Drake Mauri Quellen's Story

Lulu's tensing upon his arrival made the male chuckle slightly, and soon, she was relaxing once again, knowing it was him. Jackson let her touch his chin, something he was very strange about - he didn't like people touching him, especially people he wasn't close to in any way, shape, or form, but Lulu... well, she was his best friend. His very best friend. Yes, he had Drake, and Jules, and Scott, but there was no-one that he was closer to than Lulu. She had been there throughout the two hardest times in his life, the deaths that had changed his entire life forever. He hadn't spoken to her much after that, had ignored her phone calls, texts and surprise visits, but she had always kept in contact with him, one way or another. She hadn't let him slip away, much to his own gratitude. She was a rock to him. A sturdy, beautiful rock. "You're not allowed to be an insomniac, missy." He smiled, taking her hand as it came down from his chin, squeezing it lightly.

"But, I suppose that reasons are reasons. Who knows, maybe I'll join you on one of your midnight rendevouz with Drake." Jack winked playfully at her, before the head teacher's voice took over the intercom. He listened to the message, frowning a little at the male's tone of voice. He wasn't insanely close to the male, like some of the girls around the school, or Keirol, but he was curious as to what could have made the usually calm and collected teacher act out a little like that. He just nodded when Lulu spoke, voicing his own thoughts almost exactly. "Maybe you should talk to him later about it." The male spoke, remembering in that moment that Lulu herself liked to spend time with the head-master, and that the two of them were quite close. Then again, if he wanted to find out something, Amber Romano was probably the person that he would ask. But, he wasn't the most curious and nosy person around; he wasn't one for gossiping.

However, Jackson was quickly brought back to the moment at hand, catching his best friend, his hands clasping at her waist to steady her. His eyes were filled with a momentary flash of worry, before she soon explained her falling over. "Caffeine?" He repeated, before nodding. "Right, the cafe is this way." He smiled softly, wrapping his arm around her waist, keeping a hold of her. He was a little worried now, and on her journey to the cafeteria, he didn't want her falling over again.

When they got there, he sat her down slowly in the chair, a smile on his face. "You, sit there." Jack's playful smile was on his face, obviously going to buy both coffees himself. He then walked over to the till, buying two cups of coffee, before then heading over to the table once more. "Here you go. What is it with you Noctrem kids and your drinking?" He asked her, a playful smirk coming onto his face as he took a sip of his hot drink.

Jack always had the ability to make her feel better. Lulu smiled at his reply. "You're not allowed to be an insomniac, missy," he teased. She rolled her eyes at him immediately and sighed, trying to stifle her desire to yawn. “If I had any choice, I wouldn’t be. But something happened to my AC unit in my motel room. The heat has been killing me on top of…well. Yeah. I’m an insomniac,” she rambled, shaking her head and shrugging. She couldn’t very well change the way things had been but she could do all she could to make things run smoothly by laying low for awhile.

"But, I suppose that reasons are reasons. Who knows, maybe I'll join you on one of your midnight rendevouz with Drake," Jack countered, winking at her while she tucked her chin and looked at him with a coy smile. Lulu held her tongue between her teeth and felt the heat rise in her cheeks before she could stop it. The blush was powerful and she turned away from her best friend while she recuperated. Then of course, she found herself stumbling right in front of him, the heaviness of her migraine catching up on her. Leo’s announcement came of course and she heard it overhead, commented and Jack replied.

When she suggested coffee, he seemed more than content to help her. Lulu nodded at his repetition, swallowing back dry mouth and her desire to heave into the nearest bin. Though she had spent a month at Arcana, some areas of the school were still beyond her. The walls could begin to look the same and she’d never really ate much on campus as the motel had free room service. "Right, the cafe is this way,” he acknowledged, taking the lead. Lulu was incredibly grateful. If she’d wandered off on her own, in this state, she didn’t doubt that she’d either end up lost or find trouble – likely both. It wasn’t that she wanted to be at the center of distaste at Noctrem. She just attracted it and rubbed all the students the wrong way it seemed. But she never wanted to compromise on what she liked to do, or who she was.

Jack’s hold on her waist made her smile lighten. She held a hand over his initially, a tickle rippling through her waist. Initially she wiggled out of his grasp but she felt her left knee shake and nearly buckle. Fortunately Jack was there to hold her up again. It suddenly seemed daunting to walk around without his assistance so when he helped her along, she didn’t swat him away again.

The cafeteria smelt sweet and of all the good things – pancakes, coffee, eggs, bacon and more. She settled herself into a chair that Jack pulled out for her. When she sat it was more of a collapse but she shuffled herself closer to the table at hand to cover that fact. "You, sit there," he instructed. Lulu cradled her head in her hands and moaned her content response.

The power hangover was brutal. Lulu couldn’t remember it being this bad for a number of years. Cain pushed her, sure, but lately she’d also wanted herself to do better. As a result, she’d given into his taunts and pestering to give more. Unfortunately now she was paying for it and it felt like a rubber mallet continued to tap on the back of her skull. The dull ache was aggravating and nearly had her seeing double while her body tried to compensate for it’s lack of sleep. Her eyes were slightly irritated, which of course didn’t help to how she appeared. Anyone who didn’t know her better would think she was drunk when she really wasn’t.

"Here you go,” Jack said upon his return. Lulu startled, sitting upright in her seat as she came to from her thoughts. She sat upright and reached out, her hand stopping inches short of his arm defensively before she smiled weakly. “You’re heaven on legs,” she thanked, taking the cup he offered with two hands and setting it before her like she would a priceless trinket.

“What is it with you Noctrem kids and your drinking?" he asked, smirking with his tease before he sipped. Lulu popped back the tap on her cup and sipped, finding it milky and sweet just the way she liked. Only Jack would ever get her coffee order right. He didn’t seem aghast at how much sugar she liked.

“I have not been drinking,” Lulu countered, nursing her paper cup between her hands and leaning her weight into her elbows which were propped up against the table. “Yesterday I worked with Cain. We’ve been working on good luck charms, bad luck omens etc. That and I was trying to test the degrees of fortune I can bestow on people. We’ll see how that turned out. He bought a lottery ticket yesterday after my efforts. If he won the five grand I promised him, then we’ll know that this was worth it.”

