Magic SchoolTitle Not Confirmed

by EvaGreene

An evil force may have been released. After last year's events, Nicole is now responsible for stopping all of the deaths at her Magic School. Will she be able to do it, and make sure she is not being tricked? Or will she die in familiar hands? Find out.

Chapter 1

"What have you done to my room?!?!" I asked in obvious horror. Half of the dorm was still the pale blue it has always been, but the other half had been abused terribly. The abused half was a dark color of onyx and over the paint in purple was written the name of my roommate and a spell that kept away evil spirits. The same one we learned freshman year at this boarding school. "Well, Nicole, what happened last year has made me a bit paranoid! I have to do this so don't judge me!" I stared in utter shock as she painted the picture of an eye beside our window, which, ironically enough, symbolized the watchful eye.

I couldn't believe she was still talking about last year; we were forbidden to talk about it. The thing was students were being taken away from their dorms, never to return. It was odd, but we figured it out with the help of my sometimes awesome psychometric visions. I had met the next victim and was ordered to stay in her room the entire week and keep an eye out for the kidnapper by our special school's principal, Nicolette. I found the killer was actually a Tracker, who killed for power. The students from the Spells and Rituals class finished him off and now we were safe.

The "special" thing about our school is that we only let in qualified people. Qualified as in, people who have magical and/or psychic abilities. I have a psychic ability called psychometry. It meant that I could see visions about something or someone's past or future through touch. Usually they were just glimpses, but lately they've been getting stronger and I have enough information to know when and where it happened or is going to happen. I hadn't really had enough practice to know whether it has already happened or not. The when part only consisted of time and day, not date. But I always looked for clues to lead to past or future.

In this school no one is human. Or no one registers without a magical ability. It is called, _____________ School of Magic and Psychic ability. It's bad enough that everyone who doesn't go to this school thinks we're freaks. Why do they have to put why the school is here? It was hard not to be teased when we went out of this school. Everyone here knew who we were in the little town of Collierville, Tennessee. It's not a big town, not really. The school is situated in Germantown, which is right beside Collierville and not a long drive to get to. It was a big campus. It looked like any other boarding school, except it was not like any other boarding school.

Over here the teachers did not teach regular subjects, except maybe Literature or Drama or language classes or another elective that had nothing whatsoever to do with Science (not including potion making), Math, History and Geography. We still have gym though.

Sorry, back on topic. The room looked like someone had thrown up black licorice all over half of the walls. I shook my head at Halley, my roommate. I slowly walked over to my bed and set my bags of clothes and whatnot on it. I had spent summer vacation with my mom. "Halley, you do know that whatever was lurking around campus isn't now? We killed it and you helped, you should know that." She jumped off her bed and walked to the door. Before opening it and getting out, she looked over her shoulder and said, "Better safe than sorry. I'm gonna go grab a soda. You want one?" I shook my head and she left the room. I was seriously going to have to inspect her bags and other stuff just to make sure she's not hiding any crack.

Maybe she's hiding it in her big, volumized blonde hair or in her bra she was wearing. She is a crazy girl sometimes. But, people do have to admit, when they look into her big moss colored eyes, you wanted her to be your friend right away. I was lucky enough to be able to have that honor. She is honest and trustworthy and an all around great gal.

While thinking about the reasons I had befriended Halley, the door opened and came in my very gay very best friend Alistair. Uncommon name, but I thought it was cool. He looked depressed so I spoke first as he stood in the doorway. "Alistair, sweetie, what's wrong? I don't want to see you sad on everyone's first day back." I pat the spot on my bed beside me and invited him to sit down. He plopped down on the bed and lay back. He put his hands on his forehead and said, "Jake won't talk to me. I haven't seen him for a week. I don't have any clue what I did wrong." He ran his hands through his sandy brown hair and sat up again and stared straight at me. I set my hand on his shoulder in the world famous comforting gesture and reassured him. "How about I go talk to Jake and come back and tell you what has happened? Okay?" He nodded and I got up to find his boyfriend. I kept my left hand in my pocket as I walked through the halls getting the occasional "hi" or a wave. I kept my left hand in my pocket because that is my receptive hand. In most people who possess this ability, their non-dominant hand is the one who gets visions and the dominant one, for everyone, gives information. That was what we learned my first year, which was last year.

I walked slowly across the grassy field to the boys' dorms. I had this feeling in my gut that I was being followed, but ignored it and kept walking. I was ten feet away from the front door of the dorms, when out of nowhere someone grabbed me from behind and spun me around. I squealed as I tried to get out of the tight grip on me. The person turned me around and I gained sight of Cole, my speedy and superhot boyfriend. I frowned at him and said, "You of all people should know that I don't like it when people sneak up on me!" He smiled at my anger and bent down to kiss me softly on my lips. With my hands around his shoulders and his around my waist, he lifted me off the ground effortlessly. When we pulled away, more than half of the girls near us were throwing daggers at me. I was a little breathless when I let go of him and his kisses gave me a jolt that went up and down my spine and made my stomach tickle. "New York was boring without being in your embrace. I've missed you too much Nicole." He held me close to his body and looked straight into my dark brown eyes. He moved the strand of my dark auburn hair and tucked it behind my ear. As always, where he had touched me tingled for a few moments before disappearing.

"If you only had a clue how much I missed you." I whispered. He cupped my cheek with one hand and kissed me again. I felt my face get hot when his lips found mine. We were in love and it was obvious to everyone on campus. I met Cole here on campus last year when I was new and he was my designated "buddy." He was supposed to walk me to my classes and answer any questions I may have, since he was in his second year at this school. We got together and I comforted him when his roommate and best friend got kidnapped by the Tracker and as we got to know each other, we felt a great connection and now we were in love.

"Jake's staying in my room by the way. I knew you would need to talk to him." Along with his super inhuman speed, Cole also had great intuition. He wasn't psychic, and he couldn't read minds, but he had a pretty good guess at what was going to happen. I sighed and ran my fingers through his light brown hair. This was another thing I absolutely loved about Cole. He wasn't judgmental toward the homosexuals. Basically, he was a good guy. He held my hand in his firm grasp and we headed up to his dorm. The hallways seemed familiar now. As we walked up the steel stairs, I got quite a few flirtatious winks from guys I barely knew. When I did, Cole glared at them and they backed away. You see, the guys don't have girls come over to their buildings. The guys come over to the girls buildings. That is where we spend most Saturday nights.

We started walking down the hallway to the boys lounge area. We walked quickly past the bulletin boards, side by side. He pushed open the doors to the lounge and Cole received a few nods from people. Everyone was crowded around one of the TV's watching some sort of football game and others were gathered around the foosball table betting with money. The guys' lounge was nothing compared to the girls'. We have a smoothie bar and three TVs and better, more comfortable chairs, and we had junk food stored in one of our secret cabinets that is invisible to the world. We had it better. We stopped in front of the stairs that led to the rooms; only because Cole's ex-girlfriend was walking gracefully down it. Cole tucked me under his arm and moved hurriedly past Abigail. She went by her first name. I was always a bit furious when I caught her Cole-hungry eyes set on him. This time I was more than furious.

She was clawing and biting the air like a cat. She had a flirty smile on set in Cole's direction. I threw daggers at her and Cole quickly finished climbing the first set of stair. He whirled me around and my back was against the wall. He had his hands on either side of me. His gaze burned in mine. "Nicole, you know that no matter what I will always belong to you? I never want to go back to that bitch, ever. I love you and only you." I smiled slightly and once again he bowed his head so his lips could meet mine.

As the seconds passed, the kiss got deeper and it went from soft to rough. I was pulling him close to me and I loved the way my body fit his perfectly. His hand went from my waist and slowly got under my shirt and made its way up to my bra. I prayed a quiet thank you that my buttons fastened in the front and not in the back. It didn't seem to bother him. I wonder why I was suddenly giving off ho-ish behavior, because that was not who I was. But I couldn't find it in me to break away. No, instead I wanted him closer. My skin tingled where he touched me and his mouth went from mine to my neck. He mumbled, "I love you." While his lips brushed right beneath the hollow in my neck. I leaned into him and couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips.

"Ahem." I stiffened and Cole must have felt me do that because he looked in the direction my eyes were pointing to. I blushed an unattractive color of red when Cole got off me. Standing there right in front of us was Professor Williams. He's the Lit teacher for freshmen. Cole held on to my waist and smiled at him nonchalantly as if we hadn't been getting down to business in the stairway. Prof. Williams looked unperturbed as he spoke. "No worries. Just don't get too friendly in public." He warned. At this school it was okay to do normal teenage stuff and get away with it. The only things we got in trouble for were: getting together with a teacher, using powers for evil, or conjuring evil spirits or demons. Not much you can't get away with.

Prof. Will, the youngest teacher here – He is around twenty – slid his hand through his brown hair and waved for someone to come up the stairs. "Nicole, I had a feeling you would be up here so I brought your charge. This is your sophomore year, so this time you may choose whether or not you want to do this. Do you?" I nodded eagerly. I really did want to do this. He shot his hand out to me and I saw the tattoo I had never seen before. Maybe because he had never worn short sleeved t-shirts before. The red dragon that stretched from the inside of his wrist to the inside of his elbow was beautiful. It was one of those really long red Chinese dragons. There was fire swirling around it and it came from the dragon's mouth. I hesitantly grabbed his hand. His grip was firm and he shook it once and gave me my hand back. He called a name.

"Aaron, this will be your new informer. She will guide you in the direction of your classes and any questions you have, just ask her or me as I am your mentor." He turned his head in my direction and said, "Nicole, he will probably be in most of your classes. He just transferred from our other school in Alberta, Canada. Please attend to his needs. He was brought here for a reason." He said this in a quieter tone so that only I could hear him. Cole raised one eyebrow in confusion. I shook my head and waited for Aaron to come up the stairs. When he stepped on the landing I did a mental gaping at him. He was gorgeous. Don't get me wrong Cole is hot too, but Aaron was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. His dark brown hair was just a little curly and I could see from the side that his ends curled up when they reached the collar of his Ralph Lauren Polo. His jade eyes glistened when the light touched it. He was a little taller than six feet and he was built. His arms looked like they could lift me with ease and carry me for miles. He carried two heavy looking bags in one hand and another two that looked heavier in the other. The crooked smile on his face made my heart stutter. Stop it Nicole! You are in love with Cole! Not this Aaron dude who just walked in the school and seems like he may get in between your relationship with Cole! Warning bells went off in my head, but I ignored them and continued my examination. His lips parted and he began to talk.

"Hey, I'm Aaron Johnson." His voice was so alluring. It was honey sweet and velvet smooth. I wanted to… Shit! What the hell was I doing? I am in love with Cole. I snapped out of my hypnotic trance and saw that Cole was helping Aaron with his bags. "Aaron will be your new roommate Mr. Hawk. Jake will be sharing a room with his new charge, Eric. So if you'll excuse me I have to go finish giving out charges. School starts in a week and I have to finish this." Prof. Will turned around and ran down the stairs. He was a blur. I wish I had a cool ability like that. I turned to look at Aaron and spoke clearly. "My name is Nicole Stark. I will be your new Guide. This is Cole Hawk, your roommate and my boyfriend. I could show you around campus right now, unless you want to unpack." He chuckled and set his bag down to shake my outstretched hand. When he took it he gasped and shut his eyes.

I would know that look anywhere. He was having a vision. He was also psychometric. Then that would mean he is a leftie. He stood there like that for a few moments before he opened his eyes. "Shit!" He yelled. He put his arms around my waist and pulled me onto the first set of stairs and pushed me against the wall. His body was pressed against mine to keep me away from the commotion. I soon saw why he pulled me out of the way. There was a fireball that was being thrown around and it was, apparently, about to hit me. I hadn't noticed before but Cole had already gone upstairs with the bags.

I hadn't realized this, but my left hand was now touching the bare part of his arm. I was having a vision. It had scared the crap out of me. It was black and white, but I wasn't watching the thing happen to Aaron. No, it seemed like I was Aaron. He was running fast and his heartbeat was racing in his chest. He stopped and in front of him appeared the silhouette of two figures. He took a quick intake of breath and it caused him pain. He looked down at his side and there was a knife sticking out of him. Rather than him feeling the pain, I was feeling the pain and I had a feeling that in the real world I was on the ground crying out because of the ache in my side. This vision was like no other vision. In this picture I was the person, I wasn't watching the person.

As the figures got closer the fear grew bigger and bigger. One of them raised their hand and a bolt of lightning shot out and hit me – er, him.

Like I said I was good at hiding it when I was having a vision. I was still close to his bosom. The fireballs were still going on, except they were now flying down the stairs and into the lounge. He kept me close to his body and whispered reassurances in my ear. "Shit!" I heard him yell once more. I looked at his right arm and he was bleeding a ton. "Ah, hell!" I shouted. "Aaron, we need to get you out of here!" He nodded but then paused, "What about my stuff?" He asked. I sighed and slowly looked around the corner. "They're fine. Cole took them all. He isn't fast for nothing." I looked back at Aaron and said, "Out! Now!" He responded by pulling me closer to him and we ran down the stairs. Once we reached the bottom he let go of me and took my hand only. We ran out of the lounge, down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the building. The dark of night had covered the entire school. The solar powered lights that lined the concrete turned on and there was enough light to see where you were going. "We have to go get Blake." I said, moving the hair from my mouth. "Who?" He asked of me. "He's your dorm advisor. He should be at the housing office." I pointed to a smaller building that held the housing office. We ran toward the building and he opened the door for us. "Blake, we need Blake! Balls are flying everywhere in the boys dorm. I mean fireballs." I yelled at the receptionist. She nodded, looking alarmed and called Blake. She told him the same thing and he was over here with us in a matter of seconds. "You two, stay here. I need to know that some of you are safe." He left us with that. I sighed and sat down on a seat in the office. "Damn it!" Aaron whisper-yelled. I looked up at him and he was clutching his arm. "Ah, hell. I almost forgot you were hurt. The infirmary is closed until next week." I thought if we had a first-aid kit in our dorm. The answer is yes.

"Come with me to my dorm. I have a first-aid kit there. I know how to treat it." He looked down at me and his smile had faded. He looked mad – no, furious – and looked at me weirdly. "I know you. You're Nicole Stark, the girl who saved the entire school from Tracker attacks. You're quite famous you know. Mostly for your amazingly accurate psychometric skills that you got from your mom Linda Stark." I blushed. It wasn't that big a deal. I saved one person because my vision said she would die, and I don't want anyone to die, not even Aaron. I stood up and grabbed his arm. "We need to look at that." I led him out of the office and back to my dorm room where Halley was sitting on her bed in boxer shorts and a black t-shirt. She was listening to Coldplay, which I love. Halley leaped off her bed when I came in. "Hi Nico…" Words had failed her. Obviously seeing me come in with another guy who was not Cole had gotten to her. She was staring wide-eyed at Aaron. He smiled weakly at her and then she caught sight of his arm. "Holy turd muffins! What happened to you?" She was concerned yet nervous. She had said "turd muffins" instead of "crap" which she usually says. I sighed and he sat on the edge of my bed. "Like you already don't now?" She groaned and sat on her blackened side of the room.

