Hello all! : ) Well, first thing I want to say is that everyone's comments and favoriting and review-wanting have made me SO freaking happy! I really hope I'm not disappointing anybody. If I am, please tell me so that I can work on getting better. Next thing is to say that I wasn't really sure how this chapter was gonna turn out. I don't know if I like it or not, but then again, I'm very critical of my own work. So please, tell me honestly what you think of it! And last of all, I want to thank everyone who has commented! This chapter goes to you!

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in here. Well, except for my own little OC. : ) Yay.

"Speaking"

"Thinking"

"Sounds"

Darren Shan Point of View

Mr. Crepsley always said that my curiosity would get me in trouble one day. In some ways, he was probably correct. Then again, Mr. Crepsley wasn't always right.

The centaur stared at me for a long moment, his face contemplative. Then, very calmly, he reached behind him, drew an arrow from its quiver, knocked it, and fired. I let out an undignified yelp as it whirred through the air and embedded itself in the ground by my foot.

"What the heck was that for?" I shrieked.

"Do not disgrace my kind by even thinking humans would have the gull to do such an impertinent thing." He growled in a very un-horse like way. It would have been more frightening if his voice hadn't cracked half way through his statement.

"Um…sorry." I said uncertainly. The centaur trotted a little closer to my cage, and I got a clear view of him for the first time. I was a little surprised. Although he was extremely tall thanks to his horse half, he wasn't really that much older than me. Probably about Evra's age. His hair was longish and the same color as his horse half, and his skin was olive colored. His ears were slightly pointed (which made me grin), and his eyes angled upward. It was too dark to tell what color they were.

I eyed the bow he had at his side warily before saying "You're a really good shot."

The centaur boy looked a bit surprised. "You think?" he asked, a small (but proud) smile growing on his face.

"Definitely." I answered, examining the arrow and wondering if maybe I could use it to get out of my cage. "What's your name?" I questioned him, shifting my attention to the centaur.

"Oh. Um…Andiamus." He mumbled, looking a bit embarrassed.

I stumbled over the name for a bit. Judging from the look on his face, I knew I had butchered it completely. After a few more attempts, I gave up. With a sigh, I finally said "Can I just call you Andy?"

He seemed incredulous and stayed silent for a few seconds, just staring at me like I was quite possibly the stupidest creature on the earth. Of course, that was exactly how I felt right then, so I couldn't exactly blame the horse guy. Then he heaved a sigh and said "Very well. It seems that would be best. I suppose you can call me…Andy."

I grinned. "Cool. And you can call me Darren."

"Darren?" Andy scoffed. "Such a human name for a vampire."

"Yeah, well. You know how parents are sometimes." I said nonchalantly, shrugging. I tried to hide the grim smile that tried to tug its way to my lips. Andy nodded, but said nothing. The silence stretched on, until another question popped into my head.

"So…where are we anyways?"

"I am surprised that your kind is unaware of the existence of this place!" Andy exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. "It is rather famous among the non-mortal community."

"Yes, well I'm kind of new to all this." I told Andy with a little sigh. "So what is this 'famous' place called?" I prompted him.

"Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He told me quickly.

I felt my jaw drop. "You've got to be kidding me! First Centaurs and now witchcraft and wizardry? I know I must be in the mad house…."

"But then again-" spoke up the little voice from the back of my mind. "You've been living the impossible for the last few months. The Cirque, Crepsley, vampires, snake boys…wolf men…" I flinched at the memory. "Why would something like magic be so unbelievable?" The voice questioned me. I had to agree.

"Okay." I finally said, coming to the conclusion that the world had gone insane, and that I would just come along for the ride. "So now that I know where I am…do you have any idea how to get out of here? Or why I'm here in the first place?"

Andy shrugged. "I suppose it's because they want to study your species. Wizards are fools, in that sense; never content to leave their betters alone." His nose turned up a little with his statement.

"Their 'betters'? I guess Centaurs must be pretty stuck up. Or maybe it's just this one." I thought to myself, eyeing Andy thoughtfully. "Yeah…I guess. So can you, ya' know…open the cage or something?" I asked hopefully.

"I suppose I can try." Andy said, touching the bars cautiously with one hand. Immediately he drew his hand back, staring down at his now-smoking flesh. He 'hm'd thoughtfully. "It seems as if they have charmed the cage." Then he reached forward again and wrapped his non-burnt hand around the bar. This time he didn't draw back. "Fascinating." He murmured after a moment. Then his hands dropped to his side. "Darren, please touch the bars for me, but with no intentions or thoughts of escape." He commanded.

A part of me was warning against doing such a stupid thing, but my curiosity over-rode my common sense. I reached out and gingerly touched my fingers to the cool metal. This time, nothing happened. "Whoa! That's pretty cool." I exclaimed. "You said it was a charm?" I asked.

"Yes. I do not know a lot about magic, but I know the fundamentals." He heaved a sigh. "It is necessary, living in such close proximity to magic users." Before I could ask, he continued with his explanation. "As far as I can tell, it is used to make sure escape or release is impossible."

I could feel my heart drop down to the pit of my stomach. "Impossible?" I squeaked.

"Yes, Darren. Impossible. Although, I would wager that the one who cast the charm could also undo it. Or perhaps another magic wielder. I do not really know. I would say that you can touch the bars, as long as you are not doing so with the intention of escaping. Perhaps that will make your time in captivity a bit more comfortable." I saw a bit of pity in his eyes as he said this.

I looked at Andy hard for a moment, and then smiled. "Maybe…I have a friend here after all."

We stayed there for a while, chatting. Andy tolerated all of my questions (as long as they didn't have anything to do with Centaurs), never asking his own of me. I appreciated that; it was still a bit of a touchy subject. He was answering a question about the lake when he suddenly stiffened. His hoof scuffed the ground nervously before he said "I've got to go, Darren."

I was a little disappointed, but didn't question him about it; I had learned my lesson about asking questions about his personal life when he had fired yet another arrow a little earlier on. "Alright, Andy. I'll see you later…?" I trailed off, making the usual statement a question instead.

Andy smiled his little, mysterious smile before saying "We shall see what the stars say, Darren." Then he turned and disappeared into the trees without another word. I sighed and lay back onto the wet grass. "And Darren-" came the unexpected voice from the trees.

I sat up, startled. "Yeah?"

"If I were you, I would refrain from telling the wizards too much about yourself. They are humans, after all. They scare easily, and when they do, they have violent tendencies. Go along with what they already believe about your species, and give them nothing more." He told me quietly. His voice rang true, and for some reason, they sent a shiver of foreboding up my spine.

"That's what I was planning on doing in the first place." I said. My friend never answered, and even I couldn't hear it when he disappeared deeper into the forest.