Lulu felt comfortable telling Jack all of this. Few people, aside from Leo himself, knew how much she worked with Cain on her own. Classroom work didn’t offer her much by way of skill building. Cain enjoyed it, and of course she wasn’t against giving the man a few thousand dollars – or more helping him win it – since his school had burnt down. That and Lulu knew that Jack wouldn’t immediately ask for her to help him win money. He knew how much she hated that given how much her parents had milked her powers in the initial years.

"What do you think the assembly is about? We rarely had them at Noctrem," she asked him, looking at him with sleepy eyes and a near loopy grin. There was some relief from the coffee but not much. She needed rest more than anything.

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

There are no reasons for us not to be friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Writing for Jade soon. Promise. And, really sorry this one's a bit short. I've got a lot to do.

The assembly was to the point. For that, Lulu had to give professor Marinos credit. That said, he was not the smiling relaxed man she spoke to in his office. She watched him talk with tension, his voice serious and nearly cutthroat. He didn’t want to take shit from anyone, whether it was about the rooming issues or those who didn’t attend. She winced as he concluded, listing those who weren’t present and the fact that they would be having detention with Cain for the following week. She sighed, reclining into her seat and looking over at Jackson with a sly smile. “If Cor has detention for a week, and thus so free time, do you think I’ll finally be able to sleep?” she wondered allowed, whispering her thoughts to her friend beside her incognito.

The longer they sat, the more the dull pace of her headache returned. Lulu was almost grateful to know that her power hangover was returning to her, if only because she didn’t want Jack to bear it. When the assembly concluded, the blond was still awake and content. “The day is ours! Carpe diem!” she giggled, pinching Jack’s arm beside her to get his attention. “I need to dump my bag off at my room. Meet you later to do something fun?” she asked, standing and sliding her duffel bag over her shoulder again.

As Lulu turned to the aisle she was instantly met with a dense crowd of students. Her eyes searched the faces, seeing a few familiar ones but largely strangers and younger kids. A few feet beyond she caught a glimpse of Drake. He was hard to miss given how tall he was. She smiled weakly and turned to enter the crowd.

No more than a few feet from the door, one of the older students was holding the Great Hall doors open. He was chuckling to one of his friends, pointing at someone – or something? It wasn’t until Lulu drew closer that she noticed a smaller boy, likely twelve years old. He was lanky and his hair was short, blond and extremely curly. He looked supremely awkward, carrying himself with unease in the crowd. No person talked to him and he was staring at the floor instead of ahead of him. When the boy reached the doors, the older student released the one he was holding. The thick wood swung back faster than she would have anticipated.

Lulu’s eyes widened in surprise but quickly narrowed. She held her hands at her sides and kept focused, snapping her fingers idly, twice. The recoil from her power was nearly immediate. The nausea struck her hard but she looked ahead, watching as the young boy suddenly stopped, his foot stepping forward an extra two inches to catch the door with a kick. It swung back into the face of the elder who had opted to let it go intentionally. Quite brutally it hit his nose and he backed off with a low squeal. As Lulu walked back she noticed blood in his hands as he left to seek the school nurse. With a sigh of relief she looked over for the younger boy but he was nowhere to be seen. Crisis averted.

In the mix of the crowds Lulu suddenly felt dizzy. Her vision doubled momentarily and her sense of hearing made high pitches suddenly seem much sharper. Her pallor dropped two shades and the flush to her cheeks disappeared entirely. “Shit,” she murmured, bringing a hand to her lips as she felt her stomach flip unhappily, her nausea building. Even one small trip was enough to push her over the edge this morning.

Hurriedly she ran, her eyes desperately seeking the nearest washroom. "Don’t throw up. Don’t throw up. Not yet. Not in front of everyone,” she told herself in thought. Shoving aside a few boys, she threw herself in a men’s room as soon as she found it. “Hey! Get outta here!” one shouted, offended and throwing his arms in the air as she pushed past him and into a stall. She didn’t even lock the door, she merely let her knees buckle and let her stomach roll. While the nausea had her head swimming and the toilet before her swimming, all she could do was dry heave, her diaphragm working painfully. Her body shook as the muscle tensed and knotted. Her hands gripped the sides of the cool toilet to brace herself. It was practically her only solace, that and the fact that all the boys who had been in the bathroom had now exited, offended by her presence in their nearly sacred men's only place.

When Lora commented on her getting taller than him, Drake chuckled, raising an eyebrow at her. “Sure, Lor, on the 30th of February, second Thursday of the week.” He retorted playfully. The way she was standing on her tiptoes, made him shake his head with an amused smile, eyes sparkling with humor as he looked down at her. “You’re such a dwarf,” he then teased, messing her hair up a little. He’d always been way taller than her, and it wasn’t like that was changing at this point in their lives, but it was an old argument, really, having started back in Harrogate all those years ago, and it had just picked right up now that they were at Arcana together. If he had to be honest, he was glad Lora was at the Academy. He hadn’t realized he’d sort of missed her company a little. And now there was the added bonus of her very… womanly… appearances. Okay, she’d grown into one hot piece of a girl, and Drake had trouble not hitting on her, because he usually did. With women, he’d see something he liked, and he’d procure it somehow. But again, not with Lora. That was just a no-go.

He nodded a little absently when the young gypsy talked about Leo having his hands full, thinking again. Oh, he quite enjoyed his sister’s stunts and bitchy little ways, simply for the entertainment provided in that context, but he wasn’t about to let her fuck Lora up in the process. Sure, he usually sought out people she’d hate him being friends with, solely because it was fun bothering the blonde, but Lora had entered his life before that whole thing started, so she, if anyone, was off limits. He supposed he might have to shoot his baby sis a comment on that. He hadn’t said anything about Lulu and their issues, mostly because in some ways, Lulu brought it on herself, and he honestly considered it fair enough that his sister would strike back. He knew Cor had broken Lulu’s AC, but he didn’t get involved unless he had to, and so far things were harmless so he couldn’t say he cared much. Right now it was just a little amusing. Although, he wished Lulu would unsheathe the claws he knew she had. But then it would only get worse and… oh, who was he kidding? It’d be the show of the year.