I looked in the mirror cabinet in our bathroom. Like predicted, there was the first-aid kit. I went back in the room and sat on the bed with Aaron. I got out the alcohol swabs and dabbed his wound with them. He winced a little because of the sting. When the wound was good and clean, I got out this medicine type glue thing. You put it on the wound and push the cut parts together to make it stick. It's a little better than stitches. I applied his wound with that and pushed it together and it stuck. I smiled at my good work and got the gauze out. First I had to let the glue dry which took about half an hour. As we waited we talked.

"Halley, this is Aaron Johnson. Aaron this is Halley Bird." I made introductions. Halley smiled sweetly and shook his hand. I sighed and lay back in my bed. Aaron was sitting on the beanbag in between our beds. "Sorry for bothering you." He whispered to me. I sighed again and whispered back, but I knew Halley could hear. "You didn't bother me. You worried me," My voice rose, "Who the hell do you think you are to protect me. I can do that well on my own thank you very much. I don't need some guy to go barbarian on me and say that you need to keep me safe. First of all you're supposed to keep me from death, not scare me to death." I realized I was almost yelling. My voice was ice cold. I was being mean, I knew it, but I had to say something.

Right when he was going to answer to my comment, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Halley and I yelled together. The door cracked open and Cole and Alistair put their heads in. Cole looked around the room and when he saw Aaron on the floor, I could see the jealous rage that crossed his face. I really hoped he wouldn't gag him in his sleep.

Alistair spoke up. "We are going to watch a movie. We being me, Sharon, Jake, Eric, Anastasia, and hopefully you guys. Oh, Aaron can come too." Halley agreed and Aaron agreed. I looked at Cole in confusion. "I have to talk to you." Cole said to me. His voice was filled with happiness. Alistair, Halley, and Aaron left the room. That left me and Cole alone. He sat on the bed next to me and whispered in my ear, "We have some unfinished business to take care of." I perked up and he kissed me. It was rough and our mouths moved in synchronization. His hands were on my hips, but they slowly made their way up my shirt. His hands were warm against my skin. I could be here forever, in his arms. He made a move to take off my shirt. I kept it on, but it didn't faze him. He knew from earlier today that my bra fastened in the front rather than in the back. I kept my arms around his neck. One hand slowly traveled down his back and to the waistband of his pants. I heard him moan in pleasure and he lay me down on the bed.

His lips left mine and traveled down my neck. The places he kissed me were hot and prickly. I pulled him closer to me. I didn't mind his weight on me, not at all. One of my hands were on his chest and it slowly slid down and got to the button on his jeans. He stopped kissing me for one second and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" We were both breathless and I could feel that our hearts were beating in time together. I was ready. I loved him and he loved me. I wouldn't want anyone else in the world, but him. My answer was breathless, "Yes!"

He pulled the shirt over my head and quickly unfastened my bra. As he did that I unbuttoned his shirt and jeans. All I knew now was that I loved Cole. The only thing that was in my mind at this time was Cole.

I moved my hand over the planes on his chest. He had his arm around me and my head rested on his chest. He stroked my back gently and whispered, "No matter what I will never forget this night. I love you Nicole Amber Stark, remember that." I smiled at his words and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you, too. I will always love you." He rolled over so that he was on his side. His hands moved along my thigh and my stomach tickled. His grin lit up the entire room.

"Okay, honey, I know we love each other, but you have to leave before my roommate comes in and it's past midnight." He groaned and deliberately got out of bed. I followed and found my clothes on the ground. I put those clothes in the hamper and found my lime green plaid boxer shorts and my dark green t-shirt that had the school's name on it. It was baggy enough that only an inch of my shorts showed. When I turned around he was finished changing but was only having a little trouble with his zipper on his pants.

"This always happens. It gets stuck in the middle."

"Here, I'll help you." He shook his head and turned away. I chuckled. "Cole, we just had sex, I think there is a little I'm not allowed to see about you." He chortled and I went up to him. I helped him get his zipper back up and gave him his cell phone. "Okay, so why don't we see if they are still watching the movie?" He nodded and we headed out the door. Before we left the room we both made sure that we looked presentable and not like we had had sex. We walked down the hall hand-in-hand and I was still being thrown daggers. "If being your girlfriend means that almost every girl on campus hates me, I don't know what to do about it." He laughed silently and put his arm around my waist. "Don't worry, you'll always have me."

We got to the lounge to see that Uninvited was still going on. Great, a scary movie. We walked in the room and said, "Hey guys!" They all screamed and there was popcorn flying everywhere. The only people – scratch that – person who didn't scream was Aaron. I screamed my butt of when I first watched this movie, but I've watched it twenty times again after that. I was used to it. Cole and I laughed at the scared people and sat down on the loveseat. Aaron and Sharon (hee hee) were sitting at the foot of the loveseat. They were sharing their popcorn and Sharon kept running her hand through her straight light brown hair. I could see that she was batting her blue eyes whenever Aaron offered her a drink. I knew it was her way off letting a guy know she likes him or thinks he's cute/hot. In this case she thought he was superhot.

I sat there and instead of watching the movie, I waited for some progress on her side. He wasn't even fazed. He didn't care. I smiled slightly to myself and thought that Sharon's ways were a little bogus. I had my legs up on the couch, my arm was linked with Cole's, and my head rested on his shoulder. He stroked my hair and smiled. I wanted to tell Halley what happened, I really did. She was my confidant. I told her everything. I needed to tell her now. I whispered to Cole, "I'll be right back." He nodded and kissed my forehead. I got off the couch and went to Halley who was sitting with Alistair and Jake.

I crouched down next to her and mumbled, "I need to talk to you." She looked up at me and nodded. We both walked out of the lounge and stood in the hallway. "Okay, do not freak. Don't tell anyone, at all. This is a secret between you, me, and Cole." She nodded. I drew a deep breath before I said anything. I was hesitating, I knew it. "Nicky, just get on with it. I want to go back and stare at Eric and Aaron. They're brothers you know. But Eric is older; he's about Cole's age." I glared at her and she shut up. Yet another girl who was staring at Aaron. I shook my head and started. "Um, remember how Cole said he wanted to talk to me?" She nodded and said, "You didn't break up, did you? It didn't look like it. You guys looked extra comfy, like Becca Grater did after she and Jack had…" She trailed off in thought. Her eyes widened and she gasped. "You guys had sex!" She yelled.

"Shh!" She whispered now, "You guys had sex!" A smile crept up her face. She hugged me. "Oh, I am so glad! Anyway, Aaron told us that he was groping you on the stairs of the boys' dorm." I let go of her and she knew that was the wrong thing to say. I narrowed my eyes at her. "He told you that? Who the hell does he think he is?" I suddenly remembered the vision in which he dies. He didn't look like he had a lot of time left, which means, I would have to follow him to his dorm every night and make sure he doesn't get chased. This meant I had to tell Halley if I was going to sneak out.

"Halley, I have to tell you something else. About Aaron."

"What is it Nicole?"

"I had a vision about him. He's going to die." She gasped and covered her mouth.

"What? How?"

"He's going to get chased at night by something or someone and it's going to kill him. I have to sneak out at night and follow him to make sure it's not tonight. Is that okay with you?" She cocked her head to the side and glared at me. "Nicky, you know that I have no problem with that if you have to save a life." I smiled and hugged her again. We went back in the room and she was gawking at Cole weirdly. I hit her on the arm to make her stop.

The movie was finished and Alistair and Jake were getting the popcorn. Eric and Aaron were picking up the drinks. Sharon and Anastasia were sitting together chatting as everyone cleaned up. Cole was trying to find the remote. I went to the DVD player to take out the movie. Aaron caught up with me and as I ejected the DVD and set it back in its case he spoke to me. "You know, sex isn't something you want to play around with." I stared at him defiantly. "Something that is not yours to tell shouldn't be told." He got up and I did, too. He said this a little more loudly. "So, I'll see you tomorrow and you can show me around. Say about noon-ish. First you can show me the dining hall for lunch." I glowered at him. I nodded my neck tight. I knew I would have to meet him again. It was my duty now that I had agreed to it. "Maybe we all can have lunch together? That sound okay?" I looked around the room at every one of my friends. They all nodded in agreement and the decision was made.

Everyone started piling out of the room, at least all of the guys did. We all said our good-byes. Cole and I stopped right before the door. My hands were in his. "Okay, I will see you tomorrow, love."

"Okay! Goodnight!" He kissed me lightly on my lips and left with all of the other guys. I sighed and plopped down on the couch next to Anastasia. "I heard that Cole has now started groping you. Is it nice?" I glowered at her and she backed away smiling. Sharon asked the same question two seconds later and I had the same reaction.

I soon followed Halley back to our dorm and lay back on my bed. The memories of this night flowed through my mind. Every touch, every kiss. It was soon ruined by Halley, though. "Nicky. Aaron. Murder. At night. Go. Now." I groaned and changed into my most comfortable jeans and a black tank top. Better in camouflage. Halley was used to this. It happened at least once a month. She always insisted on coming along, but I always refused. "I'll be back as soon as I can." I whispered. I stepped on my nightstand and opened the window. I peeked out into the night. The air was still and it was humid. I could feel the sweat forming on my neck.

The moon shone brightly. It was only a crescent right now, though. I was strangely attracted to its light. I concentrated on floating. Oh, did I forget to mention that I could also levitate. I didn't have much practice, but it still came in handy when I needed to sneak out. I closed my eyes and jumped. The wind suddenly picked up and my hair blew everywhere. My room was on the top floor, so I had a big jump. I felt like I could fly. I had one leg straight and aiming for the ground while the other was kicked up behind me. I still had my eyes closed. I don't really like 50 foot drops.

Chapter 2

Oh shit! This is where I usually begin to think I'm going to die. I had just lost my concentration and the porch of the building was right underneath me. I stifled a scream and kept falling. I was falling, not floating, or flying. I landed with a thud on the porch roof. My shoulder had hit the surface, giving me shooting body pains all over. I heard a gasp from above me. "Nicky! Are you okay?" She whisper-yelled. I slowly got up, ignoring the pain that I was in and gave her thumbs up. I got to the edge of the roof and swung my legs over it. I leisurely lowered myself until I was swinging by my hands. The drop wasn't that far down. So, I let go of the roof and landed with a thump on the ground. My converses were untied, but I had no time to tie them. I ran across the field to where I could now see Aaron. He wasn't alone he was walking with his brother Eric. That was a good sign.

In my vision he was utterly and completely alone, which is not good at this school. Well, not anymore. Ever since the incident last year, we weren't allowed out at night after midnight until everything seemed okay and all of the teachers were back. Only a couple teachers were back. That said, I am breaking the rules. Again.

The solar powered lights were on and gave off enough luminosity for me to see by. I tried to be as weightless on my feet as I could. I couldn't use levitation, because it won't work that long. The grass was soft enough that I couldn't even hear my own footsteps. I took a chance and ran behind the big oak tree that was nearest the brothers. They were talking loudly. I tried to stay inside the shadows. "Okay, how about we split the money Dad gave us. It would seem better if I didn't have to come asking you for money every day." Aaron was speaking in his honey-sweet voice. I heard a deeper voice that sounded older. "Fine, but don't spend it all in one day." Eric sighed. "Be careful, okay? This school hasn't been safe for a while and I don't want to have to save your ass every day."

Aaron nodded and they walked on. I checked my over-the-shoulder bag to make sure I had enough potions (courtesy of Halley Bird) to take out any demons. I looked beyond the talking brothers to make sure nothing was lurking in the shadows. I swept my eyes across the field and came across something moving on the side of the housing office. It came out of the shadows for a second and I could see his target. It was the boys. He had a fireball fully formed waiting to shoot in his hand. I saw him lift it up and aim. I gasped and ran toward the brothers. I was behind them and they didn't see me coming. My arms were stretched out like I was getting ready to give someone a big hug. I ran as fast as I could and when I was two feet away from them I yelled, "Duck!" I grabbed them both and we fell to the ground. The fireball went beyond us and disappeared in the air. "What the hell!" Eric yelled. "Stay down! I'll take care of it!" I shouted back at him. I stepped over Aaron and got out the strongest potion I had. It didn't see me so I had it easy.

I wasn't telekinetic but I knew a spell that would carry this vial across and destroy the demon. I recited the spell and the bottle flew out of my hands and hit the creature. Flames licked his body and enveloped him whole. He disappeared and all that was left of him was a big black spot on the ground. I sighed and helped Eric and Aaron off the ground. I was breathing heavily. Using magic can sometimes take the life out of you. That's why I don't use it much unless in an emergency. "What the hell was that thing!" Eric bellowed. They both ignored my hand and got up themselves. "That thing was about to kill you two. The least you could do is say thank you Nicole. I save lives any time I can and I am never appreciated."

"I risked my life for you ungrateful people. All I ask for is a thank you!" I was blowing my top off. I always did this and I either got ignored or told to stay away. I hated it, but I am too nice. My hands were in fists and I was yelling. Eric put his hands up as if to say down puppy. That made me even madder. Aaron spoke first. He set his hands on my shoulders and whispered, "Nicole, I'm sorry. On behalf of my brother and me I say thank you. And on behalf of my brother, I say sorry. Can you please calm down now?" I took a deep breath through my nose and let all of my anger out. "Sorry. I have an oversensitive anger mechanism. My friends know that as well as everyone who goes here. You're welcome by the way." He took his hands off my shoulders and dropped them down to his sides.

"Okay, so what was that thing?" Eric asked more calmly. I composed myself and answered his question. "The mark on his face, it was the word, live, and above the word was an arrow that pointed backwards, that meant he was sent by another Power Seeker. You see, live spelled backwards is evil," Eric spelled the word in the air and gasped. I nodded. "Yeah, so he was going to use your powers to get inside one of the chambers here underneath the school. It holds all of the most powerful spell books. Magic locks have been put on them so that no evil can touch it. They want to use it to make demons take over the world, or make it so that evil wins the war between good and evil. Now we can't let that happen," They listened intently and I continued, "Never travel alone and make sure you always carry some of these." I searched through my bag and handed each of them some potion bottles.

