Christopher Russell's Story

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.

Zac's phone buzzed gently in his pocket. He pulled it out and grinned at Ashy as he read the text. "Jackson's having a party tonight. Oh, this will be entertaining. Especially because we've got class in the morning. Bet you five bucks at least half of the Noctrem students aren't in class tomorrow." He said, a wide grin on his face. He slid his phone back into his pocket and decided to head inside. "Listen, Ashy, I'd better go start getting myself ready for this party. I'm going, if you and Mo have to drag me in. This is going to be an insane amount of fun."

He kissed the blonde on the cheek. "I'm guessing you don't want the tissue back. Hey, did you know that in medieval times the lady would give a knight her handkerchief to show him that he was her favourite?" He winked at her, before straightening his guitar strap and heading in the general direction of out of the forest.

He reached the edges of the forest without too much incident. Grinning, he started for the school. The Noctrem students were infamous for their drinking, and he was well aware that tonight would be no exception. There were always a few incidents that made every party worthwhile. Her headed upstairs towards his room. He unlocked the door and let himself in, before surveying the room and deciding what to do first. He headed into the bathroom and found a box of plasters. Sticking some onto his scratches, he shoved the box back into the cabinet and closed it.

After heading back into his room, he opened his cupboard while deciding what to wear. Pulling out different bits and pieces, Zac eventually decided on this outfit. He hung it on the front of his cupboard, before sitting on his bed and removing his guitar from his back. He pulled his picks from his pocket and placed them on his bedside locker.

He was so bored. He really wanted to play with someone's mind, but there wasn't anyone's mind around to tamper with. Despite Ms Roerig's rants on how the students who could shouldn't mess with people's minds, it was endlessly entertaining when you made someone remember something and no-one else could. A few people had figured out that Zac was usually somewhere, in the corner grinning to himself, or seemingly deeply involved in conversation with Mo. Even fewer people had figured out that Mo was usually helping with her telepathy.

A hand clamped over his mouth. A sickly sweet smell. And then black.

Zac blinked. He had imagined all of that. Nobody had tried to... Nobody had tried to abduct him again. He knew that, but his heart still raced. He heard a sound outside and shot to his feet, his heart in his mouth. He vaguely heard footsteps leading away, but his heart still raced. He turned to his drums. There was only one cure for fear. He strode over to the kit and picked up the sticks. Taking a deep breath, he began to smash his heart out. Figuratively speaking.



Alli wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled off her hoodie as she left the dance studio. Heading for her room, she frowned as she found it locked. She pulled her key from her chain around her neck, but then thought better of it. She really needed to change, but the door was always locked for a reason. Instead she tucked her key inside her t-shirt and walked away. She decided that her choice had been the wise one when she heard a bang coming from her room. She quickened her pace and headed for the library.

She ran her fingers along the shelves and smiled. But at the same time it made her a little sad how quiet the place was. She knew libraries were supposed to be quiet, but still... They weren't supposed to be dead like this. There was supposed to be an air of quiet energy. Not this dead silence, not even punctuated by a page turning.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a quiet noise, but in the silence of the library it sounded loud. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the text. Jackson was inviting her to a party. Well, considering she wasn't able to get into her room, and the fact that she was in her favourite place in the world, she doubted she would be turning up at that particular party. However, the Noctrem students would be attending, and it sure would be a laugh. It would entirely depend on her ability to get back into her room and change into one of her dresses and heels and possibly have a shower.

She grabbed a copy of Inkheart from the shelves and made her way to the reading area. She curled up on a comfortable chair and began to read. She would be quite happy to stay there, but she had an inkling that Mo would turn up, possibly with one of her dresses in tow, and make her go to the party.



God, this hurt. And he didn't really have anyone to blame, except for himself. And that bitch. But his own pride had probably triggered that.

He heard a knock on the door, followed by Amy's voice. She sounded upset. "Chris? You there?" He clambered off of the bed, wincing as he walked over to the door. He opened it and grinned at the pretty brunette. However, he noticed exactly how she looked, her expression, everything. His grin slid off of his face. "Come on, sweetie. We need to talk." He said simply, taking her hand and leading her inside. He closed the door gently behind her. He felt stiff now as well, and the cuts ached every time his t-shirt, or trousers, or hoodie brushed them. But she looked upset. And as much as he hurt, he had a duty to make her feel better.

He winced as he saw the state of his bed. There was a little bit of blood on them, and they were extremely crumpled. "Sorry. I'm sure you remember I'm a slob." He looked at her again, a small smile on his lips. She looked so pale and so... frightened. He frowned, heading into his bathroom and filling a glass with water. He brought it out and handed it to her. "Don't you go fainting on me." He said, going over to sit on the couch.

He self-consciously pulled his hoodie sleeves over his hands. There weren't that many cuts on his hands, but he still didn't want Amy to see them. She appeared to have enough on her mind already. "Okay, Amy. We both know something's bothering you. Out with it."

It brought him right back to his days at Arcana. Whenever Amy was stressing about something, Chris brought her into his room or into the common room to talk it over, and she would always do the same for him. Of course, it was usually over a break-up or end of term exams or something small. But he had a feeling that it was something huge this time. Something which would blow everything else out of the water.

"And, Amy, don't you go trying to bullshit me. We mightn't have talked for five years, but I can still read you like a book." He said, a small grin on his face. He shifted his hoodie uncomfortably and winced. He wanted to take it off, but then the cuts on his arms would be prominent, and it would look like he cut himself. Which, of course, he hadn't, and never would.

He clasped his hands together, playing with his sleeves, trying to resist the temptation to remove his t-shirt and hoodie. His trousers were loose enough that they didn't rub the cuts. He noticed his torn, bloodstained clothes near his foot and quickly kicked them away, hoping Amy hadn't seen them. He wouldn't be wearing that t-shirt again. Except maybe for Halloween.

Cor had managed to calm herself quite a bit during the last couple of hours, surprisingly. If she had to be honest, she had no clue how she had managed it, because she had been right there on the edge, about to blow. And then this entire place would most likely be rubbles with everyone buried underneath it right now. But nope, Cor had toned it down. Though… admittedly it had only gotten worse with Sky, because even though the guy used to turn her on so easily, it just hadn’t been working. Or, it had at first, her anger fueling it all, but then, her thoughts had started spinning, her silly mind flashing to Jay. Images of him smiling at her, memories of more loving banter they often shared, his captivating eyes drawing her in every time he looked at her in earnest and told her he loved her. And so, Cor had gotten distracted and upset. Resulting in her leaving a Sky she had gotten pretty riled up. Normally Cor wouldn’t give a shit about that, but it was Sky, and she did sorta feel guilty for leaving him in that situation. No one liked to be worked up and then be left alone. She sure as hell didn’t.

Fortunately she’d apologized to him before leaving, so she only hoped it wouldn’t be a further issue, because she sure as hell wasn’t explaining herself to him. She wasn’t telling anyone about the way Jay took up her heart, her mind and her entire world. Because though she and Sky had a pretty good thing going, Jay was a weakness and one wrong word in the wrong ear… well. Cor didn’t even want to think of what Amber would do with that information. Of course, Jay had obviously spilled the beans to Lulu, and someone else had probably heard the following, pretty loud exchanged. She’d be surprised if not, honestly. So the fact that they had had a thing was almost certainly out there for everyone to see. Nothing she could do about that. In fact, she could only snort at it, finding it a little entertaining. Back at Noctrem, when Jay had wanted to keep them a secret, Cor had not told a soul about them. Not one. Now, here at Arcana, when Cor wanted them kept a secret, he went and decided to tell the most annoying bitch in the freaking building. It’d at least be understandable if the two were actually friends or anything like that, but no. He had chosen Lulu purely piss her off. That much she knew.

So… she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. She’d told him the two of them were over; that she was done with him, and she’s meant it. Yep, no second thoughts. None at all. She was completely fine with never kissing him again… never touching him again… never hearing his deep, sexy voice telling her how much he loved her again. She sighed to herself, looking into the mirror. She had locked herself in the bathroom, warning Ashy not to even touch the damn door. That was the only upside to living with that little Arcana blonde; she was easy to control. Cor didn’t have to beat her into submission, or issue a warning every time she wanted the girl to do something. Nope. The girl was frightened enough to not question her even once. Cor’s slender fingers were gripping the sink as she pondered her situation. She was calm, or at least enough to not ruin the mood of the party. Besides, if she wanted to take advantage of Max, she couldn’t exactly go around being a total emotional wrecking ball. Being an empath, she was pretty sure the handsome teacher wouldn’t appreciate it much. Besides, Cor wasn’t usually one to ever show her emotions anyway. They were typically buried under anger or complete, cold indifference.

She had put on this, having decided that she wanted to keep things sexy. Mostly to show Jay exactly what he was missing out on, because it wasn’t like Max needed much encouragement from her. They’d fucked many times before, so he knew how good she was. That was usually enough to keep the guys hanging around. She smiled to herself, but it wasn’t complete; it was an empty, cold smile, void of any real feeling. She had chosen to numb herself, because it was the easiest way for her to deal with her breaking heart. To be perfectly honest she had moments when she had trouble breathing, and when all she could think of was how much she wanted to fix everything with her man. But no. She fought herself and her own weaker side. Because she was better than that. She didn’t go bowing down to anyone. Especially not Jaysin Dennis. So instead, makeup donned, hair curled up beautifully, outfit perfectly fitted, Cor went straight from the bathroom and to the party, not even sparing a maybe present Ashy a glance.

Once there, Cor didn’t spare the place a glance. Her eyes were fixed on the bar, feeling her need for alcohol skyrocketing. Now she understood why people drowned their sorrows, because that was exactly what she intended to do. And luck had it, Max was there. Promising party already. Cor’s heals clicked musically as she made her way over to the bar, sliding into the seat next to Max. She leaned in over the bar counter, giving the bartender a look. “Five shots of whatever you’ve got that going to knock me off my feet.” She said smoothly, before turning her eyes onto Max, flashing him a wry yet flirty smile. “You look like someone who could use my kind of company,” she teased, crossing her legs purposefully to bare more of her thighs as she turned her entire body towards him by spinning on the bar stool. Hearing her drinks be placed in front of her, Cor took one in each hand downing them straight after each other before placing the small glasses back onto the counter.

---

Amy hadn’t wanted to tell Chris about everything that was going on. She really didn’t want to start putting all her troubles on his shoulders already. She just needed to be around someone who didn’t look at her like she was made of porcelain , someone who didn’t know anything about her issues, and someone who, like Chris, was going to make her feel better with his presence alone. Ad it would’ve been great if she hadn’t noticed the bloody clothes by Chris’s bed, and the way he seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. Amy, being the woman she was, had taken charge, also giving herself a moment to breathe and figure out what she could and couldn’t tell Chris. In the end she’d healed him, but though it would’ve been easy as nothing before, it had left her completely tapped out, so before Chris had had the chance to question her further about her state of mind, she’d fallen asleep, curled up in the grand armchair resembling the one she had in her own room.

Healing Chris had demanded she be close to him, as physically close as they’d been when they had both been students. As his skin had been so damaged, Amy had had to ask him to take off his hoody and t-shirt, so that she could put her hands flat on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. It was strange, especially since she had Leo now. More so because she knew the immortal male wouldn’t have been too happy about it. Never the less, Chris had needed healing and it was easier for her to do if she had a proper area of skin contact close to the heart. If she had tried to heal him from only his arms, for instance, she would have probably fainted right then and there. She knew it was the baby eating up her power supply. She only hoped nothing bad would happen to it now that she was all tapped out. In fact, her falling asleep had been so rapid, she hadn’t even had the time to ask him what… or who… had maimed him so badly. Part of her already knew the answer though, and it worried her. If Corentine was targeting teachers now, what was next?

Currently, Amy was still in the chair, breathing still slow and deep, eyes still closed. For all intents and purposes, Amy looked asleep. Because she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be able to answer Chris’ answers honestly and not break her promise to Leo, she was pretending her very best. Besides, just relaxing felt good. She could tell that she had started to charge back up during her nap, but she had no idea how long she’d been gone – probably a couple of hours. She still felt weak and tired, and sort of sick still, but this time she knew it wasn’t the baby. It was the thought of Leo with Katia. She just couldn’t get the pictures out of her head. It was completely messing with her, making her world spin. In one day, she felt like the bliss the two has shared for the past week was coming to an end. So many problems were crowding the two right now. First the Noctrem students moving in, then his treatment of Chris, followed by her finding out she was pregnant, and the big finale? Katia entering the picture.

Amy’s eyes fluttered open as she sighed to herself, still not sure what to tell Chris. But then, she had other things to talk to him about. That could always push off the more private things on her mind. Chris needed a whole bowl of information and she had just been sleeping the time away. Just as her eyes focused enough for her to look for Chris, she heard the unmistakable sound of her phone ringing. Sliding it out of her jeans pocket quietly, Amy cast a short look at the display, noticing both time of day and caller. Leo. She took a deep breath, already knowing why he was calling. But why had it taken him 3 hours? That was quite a while by her estimate. She pressed the receive button and brought the cell up to her ear. “Hey,” was all she said, but even that little word sounded sleepy and weak. Great, Amy. Really. She didn’t know what else to say to him. She was still pretty upset with their whole situation, but in Chris’ room, what she could say was pretty limited.