Then she reassured him she’d be careful and he cast her a wry smile, “if I know you right, you’ll get yourself into trouble regardless. That is the definition of Loralei Evans, isn’t it?” He teased dryly as they reached his and Colby’s room. Twisting the door knob he found the door unlocked and opened, stepping inside. He took an introductionary, casual glance around the room, giving a slight nod of approval. This, he could live with. He dumped his bag on the bed that didn’t have custom sheets, guessing that was his, and went outside with Lora again just as Leo’s second announcement rang out and he chuckled. “He sounds rather grouchy, doesn’t he?” The shadow-manipulator commented, grinning with mischief and curiosity, which were usually one and the same with Drake. He couldn’t help it. Anything he could bother Marinos with, was just great in his book. “I guess we’d better go then, even if I do think time’s passed a little quickly.” He shook his head, closing the door behind him followed by him and Lora heading down to the assembly.

---

At the assembly Drake had been surprised to find himself house-captain of house Tyms, where he found both Lora and Lulu… and Jay. And well, honestly, the fact that he had Jade and Lulu in his house made his ‘job’ quite difficult, and frankly Drake didn’t work for anything unless it was his own amusement. There was nothing fun in playing police officer, so the odds of him being replaced soon were probably pretty grand. First the room mix-ups, and now this? Marinos was really falling off his horse, wasn’t he? But still, the fact that Ashy was captain of Cor, was extremely amusing, and that was at least something. Except he would’ve loved to be in that house just to see how that went down. Not that he wouldn’t hear the news and rumors, but being there in person was always better. If not, it was like hearing about a funny experience someone else had, where you’re all “that’s not funny?” and the person telling it, goes, “yeah, you probably should’ve been there.” Then why tell the story at all? Still, he was growing even more interested in how this year was going to go.

On his way out, still with Lora, Drake spotted Lulu. He couldn’t clearly see what she was doing in the throng of students, but he could tell it’d relieved her, whatever it was. He was just about to look elsewhere and focus on where he was going when she suddenly looked more than just a little ill. He frowned at the sliver of worry that ran through him. What had she been doing? Next he knew, the beautiful blonde was running out of the hall, heading south. He tensed, ready to follow at instinct, not even considering what that meant. Instead, he looked down at Lora. “I’ve gotta go, love. I’ll see you tonight, right?” He quickly said before heading in the direction Lulu had gone, not waiting to hear Lora’s answer. He knew she’d be there at Jackie’s party, so it wasn’t that important right now. This worry, however, was important. He worried so rarely, he was usually shocked when it happened. Usually he found things entertaining, but there was nothing fun about sickness. Especially not if something was seriously wrong with her.

Still, though, he couldn’t help a wry smile when he spotted her barging into the men’s restroom and he sped up, just catching the words “outta here” from the guy soon leaving the bathroom in a huff. Drake stepped to the side, allowing him to exit. There was now no one but he and Lulu in the bathroom and he stalked to the stall he’d seen her enter, quietly pushing the door open. He shook his head when he saw her and squatted down next to her. Drake then gathered her hair on her back, moving it out of her face gently, his fingers accidentally caressing her skin in the process. He could tell she wasn’t actually throwing up, but beads of sweat were forming on her face. He had no clue whatsoever what was wrong, and right now he didn’t care. He just, for some reason, didn’t think she should be alone with this. He put a cool hand on her heated forehead, looking down at her with worry in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, because really… what could he say? He didn’t want to crowd her right now, so he’d wait with the questions. Besides, she was pale as a ghost. What the hell had she been doing?

That’s when he frowned, recognizing this from his first year at Noctrem when he’d pushed himself too far, too many times in an attempt to get better control of his power, but it had never been this bad, and never this sudden either. He watched her more thoughtful now, pondering the possibilities in this situation, his mind going over several different alternatives. Of course it was a waste of cognitive functions since he could ask her in a bit, but old habits died hard. Why he was even there, didn’t cross his mind right now. However, it would have him wandering the halls of Arcana for hours and hours, because with that on his mind, he wouldn’t be able to relax and sleep. Nothing new about that. “Damn, Lulu,” he murmured softly, brushing stray strands of hair out of the way once more. Of course, he’d probably end up teasing her about this whole thing once he made sure she wasn’t dying or something equally insane, but right now he was just lost. He really didn’t have much experience with illnesses and such, so he was fumbling his way in the darkness, ironic though that was.

Her fingers gripped the sides of the toilet. Given that it was a men’s washroom, the seat was lifted. Thankfully, as it was the morning, it was relatively clean though the floor she knelt on was less than a desirable place to be keeling. The blonde’s long wavy blond locks veiled her face, left loose on her shoulders. Her black sweater slid down to reveal her shoulders and the loose grey t-shirt she wore underneath. Her black jeggings slid down ever so slightly, nearly revealing her butt crack but mercifully staying above her hips thanks to a slip brown belt. Her knees were bent underneath her and her feet pointed opposite one another, her heels shoes making it far from easy to dry heave comfortably into the porcelain throne before her.

When the door to the washroom opened, Lulu was in he middle of a heave. Her stomach shrank to the back of her spine painfully, her shoulders shuddering as she inhaled a whisper of air while her throat contracted. She had nothing to eat and the more she continued the motion, the more she became worked up. She whimpered lowly as she tried to breath slowly through her nose, finding it impossible to manage at first.

Behind her the stall door opened but Lulu didn’t have a chance to look back or over her shoulder. Her eyes flickered up to the toilet handle, just high enough that she didn’t have to actually move her head. There were two flushers before her, or so her eyes deceived her. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing while her diaphragm spasmed from such violent activity. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead, right as a warm hand wrapped around her back and another swept her hair from her face.

Lulu knew it was Drake. She could smell the lingering scent of cigarettes on his shirt but beneath it was his signature shampoo and aftershave musk, a smell that drove her mad half the time she smelt it. In that moment it was mildly comforting when the lingering smells of, well, a men’s washroom were all that surrounded her. She winced and felt herself heave again in his presence though fortunately it was only two half choked gasps and choking noises as her gag reflex went off.

“Damn, Lulu,” Drake commented, concern lacing his tone. It was the first time she’d heard him speak in such a way, especially in her regard. Somehow, despite her miserable feeling, she managed a small laugh. The action was swiftly followed by a low moan. She leaned forward, her forehead resting on the edge of the toilet. Her hands still gripped the edges, her knuckles white from how tight her hold was on it. The porcelain was cold and refreshing despite the likelihood of how gross it was. She was far from a germaphobe, however, and in that moment she was even less inclined to care. It was cold and a relief when she felt so warm.

After a few minutes of sitting like that, with her head bowed and eyes closed and Drake slowly tucking away loose strands of hair, she moved to sit upright. She leaned back, not caring that her shoulders caught on Drake’s torso. Panting through her mouth, she slid a hand around her stomach to squeeze her side which undeniably hurt more than if she’d been kicked in the gut.