They gawked at the purple and blue liquids that sloshed around in the vials. "Is any one of you telekinetic?" I asked. Eric raised his hand. "Okay, you will have to use that to throw it if you are too far away. Aaron," I handed him a piece of paper that had the same spell that I had used written on it. "You recite that once and the bottle will fly out of your hand and to whomever is threatening you with death. Make sure you concentrate on the thing or the person who is trying to kill you." They both stored the bottles in their pockets and Aaron stuck the paper in his back pocket. "Okay, both of you need to be safe and do not go out alone after midnight. It's the most dangerous hour at this school. I want you both to sign up for the Spells and Rituals class. It's the best class to take if you want to be safe. Aaron, I have a copy of your schedule and you already have that class with me. Okay, so do we all understand?" They nodded slowly. "Good. I better be going. Eric, Jake has a few copies of spells that we use to ward off evil in our rooms. Aaron, Cole should have it too. If he doesn't then you ask your brother for it. If you have any questions, ask now before I leave." They were silent. I could hear the crickets chirping loudly all around our circle. "Okay, well, I better go before Halley gets worried." I turned around and started walking. I stopped in my tracks before I realized something.

"Oh," I put my hand to my forehead and turned around. "Aaron, how's your arm?" He gave me thumbs up. His brother came forward and looked down at me in my eyes. I stood there staring up at him. He was a little taller than six feet and his deep brown eyes bore into mine. His blonde hair moved in the wind that had suddenly kicked up. Aaron was watching us intently. He whispered to me, "You better take care of that back." I stepped back and looked at Aaron. He walked up to us and said, "Your back. You got hurt, see." He touch my back slightly and I took a sharp intake of breath. He quickly moved his hand and stepped back. I could see a red liquid on his fingers. Shit. "Sorry about Eric. He just wants to see if his newly discovered power works. Hypnotism. Anyway, here." He took off his shirt and pressed it against my back.

I gazed at his body. Yes, Cole was really muscular, but I couldn't believe what I was seeing. His perfectly tan skin looked pale in the moonlight. His abs were so perfect. He looked like he worked out three hours a day. His abs reminded me of Taylor Lautner's abs when he played Jacob Black in New Moon. There was some sort of black tattoo on his bicep. It was just this one inch thick black line that curved around his upper arm. But, the line didn't go straight all the way around. Thorns stuck out of the lines like on roses. He must have caught me staring at it because then he said, "Family mark. Eric has one, too." I blinked, finally tuning back into reality. Eric pulled up his sleeve and I saw the same mark on his right bicep.

I nodded my head as if I were admiring it. "What does it mean?" I heard myself ask. Eric answered this time, "It's kind of like a boa constrictor squeezing your arm. Like, we're tight or together. It means that we stick together no matter what. Or, it could mean that we are the Johnson family." He chuckled and I did too. Aaron was still pressing his shirt to my wound. I looked up at him and he was wiping up the blood on my back.

I swear, I felt my breath stop right there for a second when I saw our closeness. I was so dazed that it startled me when he spoke up. "So how did you know this was going to happen?" I blinked a couple times so I could think back to why I came here. "I-I saw…I am also psychometric. Like you. When you kept me from the fight at the boys building, my left hand was on your arm, so I saw a vision." That wasn't the whole truth, but the less said, the better. Ah, hell. This meant that I would still have to follow him around.

"How did you know I was…"

"Oh, that was easy! I saw the look on your face when we shook hands. This would mean you're a leftie!" He still looked confused. "How come I couldn't tell you were having a vision?"

"Because, I've been practicing over the summer with my mom and now I can have a vision without anyone knowing I'm having one. Oh, I can also have better visions in which I can tell when that thing is going to happen or if it has already happened. I can get time and day, just not the date." I gasped as the pain increased in my back. "Sorry," He whispered. "Eric, don't you have a water bottle or something? With water?" He nodded and looked inside his backpack, which I had just noticed he was carrying. He took out an Ozarka sports bottle. He pulled off the tab and handed it to Aaron. "Okay, hold still." I stiffened and only winced as the pain kicked in. It was funny how just a few hours ago, I was treating him. Now he was treating me. He had squirted the water on his shirt and cleaned my wound. "How big is it?" I asked. Eric answered. "Well, it is this huge line that stretches across your lower back. It's gushing blood, but just a little. Wait, I have some gauze in my backpack." He dug through the pockets and came up with this box of gauze and tape. Wow, he was prepared. He handed it to Aaron and he opened the box.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to lift up your shirt just a little so I can wrap the bandages around you." I did as he said and lifted up enough that only my belly button showed. We didn't have scissors, but Aaron just ripped it apart with his teeth. Instead of using the tape, Aaron tied a big not at my hip so that it didn't come off. I grimaced every time I saw my blood on his fingers. Every time his fingers brushed across my skin, I felt this shock shoot through my body. It was like nothing I had ever felt and for some damn reason, it felt nice. I ignored it and concentrated on Eric.

He was pacing. Every time he got impatient, he ran his fingers through his hair. Why did guys do that all the time? Did they think it made them look macho? I didn't care much for that tactic. Even when Cole did it, I would sigh and shake my head at him. He would ask me why I was doing it, but I would just ignore the question. When Aaron was finished bandaging me up, he wiped his hands on his bloody t-shirt. "I am so sorry for the inconvenience. I didn't mean to ruin your t-shirt." He swiped the air with his hand. "Nah, it was no big deal. This was my favorite shirt, but oh well." I looked even more apologetic. "I'm kidding. I don't mind." He threw his shirt away in the nearest trash can. "So I'll see you tomorrow at lunch?" He reminded me before walking away. I nodded and turned around. Before I started walking in the other direction, Eric winked at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and he turned away. I walked slowly, because with every movement I made, there was a pain in my back that felt like I was being stabbed with a knife over and over again.

Once I reached the porch of the dorms, I levitated to my window. I quickly opened it up before I could lose concentration. Halley was still up and on her laptop. She knew it was me so she wasn't startled. You see, Halley had some sort of sixth sense. Her intuition is really, really good. It's so good, she can almost read minds. But for some reason, she can't read mine, which upsets and frustrates her.

I climbed through the window trying to stifle my cries of pain. "How'd it go?" She asked nonchalantly. I turned my back to her and she gasped. "What?" I asked. She pointed at my torso. "Oh. Fireball accident. Not a big deal." I walked like a turtle to our bathroom. She knocked on the door. "Where'd you get the bandages?" She wanted to know. I hesitated. She would find out sooner or later. "Eric and Aaron. I got hurt when I saved them from a Power Tracker. When I was done explaining the rules and regulations of being careful, they noticed my back and Aaron wiped up my blood." I talked while I changed back into my boxer shorts and t-shirt. I opened the door and gasped.

Halley was still standing there. She looked confused. "What did he use to wipe up the blood with?" She moved her eyebrows up and down. I rolled my eyes and started toward my bed. I sat down on the edge and tried to finish explaining everything to her. "His t-shirt. He held it to my back while Eric fished out some gauze from his backpack. Eric also had a water bottle, so Aaron wet his t-shirt and wiped up the blood on my back. He then wrapped up my torso in this." I pulled up my shirt just enough for her to see his impressive bandaging skills. "I feel a little sorry for him. Poor kid had to go back to his room without a shirt." I sighed and lay down in bed. I puffed when my back hit the mattress. I turned over and slept on my stomach.

She looked giddy as she pulled her pink and black covers over her body. "Is he hot? I mean, did he have the perfect abs?" She smiled her friendly smile and waited for an answer. "Yes. Like Taylor Lautner. Halley, I wanted to lick his abs!" I suddenly heard what I said in my mind. Did I really say that out loud? Her eyes popped wide open. "You didn't, right? I mean, I don't think Cole would like it very much if you cheat on him right after you guys had sex. Once, you have sex, you are bound together. He is yours and you are his."

"I didn't do anything that would make me look slutty. I just let him fix me up and then I left. Nothing, nada, zilch, happened. But, Eric winked at me before I left. That doesn't really mean anything. He was just goofing around."

"Speaking of goofing around…How was it with you and Cole?" I sighed and she was listening keenly. "Halley, I don't even know how to explain it. It was just amazing! I mean, I have never felt a high like that before. It was, like, we couldn't get any closer, but yet, somehow, I wanted him closer. There was no way of course, but it felt like we were one." She was smiling. She sighed and said, "I wish I could meet someone like that. You are so lucky to be dating the third hottest guy in school." I nodded and then stopped.

"Wait, since when has Cole been the third hottest?" I inquired. She looked guilty again. Sometimes Halley would just blurt stuff out. I didn't care much about his status in our school. I just wanted to know who was hot now. "Um…Well, you know Eric and Aaron, yeah they placed first and second in that order. Eric, first. Aaron, second." I bobbed my head. "Cool." I commented. She sighed a sigh of relief and turned over in her bed to fall asleep. I rested my head against my goose feather pillow and slowly drifted off to sleep.

I was in Lit class in my dream. The weird thing was that I was alone. Prof. Will wasn't there and neither were the students. Our assignment was written on the board. Depict a scene of your choice from Othello. I knew that play. I knew it well. In my drama class I had to act out the scene where Othello chokes Desdemona. It was a good play, overall. I liked it very much.

The door opened and someone came inside. He was beautiful, but something about him was familiar. His black hair was curly and the ends curled right above his collar. His blue eyes were so bright, I swear they were glowing. My imagination was pretty good. He wore a black leather jacket and jeans that fit in all the right places. He had on a blue pastel button-down shirt with the Abercrombie and Fitch insignia on his breast. He came closer and closer to me until we were two feet apart. "My darling! What perfect timing you have! This will be done easily and you won't feel a thing." He whispered in a perfect English accent. I was lost in his glowing blue eyes.

"Stand still." He brushed my hair out of my face and bent his head. His lips were so close to mine. All I had to do was raise myself on my toes and let my lips meet his. Instead of me struggling, he bent his head more until his lips softly brushed mine. His sweet breath lingered on my skin and I breathed him in.

The door suddenly swung open and I was startled from my gazing. It was Aaron. "No!" He yelled. I looked from the gorgeous man to Aaron. He wore a worried expression on his face. He was clutching his side. The knife was sticking out of his wound and gushing blood. The man's eyes went from bright blue to bloody red. He looked crazed. He was staring longingly at Aaron's blood. He opened his mouth and I saw the fangs. They were razor sharp. I gasped and he launched himself at Aaron. I screamed bloody murder (no pun intended) as I saw his teeth sink into Aaron's wound.

I jerked myself upright in my bed. I was sweating bullets as Halley held up a glass of water for me. I realized that I was crying. It was bright outside, which told me it was almost noon. "Oh my God! Nicole, you're awake! Are you okay?" She questioned. I looked around myself and everything was as it should be. I nodded my head and made a move to get out of bed. I saw she was fully dressed in jeans Capri's that ended right above her knees and a tank top that had the straps around the neck. It was pink and fit her body perfectly. "You better get ready, we're late."

I walked to my dresser and got out some clothes. My favorite jeans were ruined and in the trash can because of the blood and so was my ripped and destroyed tank top. I got out my jean shorts and a gray tank top and a yellow over shirt to wear over the tank top. Halley always admired my taste and asked me to help her out with her look. I usually told her that she looked fine when she asked me. I got out my converses – luckily they were the only things that didn't get blood on them last night. "Nicky, how can you look so good in casual?" I went in the bathroom to freshen up. "Well, Hal, I just throw something on. Why don't you do that?"

"I want to know what I'm wearing, that's why. Okay, Nicky, I'm going down to the dining hall. I'll meet you there. Do you want me to show Aaron there too?" I lifted my shirt up and looked at the bandaging in the mirror. It was still tied neatly, but the back part was filled with blood. I started untying it so I could take a shower and then replace it. "Yeah, that'd be great! Thanks Hal. I'll see you there!" I heard the door close and she had left.

I went over the nightmare that I had had. Was it a vision or an actual nightmare? It felt like I was actually there. It was like lucid dreaming. I would have to ask Anastasia. She is a lucid dreamer. Sometimes she would zonk off during dinner when she was lucidly dreaming. It was cool. She was quite lucky that she would escape from reality and feel like she was really happy. She could imagine how she wants her life to be and then, boom, she's there.

What was that in my nightmare/maybe vision? Was it a vampire? I thought back to the crazed expression he had on when Aaron came in the room. His eyes went from glowing, bright blue to blood red. The longing on his face wasn't for me, but my blood. I remembered that he was staring at my neck with delight. When he kissed me, he was feeling the pulse under my skin. The way he dug his teeth into Aaron seemed way too real. The way Aaron screamed in pain at first and then moaned as the saliva of the vampire had reached his veins scared the shit out of me. It must have been a vision. I felt like I was actually there. I had no clue I was sleeping until I started screaming for real. When I woke up, I could still feel the kiss lingering on my lips.

Did vampires even exist? I had heard a few legends. Like, when a vampire bites you, it creates a pleasure for both the prey and the predator. They were supposedly the most beautiful, yet most dangerous creatures on the planet. The legends where they say they burn up in the sun was all fake. The sunlight was very uncomfortable for them to bear. When one is about to attack you, you get put into a hypnotic trance by their beauty. They only showed fangs when about to dine.

I had learned all of this last year when I was fifteen. See, over here, you get transferred to this school when you get first sign of your powers. I was fifteen for the first couple of days here, then I turned sixteen. I was almost seventeen. My birthday is on Halloween, unfortunately.

So, I learned this last year in the Spells and Rituals class. Prof. Vento was teaching us how to kill off mythical creatures. I remembered when he was explaining how to kill off a vampire that pushing a stake through the heart was all bullshit. He said that the best way to kill one is to burn them. Strike a match and burn them to their ashes. Before they put themselves back together – even when in ashes – you would have to separate the ashes into different bags until you get to a river. Then you dump the ashes in a river or a stream. Vampires can't swim, so that puts their ashes in a difficult position.

I would have to wait until that moment. The one thing that I found really familiar about this nightmare was the knife sticking out of Aaron's side. It was the same as my death vision I had about him.

I sighed and finished getting ready. My hair was still wet, but I didn't care. My naturally curly hair is complimented often every day. I applied muss to my hair and clipped a little of it up. I couldn't run, so I had to walk slowly to the dining hall. The key around my neck was still in place. I put my key on a chain after I got tired of losing it all the time. I don't like to carry purses, so I was empty handed as I left. My cell phone was in my pocket and so was my iPod. I can't live without it, so I take it everywhere. The dining hall was way off campus, so my mom bought me this really cool blue scooter. I wish it was a motorcycle, but you don't always get was you want.