Leo didn't like Amy's pause when he asked her where she was. It worried him in fact, that she wasn't answering him. What was she hiding from him? It was strange, that Amy wasn't replying. She never hid anything from him, especially now that they were in a relationship; when they had just been friends however, they had still had no qualms about telling each other anything. He didn't want that to change, not now that their relationship was a little more complicated and confusing. Whilst he waited for her reply, the male sat back in his chair, dropping his head back so that his neck was resting on the back of his chair.

However, soon, Amy's voice was hitting his ears and he almost felt his heart sink when Amy told him where she had been for the last three hours; At Chris'. He literally sat there with his mouth opening and closing, looking like a fish out of water. He heard her voice shake slightly as she told him that she didn't want to fight any more, and he just nodded, forgetting that she couldn't see him. The man couldn't believe that she had been with Chris all of this time. She could have stayed with him, and spoke to him about their issues, instead of going to tell Chris, a guy that she knew he wasn't all that fond about right now. He knew that she had to have felt awkward with Katia there, but he was only helping her, giving her a job when she needed one. She didn't understand their situation., and hadn't stayed to ask him about it.

Amy then told him to meet her in his apartment, and before he could reply - the phone went dead. The male pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it, his expression stunned. He had never been hung up on before, especially by Amy. An exasperated sigh escaped Leo's lips as he placed his phone back into his pocket and stood up, leaving his office. He didn't lock the door behind him, there was no point - every student was out at the party, and no teacher would dare go into there without his permission. So, the male slowly made his way up to his apartment, taking small steps. He was slightly nervous to see his girlfriend; their last few conversations being extremely awkward, and the tension between them could almost be cut by a knife. However, he was soon outside his front door and took in another deep breath before opening it, revealing the scene in front of him.

"Amy!" Leo gasped, rushing into his apartment, the door closing slowly behind him. The picture in front of him scared him; his pregnant girlfriend whom he had recently argued with collapsed onto his hallway floor, her skin a horrible pale hue. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" His voice was filled with panic as he knelt down in front of her, taking her cheeks into his hands, cupping them delicately. Lifting up her head so that she could look into his chocolate browns, he let his eyes frantically look over her, checking for any sign of injury.

---

Erin was kind of put out. She had moved all the way from her comfortable position in the gazebo to talk to Jay, and maybe even Addison once she had seen the girl sitting down next to him, but practically just after she had sat down, the two of them had fucked off. She had been left with a consolation prize however; Jay's expensive looking bottle of whiskey that he had placed into her hand, asking her to look after it until he returned. Yeah, right. Like he was going to return in that state. Jay was already borderline paralytic, and he was probably going off to find someone to have a revenge fuck with; this bottle was now hers, the blonde had decided. So, she twisted off the lid and took another swig, letting the warm liquid trickle its way into her stomach, filling her with a strange sense of alcoholic warmth.

The girl was usually filled with confidence, and soon, the alcohol was only giving her extra. She literally felt like she was buzzing on alcohol, her eyes clouded over, yet everything still visible to her. She was a little unsteady on her feet when she stood up, but she blamed it on the high heels that she had stuck on her feet that night. Yeah, nothing to do with the copious amounts of alcohol coursing through her blood stream, was it. No... Slowly, the blonde started making her way through the now crowded party area, her eyes expertly searching the people for one face in particular; a face that she knew all too well. It surprised her when she saw who her target was standing with and talking to, and she decided to make her way over there, and maybe provide him with some sort of... interesting companionship.

It was a difficult feat, yes, but somehow, Erin made her way over to Drake without falling over, staying up the entire way. She was quite pleased with herself actually, and she took another victory swig of Jay's her whiskey, congratulating herself. She came up behind the male, and ignoring the fairy-like blonde that was standing in front of him, she wrapped her arm around his waist, going up on her tiptoes so she could whisper in his ear. "Hello, lover." Her lips brushed against his skin as she spoke, her voice a sultry tone that she reserved only for him. She kept her arm around him for some extra stability as she came down from her tip-toes, and turned to look at Ashy, who seemed too sober for the blonde's liking. She thrust out the bottle that she was holding in her hand towards Ashy, offering her the bottle. She knew that twinkle-toes here was quite wary of her, but she had no disliking towards her; in fact, Erin actually found her quite... cute, in a way. "You look like you need this more than I do, girl."

In a way, Erin thought that she was doing good, coming in between Drake and Ashy's conversation; why? Ashy was... too sweet and innocent and frankly, just too adorable for someone like Drake. He was cruel, vindictive, a vicious lover; someone like Ashy would only get her sweet little heart broken by this bastard of a man. She slowly made her way around to stand in front of Drake, however off to the side, so that she wasn't completely cutting Ashy out, more like... shielding her? Why was she feeling considerate all of a sudden?! Keeping her arm wrapped around Drake, Erin bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at him. "Drakeeeee," she mewed, pressing her body in closer to his, "are you trying to corrupt this poor girl?"

---

Jackson luckily hadn't seen the faltered smile on Lulu's face; if he had, it probably would have broken the Irish male's heart. He was totally infatuated with the girl that he counted as his best female friend, and he would just feel totally disheartened and destroyed if he had actually seen disappointment on her face when he hadn't turned out to be Drake. Jack knew that he wasn't the man in Lulu's heart; that he was just a friend to her, and he was fine with that - it was something that he had come to terms with recently. But, he just didn't want to actually hear it. If he didn't hear it, then he knew that he could live with it. But if he was actually told that he had no chance what so ever... he'd be crushed.

He felt himself smile as Lulu blushed at his compliment, but that soon changed as she mentioned that it was all Drake's work. He wasn't too fond of the idea of Drake going through all of Lulu's belongings and choosing her entire outfit; Drake was one of Jack's friends, however he didn't trust the man one little bit. He hid his frown quickly though before Lulu could see his expression change, replacing the smile that had just faded over the top of his concerned expression. She looked beautiful, that he had already stated and truly believed, however, she barely looked liked Lulu - the skirt was too short, her v-neck was too deep... it wasn't Lulu - it was how Drake wanted Lulu to be. And he wasn't so sure that he liked it.

Before Jackson could say anything else however, Drake made a cameo into their conversation, putting in his own five cents worth about Lulu's outfit. He stood there awkwardly for a moment as the taller, better looking male complimented his best friend on her outfit, and then placed a bottle of rum down next to her, her obvious drink of choice. He wondered for a moment if he should even bring out the drink that he had bought for them to share, knowing that she preferred the rum to his Jack Daniels, but decided against mentioning it at this moment. Then, soon, the male was gone, and it was just the two of them alone again - a situation Jack preferred.

"Oh, this - it's nothing." Jack smiled softly, brushing off her comment. He had literally had five minutes to get ready after everything had been set up, and so he hadn't put much thought into his attire at all - he had just picked the first shirt out of his wardrobe that he had found and threw it on, as well as the jeans that had been draped over his desk chair. When Lu came to stand next to him, he wrapped his arm around her waist, a usually friendly gesture of his when it came to her. "I know, I'm loved by the catering staff here." He smiled, making sure to look up and spot the lady who was the creator of this elaborate spread, and give her a curt nod. "Well, you've already found the main part of the buffet which I designed for you specially. But, if you crave something else, what about the Cajun chicken and pepper skewers?" Jack gently led her over to the meat section of the buffet and gestured to the kebab sticks filled with three pieces of spiced chicken, with slices of red, yellow and green pepper between. "They're to die for, honestly." He grinned, before picking one up by the end of the stick and offering it out for her.

"Oh," he remembered, bringing out the bottle of Jack from behind his back, "I brought this for you. It's not as good as the rum, I know. But still, I promised."

---

Max didn't say anything as he watched Corentine, her eyes looking around the crowded party room. Her mind was definitely somewhere else tonight, and she was highly distracted; whatever had been on that note in front of her had caused some sort of pain for the girl - that was something else that being an Empath had taught the brunette male to do. If someone was hiding their emotions from him, like the blonde in front of him so readily did, he had learnt to read specific body language and facial expressions, to gauge some sort of emotion from the person he was studying - and at the moment, Corentine Quellen was seriously upset and angry at the same time, a dangerous combination of emotions coming from a girl like her. Something of course, he would never tell her. Surprisingly, he cared about himself enough not to want to die a horrible death at her hands.

He took the last three gulps of his vodka as Corentine decided to tear up the piece of paper that had upset her so much. He nodded towards the bartender, getting his attention and ordered another drink, this time, a whiskey. Despite him not having a preferred drink, he sometimes fancied others more than the other - and instead of vodka, the male now wanted whiskey back. "Jaysin, eh?" He mumbled, downing half of his drink in only one gulp. He was curious as to what she was on about, but he was unable to get a grasp on her emotions that she was cloaking so well. Instead, Max had to get a grip on what she was on about by piecing together the little bits of information that he had received; apparently, Corentine and Jay had been "something", and she had upset him, so he had decided to hurt her back, sparking this little "game" that she was on about. Yeah, that sounded about right.

Then, the atmosphere around the two of them changed and Max decided to become more involved in their conversation. It was about to change? A slight break in Corentine's barriers allowed him to feel her emotions for a second, and he turned to face her. Something was different about her tonight; she wasn't her usual... full bitchy herself, she was more reserved and hurting at the moment, and that spark in her eyes, was false. However, he wasn't going to pass any sort of offer up that meant that he would be able to have a good time. If anyone, that wasn't Jaysin, was going to get Corentine to act normally again, the merciless bitch that she was, he was probably that person. "I'll help you out however you want, gorgeous." He smiled, downing the rest of his drink before ordering another. Then, he leaned forward, placing his hand on her thigh, moving it upwards slowly, his fingers just sliding under the hem of her short dress before stopping there. "How would you like me to help?"

The young teacher wasn’t feeling to well, and hell, that was probably quite the understatement. She didn’t have a lot to compare it to, but she was weak and nauseous, her limbs shaking slightly from fatigue, and thought her powers had begun recharging, they were in no way ready for anything. She felt like even healing a knife cut would send her into another slumber, and it scared her. She really needed to phone her mother. Soon. She was still on the floor, surprisingly enough, feeling completely hopeless about her situation, when she heard the door open behind her. She wanted to get up and turn to Leo easily, because she knew her current position and appearance would worry him. No, he would be downright panicked, as unsure of what to do as she herself was. It wasn’t like this was normal in any way. In fact Amy felt completely out of her league, unknowing of what to do or how to help herself get better.

Because this wasn’t just a power hangover. It was different. A power hangover, she knew how to help and she had tried it before. In fact, she would often tire herself completely when she worked as a field nurse. Of course she had had to keep her healing secret, but it’d worked and she had saved lives like she had always wanted to, so though her entire world had changed with the experience, she didn’t regret it. In the long run it had only made her stronger. Well… mentally. Obviously she was physically weak as a new born kitten right now and it bothered her. She sighed when Leo spotted her, her name flying off his lips, but she didn’t move. What could she do, really? She merely waited for him to get to her, which she knew wouldn’t be long. Not long after, he did in fact reach her, panic ruling his voice when he spoke. Amy smiled weakly in response when his hands gently cupped her cheeks, guiding her eyes up to meet his, except his beautiful ones were busy looking her over, so it wasn’t much.

“Leo,” she said softly, her voice tired, “honey, please calm down. I’m fine.” She looked up at him, wanting to put her hands on his to assure him, but she just didn’t have the energy. Never had she felt this empty, this weak and helpless. So yes, of course she wasn’t entirely truthful when she told him she was fine, but she couldn’t have him panicking like this. He needed to steady himself or he’d be a complete mess to deal with and she really needed him to just… settle down a bit. “I’m just… a little tired,” she continued in a quiet tone, almost too calmly, her fatigue showing clearly in her voice. “I…” she paused then, sighing. She knew Leo would blame Chris when she told him the truth, but she wasn’t going to lie. She just wanted to make sure she phrased everything okay, so that he didn’t blame Chris too much. Because it wasn’t his fault. Chris hadn’t known of Amy’s condition, except for the fact that he could tell she was tired. Fact was that it didn’t usually affect her powers much, and she should’ve been able to heal him easily. Hell, she had been surprised herself.

Finally, the delicate nurse continued, “I think the baby is… feeding on my powers, which sounds really bad, I know.” She bit her lower lip, knowing that Leo was going to watch her like a hawk for the remainder of her pregnancy once she was done explaining herself. Sometimes a protective man was really hard to deal with, and it made her wonder if he was going to follow her around to all of her lessons, or if he would cancel them. She didn’t want to stop working. Besides, she was the school nurse. That wasn’t really something to be ignored. Another sigh. “I think Chris met Corentine earlier, and he… has a bit of attitude.” She let it be at that, knowing that Leo knew what that meant. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand the actions she was now going to tell him about. “I couldn’t let him suffer like that when I have the ability to help him, Leo… so even though he didn’t want me to, I… I healed him. It just… took a lot out of me, and I fell asleep immediately after. Just woke up when you called.”

