Authors Note: Thank you so much for all the reviews, I really appreciate it. I apologise that the last chapter was so short, it was intended to be longer, but I was pretty desperate to get it up just so people knew I wasn't dead ;) I don't own anything. Please keep R&R thanks x

Reviews:

Hermosura Apocaliptica, Shiori Yume and Half-Blood101 thank you so much for your reviews. And to the latter if you wrote a CB fan fiction of course I'd read it :)

Chapter Four

Manfred's room wasn't at all like Olivia had expected, in fact the closest word to describe the image Olivia had in her head when the words "Manfred's room" was mentioned was more like "Manfred's dungeon." So you can imagine Olivia's surprise when Manfred opened the door to a rather large and modern looking room. There were no cobwebs to be seen, and if there was any jars of unpleasant substances Manfred obviously hid them very well indeed. In the centre of the room was a large black leather sofa and a double bed sat tidily in one corner of the room along with a large green plant and a beautiful open fireplace. A chandelier dominated the high ceiling and a rather big bookcase ran along one wall and Olivia immediately walked over to it while Manfred sat on the sofa and removed his black boots.

"Dickens, Blake, Wordsworth...You do appear to love your books Manfred." Olivia muttered, her finger tracing the book spines...classics and modern books along with poetry and biographies.

"Mhm." Manfred muttered.

Olivia walked over to Manfred's bed side table and picked up the open book that occupied the space. "Great Expectations." She read out. "You're reading Great Expectations?"

"Yes...why does that surprise you Vertigo?" Manfred asked, a little anger arising in his deep voice.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I always imagined you to read books about spells and sorcery and so on. And your room...it's so...modern." She muttered, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to have to spend another weekend with Manfred.

"Again, what did you expect? Jars of eyeballs and dead insects?" Manfred chuckled.

"Yes..." Olivia admitted, a little embarrassed.

"No no." Manfred said. "I do all that stuff up in my grandfathers laboratory." Olivia paused and looked at Manfred, trying to see if she sensed any humour in his eyes...she hoped he was joking.

Desperate to change the awkward subject, Olivia walked around Manfred's large bedroom, looking and touching everything the room had to offer; she picked up what looked like an antique perfume bottle.

"It was my mothers." Manfred muttered, his eyes following Olivia around the room as she fiddled with all his belongings. He figured she either didn't know how to behave around him, or was just one of them people who pace around, touching anything they can find.

"Goodness Vertigo" Manfred said after a few minutes "Don't you ever sit down?"

Olivia hadn't noticed until now that she had been pacing and looking at whatever she could find, Manfred's room fascinated her; not only because it was the opposite of what she had expected, but also because she would have never thought Manfred could be so similar to her and her friends when it came to taste. Manfred rolled his eyes and gently patted the sofa he was sat on. Olivia nervously sat down beside him, keeping her distance, not knowing how exactly to behave.

"Jesus Vertigo. You asked to come here to have some company, and then you don't even speak to me. Are you sure you didn't just want to explore my room?" He snarled.

"Sorry. It's just so cool. Your room I mean."

"Cool?" Manfred sniggered. "I wouldn't call it that. I had to move from my old room after those..." He appeared to be unable to say the word flames "things...set fire to it." Manfred snarled in a way that made Olivia feel sorry for him. Then she remembered...this was Manfred. Charlie's enemy, she couldn't feel sorry for him after all he'd done to him and his family.

"I suppose there isn't much to do around here at the weekends." Olivia muttered, trying to take her mind off feeling sorry for him.

"No. Asa sometimes stays over. Not often though. And my Father refuses to speak to me at weekends, he tends to stay in his room, sometimes my great grandfather calls me to his room...but I hate it there, it's too hot and all he ever goes on about is Charlie Bone and Billy Raven and the rest of them bloody endowed. I'm sick of hearing about them! It's always Charlie Bone's done this and YOU have to stop him. Well, I'm sick of it. They bore me. I just want to get on with this teacher course and get the hell out of here. But Father won't have it..." He trailed off in a soft voice.

"If you told him I'm sure he'd understand."

"Perhaps. But maybe not. And if he didn't understand I don't know what I'd do. Here I have a job and everyone knows about my...endowment. But elsewhere I'd be considered a freak." Manfred, for the first time that night looked directly into Olivia's eyes. "Hmm. You wouldn't understand." He finally muttered and looked back at the floor.

Olivia felt awful. She did understand. She was hiding her newly found endowment from almost everyone and she hated it. She wanted to tell someone, she wanted to tell Manfred, but Charlie and the others had forebode it in fear that the Bloors would be after her if any of them knew. Manfred stayed silent and Olivia's mind battled and screamed and shook what could she do?

"Manfred..." She eventually murmured, her voice shaking a little. "I have something to tell you...something important." Manfred's eyes met hers. "I....have been keeping something from you...from the Bloors...your family. From most people actually." Manfred took her hand in his.

"I have an endowment too." She finally blurted out, as Manfred's mouth opened. "I can...imagine things...images...and they come to life. Hang on, I'll prove it." Olivia closed her eyes but Manfred gently touched her cheek and they snapped open again.

"It's okay. I believe you." He whispered. "You don't have to show me. It's a personal thing...an endowment. And you shouldn't be forced to use it...like...like I was."

"Thank you." She whispered back, looking at Manfred, his coal black eyes, his pale smooth skin, his shoulder length black hair tied neatly in a pony tail. Manfred looked back at her, and in a moment of madness? Or perhaps just mutual understanding, their lips met.