I rode all the way across campus and parked my scooter on the sidewalk. I locked it, so that it doesn't work without the key that I have. I walked as fast as I could into the building. When I found my table of friends, I went straight to them instead of the buffet line. There was an unfamiliar head of hair at the table. I checked to see if everyone was there. Halley, Sharon, Anastasia, Alistair, Jake, Eric, Aaron, Cole. Yup, everyone was there. I couldn't recognize the brown head of hair that was sitting between Halley and Cole. When I was close enough for everyone to hear my footsteps, he got up. He turned around and I finally got a good look at those baby blues.

"Chris!" I yelled and ran into his open arms.

Chapter 3

Chris is my brother. After our parents got divorced, he went to live with Dad. He, unlike my dad, visited me and my mom all the time. "What did you do to your hair? It used to be blonde. Did, you get contacts, because I swear the last time I saw you your eyes were brown?" He chuckled and held me at arm's length. "Quit asking questions and let me get a good look at you." He looked me up and down and frowned. "You need to wear more clothes." I chortled and hugged him one more time before sitting down.

None of my friends had met him yet. Cole was looking impatient. I smiled and shook my head at him. Why would I want to be with my brother? I shuddered at the thought. Halley and Cole scooted over to make room for me and Chris. "Everyone this is my brother Chris." Everyone said hi and I made introductions.

I pointed to everyone as I said their names. "Chris, this is Halley, my roommate and best friend." Everyone waved at him as I said their names, too. "This is my other best friend, Sharon." She blinked her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear. Anastasia's lovely caramel colored skin was glistening with the light coming through the window behind her. "This is Anastasia, another best friend. And Alistair. That's Jake, Alistair's boyfriend." His eyes didn't widen at the mention of Alistair's boyfriend. Jake blushed and, like every guy I know, ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair. "That's Aaron, my charge. I have to show him around. He just transferred from…" I trailed off trying to remember where he was from.

"Canada. Edmonton, Alberta." He answered for me. "Hey, Grandma Julie is from there!" Chris reminded me. "We know her. She was our neighbor when we lived there. I'm Eric by the way. Aaron's older brother." He made his own introduction. I couldn't believe that he knew my grandmother.

"Okay. This is my boyfriend, Cole." Chris and he shook hands. They seemed comfortable meeting each other. Chris is kind of overprotective of me. He always wanted to evaluate my boyfriends. Though Cole is only my second. My first was this guy from drama class at Collierville High School. Not the longest relationship.

"How long have you been together?" He inquired. I sighed, but Cole answered. "It'll be a year in a couple of months." I was squished between them. Cole held my hand under the table and smiled at me. I smiled back and looked for any type of rage from Chris. He looked calm and serene. I sighed in relief and looked up to see Aaron sitting across from me. He was trying to stifle a grin. I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my head. Cole took his hand from mine and put it on my back. I stiffened and gasped. He quickly removed his hand and Chris stared at him angrily.

"No, it wasn't him. I-I-I just got hurt, that's it." I stammered.

"What happened?" Chris asked. I looked up at Eric and Aaron and with my eyes begged them not to say anything. I looked at them and they inconspicuously nodded. "I broke a glass yesterday in our room and then slipped and fell on the mess. I cleaned it up and Halley helped me with the cut." Halley knew the drill whenever I lied. She would just nod and go along with it. She took a bite of her salad and nodded. "You need to be more careful." Cole and Chris said at the same time. We all laughed at the table.

"You are one clumsy girl." Anastasia commented. I bobbed my head and my stomach growled. Chris had heard it and then magically a bag of Chick-Fil-A appeared. When I say magically, I mean it metaphorically. Out of both of us, I had gotten the magical abilities and he had gotten jealous. He was mad of course, but if you have a non-magical daddy, there is a limited chance of all of your children to have magical abilities. Chris had set it on the ground under the table when I came and now put it in front of me. I hugged him again and opened the bag. "Chicken sandwich, no pickles. You know me so well." I took a big bite and everybody was staring at me. I looked back up at their faces with my mouth full and they all laughed.

I wiped my mouth with a napkin and took a sip of water. I swallowed my food and said, "There's a second sandwich and Chris doesn't like this stuff and I won't finish it, who wants it?" I took the sandwich out of my bag and held it in my hand. They were all looking at it. I swear I saw some drool come out of their mouths. They don't allow fast food here at the school, so everybody had forgotten the taste of this food. I was still holding it up.

Suddenly, the sandwich flew out of my hands and landed in front of Eric. "See, it helps to be telekinetic." He took it out of the wrapping and bit out of it. Now everyone was furious. I laughed and everyone chimed in.

We sat there for the next twenty minutes chatting and cracking jokes. During those twenty minutes I forgot all about the dream and all the demons trying to kill Aaron. I concentrated on my group of friends and how much fun we were having. When lunch was over Aaron came up to me and reminded me about the little tour.

"Okay, Nicole. I have to go. Jane is waiting for me at home. I'll see you soon." He hugged me and started off toward his car. I sighed. I would miss him terribly. Cole came up behind me and, careful not to touch my back, embraced me. "Hi there, love." He whispered in my ear. I turned myself around and enveloped myself in his arms. I hadn't noticed I was crying until he wiped away the tears that were on my cheeks. "Hey, don't cry. I know you'll miss him, but he wouldn't forget you. He loves you too much to not come back." He kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, "Until, then I'm always here." I pulled away a little to get a better look at him. He seemed a little blurry through the tears. He bent his head and kissed me softly.

He wiped away the rest of my tears, but he was still a little blurry. I stuck my finger in my eye to check if my left contact was still in place. It wasn't. "Shit!" I said. "What happened?" Cole asked, worried. "I lost my contact. Guess I'll have to wear my dorky glasses, because I can't ride all the way back to my dorm half blind. I shook my head as I dug my glasses out of my pocket. I sighed when I put them on. "Honestly, how do I look?" I asked him. He smiled and brushed the hair out of my face. He held my face in his hands and said, "Like always, beautiful." I groaned and turned to go back to my scooter. I felt bad to just leave Cole like that, but I had to rush back to my room.

"Hey! Stark!" Halley yelled at me. I looked in her direction and she was holding my contacts case that had extra contacts in them. I smiled, becoming visibly happier. "Oh. My. God. Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" I ran up to her and gave her a hug. I took the case and put my glasses back in my pocket. I quickly put them back in my eyes and grinned when everything seemed brighter and clearer. She had left and in her place was now Aaron. "Hi!" He said. I jumped back and gasped. I thought back to the dream. My eyes automatically slid down to his side. I composed myself and waved back. "Are you okay? I saw you…" He trailed off not wanting to say anymore. "I'm okay. Don't worry about it." He grinned and now seemed worry-free.

"So. The tour." He said. I slapped my hand to my forehead. "Yes, of course. Sorry, I just forgot." I left my scooter and walked with him to the next building. It was weird, but we had our own Starkbucks. I pointed to the building. "Starkbucks!" I cheered. I didn't drink much coffee, but I loved their Vanilla Bean.

"Um… Do you mind if we grab something to drink and sit in there. I need to tell you something." I looked up at him and saw something in his eyes. Worry? Fear? Anger? I couldn't tell. I nodded slowly and he led us inside. We ordered ourselves something and sat down at a vacant table. He took a sip of his own Vanilla Bean. I was sure it was just to buy time.

"I've been having dreams about you. But, they're not pleasant." Ah, hell. Was I going to die, too? I didn't look disappointed. I looked truly scared and anxious.

He paused. He didn't seem like he could go any further. I put my hand on top of his that was on the table. I looked straight into his jade eyes as I said, "Aaron, you know you can tell me anything. No matter how bad it may be." My voice shook. I didn't like the way it sounded. Like I knew what was coming next.

"Nicole, you and I were in it…And so was something else." I noticed how he said something instead of someone. I listened more closely. He wasn't looking. He was looking at my hand that was placed on his. "Aaron, I think I know what's coming next." I interrupted. He finally looked up at me. I could feel the blood rush out of my face. My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to explain my nightmare/vision to him.

"That other something was, from my predictions, a vampire. I saw his teeth sink into your bloody side. You came in the room to save me. The vampire was trying to seduce me so it could have my blood. Aaron, I know what happened." His eyes widened and I saw one of my tears land on the table. He took his hand out from under mine and handed me a napkin. "I am so sorry. I don't know why I am crying." He looked truly scared. He stood up and I feared that he was about to leave. Instead he took the chair and moved it beside me. We were luckily not in front of the window. We were way in the back, where no one usually sat. This is a more private conversation. He put his arm around me and whispered, "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't." I lifted my head I looked up at him.

We were so close. I could feel his sweet breath on my skin. "Aaron, I'm not worried about me. I'm afraid for you. I don't want anything like that evil, immoral, depraved, corrupt, ruthless, merciless, unruly, undead vampire," I spit the word, "To hurt you. You do not have to worry about me." His eyes widened at my impressive vocabulary. "You could be very useful if I need a dictionary." He joked. I shot him a look and he got back on topic. "Sorry. Nicole, as long as that vision is possibly going to come true, I will worry about you and there is nothing you can do about it."

I wiped my eyes and looked at my reflection in the napkin holder. I don't really put on makeup so there was nothing running down my face. I collected myself together and stood up. I was going to avoid the whole issue on who can worry for the other and who can't. "Let's go show you around." He stood up and dipped his head. "Yeah, about that, I already know my way around. Despite your warnings, I walked around campus by myself. This was just an excuse to talk to you alone."

He had his hands in his pockets and he looked like one of those boys who could break your heart with one glance. I was still mad though. I was furious. I wanted to rip his head off, but it seemed that it wouldn't scare him if it actually happened. I glared at him. I swear, I could almost feel the steam coming out of my ears. I opened my mouth to bark at him but then stopped myself. I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to get mad at him.

I slumped my shoulders and turned to walk out of the shop. I knew I couldn't yell at him, but I could still avoid him. I was still looking down when I opened the door to walk out, but I hit something that was hard and rock-like. I stumbled back and looked up.

My mouth popped open with an audible sound. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. He was the same. The bright glowing blue eyes, the curly black hair. He was a pale and beautiful creature. He had on a sweatshirt with a hood and the hood was up so that it could cover any sunlight that hit him. He smiled slightly and then the door behind me opened. "Nicole–" Aaron stopped speaking after he spoke my name. He looked at who I was looking at and his eyes widened for just a second. I snapped out of my trance and stood straight. "Aaron! How about we go talk under the big oak?" I asked, perking up my voice. He nodded slowly and I yanked him away from the familiar face. Once we were out of earshot, I whispered frantically, "That's him!" I pointed back to the Starbucks we had just left. He nodded and put his hands on my shoulders. "You and I have to stay as far away from him as possible. If we happen to be near him at any time, run away, immediately! We don't need any more deaths at this school." I nodded like a crazy person as he looked in my eyes and recited the drill to stay away from the vampire.

He kept his hands on my shoulders for a few more seconds and then let them drop to his sides. "I want you to give me your cell phone number in case something comes up." I took out my iPhone and he took out his. Wow, a lot of people had this phone. My cover was a lovely turquoise color and his was maroon. I recited my number and he stored it in his phone and I stored his in mine.

"We must act as if nothing has happened. If any of our friends find out, this will be fatal for them. If he is one of those vampires with extra abilities, then he might be able to read our minds. If we are ever around him, control your thoughts. Do not let him know that you know his plan." He paused and cocked his head to the side as if someone was telling him what to say. "Keep your thoughts from Eric, too. He's telekinetic. He can find out easily. If he figures it out, tell him what I have told you if he asks." I was freaking out here. How did he know all of this? Did he do research? Man, he is a better psychometric than I am. Maybe it's because he enjoys it. I never asked for this to happen so I find this power insufferable.

"Nicole, never look into his eyes. That's how they draw you in. They trap you with their glowing eyes and then have you for dinner. The brighter the more powerful. He eyes were definitely bright, so he is very powerful, even his voice can draw you in." He sighed and shook his head.

"How do you know so much?" I asked tentatively. He looked up and into the tree. "Wait a sec will ya?" He took hold of one of the branches and pulled himself up into the safety of the leaves. I couldn't see him anymore. I called out, "Aaron! Come down here this instant!" There was no answer. I called again, "Aaron?" I looked up and tried to see anything.

Suddenly, he flew down and out of the tree with someone else. And when I say flew down, I mean it literally. I recognized the kid he was hanging onto as Chuck Davenfield. He was in my Drama class last year. I guess he was in the tree listening to every word we had said. He was a short, dorky kid, but he was so sweet. His glasses kept falling off his face, and his greasy carrot top hair was blowing in the slight breeze. Aaron was easily a foot taller than him. He had his hand on his shoulder and was looking straight down at him. His hand glowed as he said the words to Chuck, "You will not remember any of this conversation. You were up in the tree and fell and we helped you up." Chuck's eyes fluttered and when Aaron was finished saying the words that would make him forget, he opened them and said thank you to Aaron and me. Aaron let him go and he scurried away from us with a smile on his face.

"How can you do that?" I asked, slowly walking toward him. He chuckled under his breath and said, "I'm not the son of Edward Johnson for nothing, you know."

Chapter 4

I widened my eyes. I remembered studying about Edward Johnson in Magical History last year. He was one of the most powerful warlocks of all time. He had saved so many lives during the war between evil and good about a century ago. His magic was used to destroy the leader of the Underworld, but there was a new leader now. Aaron and Eric were his progeny. He married a witch named Guinevere many years after that and they lived in total solitude somewhere up north. Canada? No one had heard of that family, until now.

I guess my mouth was open, because he put his finger under my chin and my mouth closed. I was given the honor of showing around one of their children. The office must have known this fact about him and his brother, why had they given him to me? I wasn't responsible. Heck, anyone around me is put in danger. I have the worst luck. How could they not know that? Yes, I had saved the entire school last year, but that was against my will. Yes, I did want to save the school, but I didn't want to be the one to do it. I sunk down to the ground and rested my back against the tree. I groaned and let my head fall into my hands.

He sat down next to me and frantically asked, "Are you okay? Do you feel sick or anything?" I groaned again and pulled my legs to my chest. My head was still buried in my arms. He tried, unsuccessfully, to pry my hands off my face. "What are you doing here, Aaron?" I mumbled. I heard him sigh and his back hit the tree.

"I came here to learn, just like you." I lifted my head and he smiled. I glared at him and he stopped grinning. "My father is dying. I have to learn as much as I can so I can take his place. Eric is too conceded to take his place so he's leaving everything to me."