With that, Amy finally took a deep breath, waiting for Leo’s reaction and reply, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. She had meant what she’d told him; she really didn’t want to argue.

---

With Max’s temporary silence, Cor’s eyes did another sweep her surroundings, and she swiftly downed her remaining shots, the alcohol burning sweetly. Oh, it was strong. She felt like she was drinking absinthe, yet it tasted slightly different. Didn’t matter if it had the same fire power; it did what she wanted it to; got her drunk in a rush, but it wasn’t enough by far. She needed more as she spotted Jay leaving the gazebo and thereby Erin and Addie. Hm, that was surprising. She’d figured Addie would make more of an effort to make the guy stay, considering how much she was obviously preening for his cock. She would be punished the most. No one, especially not her friends, went against her. Cor considered it betrayal, pure and simple, and she wasn’t a forgiving kind of person. Yes, she made friend with bitches and assholes, because those were the people she liked hanging around, but she still valued loyalty quite a bit. Now, what to do to the girl…

Cor’s mind was still playing with thoughts of revenge when the sound of Max Henderson’s sexy voice brought her back into the world of the living, and she couldn’t stop her lips from curling into a flirty smirk. She would go talk to Elijah tomorrow, she decided, knowing he was the one person she could count on; the one person who could clear her mind enough to think up something proper to remind the girl who was, and always had been, the queen bitch, and not to mess with her… or her man for that matter. Besides, someone who hated Jay might be nice. Elijah was perfect. Of course she also just loved hanging out with the guy. Cor’s clear, dark blue eyes were slowly making their way down Max’s body, his words a promise in themselves. Obviously he had figured she was a little off tonight. Max wasn’t easy to hide things from, just like her brother, but Cor liked to at least try anyway. Either way, Esme was ignored by both of them when she pushed her way between them and ordered her drunk. Fortunately she was gone directly after.

“Aren’t you just a saint,” she teased Max then, her voice dripping sarcasm. She didn’t doubt that Max was only helping her in any way because he got something out of it himself, not that she minded or blamed him. Hell, she was the exact same way herself. She didn’t do anything for free unless it was for a friend, and even then there was always the fact that she got friendship and gratefulness in return. Max was getting an amazing fuck, and that wasn’t her being conceited. Corentine had been a gymnast for a lot of years, since she was sick and up until she had left for Noctrem, and she had a lot of practice on her back when it came to screwing around. Of course she might also just be a damn natural. Either way, she had had guys telling her she was the best fuck they’d ever had. She knew how to work anyone when it came to sex. Female or male. Didn’t matter. When Max ordered another drink, Cor ordered three more shots of the same stuff he had given her before, and downed all three while Max's hand wandered up her bared thigh, the heat of alcohol along with Max’s touch, flowing through her. She ignored the fact that she could hear her phone vibrating in her purse, because she couldn’t make herself give a shit.

When his fingers stopped, Cor smiled wryly, one eyebrow lifted as she looked from the hand her gaze had been following, to the eyes of the man leading it. She couldn’t deny that Max had a way with her. He just knew how to set her body on fire, even with the slightest of touches. Of course it might also just be his godlike good looks, and well, she was starting to get just a little drunk, so her body was primed for him already. Before answering Max’s question, Cor ordered two more shots, downing them straight after each other. Once that was done, she leaned forward, bringing her mouth close to Max’s ear, her one hand dancing over his hand on her leg, and up his arm, only to make its way down his chest once it reached his shoulder. Her lips curved into a calculating, flirtatious smile, she didn’t speak until her fingers were gripping the hem of his jeans. Then she let her teeth gently nibble on his ear and laughed softly, the sound rolling off her tongue in a seductive purr. “Why, Max, I would very much like you to fuck me.” She murmured sultrily, yet ever so bluntly. Something you’d find was very defining of the blonde.

When she leaned back, Cor spotted Jay leaving with Esme at the corner of her eye, but the alcohol was numbing her emotions just like she had wanted them to. Well, temporarily that was the effect, but Cor could also feel her emotions pushing at the barrier she had put up before even coming to the party. Once it went down, shit would happen. She knew that much. Her powers would run amok.

---

To Sky’s reply, Drake laughed, not bothering to say any more because he was busy watching Ashy and her reaction to his words. Inwardly the male was smiling in amusement, finding the blushing both entertaining and cute. The fact that a girl her age managed to be so damned… innocent, puzzled the dark male quite a bit. How did you accomplish that in this day and age? Maybe he was even a little impressed, but nah, actually he just loved messing with her, so he supposed that was it. It was no secret to Drake that the blonde was crushing on him, and he had this tendency to play with the girls who developed feeling for him, mostly because he honestly couldn’t care less about them and their damned emotions. Why should he? It wasn’t his fault they decided to set themselves up for heartbreak, now was it? Drake didn’t exactly hide the fact that he was a womanizing asshole. Sure, he didn’t show that side to everyone, but he wasn’t hiding it either. He just knew that different people had to be worked differently, that was all.

When Ember came by, Drake gave her a short look, gaze taking a tour of her choice of appearance for the evening. Hmm. His sister was going to throw a fit about her protégé looking like that, so he could only grin, knowing that Cor would be giving the girl a lesson in how to dress herself… very soon. Not that the outfit was ugly – it just didn’t fit her, and it happened to look a little… well, not sexy. Despite the dress being short, to Drake she looked like a 13 year old trying to look sexy and it wasn’t working for her. “Not too bad, darling,” he told her in response to her question before she was on to inviting Sky to shoot shots with her. On that note he decided to tune her out and refocus on Ashleigh, his current entertainment. Clown of the evening, folks. Once she made it over, she gave Sky a hug and Drake remained silent. He was soon laughed however, her comment seemingly very funny to the male. She was so ridiculously nervous around him that was part of the fun, honestly. “Baby, you need new habits,” he murmured huskily, knowing the effect he’d have on the blonde.

He merely smiled wryly when Sky shouted that he and Ashy should dance. Drake wasn’t a big dancer. Sure, he had been forced to take classes as a kid, and he was in fact quite rhythmical, but he didn’t like it, and it brought back memories of being controlled by his bitch of a mother. He’d rather get pissed and have fun. Much more his thing, honestly. Then Sky and Ember sort of disappeared from his immediate surroundings and he almost felt relieved when Ashy didn’t comment on the dancing. Meant he could ignore it. Instead she uttered the most ridiculously, nauseatingly cute and desperate comment he had ever heard. He chuckled, not able to stop himself. And he was actually going to reply when a hand began snaking its way around him from behind, causing him to pause. Instead, Drake raised an eyebrow, looking questioningly as Ashy, as though she was supposed to tell him who was feeling him up. However, he got his answer when Erin’s voice spoke into his ear. He smirked, turning his eyes towards the skies.

“Erin,” he said in calm greeting, not feeling up to her company currently. He wasn’t really in the mood, if he had to be honest. Maybe because of their previous heart to heart. There was a reason he’d sought out Ashy, and not Lulu or Erin. The two had taken up all of his day already. He watched when Erin handed Ashleigh her alcohol and chuckled slightly, “she does have a point, Ash. Better drink it before she does, and that might end badly. You don’t really want to be responsible for that now, do you?” He teased her, his eyes flashing with humour. Honestly he was ignoring Erin a little. Perhaps because she was being incredibly clingy currently. When Erin moved, all she earned from Drake, was a raised eyebrow. He’d done her twice today already. He wasn’t in the mood for a third one. To him, it seemed like Erin was clinging to him because she was having trouble with Keirol, and though Drake was good with a bit of… physical support, he wasn’t interested in being her emotional support. He had let her talk in the forest, and he’d offered a sliver of comfort. That didn’t mean he was a teddy bear all of a sudden.

When she pressed her body closer, more or less begging for his attention, despite the way her words were centered on Ashy, Drake cast her a wry smile, still just leaning casually against the bar. “Thought crossed my mind,” he said, voice smooth and playful, eyes moving to rest on the girl in question, a mischievous, Drake-like smirk on his lips. Then he looked down at Erin, moving a hand into her hair. He grabbed a nice handful and pulled her head back instantly, looking down at her with his completely eyes indifferent. He was done being nice Drake – he needed his more bastardly side and Erin had just made herself the victim because she had gotten in the way of his teasing Ashy to rid himself of it more innocently. “What is this, Erin? Hm?” He asked her, voice dark and husky, yet cold in itself, “an attempt at getting a last night on earth fuck? Because you’re probably going to need it after sidling up to Jay like that.” Then he smirked, letting go of her hair only to order a whiskey, taking it in his hand. As he took a sip, he watched Erin with a slightly raised eyebrow, as if waiting for something.

Drake was more than aware of the fact that he was being a right asshole, but then, she wasn’t little miss innocent, and she could handle it. Or maybe she couldn’t. Hell if he cared. Ashleigh had slipped his mind momentarily, but he soon looked over at her, shrugging, eyes flashing with that same glint of playfulness when he looked at her. “Sorry about that, love. Seems we’ll have to get you drunk a bit later.”

---

Chase Westley got out of his black chevy after parking it in front of the Arcana Academy, a place he had never been before in his life. Pushing the door shut, his gaze looked it over from the outside. He had to say he was impressed. If it was as good on the inside as it was on the inside, going to school might actually not suck entirely. Not that he didn’t like learning – he had just graduated what qualified as high school already, so he was pretty certain he had been taught what he had to be taught. He was there purely because of the social aspect, and he knew it was more or less the same for his twin. Of course power control class, along with battle strategy, might be interesting. In fact, the young male was sort of looking forward to those classes. Of course he didn’t have problems with controlling his powers, but maybe this teacher here had other or better methods than his grandfather. Who knew?

The twins had been on the road for 5 days, stopping only to sleep and eat, driving around 10-12 hours every day. Now, Chase liked to drive, so it didn’t bother him at all, but he could tell Kayla was getting a bit restless just sitting there in the passenger seat, and he couldn’t blame her. If it’d been him, he would’ve jumping out of his own skin. And he would’ve let her drive… but no. No matter who it was, no one but him drove his car. Not even his twin sister. Chase patted the roof of the car, smiling to himself. “Don’t think it’ll be too bad, sis,” he commented to his sister, slightly absent. Then the male walked to the back of the car, getting their bags and suitcases out of the trunk. He put them easily down to on the ground and smiled at Kay before taking his own suitcase and extra duffel bag. Taking his own welcome note out of his pocket, he looked it over. Room 13, and he remembered Kayla being in room 8. Well, at least they weren’t that far from each other. Small favors.

Once Kayla had her things gathered, Chase shut the trunk and locked the car, before the two of them made it inside. “Rooms on 2nd floor” he murmured to himself as they walked to the elevator situated in the fancy reception. He let Kayla get in before him, a force of habit, and then entered himself. As the death trap moved them up, Chase remained quiet, thinking. He thought he could hear music and that made him wonder. Of course he didn’t really even ponder the possibility of a party, because they had school tomorrow. He knew that from his note; they were starting classes tomorrow morning. Which was why he and his sister had arrived just in time to get settled in and all before school started. Once on the wanted floor, the two got out, again with Chase letting Kayla out first and he subsequently walked with her to room 8, where he stopped, smiling halfheartedly. “Looks like this is your stop, Kay,” he noted, one hand moving to mess up her hair. On that note, his half smile turned into a grin. “Hey, I heard music, so I’m thinking we put our bags in our allotted rooms and then go explore. Generally we should definitely take a look around.” Then he looked down the hall briefly, “I’ll be back in a sec.”

On that note, Chase made his way further down the hall, finding room 13 easily, on the other side from Kayla, but a bit too far down if you asked him. He didn’t much like being this far from her in a new place like this. You never knew what might happen. Hell, her roommate might be a psychopath and he’d be too far away to hear any commotion. She can handle herself you know, a more rational part of his brain interrupted, and he sighed, knowing that part was right. Still, he had trouble letting go of the anxiety he felt. He had always taken care of Kayla, not only because he felt protective, but because whenever they’d go out, his grandfather would gruffly tell him, “you take care of her, Chase.” And he always would. Hell, he’d gotten in fights with bastards who stepped out of bounds. Guys who started feeling her up, and seeing as Chase could so easily tell when she was uncomfortable, he’d always been there to shove the guy off. Thing was that they couldn’t usually use their powers in public, and physically his sister wasn’t that scary, honestly. So she’d needed him to be there. It might not be the same way here. Not that that would stop him.