“Fuck me,” she cursed and shook her head, not even pausing to think of what her words could imply to the boy who sat behind her. “He held my hair. How many guys would do that for a girl they knew?” she wondered. Inhaling deeply, Lulu let the breath shudder through her shaky body before she spoke again, letting her second hand fall to pat Drake’s thigh. “I hope that kid is happy that I saved his nose from being broken,” she muttered, closing her eyes again for several seconds while her eyes began to see through the dizziness she felt.

“I’m sorry you had to see this,” she swallowed, feeling that the next few minutes would likely be quite awkward. “Sorry for taking your toilet. Need it? I think I’m good now,” she added, removing her hand from her side to gesture to the porcelain throne before her with a small smile. Slowly she moved her hand to her hand, her fingers brushing over his where he held her hair tightly in his fist. “You know, you have a lot of control in that position,” she commented with a low blush. “You could just tug my head back and I’m all yours. Though of course, this is a less than stellar place to do that kind of thing. And I'm a little less than stellar at this moment too.” What he did next was of course up to him and her eyes moved to finally stare up at his face as best she could.

For short moment, when Lulu laughed, Drake felt at ease once more, but when she then moaned, concern return and he frowned, a small sigh emanating. He really had no clue what to do here. He couldn’t remember his sister ever letting anyone help her when she was sick, even when she those odd times let people even witness it, and his mother… well, he’d never given a fuck, just like with most others. When he saw people sick he’d usually ignore it and assume that one of their friends or whatever would come to their rescue. In this case, however, he cared, and it was a completely new situation. He was going off of movies and instinct, and was just really hoping he wasn’t doing anything too wrong. He kept a firm, yet gentle hold on her hair as he took in her appearance; pale skin, knuckles white from clenching the toilet, her face covered in a thin layer of sweat, her body tense and trembling softly. Fuck, she was really sick. Maybe the Miss Roerig could help? That’s what she was even there for, right? Aside from Philosophy, but c’mon.

He just kept tugging stray stands of her blonde her behind her ears every time one escaped the makeshift ponytail he’d created with his hand. When she finally moved from resting her head against the toilet, Drake shifted a little to give her more support as she leaned back, finally letting go of her hair with his hand to replace it with the other, and to wrap that same arm around her, resting his hand carefully on her side, making sure she didn’t fall over. She looked weak enough to, and to be honest it wasn’t like there was much room in this stall, so she’d probably hit some part of her on something, and he didn’t really think she needed to add a bruise to her already bad situation. The two words she then spoke, made Drake chuckle shortly, the sound masculine and pure sex. He didn’t say anything, though. Maybe because he was too worried about her, but at least she’d stopped convulsing too badly, and the choking sounds had subsided as well. But he still felt slightly awkward.

He looked down at her hand when it landed on his thigh before looking up at her again, thoughtful. When she answered one of his unspoken questions, Drake smiled wryly. “That’s what you were doing?” He shook his head a little, voice low as he spoke, “you can’t save the world, Lools.” He said it a little teasingly, but there was truth in the statement. Lulu had this tendency to sacrifice herself for others, and that’s really what got her into trouble a lot. A polar opposite to his own selfishness, in reality. When you thought about it, they really didn’t have a lot in common, but he definitely liked spending time with Lulu in spite of that, and she’d just grown on him. Soon, he could clearly sense a feeling of awkwardness from Lulu, something that was soon followed by an apology. He snorted in amusement and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t ‘have to see’ anything.” He merely said, leaving it at that. It was his way of telling her that he’d come for her, and not by chance, with not so many words.

At her comment about her taking his toilet, Drake chuckled, feeling completely relaxed again. He still thought she needed someone to keep an eye on her, and honestly he felt she should still see the nurse, but his worry had definitely decreased quite a bit. He raised both eyebrows when her fingers brushed the hand he held her hair with, and especially her comment caught him slightly by surprise, mainly considering the situation. His eyes roamed her face as he considered what her words might be implying. He hadn’t really thought about the possibility that Lulu might want more than just his friendship, so it was honestly a little surprising. Sure, he’d noticed looks, but her outright saying it like this made him wonder. Her blush looked so out of place on her sickly white skin and it sobered him up enough to not take her up on her subtle ‘offer’. Although, he had to admit it would have been beyond tempting at another time. And on that note, his mind began going over several other plausible situations and what he’d do to her. He definitely wouldn’t hesitate. But now? Firstly he’d be afraid of breaking her, that’s how fragile she looked to him right now.

When she looked up at him, Drake had gotten his features under control and now merely looked mildly intrigued, amused and a tad playful. So he met her eyes right on, and smiled in wry amusement. He gently pulled her body closer to his, the hand in her hair moving to her face, gently caressing the side of it, his fingers dancing from her temple to her neck as he looked her over. He leaned in, his face only inches from hers before he smirked. “Maybe later, eh?” He said playfully, teasing her both with his words and presence, his touch, his voice and even the glint in his eyes. Then he pulled back, “c’mon, sweetheart. We need to take care of that power hangover.” He noted as he stood, taking her with him, more or less carrying her weight for her. Her feet were touching the ground, but his arm, now wrapped firmly around her, more or less held her up. “You okay to walk?” He than added, thoughtfully. If she wasn’t, he was going to carry her, because he sure as hell wasn’t leaving her on the floor of a stall in the boys’ restroom. Not in this state.

The longer Lulu looked up at Drake, the more she registered his coy smirk. He looked at her with a glint in his eyes, the same spark she had seen on his face when he’d been standing and teasing Addison that morning but the main entrance to the school. It was a look that made her legs buckle a little. If she weren’t already on the floor, Lulu didn’t doubt she would have made her way there somehow. She swallowed and felt the heat rise in her cheeks more so as he tugged her towards his chest. She was twisted to look directly in his eyes and she couldn’t help but stare.

When his hand moved to brush away any lingering strands of hair from her cheeks, Lulu’s lips parted and she inhaled sharply, holding her breath. Her heart was racing when he moved his hand along the length of her face. His touch was smooth and well rehearsed and Lulu felt more like a well-tuned instrument in his arms than anything human. His touch made her shudder, a wave of gooseflesh erupting on her skin. She squeezed her legs together again, curling her toes in her boots. No man had ever made her feel this way. When Drake leaned in, Lulu’s eyes widened. Her nose was less than half an inch away from his. If she moved, she would touch him and that reality both scared and excited her.