"Then why are you here? Couldn't you go to a better school or something?" I was being rude, I know, but I still couldn't get over the shock of him being my charge. "I don't quite know. I follow my intuition a lot and it told me to come here. So here I am, learning how to become a better warlock. Eric is just here to meet girls." I chuckled and cleared my throat.

"Aaron, I am so sorry if I said anything to hurt you. I really am. I know that you're just trying to protect me, but Aaron, I really can take care of myself." I didn't look at him. I couldn't look him in the eyes and know that just yesterday I had thought him a stupid and arrogant boy. He was a great guy who had great ability.

He was getting ready to speak, but then Halley and Eric came scuttling toward us. They looked frenzied as they came up to us. "Nicole! You need to come see this!" She grabbed my hand and lifted me up. Eric whispered to Aaron, "Aaron, you need to heal him!" This was bad. This was so bad. Someone had been hurt. It was already starting. People were already dying. We ran for what seemed like a few seconds until we came to a huge huddle beside the Starbucks. You see, there was this alley in between Starbucks and the dining hall and so a lot of people could see what was going on in it. Cole and I had been here a few times to just make-out. Eric and Halley stayed back, too scared to look at the body. Aaron took my hand and we pushed everyone out of the way.

I looked down at the ground and gasped. Beside me Aaron looked furious. The body just lie there, still and motionless. His face was pale and his veins were extremely visible. His eyes were open, but only the white parts showed. I stared in utter shock. I gasped again when I recognized who it was. It was Chuck from Drama class. Aaron and I had just seen him a few minutes ago. I could hear more footsteps coming our way.

People had alerted the teachers. Prof. Will and Prof. Genevieve came inside the circle. They pointed and walked up to Aaron and me. They whispered to us, "We need both of you to come with us. Now." There was a stretcher behind them, lifting the body onto it. They walked out of the circle and we followed. We all walked down to the infirmary where Chuck was being taken. When we walked in, his body was already on the examination table. The white walls and the disinfectant smell had reminded me of the last time I was in here. I had been here a lot. After last year's incident, my arm was in a cast for three weeks.

Aaron and I slowly neared Chuck's lifeless body. I didn't like this at all. I don't like looking at dead bodies. Aaron spoke up. "Um… Can Nicole and I have a few moments alone with the body. I just want to discuss something with her in private." The teachers bowed to him respectfully and left the room. He rolled his eyes when they left and turned to me.

"I already know what happened. It was Orpheus." I raised my eyebrows and stared at him incredulously. "Aaron, who the hell is Orpheus?"

"Orpheus is the vampire who killed Chuck!" He whisper-yelled.

"Nicole, pay attention!" He shook me a little so I could concentrate. I looked up at him and he looked really apprehensive. I nodded and did as he said. "I need you to get a vision. Or at least try, while I check the wound on his jugular." I took a deep breath and stepped closer to Chuck's body. I slowly and hesitantly set my left hand on his arm. I took another deep breath and concentrated on getting a vision. I cleared my head of all thoughts and closed my eyes. "Are you getting anything?" Aaron asked after a few moments. I kept my eyes closed and shook my head.

"No, I don't see any–" I gasped when it hit me. It hit me with such a force that I had to step back a bit, but I kept my hand on him. They were just glimpses, but they were glimpses from Chuck's point of view. He was in the alley with Orpheus and Orpheus was asking him something. "Do you know where–" The question scene was switched to another scene. This was more painful. I could feel his teeth biting into me and then the sudden change of emotion. I was feeling pleasure in his bite.

I moaned with desire. I wanted more. I didn't want it to stop.

I was pulled out of my trance when someone called my name. "Nicole! Wake up! Get that image out of your head!" Aaron was screaming at me. I suddenly opened my eyes and saw my surroundings. Was I shorter? I looked down and saw that I was kneeling down on the floor. I looked at Aaron who was kneeling beside me. He smiled when I opened my eyes. I threw myself into his arms when I saw him. He stumbled back and his butt hit the floor. "Whoa! Okay. You can let go of me now." He slyly slid my arms off of him. I staggered when I tried to come back to my feet. "Aaron! It was horrifying and it hurt at first and then it felt so good. Kinda like sex, only much better." I was just blurting out what I had felt during the bite.

His eyes widened and he asked, "And, how exactly would you know that?" I blushed and looked down and let my hair cover my face. He laughed under his breath and then continued, "Nicole, what hurt at first and then felt better than sex?" He was trying to be funny, I just knew it. I sighed and sat down on the edge of one of the beds they have in the room. "Aaron, his bite! It was so good. I longed for more. I needed more. I mean, the pleasure in his bite was so good, I couldn't just ignore the feeling." I sighed and slumped my shoulders. I felt so guilty for enjoying me or Chuck being his snack. Aaron looked skeptical as he sat down next to me.

"Nicole, how could you feel the bite?" He asked. I raised my shoulders and then slumped them again. "I dunno. I was seeing everything from his point of view," I pointed at Chuck's motionless body and didn't feel so grossed out for once. "And I could feel everything he was feeling. The fear, the awe at Orpheus's beauty, the pain when he first sunk his teeth in, and the delight when he sucked my, er his, blood."

Aaron stood up and paced around the room. "Nicole, do you know what this means?" I shook my head. "No one who has your ability is able to see from someone's point of view. It has always been we are floating and just watching the scene happen. Nicole, you may be the most powerful psychometric out there." I opened my eyes wide and stared at him disbelievingly. Maybe he was delusional. He sounded so excited to find this out. It was as if he was a scientist who has just figured out how to use air as an alternative to gas. Now that was impossible.

"Nicole, what else was in the vision? Besides the pleasure you, er Chuck, felt during the bite?" I looked over the scene in my head.

"I only got a few glimpses. Orpheus was asking for someone, but the scene changed into Chuck being the blood donor to the vampire before I got a name and whether or not Chuck answered the question. Though, he probably didn't, considering he got killed right after that." Aaron shook his head and checked Chuck's wounds again. I got up and stood next to him. I got a better look at the holes on his neck. They were definitely teeth marks. I had gotten a good glance of Orpheus's teeth in our nightmare last night. The holes looked so hollow and so big. I reached out my hand to touch the marks.

"No!" Aaron moved my hand out of the way. "The wound still had his venom on it. You touch it, you become attached to his killer." He warned. I nodded my head. He had asked me to get alcohol swabs and gloves for him. I did the task and he cleaned the holes. I watched him work quietly.

He was so passionate about saving lives. He really did deserve the title that his dad has. I thought about what would happen after he got his title. Would he leave the school? Would he forget everyone he ever meant and meet some other more powerful people. Would he fight off the new leader of the Underworld and then marry some other girl. I shuddered at the thought. Why did I care if he got married to someone else? Why did I care if he fell in love with someone outside of this school? Why did I care if he even left? I barely knew him and he hadn't affected my life enough for me to miss him. But he did affect it enough to make me care if he died, if he even got hurt, or even if he cried. Why was that?

I was madly in love with Cole. Right? I shook my head and looked at the floor. What was I thinking? I am in love with Cole. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have had sex with him. I would still be a virgin. I would never have told him all of that stuff. I do love him, more than anything. Then what was this feeling I had for Aaron? Why did I want to thrust myself into his arms whenever he looked at me? Why did I want to tell him every secret I had ever kept? Why did my hand itch to hold his? I needed help. I needed to learn to decipher between feelings. "Okay. I think we're good here, we can leave." Aaron startled me from my thoughts. "Huh?" I looked up at him and Prof. Will and Genevieve were here too. When did they come in? Wow, I am totally oblivious when I am thinking.

Aaron walked up to me and whispered low enough so that only I could hear, "I didn't tell them a thing. I only told them that our visions weren't clear enough to tell us anything. Their thoughts need to be protected too. Come on, it's getting late. I should drop you home." I nodded slowly and left the room with him. We got outside and it was freezing. This was not good for a girl who has bare legs, really short shorts, and a tank top with a very light over shirt over the tank top.

"When the hell did it get this cold?" I asked, putting my hair back in place. He peeked at me from the corner of his eyes. "Here give me your hand and hold on tight. I don't want you to get lost along the way." He grabbed my hand and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them we were in front of the lounge door. I looked at my surroundings and gasped. "How did you…What…" Words had failed me. I hadn't even known we could get here. One second we were all the way across campus at the infirmary and the next we are here in the girls' dorms building standing in front of the lounge door.

I pulled my hand out of his and opened the door. I walked in and everyone was sitting on the couches talking loudly about what happened today. They were all in front of our favorite TV. Anastasia and Sharon were holding the popcorn and everyone was listening to Eric and Halley talk about what happened when they saw Chuck's body. I thought back to his eyes rolled all the way into the back of his head, his pale skin, and his veins so visible under his transparent skin. I shuddered and Aaron and I walked to the group. Halley looked up and must have seen my frightened expression because she asked, "I saw you and Aaron leave together with Will and G. Are you okay?" Everyone looked up at both of us and I went in the kitchen leaving Aaron to answer their question.

I wasn't that great at lying so it was better that I didn't even say anything. I searched in one of the many refrigerators and finally found some turkey slices. I got out two pieces of bread, some lettuce, light mayonnaise, and American cheese. I finished making my sandwich and went back to my friends. Aaron was still talking when I got back. "We just went to get visions. We didn't get much to tell who his killer was though." He finished talking and everyone erupted into loud chatter about someone's visit. I couldn't tell whom, because I was sitting on the steps that led up to the rooms alone. I wanted to be alone for a while, but I don't think anyone would let me. Eric came up to me and sat down. He brought a small bag of Lay's potato chips. He handed them to me and I took it. I was so hungry. This trying to stay away from vampires, thing is going to be hard.

"By the way, I know." He whispered to me, taking one chip. I looked up at him. I raised my eyebrows and he whispered back, "About Orpheus. I saw the teeth marks and I saw Orpheus leaving Starbucks just a couple minutes before that. My dad had fought him before, but he was too powerful. And because of him, my dad is dying and leaving everything to Aaron." I looked down and didn't feel like eating anymore. I set the plate down beside me and gave the chips to Eric. "I am really sorry for you. I really am. Aaron and I are trying to stay away from him. If we go near him, he might kill one of us, excuse me, both of us." He sat rigidly. "I know." He sighed sadly and pat my shoulder.

"Look for comfort in your friends. They may not be here as long as you might think." He got up and left me wondering. What did he mean by they might not be here as long as I thought. I shook my head and rested it in my hands. Eric must have a multiple personality disorder. Just yesterday and this morning he's being all jerk-like and now he's comforting me. Maybe he was just sad because of his brother's destiny. No! Aaron is not going to die. I will save him! I was having a hard time trying to go back to my friends.

I wanted to hide for a while. To just sit alone in the woods, my safe haven. I used to go there all the time before I got these powers. I went there to think and write. I used to write a whole bunch of poetry and they were really good too. But now, I just don't have enough inspiration. I tried to write a poem about my new life, a new beginning, but I came up with nothing. My mom used to call me her little poet when I was five and wrote about bumble bees and our dog, which died last year after a very fatal and sudden heart attack. I missed him, but he was old, it was his time. I wish I could wake up in the middle of the night like I used to and just write what came to mind. I had written some haiku and I used to write just a bunch of poems with rhythm.

I sighed. I hadn't realized how much I missed writing until now. I finally willed myself to go to my friends. "Hey, she's back!" Cole cheered. I smiled slightly and sat next to him. He put his arm around my shoulder. I crossed my arms and legs and stared straight. Aaron, Eric, and Halley were peeking looks at me every moment they weren't being looked at. I sat in the same position. I didn't care that it would be a little hard to get out of it after an hour or so.

"Okay. What game did we all love to play when we were in seventh grade?" Sharon asked. Everyone just stared at her until she answered for them. "Spin the Bottle!" Everyone groaned, but then agreed to play. "Sorry, but I don't want to play." Halley, Aaron, and I all said together. "Sweetie, are you sure?" Cole asked. I nodded my head and said, "I have a head ache and I just want to sit this out." He nodded, kissed my forehead softly, and followed everyone else to one of the round tables.

"See if I were your boyfriend, I would offer to stay back and not kiss girls other than you." Aaron and Halley sat down beside me. I smiled slightly and pulled my legs to my chest. "Aaron, you haven't eaten all day. You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen, or you can have the other half of my sandwich." I pointed to the sandwich sitting on the table in front of me half eaten. He stared at it for a second and then picked it up. "I'm too tired to get up. The day has been too much." I nodded in agreement. Halley looked at us suspiciously. Shoot, I forgot to mention that Halley is super intuitive. She would know that something was going on. "Aaron I need to tell you something real quick." I got up and he followed me into the kitchen.

"Sorry, I forgot to warn you. Halley is so intuitive that she can almost read minds, but for some reason, not mine. Control your thoughts around her and Eric knows everything. He figured it out." He started choking all of a sudden. I opened my eyes wider and gave him some water. He took it from me and gulped the whole bottle. "What!" He yelled in my face. I stepped back and flinched. I had never seen him so angry. "Eric knows!?!? How does he know!?!? I kept this from him so he didn't get hurt!" He put his hand to his forehead and started mumbling something in French. Figures. He is from Canada. When he started talking in English, he had let his accent slip out a bit. I stared at him in shock when this lovely French-Canadian accent came out of him.

"Why are you going off on me? I didn't say anything! He found out when he saw Orpheus coming out of Starbucks! Orpheus is the reason your father is ill. He used as much power as he could do destroy that monstrosity!" I didn't mean to bellow, but I just couldn't help it. I could see the color running out of his face. He had to hold onto the edge of the counter behind him to steady himself.

I could see the hint of anger flash through his eyes. "How do you know this?" I took a step closer to him, hesitantly. "Eric told me. One the stairs." He took another bottle of water and sipped big gulps. "Nicole, promise me you will help me vanquish that beast once and for all. You, Eric, and I have to work together to make sure he never gets the chance to show his sickening face here ever again." I nodded slowly and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Aaron, you know that I will never leave you alone. I'm here for you."

Chapter 5

The door opened and Cole walked in. He looked at us incredulously. I slowly took my hand off of Aaron's shoulder and stepped back. Aaron's eyes were rimmed in red and it wasn't hard to tell he had been about to cry. "I just came in here to tell Nicky that I have to leave so I can wake up early for my power control lessons." He took me into his arms and kissed me passionately. I pushed away lightly and saw that Aaron had gone out of the room. I sighed and shook my head. "What? Why do you care about that dork?" He asked rudely. I looked up at him and shouted right in his face.

