voice choked as she spoke, “Chris? You there?” To herself she added, “please be there.”

---

When Chris made no reply to her taunting words, she figured her goal had been accomplished. Spirit broken. Grin wiped off his face. And he was in a whole lot pain. Yet once more, she felt no damned satisfaction. What was happening to her? She didn’t feel like herself, because all she wanted was Jay. Not even torturing this fuck was taking her mind off of him, which royally pissed her off. Nothing worked. Nothing. He wanted more from her than she could give him. She wasn’t doing it to be cruel; she wasn’t pushing him away because she liked hurting him. In fact Jay was among the very few people she would never enjoy hurting. No. Cor was afraid. So scared of him hurting him again; petrified of letting him into her heart completely, only to have him leave her once more. A lump formed in her throat when she thought of the prospect as it was. Really, Cor was starting to feel like it didn’t matter. Committing or not committing, Jay held her heart completely. She had no idea when it had happened, but sometime during these past weeks, Jay had stolen it again.

Cor absently began walking away from the new teacher, not giving a shit that he was suffering, as she mused. She had told Jay time and time again, to prove to her that she could even trust him. Because as it was now, she wasn’t blind. She noticed the looks being shot here and there – the way he was obviously lusting after other women. Hell, she had even caught a clone following gypsy girl around. And she was not about to enter a relationship with a man who was going to cheat on her. Especially since she didn’t actually want anyone but him. If she could somehow be guaranteed that Jay would take good care of her heart, she would be his in a heartbeat. To hell with all those other guys. The only reason she even still kept any of it up, was to help herself keep a sort of distance between her and Jay. Even if she actually despised said distance. She missed her Jay. She missed the guy she had dated back at Noctrem more than anything. But he wasn’t that guy anymore, because her Jay would never even look at other girls. She had felt perfectly safe in their relationship, because he was just devoted to being faithful. All he had wanted, was her.

Yet, despite both of them having changed, the love between them was as strong as ever. Which scared her senseless. In fact, love was the only thing that scared her this way, and Jay just didn’t understand. She had tried to explain things to him, but Cor was terrible with that stuff. Hell, with the two of them it was like she was the guy and he was the girl. Jay expressed his feeling so much better than Cor did. Maybe because he actually wanted to. She was hesitant with every piece of information she gave him. Because if he had any idea how close she was to caving in, he would only push more. She sighed as she made her way into the building she was now to live in. Stopping by the entrance, she pulled out her phone to text Erin, and found two texts. Her heart beat faster as se stupidly hoped one of them was from Jay. Her disappointment was palpable when she found one was from Addie, the other from Jackson. None from Jaysin. She knew he was frustrated with her, but it had only been a couple of weeks. He was just so impatient and demanding. Things she usually liked about him.

Party invite from Jack. Great. She seriously needed to get hammered. She smiled wryly and opened the one from Addie then. It made her laugh just slightly, as she texted back.
Scarred, is it? Sounds fun. Can I join? ;)
With that, she also sent one Erin’s way…
You okay, babe? This silence is slightly worrying, you know.
Cor shook her head a little, wondering once more what was up with Erin not texting her about the assembly or… anything really. The two of them were usually in contact somehow. Oh well, maybe she was busy with Keirol. Wouldn’t be surprising, really. Besides, Cor had shut the door on the two of them, assuming they would be taking off soon anyways. Lovebirds that they were. On that note, she once more wanted to find Jaysin. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Tapping into her powers, she let her senses carry on air. The tranquility however, was short-lived as her eyes shot open shortly after. What the hell was he doing with Lulu, of all people? Her eyes narrowed as her pace increased, legs carrying her towards said room. That was it. Lulu’s life was going to be hell on earth. If she thought life at the motel had been awful, she was about to receive a healthy dose of perspective.

This gave her time to think of what to do. Time to consider her reaction once she reached the room. Currently anger was rolling through her. Anger and… sadness. It hurt her that jay would seek out Lulu of all people. He knew precisely how much Cor despised that little bitch. He also knew she was going to find them. So what the hell was he doing? Trying to hurt her? Fucking asshole. She stopped just outside the door as Jay spoke about Drake, asking Lulu what made so many girls want to be his alone. He had to be fucking kidding. She rolled her eyes. He was comparing Lulu and Drake to the two of them? That was just idiotic. She had to say, these thin walls were quite the advantage right now. Cor listened to Lulu’s response and felt her lips curl into a cruel smirk. First lesson, Lulu? Close the door with you and my guy in the room, and you will never have privacy again. Cor thought just as a violent gust of wind blew the door off its hinges. Cor moved to stand in the doorway, her shoulder and upper arm leaning against the doorframe. She watched both of them coolly, but with a furious, fiery glint.

“Want to know what makes girls want Drake like that, huh?” She said smoothly. “I can tell you in one word; foolishness.” She moved then, taking a few steps into the room. “You see, to Drake, all these girls are playthings, and they’re never going to be more. They are downright stupid for wishing more from him. Pathetic. They are only going to end up hurt.” Her scorching gaze cut to Jay. “As for you, what the fuck are you even doing here? Looking for another replacement, huh? In Lulu? That’s nice, Jay. Go fuck yourself.” She sneered the last bit. That was what Cor did. She replaced hurt with anger, because what she really wanted to do what curl up and cry over Jay’s inability to just understand her and accept her… and fucking wait for her. But she didn’t. She never wanted to show that kind of weakness. Cold glare once more leveled on the blonde in the bed, Cor’s smile turned sickly sweet, her legs once more taking her closer to the bed.

“You’re just like all the others, you know. No, you’re less. All Drake wants from you is a fuck or two, and then he’s going to tell everyone how awfully awkward you are - how much he would rather be fucking Erin.” She gave the girl a once over, eyes flashing with hate. “You’re pathetic. Not even worth my brother’s consideration. Although, I suppose he does have a thing for playing around with his fangirls.” Cor leaned in and whispered to Lulu, “he’s going to use you up, and leave you broken, bitch.” Now, this made her feel slightly better. Made the punch Jay had just given her, numb. She knew it was going to hurt ten times more in a little while, but numbing it with rage right now worked better. Cor straightened herself. It was a wonder her powers hadn’t run amok yet. And of course, Cor knew half of what she was saying, was total bullshit, but she didn’t care. Point was she could make Lulu believe it. Whether she did herself was completely irrelevant.