“Maybe later, eh?” Drake taunted her, his eyes locked on hers while his lips pulled into a sly grin. When he pulled away Lulu exhaled, feeling as if she had forgotten to breath in those moments. Her cheeks were brutally red, but her color faded at their daunting next prospect. “C’mon, sweetheart. We need to take care of that power hangover,” he commented, already moving faster than she could manage to his feet, keeping his arm wrapped around her side and standing her up with him. “I can get up by myself,” she said fussily, trying to push him away to prove herself, or something. But her tone of voice betrayed her. She had to admit, she didn’t even sound well. “He must want to kill himself, helping a girl like me when he could have any other who's not literally green with nausea,” she thought idly.

“You okay to walk?” Drake asked her, looking down at her face with concern. “For a guy, you’re pretty good at not looking at a girl with pity,” she said with a small snort. “And I think I’m good. I want to try. At least give me that.”

Her sass was short lived. As they stepped beyond the bathroom stall, and Drake stood behind her while she slowly tried to move away from him, Lulu felt her legs wobble. She hurried herself to the selection of sinks, quick to hold herself up with her arms while her feet tried to orient themselves. She heard Drake move behind her. “Don’t!” she said lowly, wincing and pursing her lips. She knew he wanted to help her then but she didn’t want him to leave. “I just…” she started, pausing to again swallow and look up at her reflection in the mirror. I look like crap. “I don’t need to be carried. I’m no princess. At least give me that,” Lulu heard herself begging. He had her pleading already? Did he affect all people this way?

She looked over her shoulder at him, slowly turning around so that her back was to the sink and she could lean on it. Lulu moved to run a hand through her hair, pushing back the loose blond strands from her face by herself. “So, what’s your hangover cure?” she wondered allowed, moving back to his side and, unfortunately, finding herself needing to cling to his side to remain standing. "And don't tell me you don't have one. I've seen your bourbon and stole a bottle once when you left your door open."

"Please don't go taking off on me. I wouldn't blame you but then I'd really feel like crap," she thought while she waited for his response, looking up at him with as much of a smile as she could muster.

When Spencer said that he was going, Beth said something along the lines of, "Alright lets go then," and grabbed his hand. Spencer's first reaction was to pull away, but he stopped himself. Instead he blushed a bright red. He didn't say a word, for once Spencer Jerem was speechless. This was the affect that girls had on him, and that was why he tried to keep his distance. They are a fate worse to him than alcohol, because that will leave his system in a few hours..love won't. "Love, it should be named a disease. It controls your mind and twists it," Spencer thought to himself. Beth then found them some seats and they both sat down.

Spencer looked around the room, it was decently crowded. Most of the students where there, except for a certain few. He heard Leo speak. He drowned on and on about the houses and how the roommates were permanent. Spencer sighed. Jackson and his parties, were apparently here to stay. As he heard his name announced in the house he was him. Beth was with him and so was Jackson. Spencer sighed once more. Beth was a distraction, and now was in all his classes, brilliant. As he tuned in to the rest of the names, he noticed there was no one that he disliked, and likewise. Beth was house captain? Spencer didn't envy her one bit. Ashy and Beth would probably good at it, but Ben and Drake? At least everyone know who the losing houses we're going to be. Drake maybe would be decent, but Ben was just a joke.

When the assembly finished Spencer looked at Beth and waited for her to say something. Truthfully he wanted to get away, but his mama taught him better. When he saw that she wasn't going to say something, Spencer decided that he should, instead of sitting there in awkward silence, say something. "Looks like we're going to be seeing lots of each other this year, and your house captain. I'm telling you now not to expect too much of me, other than sleeping," Spencer said trying to lighten the mood. He saw Beth's face when Leo said Jackson, although Beth probably didn't know it herself, it wasn't the happiest expression.

Drake absolutely loved the sensitive reactions Lulu had to his touch and his presence. Sure, he knew he’d have a certain effect, and he knew precisely how to get it, but there was something special about the hitch in her breath, the parting of her lips, the way her heart sped up. Then there was body language. The way she sort of melted in his embrace, and the vibrant red on her cheeks. It livened up her otherwise pale face and he suddenly felt this extreme urge to kiss her. He didn’t, of course he didn’t – now was not the time – but he couldn’t say it was easy to ignore this pull. What the hell was wrong with him? Drake was good with women, and he knew how to get things his way, but he’d always been equally good at resisting his own wants, whenever he wanted to, granted, and now with Lulu… he shouldn’t even find her this drawing right now! She was sweaty, pale, still trembling softly. Her head was redder than anything else right now, he could tell her body barely had any energy and… well, honestly, he’d never been a “fuck in the toilet” kind of guy. Sure, he’d done it, when drunk, but other than that? Nah. Wasn’t his thing.

When Lulu spoke, her words slurred, he only made out the “by myself”-part of it, and guessed his way to the rest by the way she was weakly trying to push him away. He didn’t budge. Not because he wanted to “prove his strength” or some other macho bullshit, but because she needed his help, and she was getting it whether she wanted to or not. Besides, it’d only really been a half-hearted attempt. Drake was starting to get a good feeling of how Lulu felt, but he still wasn’t sure. The way it actually made him happy instead of just coldly amused, though, intrigued and worried him at the same time. What on earth was going on with him? “No you can’t,” he told her, the quality of her speech even, telling him that she should just take his help. Stubborn women. Huh, Lulu and Cor had something in common there, and… why the hell was he comparing Lulu and Cor? Yep, he was not getting any sleep tonight whatsoever.

A wry smile curved his lips at her reply to him asking if she could walk. He turned them around to face the door to make her path easier, before easing his grip so that she could easily step away from him, if able, and he could easily catch her, should a problem occur. “Fine,” he then said, slight laughter in his voice. He found her amusing even now. Her stubborn sassiness was incredibly entertaining considering her situation and the state of her body. He didn’t comment on her “pity”-bit. He didn’t feel a need to. Firstly, he didn’t pity her – he was concerned. Those were two very different things, but he wasn’t going to outright tell her how he felt when he wasn’t even sure himself. Of course he couldn’t be in love with her or anything equally insane. He didn’t feel that strongly, ever. Well… once, but it had been more of a stupid teenage crush if he had to be completely honest.