"Could you for once not be so possessive? I don't get how a small gesture like putting my hand on his shoulder could make you so jealous! Just for once, I'm begging you, don't be such an ass!" All of our friends were watching the scene between me and Cole. No I wasn't mad. No I wasn't angry. I was infuriated. I had no idea that Cole could be like this. I pushed him out of my way and ran out of the lounge. Once in the hallway, I saw that Aaron was gone. Don't give up now. He needs you.

I breathed in and marched back into the lounge. Cole was still there and he looked furious. I couldn't look at his face right now. I stomped up the stairs and went straight to our room. I slammed the door and screamed at the top of my lungs. Why can't Cole just think that I might be trying to comfort Aaron instead of seduce him? Did he think that now I had sex and I might want someone other than him? Let me tell you. Right now, I was considering it.

Who the hell is he to tell me whether or not I can comfort someone? Why is he being so possessive? This was not good for my oversensitive anger mechanism. I looked at my hand and contemplated on whether I should punch the wall or not. I decided on the first one. I punched the wall so hard that I heard a very distinct crack in my hand. "Holy shit! My knuckles!" I took my hand and cradled it near my chest. I looked through my closet to see if I still had my knuckle brace. I found it in a corner under a pile of t-shirts. I slid it on and tightened it. I needed to go downstairs and get an icepack. Get over it, Nicole! He probably won't even be down there! I listened to my conscience and quickly ran downstairs. Everyone was huddled around the couch and with Cole. I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.

I quietly tried to tip toe across the room to the kitchen door. When I got to the door I heard my name being called. "Nicole! Please, I didn't mean to do what I did." It was Cole. I huffed and walked into the kitchen to look for an icepack in the freezer. I quickly found it so I could get out of here. It felt so cold at first I let go of it and it fell to the floor. I blew out a long breath and bent down to get it.

Once I was back in the lounge, I could see that everyone was still beside Cole, except for Eric, who must be looking for his brother. Wait. It was nighttime and Aaron and Eric were alone. I couldn't let that happen tonight. No way was I going to let that happen. The icepack slid out of my hand and hit the floor with a loud thud and everyone looked from Cole to me. "Shit!" I yelled and ran to the door. It was being blocked by Alistair. He was really buff so it would be hard to push him out of the way. "Alistair! Let me leave! I need to leave!" I yelled frantically.

He put his hands on his hips and said, "Not until you go make-up with Cole. He's broken you know." I was breathing heavily through my nose and I growled at him. "His emotions are not as important as preventing death! I need to save them before it's too late!"

"That is no way to talk to–" With all of the strength in my left hand, I push Alistair out of the way and ran out the door. I was clumsy so I tripped a couple times on the stairs. I walked out into the chilly night and regretted ever wearing shorts. I ran so fast, I feared fainting because I was out of breath. I ran all the way to the boys' dorms and knocked on Aaron and Cole's door. "Aaron! Are you in there?" There was no answer. All of the guys in the hallway were staring at me like I was crazy or a hot dog. I checked to see if the door was unlocked. It turned easily and threw the door open.

Someone was there. No it was not Aaron. It was his brother Eric. "Eric! Where's Aaron?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. The room was so neat and not at all how I imagined a guy's would be. The beds were made, the walls were bare, there was no underwear visible, and there were no stains on the carpet. He looked up. He was sitting on the edge of one of the beds. "Nicole, I can't find him anywhere. What if…" He couldn't go on and I wouldn't let him. I promised Aaron I wouldn't let anything happen to him. "You checked all over campus?" He nodded solemnly. Everyone was watching us in the hallway. I thought about places that were least likely that anyone would be in.

The tree. The oak that we found Chuck in before he died of a vampire attack. "Do you really think he would be there?" Eric asked. I almost forgot that he could read minds. I nodded and disappeared down the stairs. It was dark and very windy and tonight, the stars were actually out. I didn't have time to gaze, so I ran to the oak that sits in the middle of the field that separates the boys' dorms from the girls'. I looked up into it and called his name. "Aaron? Are you up there?" No answer. I couldn't take it.

If he wasn't coming to me, I was going to him. I grabbed one of the branches and lifted myself. I kept grabbing branches so I could find Aaron. "Nicole!" I heard someone call from below. I recognized the voice as Eric's. "Let me do this." I whispered to him. He shook his head and said, "That's not why I came. Here," He handed me something soft and very warm. It was a trench coat. I smiled kindly at him and slid it on. They must have a lot of these in Canada. It was warm and dry and made me feel good. I continued my climb and then found Aaron. He was sitting on what looked like a really sturdy branch. There was some space, so I sat down next to him.

Seeing him safe and in one piece made my heart jump in joy. I was smiling exuberantly at him. He looked away and tried not to meet my gaze. "Okay, so I hurt my friends and my boyfriend to come save you and Eric and you're giving me the cold shoulder. Eric at least is showing a little appreciation."

"Thanks!" He called up. I chuckled and looked back at Aaron. His expression was so heartbreaking. I put my hand on his shoulder and he glanced at it. He took a deep breath and began to speak. "When I saw Cole kissing you like that, I don't know what came over me. I felt betrayed and a little hurt. I know I shouldn't feel like that, because you and Cole are in love. You both are together and happy." I snorted. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't think he's happy after how much I embarrassed him in front of our friends." I set my hand on his face to make him look at me.

He said more, looking straight into my eyes. "Seeing you cry like that outside the dining hall and at Starbucks made me want to pull you into my arms and tell you all the things you want to hear. I want to make you happy, but ever since I got here, I feel like I've been making you miserable." I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me. "I think it'll get better once I leave. You'll go back to doing what you do and you won't have to worry about Orpheus." I put my hand under his chin and made him turn to me. "Listen to me. I promised you that I would help defeat him, and I always keep my promises." I looked deep into his eyes and leaned closer.

I wasn't thinking consciously, I just did what I did next involuntarily. He copied my action and came in. We were only a breath apart. When our lips touched, I swear I could feel a spark. Kinda like when you rub your hands on carpet for a while and then touch metal and you feel something shock you. Static electricity. That is what it felt like. The kiss was intense, burning everything in my body. I didn't feel cold anymore. I could feel the kiss in my fingertips, in my toes, in my bones. Every nerve in my body was a live wire. My hands were folded behind his neck and his were on my shoulders to keep me from falling off the tree. I was aware of all of the strands of hair on my head. It felt as if another person was being thawed out of thirty-year hibernation.

I didn't ask for my senses to come back, but they did anyway. I finally realized what I was doing and pulled away. When our lips separated, I felt cold again and it was as if I was trapped again. "I'm sorry Aaron I can't…" I trailed off and he looked down. "I understand. It's my fault. I shouldn't have said anything." I shook my head and took his hand. "No. I'm glad you said that." I gave him a peck on his cheek and he smiled faintly. I pulled him into my arms and we held there for a few minutes. This is where they would play that song. Aaron and Nicole, sitting in a tree; K-I-S-S-I-N-G! I chuckled and pulled away. "I like you Aaron, I really do. But I have a boyfriend who loves me very much." He raised an eyebrow and inquired, "But do you love him the same way?" I was surprised by the question. I hesitantly nodded and started to climb out of the tree and he followed. When I jumped on the ground we both could see Eric's shocked expression.

He pointed at both of us individually again and again. "You two…You kissed!" Oh crap! I had totally forgotten he was watching everything we were doing up there. "Eric, please do not tell anyone and don't think about it around Halley, she can read most minds like you." Aaron warned. He nodded slowly and they walked me back to the girls' building. Eric had left us alone for a while and started walking back to his dorm. I looked up and into Aaron's beautiful jade eyes. "I guess I'll see you soon." I whispered. He nodded and hugged me. I embraced him tightly and breathed in his scent. It was a little outdoorsy and smelled so good. He started to pull away put I held onto him. I gave him a quick kiss on his lips and smiled. "I suggest you sleep on the couch in your lounge. I think Cole is going to choke you in your sleep." He snickered and agreed.

He kept my hand in his as he walked away and when there was no way he could go home holding my hand, he softly let go and departed. I sighed and entered the building. I thought back to the kiss we had shared in the tree. It was so much better than any of Cole's kisses. Why is that?

Suddenly, a line for a poem came into my mind. I ran up the stairs and went straight into mine and Halley's dorm. Halley was sleeping soundlessly on her bed while I searched for paper and pen. When I finally found them I started writing.

His eyes glisten like the morning dew on grass,

His smile glows and lights the fire inside of me.

My heart aches for his presence,

But does his for mine?

Am I just wasting my time?

I ask for an explanation,

Why have I taken his love potion?

These questions rise in my head,

Painted with the passionate color of red.

These questions rise in my head,

What am I to do?

Who am I to love?

Please help me not to be entranced.

Why do these questions rise in my head?

When I finished writing it, I couldn't believe what I had written about. Was this about Aaron and Cole? I gasped and folded the paper and stuck it in my nightstand drawer. I couldn't look at it. I changed out of my clothes and into something more comfortable. I needed a good night's sleep after the day I have had today.

The rest of the week went by okay. No one else was reported brutally murdered and Cole and I had worked things out. He is just too sweet and cute to stay mad at forever. The conversation went like this at lunch after our fight:

Cole and Aaron entered the dining hall together and walked straight to our table. They looked like they worked it out. Cole sat down next to me and Aaron sat across from me looking at his feet the entire time. I remembered the very sweet kiss we had shared the night before. My lips were still tingling from when I pulled away from him. I looked up at Cole and he seemed apologetic. Before he sat down he asked if we could talk. I nodded and followed him to the corner of the room. "Listen, Nicole, I now I messed up terribly. Aaron told me what happened. He said that his father was ill and you were just trying to make him feel better. I didn't mean to go all crazy, jealous, boyfriend, on you. I'm exceedingly sorry, love." I couldn't help but lose myself in his words. I loved the way he called me his love. I loved the way his voice remained calm, as if he were practicing the entire night on apologizing to me.

I smiled slightly and pulled him into my arms. He smiled and kissed the top of my head. I had a new found respect for Aaron. He liked me so much and he only wanted me to be happy. So he just taught Cole how to apologize to me. I smiled and held myself closer to Cole. He breathed my scent in and gave me a quick kiss on my lips. I didn't experience the same feeling that I had last night with Aaron. I ignored the reaction and walked with Cole back to our table. I say it is our table because we all have been sitting there since last year when we first got here. I remember, I was sitting alone and then Halley comes along and clues me in on everything about the school. After that, her friends joined us and we all became buddies.

When I became Cole's charge, he sat with me at lunch and realized how much he hates Abigail. She never stopped her attempts at getting Cole back. Including right now. She walked up to our table and put her hand on Cole's shoulder, caressing it softly. "Cole," she said in the fake sexy voice of hers. "I'm going to this party that Chad's holding at the boys' lounge. Do you want to go with me?" She was completely oblivious of his girlfriend sitting next to him listening to every word she said. He groaned at took her hand off his shoulder. "Sorry, Abby, but I can't. I have time to spend with my girlfriend. You know her. Nicole Stark." I smiled to myself and she scuttled away with a flip of her hair.

We all started laughing. "If that doesn't damage her ego, I don't have a clue what will." Sharon commented. She high-fived Cole and so did Anastasia. You see the story with Anastasia and Sharon is that they have been friends since they were born. I mean, they have the same birthday. They were born in rooms next to each other. It was all very true. They always had conjoined birthday parties and did everything together. They are roommates and no matter what they will not let anyone take the extra bed they have in their room. I wonder how they never got tired of each other. That, my friends, is the beauty of friendship. It comes with an extra dose of tolerance.

Halley, sitting on the other side of me, patted my thigh and then went back to eating her salad.

The rest of the week had gone by the same way. We all hung out and talked and we even went off campus for a decent lunch. We all crammed in my car. A Ford Explorer. It wasn't all that popular, but I loved it too much to give it up.

We only went to eat Frosty's at Wendy's. It was delicious. Aaron and I had barely talked since the night we kissed. Cole had asked why we weren't talking and demanded to know if it was his fault. I assured him many a time that it was nothing like that. We just don't have much in common. I would say.

When the first day of school approached, I made sure that everything was ready. My uniform – not bad, really. We were just required to wear shirts with the school's insignia on it. We could wear jeans, too. But that was only when we were in school. When the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, we wore whatever we wanted. For the first day back, I picked out a purple turtle neck with short sleeves. The insignia was placed on the breast of the shirt. A lion, standing up facing the crescent moon on the right. It stood for bravery and magic. Most fables and legends take place at night and talk about the moon for magic so that is what the moon stood for. Everyone already knows what a lion stands for. Bravery and King. We were supposed to be leaders in the future. Make sure the world is a safe place to live. This was all total superhero stuff, but I actually enjoyed school.

I ironed the top and got out my dark wash jeans for the next day. These were one of my favorite jeans because they fit so perfectly and gave me the shape of a beautiful woman. I liked them so I took them out.

Halley was frantic. She had no idea what to do with her hair. "Halley, just for once, let it curl up. It looks pretty that way. Or, let me tell you what. I have a curl brush in my drawer and you have layers, so I can make them more prominent and curl them inward. That would look great on you." She smiled and hugged me. She apparently thought it was a great idea. As we got ready for bed she called to me. "Nicole."

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind if I asked you to talk to Eric about me?" The question was totally out of the blue. I grinned at her and agreed to be her "wing woman." I had dreamt pleasant dreams, which was a good sign that tomorrow would go well. I hadn't even seen Orpheus once after that first encounter at Starbucks.

Except that when I awoke, I saw a note on my nightstand beside me. I groggily opened it and read:

I'll be watching you…

Orpheus

The handwriting was so elegant and written in blood red and it scared me. I could see the spots where the ink had splotched on the page and I wondered if it was really ink. I smelled the page and it didn't smell like ink at all. It smells like a rust-and-salt mixture. And it nauseated me. It was certainly blood. I got up and headed for the bathroom. I noticed that the scar on my back was healing at a quick pace. I smiled and tucked the stalker-ish note in the pocket of the jeans I was wearing today. It had frightened me half to death when I read the name at the bottom of the paper. I had sweat beads appear on my forehead and my body went as cold and stiff as ice. I needed to show this to Aaron. He needed to know what was going on. He's in all of my classes, which works out well for me.

Once I was dressed and ready, I went to work on Halley's hair. She was so excited. Everyone was. Today was the first day of school. We all enjoyed it because it wasn't like all the other schools we had gone to. The ones that taught things people like us couldn't use every day. This one taught us magic and magical history. Our most important chapters were always based on the Witch Hunting Trials. Most of the school consisted of witches, like me. I had gotten it from my mom, but the psychometry was genetic. It came from my grandmother, whom I miss dearly. She had died of lung cancer and she was always so close to me.