He put his bags down in the room, looking around. It was pretty neat, he had to admit. But he’d have to look at things there later, so after a quick look at the bathroom, Chase moved out into the hallway once more and made his way towards room 8, home of Kayla Westley and her roommate, whose name Chase honestly couldn’t recall. He only hoped she wasn’t a psycho like part of him feared. Stopping by the room, he called out in a playful tone, “I’m back; you can stop missing me now.”

Leo couldn't calm down, no matter what Amy was trying to say to him. How could he clam down, walking in on his girlfriend collapsed on the floor like that? His pregnant girlfriend! She wasn't fine - that was evident. There was no way that she was going to be able to convince him that she was okay, unless she got up and started doing the cha-cha slide, or some other crazy dance. He didn't want to calm down; he didn't really think that he could, anyway. She couldn't ask that of him. He wasn't as calm and collected as she was, especially when it came to something, or someone, that he cared about dearly. He was completely the opposite, in fact. Panicked, definitely. He tried to suppress it as much as he could, looking her straight in the eyes instead of letting them frantically search her body, and lowering the pitch of his voice when he spoke from a squeaky mouse, to his normal tone.

However, his eyes widened again when Amy told him that he believed the baby was feeding off of her powers. What? It was... the baby, his child, that was doing this to his beloved girlfriend? She was right; it did sound bad. He didn't like the sound of that at all, and he would definitely make sure that she didn't have to use her powers again, unless it was a dire emergency, until... the baby was born. He didn't want her doing anything at the moment, anything that would cause her to end up like this again. Would she be able to carry on with her teaching? Her nursing duties? He wasn't sure - the immortal teacher knew that his stubborn girlfriend would want to carry on as normal, and wouldn't listen to his protesting against it, but he believed it would be best for her, and their... child, a word he still had trouble thinking about, if she stayed as relaxed as possible.

Then, another thought came into his mind; how in the hell had she come to be like this? Had there been an injured student? Someone who had been seriously hurt, so badly that it had caused Amy to end up like this? Just as he was about to ask her about it, however, Amy started explaining the situation to him. Chris? She had put herself in this situation, because of Chris? What the hell were your thinking, Amy? How could you let yourself end up like this? You shouldn't have pushed yourself so far... All of these things bounced around Leo's mind, words he wanted to say out loud to her, but words that he suppressed. He wasn't going to upset her in this state - there was no way that he was going to add any more stress and worry to the woman that he loved. So, he just shook his head, and slowly moved so that he could pick his girlfriend up bridal style.

"Amy..." He sighed, wrapping his arms around her tight enough so that she wouldn't fall, "I understand." He told her, pressing his lips softly to her forehead, before making his way towards the bedroom in his apartment. "It's your nature to help people; just please, promise me something? Please, don't push yourself this far again. For me? And... for... the baby." He stammered out, laying her down gently on his bed, a comfortable place for her to rest; it had to be more comfortable than the floor, anyway. He then sat down next to her, on the edge of the bed, taking her hand into his. He linked their fingers together, hating the fact that she barely had the energy to even talk to him at the moment. "Promise?"

---

As he held out the kebab stick for Lulu, Jackson watched her, smiling as she took a bite. She did it... quite erotically, surprisingly. It confused him to begin with; why was she doing that? There was no-one around, in particular Drake, that she would be doing that for- only him. However, it soon dawned on him that her eyes kept darting over towards the male, hoping he was watching, hoping that he was getting jealous of the two of them being together. The male held back a sigh, and forced that smile to stay on his face as she complimented the food, savouring the delicious tastes of the spices of the chicken.

Jack laughed softly when Lu said that there was nothing better than Jack Daniels; the comment seemed false when she was holding that bottle of rum so close to her heart. He knew that her favourite drink was rum, and she didn't have to make him feel any better about the situation that they were in, the situation that she didn't know about, by lying to him about the joys of Jack, the drink that his father had named him after. Stupid Irish man. Maybe that was why it was his drink of choice. As Lulu walked away, saying something about him being good to her, the male had to admit in his mind, that he really was. The reason behind that of course was his unrequited affection towards her, but she didn't know that. To her, he was probably just that friend who she could trust. The friend who would always be just that; her friend.

It took him a moment to register that she had returned, and was holding out a plastic cup filled with a shot of whiskey for him. He clinked the cup next to hers with a smile, "Who's better." He repeated, before downing the drink. He was usually one for savouring his drink, especially Jack Daniels, taking his time with the alcohol and letting it warm his stomach progressively. However, this was not going to be one of those time, was it? He was standing with the girl that his heart was devoted to, and every other second, her eyes were darting over towards a man who was playing around with her heart. Someone who wouldn't treat her right, someone who would end up hurting her, even if he didn't mean to.

He hated people who got intentionally drunk. There was no point in it, getting so paralytic that you forget how good the night was before, was there? Jackson only usually had enough alcohol to get him to his "merry Irish" point, where his Irish drawl became thicker, his smile became wider, and he just felt happy. And with the amount of alcohol that he had already drunk tonight, he was at that point. However, the happiness was being overshadowed by another feeling of just that; being overshadowed. "No-one's going to hate your guts, Lu." He sighed, putting down the cup, feeling as if this was going to be defining moment. He couldn't stand here any more with her, knowing that she was only half in the conversation, her eyes definitely searching elsewhere.

"Lu, I can't. I.... can't do... this, any more. I can't." Jackson began, running a hand through his messy hair. "I can't stand here pretending it's okay, that I like talking to you when I know all you want to be doing is talking to him. Your comment earlier, about me being better to you than anyone else - you know that's true. You know that he's just going to end up hurting you, and you still want him. That kills me, Lulu." Jackson paused for a moment in his admittance, and pressed his lips to her forehead, before letting his arm around her go loose and stepping away. "I care about you more than you'll ever know or appreciate, Lulu. I always have, and always will. You're beautiful, kind hearted, and the most amazing person that I have ever met; and you deserve so much better than... him." The male sighed again and took the moment to look into her eyes, his voice sincere and quiet. "I'm in love with you, Lulu."

However, before anything more could be said, McKenna arrived, interrupting the mood that he had set between himself and Lulu. He turned to look away from the woman whom he had just declared his love for and smiled softly towards McKenna. She was a good friend of his, someone who he liked to talk to occasionally, but he was not in the mood to talk to her after the conversation that he had just had. "Thank you, McKenna. You look very nice, and I hope you enjoy your night. I must excuse myself now, I apologize. Lulu, I hope you find someone to fix your door." The Irish man nodded at both of the women and then turned on his heel and and left, not want to wait around to see how his words had affected her. Instead, he was already regretting his decision, and wanted to take everything he had just said back, go back in time and stop himself from saying it. But, it was over now. It was finished. His friendship with Lulu would never be the same again, and he had just admitted his biggest secret to her - something he hadn't wanted to tell her, but it had finally just blurted out.

Well done, Jack. You've just ruined the best thing you ever had.

---

Max Henderson was definitely not the easiest person to hide things from, that was for sure. And it wasn't just the fact that he could feel your emotions, either. The way that he could read body language and facial expression also helped him learn how people were feeling, helping him get through in this pain filled world. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that Corentine was upset, or at least angry, by the way that she was sitting, and the glares that were exhibited on her face, direction towards one male in the room in particular. He watched as she copied the moves that he had perfected over the years, downing shot after shot to try and null the emotions that were trying to take her over. That, he had picked up, just because it was his trademark move. His line of view was blocked momentarily by the stunning body of Esme pushing it's way between the two of them, but he decided to ignore her, just as she was going to do to him.

He took a second to watch her ass as she walked away, appreciating the body that he had run his hands over many a time, the ass that he had cupped as she bounced ... yeah, you get the picture. A smirk appeared on the male's lips as he downed the rest of his drink and waved his hand in a short movement, summoning over the bartender. "I'll have whatever she's having." He commented, gesturing over to Corentine - whatever she was drinking seemed to be working on her emotions, dulling them down to the point where she was beginning to loosen up slightly, a feeling that he wanted to know as well. He finished the whiskey quickly before the new drinks were soon placed in front of him and he copied her movements, downing two of them straight away, one after the other. The alcohol was a lot stronger than the vodka and whiskey that he had been drinking, and it hit him with a powerful punch.

Then, Max's hand was wandering up Corentine's bare thigh, his own excitement at where this was going to lead growing. The alcohol was quickly removing any other emotions that had been growing in his mind, dulling them down to a soft droning that he was slowly learning to ignore. A wave of sadness suddenly hit him and he downed another one of the shots, which quickly dulled the emotion down to a small whine. This stuff was good, he had to admit that. Nice work, Miss Quellen. Somehow, their bar-stools had been moved closer together, and it was now easy for Corentine to lean forward. The combined feeling of her lips nipping at his ear seductively, and her hand trailing it's way down his body caused a shiver to make it's way down the male's spine, his body responding to hers almost instantly.

The blunt answer that came out of her mouth almost made the male chuckle, and he down the last couple of his shots after she had leaned back. He followed her line of gaze as she turned, watching the male that she was so upset about walking out with one of his own usual fucks, and he could almost feel that wall of emotions that she was holding up so well, collapse to the ground. So, instead of letting that happen, the male got down from his seat and walked around behind her, holding out his hand for her to take. His lips came to rest against her ear as his deep, sultry voice whispered, "now that, I can help you with," before he softly nipped at the skin below her ear. "Care to follow me up to my room?"

Chris stretched as he went into his room. He felt great. Partially because of the workout he had just had, and partially because of Amy's healing of him. He had insisted that she left him alone, that he'd be fine, but she insisted on it. She had then slept for three hours solid, without either of them getting to explain why they felt like crap. Chris had listened to music, read for a bit, but eventually he'd had to leave Amy asleep so he could go work off his excess energy. After a few laps of the pool, a few laps of the tennis courts, and an hour-long workout, he was finally beginning to tire.

The first thing he noticed when he went into the bedroom was that it was empty. The second thing he noticed was a note on the bed in Amy's writing. He went over and read it, a small smile appearing on his lips. He didn't doubt that they would have to discuss what happened. Amy never forgot about things like this.

Collapsing onto the bed, he checked his phone. It was still pretty early, and he could hear the sounds of the party downstairs. He made a mental note to stay away from it. Parties had never been his scene. He liked to have a clear head first thing in the morning, and a late night after dancing and possibly alcohol wasn't the best idea for it.

He had to admit. He was bored. He didn't have anyone to stay up late and watch movies with. He had always had a roommate since Arcana. There was nothing stopping him from doing so, but it wasn't the same without someone to do it with. It was starting to get dark, so tennis and swimming weren't going to happen. Amy was probably still with Leo, and he hadn't had time to meet any other teachers.

He reached into the depths of his bag and pulled out his MacBook. When he turned it on, the lesson plan he had started working on when Amy had been sleeping was open. It was still blank. He closed it and fished out his headphones. Slotting a disk into his drive, he relaxed as the movie started to play. But he couldn't enjoy it. He was too lonely. So he pulled on his favourite pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt after briefly showering. Closing his laptop as he headed out of the room, he headed towards the general noise that was undoubtedly the party. His eyes scanned the scene, searching for another teacher to talk to. Spying a woman by the bar, sitting in a chair, swirling her wine, and generally looking bored, he went over to her and grabbed the chair beside her. He sat down, a grin on his face. "You got the short straw, hmm?" He said, grinning at her. "I'm Christopher Russell, PE Teacher, extra-curricular supervisor, and general show-off, but you can call me Chris." He winked at her and his grin widened.

Some part of him reminded him that this was how the incident with Corentine started.

Amy could practically see the wheels turning in Leo’s head as she explained how she’d ended up in the condition he’d found her in, weak and tired, curled up on the floor. By the look on his face, Amy almost expected him to tell her off for being stupid, and more than that, she worried he’d blow up and take it out on Chris. Fortunately, however, Leo was better than that and instead just moved to pick her up. Once in his arms, Amy closed her eyes, sighing softly. Her head came to rest upon his shoulder as she finally relaxed, breathing in his scent and revelling in his heat. It felt good to be back in his arms like this considering the day she’d had. Things had been intense, and her head felt like it was about to blow. The day she’d had, well, she couldn’t think of days worse than this. She hated arguing with Leo as it was, so adding everything else to the list, the only positive thing to tell of, was meeting Chris again. Which had also resulted in her tapping herself out. She also knew that the blame for most of it, was on her shoulders, so she didn’t want a pity party. She just wanted to fall asleep in Leo’s arms and wake up a new day.

When Leo began talking finally, his arms tightening around her, Amy smiled weakly, loving him so much for not freaking out at her, loving him for knowing exactly what she needed; him, with her. She could feel when he began walking and figured he was either taking her to his couch, or to the bedroom. Most likely the bedroom since he probably knew she wouldn’t be awake for much longer, and the bed was by far more comfortable. She’d just slept three hours in a chair; a bed sounded like heaven to the young nurse. When he mentioned their baby, Amy’s violet eyes fluttered open. Was he on board? He wanted it too? Her eyes slowly looked over his face, attempting to read him. She thought maybe part of him did want to become a father, but she could also tell he was terrified of the idea. She thought maybe both the responsibility, but also the fact of the baby growing up and dying before him, was what pushed down on his shoulders presently. It worried her if she had to be honest, because she knew Leo would make an amazing, albeit slightly over protective father.