When Lulu moved from his arms, drake remained alert and focused on the blonde in front of him. Her gaze was unsteady and he kept pace directly behind her just in case. He didn’t much care for the way she was swaying, like her body wasn’t doing what she wanted it to. Damn it, what the hell had she been doing to herself? Suddenly she sped up, hurrying to support at the sinks, and he didn’t move to stop her. For a moment there, he’d wanted to, but part of him also felt like he had to give her a chance. However, she didn’t move, he decided to check on her, and most likely carry her to her room. He only made it a single step before her voice cut him off, and Drake sighed, turning his eyes skywards. A lot of girls would be more than happy to see this sort of care from him directed at themselves; would have adored him carrying him around like they were precious treasures, but Lulu? Lulu was so stubborn he didn’t doubt it’d be the death of her. Her begging forced another sigh from his lips and he felt himself caving in. “Okay,” he said reluctantly, “but if you fall even once, I’ll take you directly to Miss Roerig and you can spend the day in the Medical Room. “ He added in well-meant warning.

He smirked when she ended up clinging to his side just to stay upright and he hooked an arm around her waist, keeping soft body gently pressed against his firm one in a now confident grip meant to keep her erect. He chuckled when she commented on his alcohol. “Funny how people always seem unable to buy their own booze,” he dryly commented, then shook his head and began guiding her out of the bathroom. “I don’t recall ever having an alcohol-induced hang-over, so I can’t say I have a cure on that one, but a power-hangover? It’s different from person to person, but looking at you, you need a whole lot of cold water, a lot of sleep and some yoghurt, not necessarily in that order. “ Then he smirked down at her. “Of course, not over-working yourself in the first place might also help.” He said teasingly.

Drake’s warning earned him a roll of her eyes. Lulu swallowed back her discomfort as she held onto him, feeling the weight of her poor decision making the day before hit her. Jack was right to have told her off for pushing herself too hard. Drake seemed to reinforce the idea with his words and she swallowed her pride lowly, keeping her chin tucked as Drake answered her questions about his hangover experiences.

“I will not do this to myself again unless I’m defending myself,” she decided in thought, knowing full well that it may happen again all too soon given those parameters.

“Funny how people always seem unable to buy their own booze,” Drake commented, his smile pulling wryly at his lips into a subtle smirk again. “I am more than able. I wanted to see if you were attentive and realized it was missing,” she rebutted, smiling lowly to herself. “You never did blame me either.” Lulu licked her lips and tried to contain the grin she wanted to express. The feel of his hand against her side was pleasant and though she was severely ticklish he didn’t seem to trigger it. She leaned into his side, her head slightly leaning into his shoulder. She couldn’t help but let her right hand wrap about his lower back, if only to support herself and to keep from looking awkward with one hand stuck between them.

She proceeded to asking him about his experience with hangovers, nearly begging him for a cure. Drake of all people had to know something. Fortunately he had some semblance of an idea. Lulu could sense his amusement and while her pride was suffering he was still holding her up and he was touching her for something like the first time. And it was deliberate, unlike the only previous time when she’d stumbled in step while he walked behind her. Drake had had to reach out for the wall and her shoulder to stop himself from bowling her over. It had been like a static shock ran through her body the first time it happened. Lulu couldn’t help but want to be around him now. He was the brother of a girl who terrorized her. He was dark and mysterious and a manwhore and yet she was curious about him. Things had always been different when they had lived close to each other in Noctrem and had their midnight conversations. He was almost a different person to her. She could see past the cover, the social aspect of who he was. Hell, she could even look past who went in and out of his bedroom, or Erin’s screams that seemed to resonate through the halls every week or two. She liked him and she didn’t know why. For him to be there was like finding gold today, especially since they had never truly been seen or hung out together during the day.

“I don’t recall ever having an alcohol-induced hang-over, so I can’t say I have a cure on that one, but a power-hangover? It’s different from person to person, but looking at you, you need a whole lot of cold water, a lot of sleep and some yoghurt, not necessarily in that order,” he explained to her. The idea of anything cold was thrilling. It seemed likely to be the best medicine for what she felt, as coffee had been swell while she was sipping but had otherwise done nothing.

Of course, Lulu’s mind wandered. "A whole lot of cold water. I could use a decent shower. And he’s here. Would he stick around for that?" Her own mind made her blush violently.

“Of course, not over-working yourself in the first place might also help.” He said, his voice slightly belittling. Lulu found herself slightly startled. His voice brought her back into the present and away from her mind’s wanderings. Absently she rubbed at her eyes, feeling how tired she was again as they moved to exit. “Yes but such logic didn’t strike me in the moment,” she said with a sigh.

Then hallway felt fresher and the air was cooler. A trio of boys stood offside and looked at her as if she was dirty for disturbing their space. Lulu frowned and shook her head, keeping her attention focused on the wonderful young man who still hadn’t left her.

“Where are the showers in this school?” she wondered aloud. As they moved she was quieter, focusing intently on moving her feet and remaining coordinated. Her steps were slowly than she would have liked but her footing was surer than it had been in the washroom. She didn’t rush herself and luckily she found it easy to keep up with Drake’s stride.

“That or a pool sounds really good right about now,” she commented. “If you could get me to either, that would be...I'd be so grateful. And I’ll probably need help,” Lulu added, looking up at him and wondering just what he was thinking. The idea of being drenched in cold water was nearly sobering in and of itself. The idea of it make her mind perk up a little. It was certainly easier to stand straight given the images her mind was conjuring. “Bad, bad bad,” she thought to herself. “He’d love to know what you’re thinking wouldn’t he?”

“If I could just sit under the water, even clothed,” she started, pausing as her left foot caught on a raised tile. Stumbling a little, Lulu corrected her footing and continued. “That sounds like heaven on earth.

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

He just couldn't stop looking at her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What am I doing? Proposing these ideas?” Lulu wondered to herself. In the years that she had known Drake she had never given him such taunts. Well, not exactly. But her taunts had never made her feel what she was feeling right now which was, despite her power hangover, quite turned on. But why now? Her thoughts had her scrambling to regain her composure. She had never led him on like this. Was this what a power hangover did to her mind? Was she that rattled?