I would go to her house every weekend and I would discover more and more about our magical history. Our ancestors had helped save lives during the Witch Trials. They stayed underground and only came up to get more supplies, like food and water and ingredients for potions. It was so cool how they put up with all of those men. Everyone knows that the entire thing was made my human males so that their pride didn't get hurt. They have been putting women down for centuries. Didn't they know that without women, they couldn't procreate? Didn't they ever think that a woman might have some pride to save?

I thought the entire thing was stupid. I was proud to be a female in the twenty-first century. Allowed the same rights that man has.

I was thinking about this as I walked from the lounge to my first period class, Literature. We had a new teacher this year due to grade changes. I didn't know the teacher's name so I would find out during the class. I entered the room and peered out the window at the woods right behind the school. That half of the wall was glass entirely. It was at the back of the classroom so that no one would gaze outside of it during class. The chalkboard was actually just a dry erase board that covered that wall. The posters were up. They were pictures of poets and play writers. I smiled when I saw Aaron sitting at the back of the room. He looked up from his notebook and noticed I was looking at him. He grinned and waved for me to sit next to him.

All of the girls' heads turned to look in the direction that the superhot new kid was waving at. They all gave me looks of annoyance. I ignored their piercing gazes and sat next to Aaron. I set my books on the desk and turned to him. He was still grinning when I looked at him. "What?" I asked. He put down his pencil and said, "Nothing. I'm just glad that you're here." I beamed back at him. The bell rang and the entire class quieted down. The professor entered. His face was turned away from the class, but I looked at Aaron and he had the same expression as me. The man seemed familiar. He was dressed in a black suit. It made his hair look less prominent. He picked up a dry erase marker and wrote on the board, "Professor…" He paused and cocked his head to the side. The marker wasn't working well.

He picked up a black one and went over the Professor. Aaron and I anticipated and waited for him to write his name. He wrote it slowly, and it irritated us both. "O R P H E U S" He wrote leisurely. Aaron and I didn't gasp. We just stared in horror as he slowly turned on his heels and faced all of us. The girls in the class swooned and I bet that they were looking straight into his eyes. For some reason, when I looked in his glowing, bright blue eyes, it didn't faze me. I knew that he was a nasty, evil creature that was out to get Aaron and me. I peeked a look at Aaron and he looked monotonous. He had a blank expression on his face, as if he was hiding the anger and pain that he wanted to show. He caught me looking and smirked. I looked into his eyes and felt him say, this is going to be fun. I grinned and then Orpheus began talking in that honey-sweet velvety smooth voice of his. It was so alluring to everyone in the class except for me and Aaron. He had assigned us to work on Shakespeare sonnets. Fortunately he grouped me and Aaron together. He smirked at us and gave us a copy of Sonnet 148. I sighed. I hated analyzing these sonnets that I didn't even get. Aaron offered to read. He read with such passion that I lost myself in the words.

Oh me! What eyes hath Love put in my head,

Which have no correspondence with true sight!

Or, if they have, where is my judgment fled,

That censures falsely what they see aright?

If that be fair whereon my false eyes dote,

What means the world to say it is not so?

If it be not, then Love doth well denote,

Love's eye is not so true as all men's 'No!'

How can it? Oh, how can Love's eye be true,

That is so vexed with watching and with tears?

No marvel then, though I mistake my view;

The sun itself sees not 'til heaven clears.

Oh cunning Love! With tears thou keepest me blind,

Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find.

I stared down at the text, completely ignoring Orpheus behind us. "Okay, how about we concentrate on line twelve?" I nodded and read it, "The sun itself sees not till heaven clears." I pondered for a moment. "Okay, we know that he doesn't mean it literally, because we know that the sun cannot see." I think I was having an epiphany. I suddenly got it. "There could be many meanings for the word see." Aaron said aloud. I nodded and continued. "It could mean, 'I see what you're saying' or 'I'll see you on that bet.'" I was on fire. I had never before gotten these sonnets. "Okay, think of the sun as a person and the Earth as another person. The clouds are blocking the sun from shining down on the Earth." Aaron was having the same realizations as me.

"He talks about the falseness of things. The clouds could be blocking the reality of the Earth. The sun is not able to see Earth's real façade. He says that tears are also involved in this somehow. Okay. This is what I think." He took his eyes off the paper and looked at me intently. I could feel that Orpheus was doing the same thing. I voiced my conclusion on the sonnet. "I think that he is trying to say that love blinds you. Your vision is so messed up that you can't see the real person through her eyes. Sometimes that blindness will overcome you and be the dominant factor. Because of that, you may be hurt so badly and not even tears can help erase the blindness that has consumed you." I finished and Aaron and Orpheus were still looking at me. Orpheus was now standing behind Aaron. He was trying so hard not to flinch at the black aura that surrounded the vampire. Orpheus put his hand on the back of Aaron's seat and said to me, "Ah, Ms. Stark, such enthusiasm to learn about Shakespeare. You analysis is just as good as mine." He looked straight into my eyes, but I didn't feel a thing. I wouldn't think this thought around him, not at all. I would wait until my next class to tell Aaron about everything. I looked at Aaron and kept up with the blank façade.

"Well, Professor Orpheus, I have had much practice with solving mysteries, so solving poems isn't much different." I smiled. I saw fear flash through his eyes for one second and then he composed himself and moved around the classroom.

For the rest of the period Aaron and I were careful not to speak about anything but poems. It was excruciating not being able to talk to Aaron about the note and about why Orpheus gave us this poem in particular. I would talk to him after class. I would have to.

When the bell finally rang, Aaron and I tried to squeeze through the herd of students that were crowded around the door. When we finally got out I spotted Aaron's brother roaming in the hall. Should I tell him, too? Maybe I should. This concerns him too. He needs to know about his brother's safety. Plus, I promised Halley I would talk to him about her. I grabbed Aaron's hand and loved how warm it felt in mine. I ran with him over to Eric. They were both standing in front of me with confused expressions. I just noticed how they looked so alike. They had the same nose and their expressions made them look even more alike.

I opened my mouth to explain everything to them, but then I heard Professor Janet call out to us to get back to class. "I'll tell you at lunch. Meet me in the library." They nodded and Aaron and I headed to our next class. We walked together to the Magical Practice class taught by Professor James. It was held in another building so I decided to tell Aaron first. "So, what did you want to tell me?" He asked just as I was about to tell him. I looked up at him and I knew myappearance was not a pleasant one.

"Aaron, I got a note this morning." I dug out the paper from my pocket and handed it to him. He looked at it soclosely. "You do know that this isn't ink, right?" He asked. I nodded solemnly. "Have you gotten a vision through it?" He shook his head and looked down at me. "He put some sort of a lock on it, so that we can't know anything." I sighed and we didn't say anything else about the topic.

"Wait. The poem. I know why he gave us the poem." He stopped walking and put his hands on my shoulders and looked in my eyes. "Why?"

"Love blinds you so that you can't see the faults in a person. He thinks I'm going to fall in love with him and he's going to use that advantage to lure you into his trap. I saw the look in his eyes when I told him that solving mysteries was just like solving poems. He might know that I know." I was trying so hard not to let my voice shake. But it did crack in a few places. "Okay, no matter what you cannot see him outside of class, got it. Wait, you say you looked in his eyes!" He wasn't yelling, afraid that someone might hear us. I nodded. "I didn't feel anything, except for his black aura. It is terrible. Maybe it's because I know that he's icky." He sighed and let go of me. We started walking to class.

Chapter 6

Magical practice went perfectly. Aaron wasn't in my third period class and he said that I should talk to Eric about it alone in the library because he doesn't want to be there to see his brother's disappointed look. I agreed and waited until lunch. Third period Magical History went by great. Professor Genevieve was always so interesting and she never notices when people pass around notes, so Halley and I were doing just that. Halley asked if I had talked to Eric yet. I wrote back that I was going to do that today in the library. And I also wrote to her that that is where we were going to be if anyone was looking for us. She was so happy and smiley when it was time for lunch. I headed straight to the library and waited for Eric. When he came I took out Orpheus's note and Sonnet 148.

I had taken a table at the back of the library where no one can see us. When he saw me and waved I sighed in relief. He sat down next to me and looked around. "Where's Aaron?" He asked. I stopped smiling and answered his question. "He already knows so he decided to go to lunch instead." That was partly true. He nodded and looked down at the pieces of paper in front of him. When he spotted the note from Orpheus, his face went so pale, I thought he was about to faint. "Is that for you?" He asked, breathlessly. I nodded and he sat back in his chair, looking ill. "Eric, he assigned this poem to me and Aaron in class as a clue to his plan. It means that love blinds you so that you do not see faults. He thinks I'm going to fall in love with him and that that will lure Aaron and you to me so that you can save me. Then he will finish you off."

I flinched when I said the last sentence. I should really think before I say things. He groaned and put his head on the table. "When he said that my analysis was as good as his, I told him that solving mysteries was just like solving poems and that I was good at both. I saw fear in his eyes when I said that. He's afraid of us Eric." He lifted his head and the color had come back a bit. He smiled slightly and then went back to looking nonchalant. "That's good." He said. He didn't have the same anger that Aaron had shown. Never mind. "Wait. You looked in his eyes!" I flinched at the venom in his voice. I told him the same thing I had said to Aaron. That I didn't feel one thing for that bloodsucker except hate.

He took the sonnet from me and read it over. "Yup, that is exactly why he gave you this poem. Nice touch to murder isn't it. Pointing out how you're going to do it." I sighed and sat back in my chair. Suddenly, I heard Halley asking me to talk to Eric.

I perked up and asked, "Eric, what do you think of Halley?" He smiled and I swear I saw him blush. That was so cute. He looked at the table, trying to hide his face. "She's okay I guess." I chuckled and he didn't look up or stop smiling. "Why don't you just ask her out? I know for a fact that she wants you to." He looked up and I saw passion in his eyes for Halley. "She said that?" Oh my God. I had never seen Eric like this before.

He is always the cool, don't-give-a-damn-about-the-world, kind of guy. I smiled at him and nodded. He stood up and walked out the door. I followed him all the way to the Dining hall. He walked straight to our table and asked to talk to Halley. She looked at me and mouthed a thank you. I said you're welcome back and sat next to Cole. "What did you do?" He asked. I sighed and took his cookie. "Oh, nothing. I just set them up." He grinned and put his arm around me. "That's my Nicole. Doing good for others. Now can I have my cookie back?" He stuck his hand out, palm up, and asked for the cookie. I looked from the cookie to him and took a bite of the cookie.

He took his hand away and took a sip of water. Everyone was looking at me weirdly. Jake spoke up for the entire group, "Why are you so happy?" I smiled and joked around. "I'm in love with someone else." I sighed. Everyone gasped and Aaron just sat rigid in his seat. Cole said, "Are you cheating on me?" I laughed at all of their expressions. They are so gullible. They looked at me, taken aback. "Do you really think I would fall in love with someone else when I have Cole? I'm just happy that I finally got those two together." Why was I feeling so giddy when I had just found out that I might be killed sometime soon? I have no idea. I took another bite of the cookie and Cole kissed my cheek. "Not funny, but I'm relieved." I smiled and took a peek at Aaron.

He looked okay. He was talking with Sharon, who seemed all over him. I don't know what came over me, but I felt mad. I felt jealous almost. I didn't like the feeling at all. It was stupid of me to think like this. I excused myself from the table and went outside. I stepped out into the sun and felt the cold air on my face. It had gotten a lot colder this week and I wondered why. It never gets cold over here in September. It usually doesn't get cold until November or the end of October.

I didn't think anything of it. I sat on the sidewalk and thought for a long time. I thought about how I felt when I saw Sharon all over him like that. Why did I have this feeling to just punch her out of the way? She's my friend, I shouldn't think of her like that. The kiss we shared has really shaken me up. It was absolutely amazing. It felt like the Fourth of July in my mouth when he kissed me. Even outside of the dorms. I looked at my hand with the broken knuckles. It still hurt whenever I tried to make a fist. I thought back to the poem I had written. It wasn't one of my best, not at all. In this one, the meaning was so obvious. I like to hide my meanings. I think it was just a trick to get me thinking that I loved Cole and not Aaron.

I thought about Orpheus. I could sense the ice-cold feel of his skin. He didn't have his fangs, and they only showed when he feasted on people. I shuddered and reflected back at my nightmare. The way he approached me. The slick and cunning way he made me believe that he was the good guy. The main thing was that I didn't like him, at all.

I sat on the sidewalk watching people come in and out of buildings. I saw a pair of black shoes walk up to me. I looked up at the figure and tried hard not to gasp. "Ms. Stark, just the lady I was looking for." He sat down next to me and I wondered why he didn't look bothered by the sun. "I wanted to talk to you about Aaron. I see that you are good friends with him." It wasn't a question but I still answered. "Yes." I tried to keep my voice steady. "I just wanted to remind you about him. Just remember that love blinds you. There was a reason I gave you that poem." He was about to stand up when I spoke. "Don't you just hate the sun sometimes? The way it makes you feel so hot and icky?" He sat back down and looked up at the sky, squinting at the sun. "Not much. I like the sun, a lot actually." I was surprised by his answer.

He was probably just making it seem like he's not a vampire. I nodded, understanding and then stood up. "I better leave. My friends are waiting for me." He stood up to and shook my hand. It was surprisingly warm for a vampire. He went his way and I went mine.

Why is he letting me know his plan on how he's going to kill me? Love blinds you. Love blinds you. The sentence kept ringing in my ears as I approached our table. "She's back. So did you get enough air?" Eric asked. I nodded and sat down beside Cole. He held my hand under the table and smiled at me.

The rest of the day went by okay. I didn't tell Aaron about Orpheus because something in my gut was telling me that it probably wouldn't be a good idea. He remained oblivious all day about my encounter with the vampire. First of all, because he would get mad, second, he might not let me help kill Orpheus. I didn't want that to happen, because he needs all the help he can get to kill Orpheus.

Halley and Eric were going off campus tonight for a date and they asked me and Cole to come along. We agreed, obviously. So now Halley and I were getting ready to go for dinner at P.F. Chang's. We all love Chinese food, and that place has really good Chinese food. They also had the best deserts.

I was helping Halley with her hair – curling it – and I was also doing my make-up. I didn't put on a lot, because I don't like the feel of having something on my face. I only put on black mascara and a little eyeliner and this perfect shade of lip gloss. Halley and I decided on wearing black. I wore a simple black dress that stopped right above my knee. It had one of those coat things that only cover your chest with long sleeves. Halley wore a black dress with spaghetti straps that had this very beautiful design in silver on the front end. It was just a bunch of intricate swirls.