Soon, the brunette was placed on the bed, Leo sitting down on the edge next to her. A slight sigh of comfort escaped her as softness enveloped her, encasing her delicate body. The pillow below her head was heaven on earth. Her gaze sought out the man she loved, not able to stop looking at him now that she had started. She wanted to reply to him, but she had a feeling he wasn’t quite done talking, and she didn’t exactly have energy to waste as it was, so instead she watched him, waiting for him to finish saying what he needed to say. Another weak smile came onto her lips when he linked their fingers, that slight tingle of electricity still there despite her own fatigue. That amazed her, honestly. Then Leo asked her again, ”promise?”, and she nodded slowly, not quite sure what to say. He had surprised her a little by remaining calm. And she didn’t want to lose the baby either. Plus, Leo had asked her to take better care of herself, so though she had no clue where her limits here currently, she still couldn’t say no.

“I’ll try,” she said softly, looking up at him, breathing pattern heavy and a little laboured. “Just need to get used to my powers not being quite as… resourceful as usual.” With that, she offered another half smile, squeezing his hand weakly. “Baby, you need to go get some food. You haven’t eaten all day.” She said it mostly to get focus off of her, and also because he did indeed need to eat. There was no way she was going to be able to keep anything down currently herself, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t eat. Almost on second thought, Amy added, “then afterwards, could you maybe join me down here? Cuddling sounds amazing right now.” Admittedly, Amy’s voice was still weak and she knew she sounded completely off, but at least she was talking. That was better than nothing, right? All she knew was that she definitely needed to go to sleep early, and she didn’t want to sleep alone. Or… at least she didn’t want to lie in bed alone. Besides, she felt like after all the two had been through, they needed to mend things somehow. On top of that, the young teacher just felt like curling up in Leo’s arms.

---

Cor didn’t miss the fact that Max’s gaze was directed at the same pair hers were. She knew he’d probably figured almost everything out now, aside from the details. He probably had the series of events lined out in his head right now, and he was probably right about all of his calculations. Somehow it only bothered Cor more that it had been Esme of all people Jay had chosen to head off with. She had never been more grateful for alcohol, because this thing with Jay… was breaking her. Not just her heart, but her as a whole. It felt like he was hammering at her, trying to break her into little pieces, and he was so damned close. The blonde had a feeling this was it between them. They had both gone so far; hurt each other so much, that they couldn’t go back. They just couldn’t, no matter how much she loved him. The thing was she only just realized that fact this exact moment. Watching Jay leave with Esme made Corentine realize exactly how messed up and lost things were, so she might as well stop fighting.

On that exact note, Cor’s purpose in being with Max, changed. She didn’t want to hurt Jay, she didn’t want revenge… she just wanted to feel better. She just wanted to pull herself back from breaking point and last time she had done that in two ways; screwing around like a whore, and spending a whole lot of time with Elijah. Of course that had only worked after her big breakdown, one she was desperate to avoid this time. Getting over Jay was a hell she didn’t want to go through, but even the stubborn bitch that she was, could recognize that it was time to throw in the towel. Jay didn’t want her and her alone. He wanted her… and a lot of others, and Cor just couldn’t live with that. She’d never be able to accept him looking at others like that, knowing that he’d love to be with them. One thing was for your boyfriend to look at others with appreciation, that made sense – she wasn’t going to stop looking at others either, but Cor knew how to read Jay, and the way he looked at Esme for instance, or Lulu, or Addie… she could tell it was more. That was what scared her shitless.

She took a deep breath after a little while, once the two had turned a corner and were out of sight. Her heart was pounding out of control and her breathing pattern was slightly uneven, so she was rather frazzled when Max’s heady, seductive voice sounded right by her ear, accompanied by the feeling of lips she had kissed many times. She hadn’t even noticed him moving from his barstool at her side, so her head moved swiftly to look at him, her eyes looking into his, light blue against dark blue. Her lips were slightly parted until her brain registered who was in front of her, at which point his lips were nipping on the skin bellow her ear, a very sensitive area to the blonde. She took a deep breath, biting down on her lower lip. Max was definitely the right person for her to go to, she decided as she looked up at him, her hand moving into his almost by itself. In the same movement, Cor slip down from her stool, her body almost gliding against Max’s due to the proximity.

Then the blonde placed her free hand on Max’s chest, slowly beginning to walk and push him at the same time, in the direction of the stairs that’d take them upstairs to the living quarters… more specifically the teachers’ quarters. She wasn’t actually allowed to be in there, but who cared? It wasn’t like Leo was going to do jack about it. Cor hadn’t spoken a word, mostly because she didn’t trust her own voice not to break if she did. She was worried speaking even a little would set about the second break down of her life. And in front of Max? Hell no. This vulnerability he’d seen tonight so far was plenty in her books. Rather Max than some others, sure, but if she was going to cry, she was definitely going to make sure she was alone. As she moved, she noticed Erin storming off, away from Drake, out of the corner of her eye, but for once Cor wasn’t mentally capable of containing more. Besides, Erin had rid herself of Cor’s friendship just earlier that night.

The merlot was cooler than she would have liked though the evening was fresh. Katia sipped at her wine casually, draining the wide rimmed glass quicker than she normally would have. The dancer reclined in her seat with her legs crossed, her left sitting on her knee. Her posture was relaxed and her facial expression quite amused as she watched Max Henderson get tossed something by the bartender while a troubled looking blond student next to him started talking to him. They flirted, that much was plain to see. It was disconcerting for her, knowing that he was a teacher, but Leo had explained that he had been a student the year before. Still, she sat and heavily considered intervening. Katia just wasn’t sure how to go about it. That and it was entertaining to watch because another girl got in on the mix. Unable to hear and unknowing of their names, Katia was pleased to fill in the details. People watching was a great pastime and she was amused as she imagined the exchange. Temptation was ever present to act out the scene she saw in her head. Locking in on their bodies and maneuvering them when they were drunk would be so easy. With limited inhibitions and will power, they were like marionettes. It would all be too easy.

"You got the short straw, hmm?" a male voice asked her. Startled, Katia sat upright in her chair, her leg shifting so that her feet were crossed at the ankle. “Hmm?” she hummed, shifting her glass as she moved so that she didn’t spill it’s contents. Looking over to her side she was face to face with a dark haired young man, likely her age. His jaw was square with just a hint f stubble. Katia couldn’t deny that he smelt fresh and as her eyes scanned his outfit doing a New York once over she felt her interest suddenly captured. He was hot.

“Well, apparently they can add sub-clauses into a contract,” Katia replied with a smirk, shrugging off his comment as she shifted in her seat towards him so that her arm could swipe the bottle of wine that she’d set on the grass beside her chair. It was an unintentional move for as she bowed forward the collar of her shirt bowed and he was given a brief view down her shirt. Within a second she had the bottle in hand and she sat upright and forward, refilling her glass. “So who are you? Should I be worried about you being some psychopath?” she asked with a sideways glance of curiosity.

"I'm Christopher Russell, PE Teacher, extra-curricular supervisor, and general show-off, but you can call me Chris," he replied, his smile widening as he winked at her. Katia’s smirk grew wider and she exhaled a short breath to hide her desire to laugh lightly.

“I’m Katia Hunt,” she introduced herself. “I’ll be teaching PE, Dance and Music. Was just hired and I was told that I need to babysit Mr. Henderson.”

The dancer looked back over to the bar, her smile shortening as she realized that Max had stood and was preparing to leave…with the blond student. “Do I let him get off? I don’t know if I want to get up,” she wondered aloud, looking over at Chris directly to get a closer look at his face. "Besides, watching these students grind and grope on the dance floor is also making me cringe a little. The dancer in me dies when I see that...dry humping."

Chris grinned as Katia spoke. He was really looking forward to teaching classes with this woman. She definitely would be a bit of fun. The dancer in me dies when I see that...dry humping. She said, looking directly at Chris. His grin widened a little. "Shall we show them what dancing really is? You name the style. I've probably seen it done somewhere. You see, my power is muscle memory. Anything I see, I can do. It takes the phrase 'monkey see, monkey do' to the max."

Dancing was one of Chris's lesser known passions. Sometimes, when he was alone in the house, he would blast some music and dance around the house. He went to all of the dance movies just for the dancing. It was always so hard not to get up and dance along the rows of seats as he watched. Chris was just that kind of person.

He had even gone to dance lessons as a kid. His teacher had eventually kicked him out after an eleven year old Chris had show her up after her years of training. His parents hadn't been quite sure what to do with him, so they just sat him down in front of Grease.

Chris scanned the dance floor as he waited for Katia's reply. It was a shame to see these kids not being able to dance properly. He had to resist his urge to sit them down in front of a few dance movies and tell them "This is how it's done. Observe and get back to me when you can dance like that." Unfortunately, as far as he knew he was the only one with muscle memory in this school. Which was a shame. They could show off with each other.

Oh, he did love to show off. It was his biggest flaw, definitely. He hadn't even been that hot on that beach, but he had taken off his shirt anyway, just for the female attention. He had gotten that, but not how he intended. He meant for girls to stare, not to get a modelling contract and end up running away from girls who were chasing him down the street calling his name.

He vividly remembered opening the door one morning to seeing his garden packed with paparazzi. He had simply slammed the door and went back to bed. He had had so many mornings like that, he had considered buying a periscope so allow him to see if his garden was clear before heading out. He was always careful not to get drunk, because the media would have a field day with that. They always managed to turn something innocent into something awful and degrading. Thankfully, Chris had been careful enough not to do anything to allow them to portray him in a bad light.

Chris strode out into the middle of the dancefloor. He took a running start and performed a double back flip before landing on his feet and grinning at Katia and holding out his hand.

Rum. It wasn’t enough. One mouthful and her throat felt like it was on fire and she had to stop. Instead of the numbness she anticipated from this feeling of just utter shock, she only felt more struck by Jackson’s words. He loved her. But how? Why…when? How long? Had he seen her looking at Drake all night? Had she been that obvious?

How had she not given him her full attention tonight? Jackson had always captivated her. But if she was being honest with herself, he hadn’t for awhile, especially the past year when Lulu’s midnight chats with Drake had become a nightly occurrence. She had loved Jack but she didn’t now which just seemed cruel. Jack's saying I love you only had her mind drifting elsewhere, and painfully so. All she could think about was the guy who had her attention that moment, the very same guy that Jack didn’t like her for liking. Drake. The one who was destined to hurt her or use her so everyone said.

One sip, that’s all she'd had. On top of the cup of Jack Daniels and Pepsi, she felt like she had too little alcohol in her system. The blond turned idly to pick up the bottle of rum again, bringing it to her lips and trying to push herself to down it. If she blacked out then maybe she wouldn’t feel this.

Then suddenly the bottle was being pried out of her fingers and she opened her eyes, which she hadn’t noticed she had closed. Startled by Drake’s proximity, Lulu slammed her body into the wall, the back of her head doing so with a loud thud. She winced and blinked rapidly, her left hand idly trying to reclaim the rum but it was beyond her reach and he was right in front of her. Lulu stared at him, her eyes wide and red with her tears. Her lips stopped trembling as he reached and swept a stray lock of hair from her face.

“Lulu, what the hell are you doing?” Drake asked her. “Do you know how many times I’ve been asked that today?” she replied, raising her eyebrows with a snort of laughter at herself and the situation she was in. Lulu was pleasantly surprised. The more she looked at him, the more concern seemed to show on his face. Lulu smiled weakly as he moved to use his thumb to push away any remaining tears from her cheeks. That was unexpected. That was so very…not the Drake she’d just seen talking to Erin or Ashleigh. Here was the guy who had spent nearly every night talking to her through insomnia, sharing music while they exchanged taunts and teases.

“What happened?” he asked her gently. With him so close, to there, she had almost forgotten. “I loved Jack for such a long time. From the stupid playground crush to a kind of consuming desire. It was years, living like that. Then he was with Beth and he moved. So I moved on...” she started, only stopping to inhale shakily. Lulu sensed that her words were making little sense so she was blunt when she continued. “My best friend just told me he loved me and all I can think about is you.”

Lulu felt her breath quickening. Without even thinking her hands moved to clench onto the loose fabric of his shirt in fists. She needed something to hold onto in that moment because the tension, the desire she felt, was so consuming it was nearly overwhelming. Lulu had never outright told him that she liked him, only teasing him and dropping lines like she had all day, alluding to sex and him helping her shower. It was all implicit. But here, now, she had just said it and she truly had no idea of how he would take it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Katia liked that she had him amused. It was nice to watch his smile widen into a full fledged grin. Chris reminded her a little of a Cheshire cat but she couldn’t yet tell if he was the riddling or amusing type.