“Help?” He murmured, his eyes sweeping over her face again. Lulu swallowed and curled her toes within her heeled boots. “Could be arranged,” he added. Lulu felt the hair on the back of her neck stand, a trail of goose flesh rippling across her arms. His tone was one she recognized. It had the subtle purr that could send a girl reeling – including, today, herself – and he used it on any girl he wanted. As the blond looked up into her rescuers eyes, she could see his glee at being in this morning. A playful spark tugged at the corner of his eyes. He liked being in this position. Why wouldn’t he? He was in control and she could barely get her body to remain coordinated. Not that she was complaining. His hands were still holding her up and thus, tightly to him. Lulu knew that she liked that.

When he announced that he knew where the showers were she was relieved. At least one of them knew where they were going. And he was going to get her there. Lulu felt excited by that fact. A little too excited.

When they stopped, Lulu found herself barred from walking with one leg off the ground in mid-step. She inhaled sharply at his decision to turn them around, the motion causing her to close her eyes tightly. She felt him shuffle her feet skillfully until her back was suddenly against the closest wall. Lulu gasped. When she looked up, he towered over her. His touch was like fire against her skin. His arms looped around her waist, pulling him closer to her. She felt his thighs against her own and the heat of his body. While he looked down at her with his widest smile, his eyes narrowed with an idea. “And probably not a PG one either.”

Lulu felt capable of forgetting everything in that moment, even breathing. She felt enveloped in his grasp, completely covered and of all things safe. It was like she fit perfectly where she was. When he leaned down she went rigid. He had never kissed her before. His lips had never once been so close to her face. Ever. That fact was not lost on her. Lulu’s hands moved to his side, if only because she couldn’t put them anywhere else. Then he bypassed her face but no relief came. Instead Lulu turned her cheek, exposing the side of her ear and neck to him. His breath made her shiver, and then he whispered. “Now, what’s the fun in keeping our clothes on?”

Lulu moaned. She couldn’t help it. It was a low and short noise but more than enough to let him know what she was thinking. Her left hand moved to his chest, her palm flat against his chest to push him back a little. “You’re making my endorphins run wild,” she murmured, choking on the words. She felt incredibly warm again and he was the source of such fire. To preoccupy herself she ran her fingers over the collar of his shirt. She was very aware of what he was doing in that moment. Discounting Jackson’s temporarily provided relief, this was the first time in months that she felt fully conscious and close to her typically attentive self.

“I’m about to combust,” she explained, feeling a damp sweat break out beneath her shirt. She moved her free hand to wipe her forhead absently. “How attractive Lulu. Sweating in front of him too now,” she thought, irritation with herself building. “I could really use that shower,” she added.

Not only that but they were also beginning to draw attention.

“Not that I don’t mind giving the clean and conservative folk of Arcana something to talk about,” she added with a weak smile. Lulu pushed herself off the wall, only for her hips to grind subtly against his before she righted herself and had her weight balanced in her feet. She looked up to him then, her nose barely an inch away from his chin. "Not that I don't want you to stop. I'd rather keep going but I'm afraid that I'll melt in your arms and this will become something the kiddos shouldn't see just yet."

Ben was pissed. Him? House Captain? Leo can go fuck himself. There was no way in hell that he would be able to do this. Ashy would be amazing at being a house captian, but with Cor in her house, Ben felt really sorry for her. People would listen to Drake, and Beth seemed completely fine with the fact. Only he was the fucked up one of the captains, of course his house was going to loose in everything. When he heard who was in his house, Ben was seriously not pleased. His best friend, Eriol wasn't there, but Eriol's girlfriend, Yvette, was. Ben pretty much hated her and it was mostly out of jelaousy. He thought that ever since she came into his buddy's life, Ben was second best. Maybe he'll use his new position to make her life hell. She wasn't fit for Eriol, no self confidence, what kind of person is like that? Eriol was going to get the best, if Ben had anything to say about it, maybe he could even sabatoge the relationship between Eriol and Yvette being the captain. On the other hand, there was no way in hell that he would be able to be responsible, hell he can't even get his own lazy ass to class let alone other people. Luckly, no one truely hated him, but niether were his good friend either.

When the assembly was over Ben rushed outside. Neither did he want to see his "house mates" nor did he want to be near people. Period. Quickly he rushed to his room, but it took him a while, after all his sense of direction isn't the best. Finally he got back to his room and opened the door with the key around his neck that Elijah had given to him earlier. On the floor next to the door, was his duffel bag, exactly were he left it. Although he did see a fairly large pakage on the empty side of the room, his side he assumed, amd thruth behold there on the mailing address was his name in his sister's cursive hand writing. Quickly he tore open the package and found a note. Inside it said,

Dear Benjamin,
I hope you are ajusting at Arcana. This is the place where I think you truly belong. I've sent you all the items that you've asked. I guess you we're pretty lucky that you were planning to visit and already sent your items beforehand. I've also brought your guitar. Tell me when I can bring up Lucifer, he misses you.
Lots of Love,
Cathleen, Jacob, and Mollie.

P.S. I've added a picture of Mollie since you haven't see her in a while and she's grown so big now.

Ben looked at the picture of his niece. Her little red riglets covered the four year old's head. She was grinning and the sun really brought out her freckles. Inside the box, was most of his things, minus a few things here and there that were lost in the fire. Next to the package was his guitar. Man how he missed her. This was what he needed right now, after hearing the terrible news at the assembly. Music was his therapy. Ben didn't even care to put his stuff away, all he did was grab his guitar and walk outside towards a clearing. There he saw Ashy and he was about to call out to her, but then he saw her with Zac. He didn't have a problem with him at all, but he was jelaous. Even though he knew that Ashy and Zac we're just good friends, but he couldn't help himself. He stated to walk away but the ripe leaves on the ground couldn't help but crunch. Ben just hoped that it wouldn't give him away. As much as he wanted to be with Ashy, there was always Zac. Ben wanted to go find a place to play his feelings out, like the teenage boy that he was.

When Lulu moaned, Drake felt a devious grin take over his lips, that playful glint in his eyes turning downright seductive. One hand danced up her back to rest at the nape of her neck, just as her own hand moved to palm his chest. His gaze took in the red in her cheeks, the way her eyes were slightly widened, her body hot and slightly damp, yet bending so willingly to his; soft and pliable. Her body was telling him everything he needed to know, and in this moment that was both arousing and amusing, which was weird, because Lulu really wasn’t looking up to anything much further than they were doing right now. Not that she wouldn’t be butter in his hands if he chose to take advantage of the situation. But he wasn’t that big an asshole. Well, not always, anyway.