I straightened my hair and she curled her's. Once we were all glammed up, we went out front to meet the guy's. Cole wore jeans with a black button-down shirt and Eric had on jeans with a white button-down shirt and a black tie around his neck. I smiled at Cole and he linked his arm with mine. He is so sweet. We climbed into the car. Cole and I in the front and Halley and Eric in the back. Eric came forward and said to us, "Thank you so much for coming with us." We swiped the air and he sat back and put his arm around Halley. I smiled and put my seatbelt on. Cole held one of my hands while he drove with his other hand.

"I'm so glad we're doing this. I haven't been out with Cole for such a long time." I said.

"Well, maybe because while we were together last year, you had to fight off the Power Tracker and then we had to go visit our families over the summer. We never had time."

"Also because you and Abigail were dating the first half of the year I was there." He frowned and squeezed my hand. I smiled at him and then looked in the back. Halley and Eric were whispering things to each other. Oh, that is so sweet.

Once we parked in the parking lot, I looked up at the St. Jude's hospital for a second. It was just a couple blocks away from the restaurant, which is so convenient. If someone lodges a bone in their throat, then they could just drive the minute it takes to go there.

We went inside the building and asked for a booth. We were lucky enough to get one. It was packed in here. We got one in the main hall by the windows. "Okay, my name is Maggie and I will be your waitress tonight. What drink will you like?" She asked. She was beautiful. Her blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail and it was so shiny. She wore the uniform for her job. Black pants and shirt. "We will all have some Sprite and water for Nicole." Cole ordered. I smiled and loved the way he remembered that I don't drink a lot of soda. She left with our orders and we all got to talking.

"Okay, so what do you guys think of the new Literature teacher?" I knew for a fact that he was also teaching juniors because he was a temporary teacher for them until Professor Vento got back from his sabbatical. The boys said, "Eh." And Halley's response wasn't much different. "He's really cute and a great teacher, but I wouldn't crawl on the ground behind him begging for him to be with me." Halley joked. We all laughed and I noticed that Eric's was a little nervous.

I knew exactly how he felt. Scared, worried. I remembered his expression earlier today when I showed him the note Orpheus gave me. He looked so green and pale. I moved away from that memory and concentrated on tonight. The waitress came back with our drinks and I took a big sip of mine. "Nicky, you might want to slow down." Cole said, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded and set the glass back on the table. It was half empty. "How's your hand?" Halley asked. I lifted it to my face. I had forgotten that it was even hurt. "Fine, I guess. It doesn't hurt much." Cole frowned. He knew that he was the one who frustrated me into punching the wall and he wouldn't stop apologizing. I assured him every time that it wasn't his fault. That I was having a hard time trying to get along with Aaron, which is part true. Aaron's worry for me is inadequate. I think he is one of those guys' who think women are just dainty little porcelain dolls. Well, news flash, I'm not one of those girls.

I can take care of myself. Even Cole, gentleman of all gentlemen, understands that. The waitress came back with a notepad and asked for our orders. "Two Ginger Chicken and one New York Strip." Eric ordered for all of us. We need to take this stuff back to the dorms.

When the food came we all dug in and I just realized how hungry I am. "This is why you should eat lunch." Everyone said together to me. I put my fork down and swallowed. "Sorry." I whispered. They all shook their heads at me.

"So what's new with you?" Halley asked everyone.

"Well, I still can't get my levitation right." I answered.

"I finally ran a mile in less than a minute." Cole said.

"Jack made me a friendship bracelet." Eric said.

We all turned to look at him. He stopped chewing and swallowed. "Well, I couldn't say no to the kid. He's really sensitive." We all smirked and he continued eating.

I looked around the room and saw some familiar people coming from the front door of the restaurant. I squinted and I realized who it was. Abigail. I groaned and everyone turned to look at me. "What's wrong?" Halley asked, worry in her eyes. "Nothing. It's just that…Abigail is here." We all grimaced and looked toward the front door. She was with another guy. Chad Adams. I hate that boy. He acts like he can get any girl he wants and now that he has Abigail, he knows that he can get any girl he wants. He'll date her for a while and then break her heart (which won't be that bad considering she has no heart) and then he'll move on.

We all tried to hide our faces, but we had no luck. They were walking straight to our table.

"Nicky, Cole! I had no idea you guys were coming here! We should join you!" We widened our eyes and yelled, "No!" The entire restaurant turned to look at our table. "Sorry Abby, but our table is too full for your big ass." Halley said. Go Halley! Anger flashed through her eyes. "It's Abigail. Not Abby to you. And who do you think you are trying to steal my Cole from me?" She pointed her sharp nails in my direction.

"I'm his girlfriend. A privilege that you lost when you tried controlling him." I snapped. She gasped and turned away with Chad. I rolled my eyes and went back to eating. "Let's just forget she even came here." Halley said. I nodded. "Boy, you girls don't need us to defend you." Eric said. We looked at him and smiled. "It's the twenty-first century." We said together. We laughed and continued our night.

After dinner, we went for some ice cream at Baskin Robins. We ate it on the drive back to campus, which felt like home to me. Eric said that he would drop Halley back to the dorms so we dropped them off at the front gate. Cole and I found a parking spot and he started walking me home. We held hands as we walked on the grounds of (Name of School).

I shivered as the cold night hit my skin. Cole put his arm around me and held me close to his warm body. I thought back to the first night we came back. The way his body brushed against mine, the way his abs burned under my hand. I realized that I hadn't really had much time to spend with him alone and now I was getting the chance.

I stopped walking and he followed. He looked down at me, confused. I looked up into his sapphire blue eyes. I felt guilty. Guilty for kissing Aaron without Cole knowing. I knew I would have to tell him. "Cole…I…I need to tell you something important." My voice was shaking and it cracked in a few places.

"What is it Nicole?" He asked, a little anxious. My stomach was hurting and I had just had dinner. My heart was racing in my chest. I feared for his reaction. My breathing quickened and he sat me down on the sidewalk. "Nicole, are you okay?" He put his arm around me and I realized that I was shaking. I had to tell him. I had to tell him. "Yes…No. No I'm not okay. Cole, I did something terrible. Something awful." He put his hand under my chin and lifted my head so I could look at him. "You know you can tell me anything." But I couldn't. I couldn't look in his eyes and hurt him.

"Cole, I-I-I ki…I kissed Aaron." I looked away from him and at the ground. His arm was not around me anymore. There were tears building at the corners of my eyes. I couldn't stop them. They ran freely down my face. I peeked a glance at him and regretted it immediately. He looked hurt.

I had hurt him. His eyes looked straight and I could see the pain in them. I had betrayed him. His trust. His love. Everything. He sighed and looked at me, disgust clouding his vision. "What did I do?" He asked silently.

"Nothing." I whispered.

"No. All I did was love you dearly and you deceive me like this? I must have done something terribly unforgivable to deserve this." I put my hand on his cheek and he moved his head away from my reach.

"You're right. You don't deserve this. I don't deserve you." I mumbled. He still heard it and got up. "I…I just can't look at you right now." He started walking away, but I was too slow. He used his power to run back to his room, maybe to gag Aaron. "Cole!" I called out.

I knew it was of no use. I stood up and walked back to my dorm. I was running actually. Crying and running. I couldn't stand the pain in my chest, not at all. I got to the entrance and Halley and Eric were there making out by the door. I rushed past them and up the stairs. I ran all the way back to the lounge. No one was there so I sat on the couch and cried. I cried my heart out.

The ache in my chest just wouldn't go away. It burned like the sidewalk on a hot summer day. I felt empty and hollow. I felt alone and abhorrent. I heard footsteps coming, but thought nothing of them. The door to the lounge swung open and Halley and Eric were hovering in the doorway. I turned my body away from them. I looked and felt terrible. Eric already knew what happened between me and Aaron, but I didn't want to say it in front of Halley. She would think the same thing of me as Cole did right now.

My breathing came in little gasps as I tried to control it. I really hoped I wasn't having another panic attack. I have had them before and being rushed to the hospital because of them is not fun. I grabbed Kleenex from the box on the table in front of me and blew my nose. Halley and Eric trapped me in between them on the couch.

Chapter 7

"Okay, what happened?" Halley asked playfully. I glowered at her through my tears and she stopped smiling. "Um, Hal, why don't you go get her a glass of water from the kitchen?" She nodded her head and left me and Eric alone. "What happened?" He asked softly. This dude really did have a multiple personality disorder. He's mean, then nice, then sarcastic, then worrisome, and now he's sensitive. I swear, he needs therapy. I turned to look at him and he wiped my tears with a different Kleenex. "I think I know. You told him about the kiss." It wasn't a question. I suddenly recalled Aaron telling me that Eric can read minds. I nodded and hugged him. Halley came back with a glass of water and patted my back.

Eric was almost like Chris in a way. He cared a lot about his friends. "Eric, I messed up. I don't know what I was thinking that a guy like him would be able to put up with me." Halley shushed me and said, "Nicole, just because you kissed Aaron does not mean you don't deserve someone like Cole." Huh? When did Halley find out that I kissed Aaron. I stared up at Eric and he smiled apologetically. He sent the information to her mind. I pulled away from him and sat back in the couch. "Sweetie, you don't need him. We're here aren't we?" Halley motioned to Eric and herself. I nodded sadly and she took my hand and squeezed it. "What you need is a nice hot shower. Let's go back to our room and you can do just that." She helped me up and said good-bye to Eric.

Their kiss brought back the pain in my chest. I put my hand over my heart and held it there. We leisurely walked up the stairs to our room. I was hiccupping the entire way back to our room. When we got there, Halley pushed me into the bathroom and gave me my blue pajamas. The ones with the silk tank top and cotton pants. I smiled slightly, but it didn't touch my eyes.

Before heading into the shower I caught my reflection in the mirror. I looked awful. My mascara was smeared on my cheek in tear stains, my hair was like a haystack. I looked exhausted and like I hadn't slept in weeks. I groaned, but I really wanted to scream. I wanted to scream until my lungs burned for air.

This week is probably the worst in my entire life. I looked myself in the mirror and had the urge to punch something, or maybe just me. I had a brain, why couldn't I stop myself from thinking of Aaron in that way. Like Shakespeare himself said, or wrote, love blinds you.

I stepped in the shower and loved the way the hot water hit my back and removed all of the knots and tangles. I sighed really long and when I was done, I got out and changed into my clothes. I stepped out of the bathroom and into my room. Halley was asleep in bed and there was a glass of water next to my bed. I drank the entire thing in one gulp and fell asleep.

The next day was torture. The entire first period Lit class, Aaron was bugging me and asking why I wasn't talking to him. I gave him the same answer every time he asked. "Nothing, Aaron," "It's none of your business, Aaron." He is so stubborn. The next time he asked me again, Orpheus came and asked what the matter was.

"Nothing. Aaron was just asking me a question about what we are learning today." I answered. I glared at Aaron and he looked apologetic. I shook my head and Orpheus said, "Would you like to move? There are a few empty seats on the third row if you like." His English accent was so intoxicating. I swear, Brits are too hot! I ignored the feeling of longing and shook my head, "No thank you. I'm fine over here." I said confidently. He nodded and went back to his desk.

I began reading the chapter assigned to us for today and as I flipped the pages, I got a paper cut. The blood oozed out and dripped onto my notebook. I looked up for any signs of disturbance from Orpheus, but he was oblivious. I looked over at Aaron and he was clutching the desk, anticipating something to happen. There were sweat beads rolling down his face. I creased my eyebrows and then, finally, Orpheus looks up and at Aaron and me. He walks over again and sets a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Son, the principal wants to see you for a few minutes, why don't you go." He nods one tight nod and quickly leaves the classroom. Orpheus looks at me and hands me a bandage from his pocket. I take it and wrap it around my finger. He just walks away, unperturbed. I squint my eyes at him, confused more than ever.

When the class is finally over, I run outside and try to find Eric. He should know more about his brother than anyone else. I spot him walking toward the third year building for Magical Practice. I run faster and finally get to him. "Hey Nicole, how've you been?" He asks. I ignore the question and talk about what happened in Literature. He nods along while I tell it. When I finish he at last says something. "He started to have these panic attacks last year. Happens whenever blood is out in the open. He's squeamish, you know." I sigh and thank him. I start to walk away but his words stop me and cut through me like a knife. "I talked to Cole about what happened yesterday." I stop in my tracks and slowly turn back around to face him. "He told me to tell you to meet him by the oak near the dorms during lunch. Don't forget." I bob my head and walk away. Did he realize that we did need to talk? Did he want be back after all I've put him through? No, he doesn't. What I did was probably worse than Abigail's tortures. I feel so guilty.

I run back to class and make it in the nick of time. Aaron's sitting in the back and I join him, since the seat we chose on the first day is our permanent seat for the first semester of school. He seems to have calmed down a bunch since I last saw him. I reach over and touch his shoulder to get his attention. He flinches at my touch and moves away a little. I raise one eyebrow and just ignore it. The rest of the day goes by in much similar ways. But when he takes his jacket off to reveal the skin on his arms, I see the big bruise on his right shoulder. Cole had hurt him. I know that for sure.

When I see him today, I will be so mad at him for hurting Aaron. Except he deserves to be mad at me. He'll be the one yelling and I'll be the one begging for him to forgive me. My stomach churns and I dread lunch time. But that's just worse. The time goes by faster when I don't anticipate something. Before I know it, it's lunch time. I excuse myself from my friends and head on over to the library. The library, once a small room, now a huge building all by itself. Children from past years have dedicated books and soon enough they didn't have any more space so they had to make it into a building. I walk up the 22 steps to the front doors. They open automatically and I look straight ahead at the fountain. Made of marble and the water flowing from the spout.

I usually marvel at its beauty but today only one thing is on my mind. Trying to convince Cole that I really do still love him. My heart races as I come in a little more. Step by step. I see him sitting in one of the elegant couches in the lobby. He has this sadistic look on his face. I fear him immediately. I want to come closer, but I can't. My feet feel as if they are glued to the floor. Instead he comes toward me. He stands about a foot away. I just think he may not want to be near me. "I am not here to forgive you. I just want you to explain why you did what you did." I can hear the aggravation in his voice. It makes my chest hurt badly. I begin to open my mouth but am stopped by the people around the room, trying to listen to us. I grab his arm and pull him in the interior of the library. I find and empty study room and walk to it. His grip on my hand lets me know that he is still in pain from what I had told him yesterday. If he hates me, I will have to live with it. I am not one of those girls who sits around and mopes because her perfect boyfriend broke up with her. It's not logical. I would have to go on, hoping one day he will forgive me and want to be good friends.

That's all I want. To be friends with Cole. It would be better than him hating me all the time.