"Shall we show them what dancing really is? You name the style. I've probably seen it done somewhere. You see, my power is muscle memory. Anything I see, I can do. It takes the phrase 'monkey see, monkey do' to the max,” Chris asked her. She titled her head at that explanation. Few people were so up front about their powers and Katia would be kidding herself if she said she was used to that. She smiled and nodded her head, watching as he moved to stand up. Excitement pulled at his features, the prospect enticing. He was taller than her but just enough and well built, she could see. Katia didn’t doubt that he would be an interesting dance partner. The true question was whether or not he had rhythm and fluid mobility.

Katia sat and watched him as he approached the dance floor, her feet still crossed and her left hand still swirling the red wine in her glass. When he started to run towards the crowd of students she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. When he launched himself into a double backflip her hand stopped moving and her eyes narrowed. “Touché,” she murmured, her smirk becoming a full smile as she set the glass of wine down beside her chair and moved to stand. Slowly she watched him extend his hand to her. Katia removed her coat, stepping onto the dance area. She stepped towards him in a tango step, her body rigid and her fingers taught and flexed as she approached him, touching a hand to his shoulder before dropping a finger to his chest to push him back, her body strutting.

“You’re lucky Mr. Russell,” she smiled, lifting her chin and beckoning him, her eyes locking onto his face and her focus on his movements. “Because I don’t even need to show you first. My power is that I can manipulate people’s bodies, like a puppet master if you will.”

She shifting her fingers then to show him, her mind recalling the movements of her former dance partner. Katia had him step towards her and she circled him while watching his feet, exhaling deeply as she imagined him moving like Maxim used to. If he allowed her to, she would guide him through the first few steps. If he didn’t, then she was at his whim to follow as a partner would, after all he was the man and he was supposed to lead.

Note: Inspirational routine.

Leo wasn't sure what his girlfriend was thinking at the moment, but the immortal teacher definitely wasn't the better man that she thought him to be. At this precise moment in time, he wanted to go and kill Chris, put all of his Spartan training into action and take it out on the one man who had made him feel jealousy for the first time in his life, and the man who had put his beloved Amy in such a state. However, he knew he couldn't tell her that right now. He obviously wasn't going to do it; he would never hurt someone again after how many people he had killed in the past, but he just didn't want to tell her how he was feeling - it would upset her, definitely, and she would get stressed out about him instead of the person she had to worry about, which was herself. So, the male stayed quiet, keeping his feelings wrapped up inside, carrying her quietly into the bedroom.

The immortal male felt a small smile twitch at the corner of his lips when Amy nodded, telling him that she wouldn't push herself this far, promising him. "Thank you." He whispered to her softly, bringing her soft, porcelain knuckles up to his lips and kissing them gently. He felt like he had to be so careful with her, barely touching her - she looked as if she was about to break at any minutes, and she was just so pale; she looked like a ghostly version of her usual self, and Leo just didn't like it. It terrified him, and even though he was doing his best to hide from her how scared he was about her condition, he was sure that she had picked up on how he was feeling. Amy had always been good at that; reading him. She had always been the one person he didn't mind reading him.

He didn't speak when Amy spoke to him, explaining that it would take time for her to get used to her powers being weaker, at least for a while. But, then, she turned the conversation onto him, worrying about him. "Oh no, you don't." He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly, playfully. "I'm not going to leave your side, at least for a little while, Amy. Once your asleep, I'll make myself a quick sandwich or something. Please, don't worry about me. If you had seen how long I've had to go without food in the past, you'd realize that a few hours is fine for me." Leo let go of her hand then, and slowly made his way around the other side of the bed, his side. He laid down on the bed as gently and slowly as possible, as not to jolt his girlfriend around. He then opened up his arms, letting Amy get herself comfortable. "You were right; cuddling is amazing." He sighed, a smile on his lips once more - genuine, this time. He pressed his lips softly to her forehead, and slowly, very slowly, his hand moved. Hesitantly, the immortal Leo moved his hand from his side and laid it gently on his girlfriend's stomach.

---

Erin sighed.

Her bottle was nearly empty - just like everything else around her. Her heart, her mind, the entire gazebo that she was sitting in tonight. There was literally no-one around that she could talk to now. She had briefly thought about going to find Jade, her second best friend, but she hadn't seen any sign of the girl that night, and if she was here, Addison would be with her - one person she really didn't want to talk to any more. The girl was uncomfortable, cold, and just feeling rather down, at the moment. She pulled her leather jacket closer around her shoulders, and pulled up her legs underneath her, keeping them warm with her own body heat.

Then, there was movement near her, and for a brief moment, the girl thought that maybe, just maybe, someone had actually come to apologize to her. But, then, a cute, soft, shaky little voice hit her ears and she turned her head to look across at Ashy. Ashleigh Fox wanted to come and sit with her? The girl who had just seen her be utterly humiliated in front of everyone? However, the girl wasn't one for pushing away any company right now, and she just nodded once, gesturing to the seats all around her. "There's no-one else here." She sighed, letting her eyes gaze across the large gazebo. "As soon as I came in, everyone left. They're all petrified of me, you know. But, I'm not the crazy Hulk girl that everyone thinks I am. I have control. Well, at least some. And it only happens when I'm really angry anyway." A problem with Erin drinking was that she did ramble, but right now, she didn't care. Anyone being there to talk to was better than her drinking and pining the night away alone, at least in her eyes.

"So," the blonde sighed, shifting properly in her seat so that she was looking at the girl that she had never really spoken to before, a girl that she had once laughed at because of her aversion to alcohol and sexual activities, but someone who at the moment, she was really beginning to envy. She wanted Ashy's life; one that wasn't so complicated and dark, a life that wasn't filled with heartbreak, and trysts in the woods with handsome men who had control over shadows, and one that wasn't so alone, and filled with people that hated her. The girl twisted the lid off of her drink once more and placed it on the table in front of her; she wasn't going to be replacing it any time soon. She wanted the rest of this expensive drink in her system, and she wasn't really going to stop until it was empty. After another long sip of the drink, which was now almost empty, she carried on with the sentence that she had started minutes ago.

"What happened to Mister Happy, eh? Couldn't take five minutes out of his busy schedule to come and apologize for his fucking actions? Wasn't like I expected him to anyway; I'm much lower down on his list of "things that he cares about" than most people think. I'm nothing to him other than a worthless girl who he can get a fuck out of, am I?"

---

Yeah, Max wasn't stupid. He was a terrible drunkard, and an emotionless bastard, but he wasn't stupid. Whatever was going on between Corentine and Jaysin was clearly affecting the girl in front of him more than she was truly letting on; not that he expected her to be all open and chatty with him about her personal problems, but she had to know that it was futile hiding things like this from him. So, what the male had had in his head for the night's plan was quickly changing, to something he would rather not be doing. He wasn't too impressed with the situation - he didn't like being the one to sort things out that weren't his problem to begin with, but he wasn't that much of a dick to leave her in a state like this.

Standing behind her, Max finished creating his new plan, his lips against her ear, inticing her towards him. He knew that Corentine needed some sort of release right now, and she wanted to use him sexually for that. Usually, the guy wouldn't care about how she was feeling inside and would take her body the same way that she was taking his, but tonight he just felt different. He knew that if something happened between the two of them that night, he would regret it as it would probably destroy her emotionally. He couldn't have that on his shoulders; no fucking way. So, he was going to have to get emotionally invested in this situation. Brilliant.

Soon, the gorgeous blonde was pushing him towards the stairs which would take them both to his bedroom, her hand on his chest, directing him. The male kept up his pretense, a flirtatious smirk situation on his lips, and he made his way to her side, wrapping his arm around, his fingers dancing on the base of her spine, just above her ass, touching the bare skin showing through her form-fitting dress. No words were spoken between the two of them as he led her, this time, towards the teachers quarters, the sound of their breathing and their shoes on the linoleum floor the only noise breaking the silence. It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the door which adjoined the two sections of quarters together, teacher and student, and he took a brief look around to check for other teachers before pulling out his key and opening the door.

Within a minute, Max was opening the door to his own room, closing it behind the blonde when he was sure that she was inside comfortably. Then, he dropped his arm from around her waist, and stood by his door, looking at her. How was this going to go down, he wondered? Probably not well, that was for sure. She was going to hate him for prying into her life, but the man felt oddly worried about her right now. She definitely wasn't herself. "Corentine," he breathed, his voice quiet and gentle, a tone of voice that he usually used when he was speaking to someone in his office, "what's wrong?"

Chris's feet suddenly began moving of their own accord. His grin momentarily slipped as he thought he was having some sort of seizure; but he soon realized that it was Katia's power and his grin appeared once again. "Wow. This really is something, isn't it?" He could feel the little part of his brain that contained his power kicking in. Despite not watching it happening, his brain was taking it all in. He looked at Katia and winked. "Looks like you'll only have to show me this once."

His feet quickly learned the simple repetitions and they simply moved of their own accord. He looked around and grinned as he noticed the amount of people watching. He leaned in and whispered into Katia's ear, "We're certainly getting a lot of attention."

He was perfectly aware that a lot of the looks they were getting were jealous looks. And he didn't care. Many of the students wanted to be dancers, and he had a brilliant partner. And there was probably a few jealous looks from guys, because, well, to be frank, Katia was hot. He was very aware of that, and he was more than a little smug about that. He knew he would be jealous if it was some other guy getting to do the tango with her.

Chris felt they were perfectly paired. The moves just felt so natural, despite the occasional alteration from Katia. As his body learnt the movements, he felt Katia having to control him less and less. And the more they danced, the more people watched. "They can learn a lot from us." He said, grinning. "Assuming they're not too drunk.”

They had the dance floor almost to themselves as people moved away to watch them dance. Chris grinned at all who watched, as if to say, "This is how you do it, my friends." He would have said it, but nobody except Katia could have heard him. As they finished, Chris couldn't help letting go of Katia's hand and cart wheeling across the dance floor. He then ran back over to Katia and took a bow. "We really should dance together more often." He said, laughing as he got caught up in the applause.



Zac wiped his face as the tears streamed down. The music from the party was still pounding, and he thought he could hear applause. He clenched his hands and curled up tightly in a ball, trying to calm himself down. He didn't know why he was so afraid, or why he was so angry, or why he was crying. His heart was pounding, and he wanted to just... run somewhere where everything would be okay and where all the bad things would just leave him alone.

Running. They were chasing him, and now he could hear dogs barking. He wasn't looking where he was going, and he tripped and fell. He scrambled to his feet and continued to run, turning a corner. He skidded and almost ended up in the road. He was sure someone would notice a scrawny fourteen year old sprinting down the street being chased. But nobody did. They just looked the other way and pretended not to notice. Zac skidded down an avenue, hoping they wouldn't notice. He ducked behind a crate and tried to breathe quietly. But they found him.

The leader dragged him out and threw him to the ground. "You ruined my favourite shirt. Are you gonna pay for dry cleaning?" He kicked Zac in the stomach when he didn't reply. "ARE YOU?!" He yelled at the younger boy on the ground. Zac was shaking. "I can't afford to..." He muttered quietly. The leader kicked him again. "That's not my problem, is it? It's your own fault for getting put into care. But it's okay. I'll find a way to make you pay." Zac's fists balled up. He attempted to stand up, but the gang kicked him down. He caught one of them and dragged him to the ground and used him to propel himself up. He sprinted away, leaving the others in shock. However, they quickly recovered and followed him. When they caught him, they certainly made him pay.

Zac blinked and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. However, another flashback shocked him once again.

The smell of hospitals. Zac was sitting on a hard couch, drinking a glass of orange juice and eating a bar of chocolate. A doctor came in and sat beside him. "Listen to me, Zac." Zac's head shot up. "It's about my dad, isn't it? It's bad news, I know it." He hung his head in his hands. The doctor stared at the glass on the table. "I won't lie to you, Zac. We tried our best, but your dad bled out in surgery." Zac looked up at him. The doctor's eyes didn't move from the glass. "We couldn't contact your mother. We're going to have to send you to an emergency care home. It's a nice one, don't worry about it." Zac felt his rage begin to build. "You're telling me that it's nice after you've told me my father has died? I don't care what it's freaking like! I don't want to go, full stop!" He ran out of the room and found the bathrooms. He locked himself in and collapsed on the floor. The tears began to flow as the realization of what had occurred set in.

Zac curled up on the hard forest ground. It had suddenly set in exactly how alone he was. His mother had forgotten him, his dad was dead... He had nothing left. Nothing. He curled up in a tight ball and sobbed. He felt a hand on his shoulder but shrugged it off. "Go away. Just leave me alone. You can't do anything to help." He said, his voice thick with tears.