So when she weakly attempted to moved him a little away from him, he let her, loosening his grip on her without actually letting go, since she’d stopped pushing him. Besides, he could tell she wanted him near. He supposed she merely needed a bit of air. Her words, and the way she spoke them, made him chuckle, though. “Run wild, eh? Can’t see why that’s a bad thing,” he teased, his gaze raking over her body. Every word and action were carefully measured on his part, even if they didn’t appear as such. His smile turned wry when her fingers began tracing the collar of his shirt, and he let the hand on her neck slither into her hair, his hand wrapping around a good part of it. He tugged her head back gently but firmly, to force her face to his, his gaze locking on hers, smile devious and seductive once more; a perfect match for the playful look in his dark eyes.

Drake leaned down just a little, his face moving gradually closer to hers as he took a little step once more intending to bring them body to body. He wanted his arms wound back tightly around her; he wasn’t done playing by far. Her next words, however, stopped him and he straightened once more, giving her room to wipe her forehead and a sliver of concern passed through his eyes again. Had he pushed her too far? He looked her over thoughtfully, trying to figure out how to proceed. His timing was a little off, playing with her like this on a day when she barely had any energy, but in his defense, she had more or less begged for it. And he was only a man, right? He couldn’t be expected to turn down willing women like this. That would be bordering on blasphemy. He nodded slowly when she spoke of a shower again and looked thoughtful for a short while. Which room was she in again? If he recalled correctly, and he usually did, Lulu was with Alli in room fifteen.

“Right, shower,” he then said, his voice normal once more, that sliver of concern for her having sobered him up once more. He cracked a wry smile at her next words. What was with the double negative? “Not that I don’t mind,” translated into “I mind,” and he was pretty certain she meant the opposite of that, but hey, what the hell did he know? He raised an eyebrow when her hips moved against his shortly as she moved and he watched her carefully. She really didn’t want to turn him on right now, because he really wasn’t a very nice guy when he wanted something, and if he really got turned on here, he wouldn’t hesitate to seduce Lulu, and knowing it’d work, Drake worried slightly. He’d completely drain her of energy… aside from the fact that he really probably wouldn’t get much satisfaction from it in her current state.

At her next words, Drake once more wondered at the double negative, but this time he knew she meant the opposite of what she was saying because the following statement said as much. A dry smile played at his lips once she finished her sentence. Oh, she had no idea. He let go of her, watching her a little, deciding on her condition and his own patience. “Lulu,” he said calmly, “you can’t even speak properly, you’re still shaky, you’re tired, pale and honestly, we haven’t even done anything, and you’re openly sweating.” He shook his head, another playful smile on his lips, before he swiped one arm around her to her back, another down to behind her knees before he smoothly moved into a standing position once more, taking her with him to hold her almost like you would a bride, her body now lifted off the ground and he smirked. “Nothing’s going to happen… mainly because you’re not really ready for it. And before you say anything, I’m not putting you down.”

With that, Drake began walking, blonde in his arms, headed towards room fifteen. He bounced up the stairs instead of making use of an elevator. Less people would be taking the stairs, and he liked the exercise. “Room fifteen, right?” He asked her, although he was almost one hundred percent certain he was right.

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

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

Standing on her own two feet seemed easier than it had been in the bathroom but still a difficult feat when she felt like she needed to lean sideways. Her sense of balance felt distorted and as a result Lulu found herself shifting her weight from foot to foot and effectively swaying on the spot in front of the one guy who could pull on her heartstrings.

“Lulu,” he said calmly. “Hmm?” she hummed in response to her name. It sounded so good when it said it, just rolling off his tongue like magic. She felt like swooning. Maybe she already was. She couldn’t stand straight to save her life.

“You can’t even speak properly, you’re still shaky, you’re tired, pale and honestly, we haven’t even done anything, and you’re openly sweating,” he explained, shaking his head while smiling. Lulu stared up at him. He was right, that was for sure. “Sorry,” she mumbled, bringing a hand to wipe her forehead only to find it was slick. “Way to go Lulu. Making a fool out of yourself. He’s amused, he doesn’t like you. Why would you ever think he would like you,” she thought to herself. Closing her eyes, she moved to side step around him. Swiftly she felt her legs move out from underneath her. Lulu’s arms shot out defensively. At first she felt like she was falling, his arm kicking her feet off the ground behind her knees. She squealed, the noise dying off when Drake lifted her into his arms like a damsel in distress, his other arm looped under her lower back and around her mid section.

“Oh my God,” she found herself uttering, her arms, moving to loop around his neck to support herself. Lulu stared at the ground beneath her, feeling rush of vertigo overtake her.

“Nothing’s going to happen… mainly because you’re not really ready for it. And before you say anything, I’m not putting you down,” he told her, looking down at her amused and yet forceful. Lulu bit her lip and nodded, feeling her toes curl in her shoes again. To be so high off the ground…she wasn’t afraid of heights but given her state, she sure felt like she was.

As Drake began to walk, Lulu tucked her head into his chest. She could feel the stares as they began to move quickly through the halls. Drake took a quick corner for a staircase. Several girls stopped mid step, clutching their binders and looking at Drake wide eyed and giggly. Lulu shrank as much as she could in his arms. They were five steps up the stairs when none other than Erin Hawthorne came into view. Lulu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh dear,” she whispered, feeling her body turn rigid. Normally she would have stopped the girl in her steps by telling her off for staring. Today she was in no shape to be doing anything. And now she knew. And she could tell Corentine and the others that Lulu was essentially defenseless. Shit.

“Room fifteen, right?” Drake asked her. His voice broke through her thoughts and Lulu was startled. “What?” she asked absently before repeating his question in her mind. “Yes, fifteen,” Lulu told him, biting her tongue as she watched Erin stare at them momentarily at them off in a hurried walk.

As Drake proceeded up the rest of the stairs Lulu tried to tuck herself as close to him as possible if only to reduce the amount she bounced around in his grasp. The motion was difficult to bear. Fortunately for them, the walk wasn’t that long. Room fifteen appeared almost too quickly. She had no idea what lay beyond the door and her roommate didn't seem to be present.

“So,” Lulu started, looking up as best she could into Drake’s face. The idea of a cold shower was too inviting to resist, whether the young man who carried her helped her there or not. “You can stay and help, or if you leave, well. I understand. There are a lot of other not sick, sweaty and virtually green girls here.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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