“Well, I am feeling rather turned on right now, if that counts,” Drake replied, his voice sensual and low. Lulu was pleased to here it as he sounded more like himself. The reply made her smile widen, her lips pulling at her dimples to such a degree that she found her cheeks hurting. He always had that affect on her, making her smile so wildly and constantly. Few people could pull her out of her habitual frown and here, Drake had been doing it all day and now her face was straining from it. That didn’t stop her, especially as he moved in,

“I think it’s very tempting to take advantage of your drunk state of mind right now,” Drake admitted, moving her left hand from where her thumb was hooked on his belt to guide it south. Lulu jerked slightly, her hand tensing at what he allowed her to feel. Her mouth immediately went dry and she blushed so fiercely that her cheeks felt like they were on fire. He was so close to her, his lips skated over hers while he spoke. Lulu gasped and held her breath until he moved, kissing her forehead before holding her face in his hands. Lulu looked up at him, her eyes still wide. She was literally panting in his arms and her hands moved up his sides to his arms where she gripped his forearms, squeezing the muscles as if she needed to confirm his strength. Lulu stared at him, her eyes locked on his. “I’m not that drunk,” she whispered, her words barely managing to slip out of her lips.

“But let’s save that for another time, eh?” Drake taunted. The idea of waiting only made her knees grow weak. She groaned slightly in disappointment - now that was the rum talking. Lulu pursed her lips and nodded twice regardless, her arms growing shaky. Fortunately Drake pushed her back up against the wall, his head bowing to hers. Lulu’s arms moved from his forearms to his shoulders, gripping them tightly as she hopped slightly off the ground so that she was eye level with him. As Drake pinned her to the wall, she was able to wrap her left leg around the back of his thighs for support. As he kissed her, he was far more authoritative than before. The gentleness subsided and quicker than she would have expected, Drake was pushing past her lips with his tongue. Lulu obliged, but of course with his efforts she pushed back with her own.

After a minute, Lulu moved to wrap her right leg around his waist. With a slight jump she had her legs twisted around his hips, and her left hand gripped the back of his neck while her right moved through his hair. When she broke for air she inhaled sharply, finding herself gasping. A slight moan came from her, soft and just enough to let him know that he had done right.

To be on the receiving end of Drake’s affection was almost inconceivable. Her entire life had been spent lying low, thinking that she would never have this. Grey had always taken the liberty of telling her that she would die alone and miserable. Sure she had been kissed, groped, touched but it was never like this. She had never wanted someone to make a move on her this way. She had never felt the intensity of true chemistry. Never like this.

For a year now she had been watching girls melt in Drake’s arms, wondering if he was really that good, wondering if she would enjoy it. But it wasn’t just that she wanted him, to have a quick fuck with him. It had become more over time, over the teases and the taunts, the semi-judging looks when he would emerge the morning after one of his escapades. She liked him. And now, to have it, to have him respond to her and say that he too liked her, it was nearly unthinkable. Sure he had his history. Sure she’d had three people tell her in one day that he was the worst thing for her but for some reason that didn’t matter. Perhaps she was being too much of a girl, thinking that this time it would be different with him, that she was different to him. It didn’t matter to her overall, because to deny her body this experience seemed beyond cruel.

Lulu broke the kiss to breath a second time, panting no differently than she would had she just sprinted five hundred meters. “I can’t stay in my room,” she laughed, raising her eyebrows and taking the time to lick her lips. She could feel them puckered and swollen from his aggressive kiss but it was a good feeling. She half wondered if he was going to leave her with hickies like some of the other girls she’d seen leave his room. “And I don’t think we can stay here and not get caught,” Lulu added, her voice jubilant. Her smile emerged with her words now too. She was just so happy. It was her indirect way, truly, of asking if she could go back to his room with him.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris had an incredibly pliable body. His will completely slackened and he was completely within her control. Katia smirked at his initial surprise and she felt the pull of his mind against her control. It was often a shock when she started manipulating someone else’s body but shortly after she explained what she was doing, he was thrilled. It was a response she didn’t get often and it only made her smile widen as she kicked her left leg out in tango flick around his ankle, her right arm extended to his chest.

"Wow. This really is something, isn't it?" Chris grinned, his body moving the way she wanted him to, circling her before taking her left hand in his, his right gripping her waist – and she ensured he didn’t let it slide down any further.. "Looks like you'll only have to show me this once,” he winked. It was surprising to her to find that after a minute or two of pulling him through the routine, he started to lead. His limbs mimicked her moves with precision and he danced around her with the intensity the tango demanded. She smiled, her eyes narrowed on his as he moved her into a sweep, taking the opportunity to lean into her ear.

"We're certainly getting a lot of attention,” he whispered. Katia laughed openly, her eyes sweeping beyond Chris’ defined face to the circle of students nursing red beer cups and drinks, staring at them. Some were awed, some looked envious. A handful of boys were peeved, it seemed, as they clung to partners in front of them, swallowing their demise. Katia and Chris had definitely shown them up. He pulled up her and they continued to tango, his leg flicking around hers almost better than Maxim. His posture and carriage was proper and his footwork flawless.

"They can learn a lot from us," Chris told her as he swung her around a second time and she found her back to his chest after the spin, his arms locked around her chest. Katia leaned into him, smiling, feeling his strength and ability. Few partners could keep up with her. "Assuming they're not too drunk,” he added. “Yes,” Katia panted. “Though I believe they’ll forget this by the morning for the most part.”

As they finished, Katia found herself standing alone as Chris moved to cart wheel on a diagonal The students parted and many of the girls applauded. Katia’s left hand immediately moved to support her lower back. Now that they had concluded she could feel her injury flaring up. Her smile faltered and she grunted, holding her breath to try and relieve some of the strain she was starting to feel. Chris quickly came back to her. "Just a preview of what I can teach you," Katia smiled and broadcast to the students.

"We really should dance together more often,” Chris replied, beaming. Katia winced and bit down on her lower lip as she tried to step forward only to feel her back jerk and her nerves fire, sending a shooting pain down her back and into her legs. Momentarily she had felt so free and here again she felt like a prisoner in her own body due to her injury. She moved through the students with Chris slowly, her legs carrying her without limping but she felt even more strained if she moved quickly. “I wish,” she murmured, swallowing as she made her way back into her chair. When she sat, she squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced through the pain. Immediately she moved to reclaim her glass of wine, drinking half of it in one sip.

“When you virtually break you back, your body doesn’t let you do the things you love,” she commented before moving on to explain her pain. “I fractured a disk in my spine three weeks ago. But who am I to deny a dance with a man so handsome as you?”

Chris's trademark grin slid from his face as Katia informed him about her injury. “I fractured a disk in my spine three weeks ago. But who am I to deny a dance with a man so handsome as you?” She said after draining her glass in one go. "I don't care how handsome I am, you still shouldn't have danced. Trust me, my orthopedic surgeon drilled that into me after I accidentally re-broke my shin dancing when I was still supposed to be on crutches." He frowned, but a small teasing glimmer remained in his eyes. His face couldn't remain serious for long, and it sprung back into it's usual grin. "The next time he saw me, I had dislocated my shoulder and smashed my head against the pavement. He was beginning to give up on me altogether."

Chris had been rather accident prone in his college years. In his four year course, he had broken his shin twice, dislocated his shoulder, broken his wrist (although that hadn't been his fault) and sprained his ankle. His brother, in contrast, had only ever been in an ambulance after Chris had dislocated his shoulder and knocked himself out on the icy pavement. Chris hadn't found that funny, but everyone else had. It had over two thousand hits on YouTube. Sometimes, Chris swore that his brother had the power of foresight, mainly because he always had his camera on him at the best moments.

"Do you need, like, pain meds or something? I can run inside and get them for you if you want." Chris offered, taking the seat beside Katia. Students were still staring at the pair of dancers, some looking too intimidated to come over and ask them a question. "Although, you'd better not hog my limelight." He looked over at her and winked. "Seriously though, I really don't mind. If it's me they want, they can wait a few minutes."

Chris got to his feet. "I'll tell you what, you think about it. I need a drink. But not alcohol. I like having a clear head." He made his way to the bar, laughing and thanking the various students that congratulated him on his gymnastic work. Those who commented on his dancing he pointed towards Katia. Eventually he made his way to the bar and got himself a glass of orange juice. Carrying it back over to Katia, his grin widened as he sat down. "So, beautiful, would you like me to get anything for you?" He got to his feet and performed a sweeping bow. "I am at your service, madam. Your word is my duty." He said, putting on the best posh English accent he could do. It wasn't actually half bad. It appeared part of his power extended to voice mimicry. He was learning more and more about his power everyday. He straightened up. "Or would you just prefer I performed a ballet routine in the middle of the dance floor to make you laugh? They say laughter is the best medicine, you know." He said, his grin almost splitting his face in half.

Katia rolled her eyes the moment his smile faded. The brunette leaned her elbow onto the arm of her arm, her glass against her cheek as she watched him respond to her pained expression. Three. Two. One. Pity.

"I don't care how handsome I am, you still shouldn't have danced. Trust me, my orthopedic surgeon drilled that into me after I accidentally re-broke my shin dancing when I was still supposed to be on crutches,” Chris rebuked her. It sounded half hearted which only made her chuckle lightly. “Sounds like you listen to doctor’s orders about as much as I do,” she half smiled. The serious tone to his voice seemed to drop and Chris was suddenly amused with himself once more. "The next time he saw me, I had dislocated my shoulder and smashed my head against the pavement. He was beginning to give up on me altogether,” he declared proudly. Katia leaned over and collected her bottle of wine to refill her glass. It was close to empty as she set it back into the glass, swirling her fresh contents and tilting her head the other way. “My doctor has faith in me but that's more the result of their ability to scare me shitless. There’s a reason I’m not dancing professionally at the moment,” Katia responded, recalling the doctors both in LA and New York who had assessed her, along with the chiropractors and physiotherapists. Everyone had told her with a firm and resounding no that she was to stay off her feet or she risked permanent spinal cord damage and, worse, paralysis which would be the ultimate irony – she would be able to move others but not herself.

"Do you need, like, pain meds or something? I can run inside and get them for you if you want," Chris offered. Katia swallowed another sip and shook her head, humming her no as he reclaimed his seat beside her. Katia let her eyes slip over his frame a second time. He had such great movement and it was obvious why. Chris was healthy and toned. All together in her mind he was quite handsome. “No,” she said after a moment, turning in her seat to look at him. “I’ll take something before I head to bed and that’s enough. Last thing I need is a drug dependence. If I didn’t feel this pain, I would just keep dancing and so many people fall into that trap believe me.”

Katia hummed and tapped her foot, sitting upright immediately before leaning into her chair as her lower back eased up. She looked over and towards the crowds of students. Several immediately looked away as her harsh gaze landed on them. They eyed the two of them wearily, though some were in awe and a few seemed to be tugging on each others' dresses to come out and talk to them but few budged.

"Although, you'd better not hog my limelight,” Chris chimed. “They’re all yours. Last thing I want is a teenaged fan club. Heard it wasn't working out so well for people like Justin Bieber,” she giggled. Katia looked over at him as he winked and she shook her head once, amused by his boyishness. He was so lighthearted it made her feel quite bitter. "Seriously though, I really don't mind. If it's me they want, they can wait a few minutes,” he told her. “I don’t need painkillers,” she reaffirmed but even that no didn’t seem to be good enough.

"I'll tell you what, you think about it. I need a drink. But not alcohol. I like having a clear head," Chris decided. “I don’t need to think,” she called out after him but he didn’t seem to hear as he headed straight through the throng of students towards the bar. Katia crossed her legs and watched him, enjoying the sight of his chiseled back. Chris’ choice of clothes showed off his defined muscles and the gentle swagger to his walk showed her that he had confidence. She only had to wonder if his boyishness was immaturity of simply an optimistic take on life. In that way she had liked Leo. With his age he was inexperienced in some things, true, but he was worldly. He had seen and experienced things and for all of the horrors he was still standing and was still a good soul. She liked that influence he had, driving her to be better, despite the nosiness he had for her life. Katia was grateful to him but it was disconcerting for him to come to her mind then when Chris was right in front of her. She frowned for a moment and set her wine glass under her chair. Three quarters of a bottle was enough and she could feel the slight buzz coming over her.

Chris returned and he was once again smiling, carrying a glass of orange juice (of all things). She leaned her chin into her palm and stared at him as he sat down, an amused expression coming over her. He stood before her.

"So, beautiful, would you like me to get anything for you?" he asked, moving to bow exuberantly like a butler. Katia chuckled at his poorly framed accent. It made her conscious of her Italian lilt. "I am at your service, madam. Your word is my duty."

“Are you sure that’s just juice?” Katia teased. “Cause last I knew, chivalry was dead. I said no twice. No means no.” As she spoke she couldn’t help but laugh again. His smile was contagious.

"Or would you just prefer I performed a ballet routine in the middle of the dance floor to make you laugh? They say laughter is the best medicine, you know,” Chris offered. Now that was something no one had ever offered to her before.

“You’re already making me laugh,” Katia replied before she sat upright and gestured for him to take his seat. “Stay awhile,” she told him. “It’s no fun to sit alone here and your conversation is delightful. Let’s people watch instead.”

Katia’s eyes swept the crowd again and she was slightly startled to see that Max Henderson was completely absent. She swallowed dry mouth, hoping that wherever he was and whatever he was doing weren’t antics that would get her in trouble for not keeping too close an eye on him. He’s an adult. He has to learn to take care of himself for at least a night.

“So, if you’re new here, have you taught before?” she asked Chris, wondering more about him. “I’ve never taught dance outside of a formal dance or arts academy where people wanted to be learning what I was instructing. I’d be lying if I said I was in my my element.”

And he certainly had no idea of just how uncomfortable she was knowing that she would be facing teenagers, all high school ages, who had likely never committed themselves to formal and proper dance. She’d have to be tyrannical to get them all to commit. Katia knew few of them would be likely to commit which made her job close to pulling teeth…and she just might if it meant keeping them in line.

“Any students to look out for? The trouble makers? The do gooders? Any favorites? And don’t deny it, everyone picks favorites,” she teased, leaning over to pinch his arm playfully. He had her in a good mood, something few people could muster.

“So, if you’re new here, have you taught before? I've never taught dance outside of a formal dance or arts academy where people wanted to be learning what I was instructing. I’d be lying if I said I was in my my element.” Chris grinned. "Well, besides what I had to do in college, no. I had only started looking for work when I got the email from Leo. I have no clue how the hell he knew I was a qualified teacher. The only work I'd done before that was modelling, and he hardly would have guessed I was a teacher in training from that. Unless one of the magazines-"

Shit. He'd probably said too much. He decided to keep talking anyway. He'd let enough slip, he may as well tell Katia the whole story.

"Okay. I'd probably better explain. See, I was shirtless on this beach. A model scout spotted me, and I ended up doing a modelling job for some big brand. I think it was Hugo Boss. When I ended up on the inside cover of every other magazine, with only a pair of jeans on, it kinda took off. I had girls running after me screaming my name. I even had a few gay guys running after me, screaming my name. Now, that was a weird day. Eventually, the heat died down and I stopped bleaching my hair. I'm thinking one of the magazines printed something abut me, mentioning I was a teacher. Which was probably how Leo found me."

He began to wish he hadn't said anything. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone. I don't want students knowing. It'll be hard enough, being... I'm just going to say it. It's going to be hard enough being this good looking, you know? But if they know I was a model, they'll be asking me if I have an agent's number and if I can get them anything and I really don't want that."

Chris ruffled his hair a little awkwardly. "So... Yeah. That's the most exciting part of my life in a nutshell. I'm talking too much, aren't I? Seriously, sometimes when I start talking, I can't stop. It's more than a little embarrassing. If I'm talking too much, stop me. Otherwise you'll never get a word in. Anyway, the most formal dance training I've ever had is watching dance movies at the cinema. Well, I went to dance lessons for like, three weeks as a kid, but my power had developed by then, and I kinda showed up the teacher. I got kicked out after that."

He took a drink and grinned at the dance floor. There was still a few that stared at the pair. They seemed to be slightly intimidated by Katia, but he grinned at them and winked. A gaggle of girls burst into hysterical laughter as he winked at them. He chuckled a little under his breath. A few guys were attempting to impress their girlfriends by imitating Chris's stunts. Chris laughed out loud as one of the guys smacked himself off of the floor while trying to perform the backflip. He also covertly noted those who were able to even half do the stunts, knowing they had some potential.

Katia had to smile. Her second question was completely lost on Chris who grinned and launched into the story of how he had come into teaching.

"Well, besides what I had to do in college, no. I had only started looking for work when I got the email from Leo. I have no clue how the hell he knew I was a qualified teacher. The only work I'd done before that was modeling, and he hardly would have guessed I was a teacher in training from that. Unless one of the magazines…” he explained, trailing as he finished his last comment. Katia’s smile widened and she looked at him as if on the edge of laughing. “Seriously? Modeling?” she chuckled, looking at him wide eyed. He had her genuinely surprised. Sure he was well groomed, dressed and muscled but for the man next to her to be a model made her giggle. “Wait, do you still wear make-up?” she asked teasingly.

"Okay. I'd probably better explain. See, I was shirtless on this beach. A model scout spotted me, and I ended up doing a modeling job for some big brand. I think it was Hugo Boss. When I ended up on the inside cover of every other magazine, with only a pair of jeans on, it kinda took off. I had girls running after me screaming my name. I even had a few gay guys running after me, screaming my name. Now, that was a weird day. Eventually, the heat died down and I stopped bleaching my hair. I'm thinking one of the magazines printed something abut me, mentioning I was a teacher. Which was probably how Leo found me,” Chris elaborated. At the thought of him bleaching his hair and eyebrows Katia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “That’s priceless!” she said, leaning back in her chair and finding herself shifting her shoulders and breathing still with a giggle. The thought continued to amuse her the more she processed his words.

"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to anyone. I don't want students knowing. It'll be hard enough, being... I'm just going to say it. It's going to be hard enough being this good looking, you know? But if they know I was a model, they'll be asking me if I have an agent's number and if I can get them anything and I really don't want that,” he asked her. Katia’s smile pulled her lips back and she grinned with her teeth at him, trying to hide her smirk but it arose. “I don’t know, I think they’d be more inclined to ask for a poster and show up at your office in skanky outfits,” she joked, knowing full well that he had attracted the attention of many of the female students already. “With someone like Max on staff, they may think you have no boundaries as well,” she chuckled, knowing full well that with Max lowering the professional boundary that several students may conceive of more than just a school relationship with any of the teachers. Katia watched Chris run a hand through his hair, his smile faltering slightly.

"So... Yeah. That's the most exciting part of my life in a nutshell. I'm talking too much, aren't I?” he asked her and she nodded, feeling the buzz of her wine as she shifted her head quickly. “Oh yes you are but I’m a quiet person, works out in the end,” she replied honestly. “Seriously, sometimes when I start talking, I can't stop. It's more than a little embarrassing. If I'm talking too much, stop me. Otherwise you'll never get a word in. Anyway, the most formal dance training I've ever had is watching dance movies at the cinema. Well, I went to dance lessons for like, three weeks as a kid, but my power had developed by then, and I kinda showed up the teacher. I got kicked out after that."

“I can’t say I’ve ever had to do that, kick out a student for being better than me. Maybe I’m just that good,” Katia mused, watching the way Chris took a long sip of his orange juice and gesturing to the dance floor. Her eyes following his gaze to the variety of students, most having gone back to their grinding while a few couples were trying to commit to more of a ballroom style couples dance. In the middle, a trio of boys were attempting hip hop oriented dance moves. “You should have told them not to try what we were doing,” she muttered, watching quietly as one of the body tried to commit a backflip. In his takeoff Katia could tell that he didn’t have the strength to propel himself into the full motion. She gasped and winced as he lacked on his hands and knees with a loud smack. “God, don’t they know they’re not invincible?” she asked aloud, not really intending for Chris to answer.

“So, Mr. Model, know of anyone to watch out for? Students or otherwise?” she asked again, wishing she had a drink. Her eyes drifted to her wine glass next to her seat but she knew that she needed juice or water now. The laughter Chris had brought out in her had made her feel better, certainly, but the prospect of having to walk through or around the throngs of students to the bar was less than enthusing.

“And how do you know Leo?” she added, “If you did before you were hired. I wouldn’t put it past him to send an email to some random if he saw a potential teacher with powers. Somewhere. He’d catch onto that though, that’s just Leo.”

Chris couldn't help but laugh at Katia's various remarks. "God, don't they know they're not invincible?" She exclaimed as one boy smacked himself off of the floor. "Evidently not." He said with a grin. "So, Mr. Model, know of anyone to watch out for? Students or otherwise?" Chris's hands drifted to his hands. They were fully intact once again, but Chris wasn't in any hurry to forget what Quellen had done to him. She was dangerous. "Yeah, actually. Don't piss off Corentine Quellen. I did, and if it wasn't for Amy, I'd still be in immense pain and covered in blood. She's got air manipulation, but that's a bloody dangerous power. She cut me up pretty badly, and I would have been screwed for classes. I guess I'm lucky Amy and I were inseparable during our high school years." His grin lost some of it's sparkle.

"And how do you know Leo? If you did before you were hired. I wouldn't put it past him to send an email to some random if he saw a potential teacher with powers. Somewhere. He’d catch onto that though, that’s just Leo." Chris laughed. It sounded a little fake, though. His mind was still on the events of that afternoon. "I actually came to school here. Leo saw me through winning a tournament every year, passing all of my exams first time, and the legend of the time I was playing a game of tennis on a treadmill for a bet. I won. The other guy was really, really crap." He laughed, genuinely this time, as he remembered that incident. They had gotten a week's detention for messing around with gym equipment, but he had won fifty bucks. It had been so worth it.

"What about you? How did Leo come to find you? I knew just about everyone in my year, and I'm fairly sure there was no Katia Hunt in my year. Or the year above or below me for that matter. I had met just about everyone through sports and dance." He took another sip from his drink and looked out at the dance floor. "Hold that thought. Just no, I'm sorry, I have to correct them." He got up and headed over to a group of guys who were seriously failing in trying to impress their girlfriends.

"You're doing it wrong." He said, grinning. They all whirled around to face him, their girlfriends included. "What would you kn- Oh, you're the show-off that thought he could teach us to dance." Chris winked at the girls, who all giggled. "No. I know I can teach you to dance." All of the guys, who were all taller than Chris, took a step towards him. "You calling us bad dancers?" One said. Chris laughed. "Yes." He said. "Are you looking for a beating?" "No. I just want to show you how to do it right." He stepped out to the floor and showed them a quick, simple routine a few times. They were staring at him in awe. "Chris Russell. PE Teacher and Extra-Curricular supervisor." He said, his grin strongly resembling that of the Cheshire Cat's.

He headed back to his seat beside Katia. "Anyway. Glad to see that's over and done with. I've either scared them so much that they won't dance, or hopefully I've shown them how to dance. Either way, they're not going to be irritating me anymore."

"I actually came to school here. Leo saw me through winning a tournament every year, passing all of my exams first time, and the legend of the time I was playing a game of tennis on a treadmill for a bet. I won. The other guy was really, really crap," Chris replied with a giggle. Katia giggled and felt her shoulders rise and fall with the motion as she tried to contain the laughter that was becoming so contagious she thought her stomach might start to hurt. Her cheeks were certainly getting a workout. “A student here, makes sense,” she smiled, nodding and processing that Chris of all people must know the school in and out.

"What about you? How did Leo come to find you? I knew just about everyone in my year, and I'm fairly sure there was no Katia Hunt in my year. Or the year above or below me for that matter. I had met just about everyone through sports and dance,” he asked her, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Well,” she started, shifting her legs to cross them the other way when Chris moved to stand.

"Hold that thought. Just no, I'm sorry, I have to correct them," Chris paused her before he strode over to the dance floor where a group of guys were still trying to dance with a gaggle of girls and they were failing miserably. Katia sighed, her smile falling. She leaned her elbow on the arm of her chair and cradled her head in it. Katia didn’t doubt that she was tired but she didn’t even know where her teacher’s quarters were. I’m probably going to end up sleeping on a couch somewhere...maybe in Leo’s office?

Katia watched as Chris argued with a few of the boys who immediately appeared threatened that he had re-appeared. She watched as he moved to show them with one young woman a few simple steps expertly, no different than she had taught him. Still, the kids didn’t quite get the idea of frame and posture. She sucked in her cheeks before moving her left hand on her lap, twisting her fingers slightly as she got a lock on one of the boys, seeing the surprise in his eyes as his feet moved where she wanted them too. The dark haired boy took up with the girl he’d been trying to dance with before and suddenly he was leading her – and she followed excellently – in a gentle waltz to the slow song that was playing. She smiled and the boy blushed, his eyes flicking up and around unknowingly. She let him off as Chris re-approached and fortunately he retained some semblance of the moves. Katia smiled, but she could feel the drain. She was most certainly tipsy and exhausted and in pain.

Chris settled back into his chair. “Anyway. Glad to see that's over and done with. I've either scared them so much that they won't dance, or hopefully I've shown them how to dance. Either way, they're not going to be irritating me anymore,” he smiled. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you can’t sit still for more than five minutes,” Katia smirked, leaning over to collect his half finished glass of orange juice to sip on it. She raised her eyebrows at him after she swallowed the remaining contents, licking her lips.

“As for me, I never went to a school like this. I was in Venice as a teenager and I was working more than I was studying,” she confessed. "I met Leo in New York about two years ago I guess? I was dancing in a production there, we hit it off." No sooner had she said it than she fell silent. She had never told anyone that before, aside from Leo but that was all he knew. Her voice gave away that she was Italian. “You’re an excellent teacher,” she commented, raising the orange juice glass to the trio of boys Chris had just instructed. They moved somewhat fluidly though their hands tended to travel awkwardly down the backs of their respective dance partners, causing her to tsk and roll her eyes.