A disclaimer on my part. Crap happens. People make stupid choices and end up hurting people. Tom's not the brightest crayon in the box. He might be loyal but he's got his priorities a little mixed around. This. Is. Real. Life. In real life, people goof up, they hurt their friends, and hurt themselves in an effort to fix things.

But I hope you are all keeping the prologue in mind while you're reading this. It's…important…


Eruditio Ferreus Via


-Edwardian Leo-Davis Private Academy, Tom and Kaz's Room, 1 a.m.-

The door to Tom's bedroom creaked open slowly and two figures slipped out, trying to make as little noise as possible. The television was still on but was now playing pre-paid commercials, the kind that promised you two of whatever product they were selling if you called within the next fifteen minutes.

Both figures snuck past the couch and paused at the front door. There was a hurried, whispered conversation and then the door opened and closed again.

Tom moved slowly back over to the couch and smiled. Kaz was lying on his side, head on one end and stocking feet on the other. His glasses were askew and his arm was dangling over the edge and it was obvious from his slow, steady breathing that he was asleep.

Tom shook his head, walked into Kaz's room, and walked back out with the boy's favorite blanket; a black one dotted with red skulls; that he threw over his best friend's shoulders. Then he reached down and slowly tugged off Kaz's glasses, folded them up, and set them on the lamp stand next to the couch. The only light in the room died as Tom turned off the television.

He stepped back and looked at his best friend, sleeping peacefully, and wondered, briefly, if what he'd done would ruin their friendship forever.

His brow furrowed and he stalked into his room, careful to shut the door quietly behind him.

There was a click as the lock slid into place.

-8:27 am, Tom and Kaz's Room-

Kaz yawned as he felt himself come into wakefulness. He stretched, wondering why he was so stiff this morning, and felt the smooth fabric of the couch pillow against his cheek. Oh, yeah, that's right, he'd stayed up watching television and must have fallen asleep. The boy cracked his eyes open, ruffling his red-orange hair, and found the room to be nothing but smears of colors and shapes. Someone had taken off his glasses.

With a snort of frustration, he stuck his hand out from underneath the warm blanket someone had taken the courtesy of draping over him and felt around for his glasses. His questing fingers soon found the cold metal frames perched on the lamp stand just over the arm rest of the couch. He snatched them off the table and shoved onto his face, kicking off the blanket as he swung himself into a sitting position.

Oh, for the love of, he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday!

"Gross." He commented to himself. Kaz rose to his feet, tugging off his socks as he walked across the sitting room and into his own bedroom. Once there, he stripped down to his boxers, tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper next to his door, and pulled out a fresh outfit. Then he wrapped himself in a black bathrobe, tucked his clothes and toiletries into a bag, scribbled a note for Tom in case he woke up, pinned it to the TV, slipped his feet into his sandals, and headed out the door for the showers.

Because it was only 8:30 on a Sunday morning and most of the students had spent the night partying, the shower was empty when Kaz arrived. He cracked his neck, walked into a stall and shut the door behind him, and turned on the water.

Twenty minutes later he was dressed in baggy black jeans, from one belt loop there hung a strand of silver skulls, a tight black tank top, an old pair of black and dark violet arm bands, and dark blue vest decorated with black flames. As he made his way back to the room, Aras hailed him in the hallway.

"Hey, man, I thought Goths didn't do the whole "rise and shine" thing?"

"I didn't stay out partying like the rest of you." Kaz replied, "I didn't…feel like it."

"Oooohhhh, dude, I know that look, man." Aras slapped his shoulder, "Kaz-man's got himself a girlfriend!"

"Shove it." Kaz grumbled but smiled anyways. Aras was just being himself.

"Hey, you doin' something later?" The older boy asked.

"Yeah, I'm going to the arcade in town with Mercy. And…maybe Tom, Sarah, and Peyton. You wanna come?"

"Nah, I'll pass." Aras waved the invitation away with a grin, "Me and arcades don't go." He laughed, passing a hand down his front as he walked away backwards, "They always think I'm gonna rob 'em!"

Kaz shared his laugh and headed back towards his own room. Tom was still in his bedroom when he got back, by the looks of things. Kaz tossed his things into his room, feeling too lazy to bother spiking his hair, and then pounded a fist on his best friend's door.

"Tom! Come on, Tom, get up! You've got," Kaz glanced at the clock on the DVD player, "An hour to get up and get ready! We're meeting Sarah and Peyton and Mercy outside the grounds at ten so you'd better be ready!"

No answer.

"Tom! Get up!" He tried the handle and found it locked, "Thomas Majors! Get up! Right now! Or I'll break this door down!"

Still no answer.

"Fine! Stay in there all day!" Kaz threw up his hands in exasperation and stomped into his room, snatching up his mobile and hitting Peyton's number on speed dial. The other boy answered on the third ring.

"Dude, what time do you call this?"

"Cut it out, Peyton. Tom's asleep in bed with his door locked and he won't come out. We might be a little late."

"Whatever, man, but if Sarah punches me because of it, I get to hit Tom."

"Sure, sure." Kaz said, "Look," He paused, "Um, about yesterday…are you…are you okay? You looked pretty bad."

"Don't matter." Peyton sounded sharp and empty, "Forget about it. We're going to have some fun today."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll keep trying to get Tom up. See you later."

"Yep! Oh, and Kazzer?"

"Yeah?"

"Nice job with Mercy, my bro!"

Kaz flushed crimson and slammed his phone shut, throwing back onto his bed with a scowl. Obviously the whole campus would know he and Mercy were going out by now. If one person had seen them walk in together holding hands, then it was like the entire school saw them doing it.

To get over his embarrassment, Kaz slammed a fist on Tom's door again and listened. This time, he was rewarded with a soft moan and a shuffle of bed sheets. Well, it was about time. Kaz rapped on the door one finale time and then went into the kitchen to start breakfast.

Moments later, just as he was stirring some strawberry chunks into the pancake mix, he heard Tom's door open and his roommate shuffled into the kitchen to sit down at the table. He was only wearing a pair of rumpled boxers.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Kaz teased.

"Mmmhph…" Tom replied, rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly. Then he stretched and ruffled his already messy black hair.

Kaz sighed and then paused, fingers still holding the spoon in the mixing bowl. He sniffed a couple of times, "What's that smell?"

"What?" Tom asked groggily.

"It smells like…cigarettes and perfume." He looked over his shoulder at Tom, raising an eyebrow, "Is…is that you?"

Tom sniffed his upper arm and blinked, "Might be. Why?"

"It stinks!" Kaz turned away again. Then he paused and looked back over his shoulder, "Why do you smell like cigarettes and perfume?"

Tom shrugged and Kaz narrowed his eyes. He dropped the spoon and walked out of the kitchen. Tom's voice followed him, "Kaz, where're you going?"

Kaz didn't answer, he just walked straight up to Tom's bedroom and kicked the door open.

"Kaz! Stay out of my room!" Tom was following him from the kitchen.

Kaz ignored his friend and moved over the threshold. The whole room reeked of smoke and girl's perfume. Kaz sneezed and crouched down to look under the bed. Tom was in the doorway now,

"Kaz! Leave it alone!"

Kaz withdrew, clutching an empty box of cigarettes.

Tom's angry retort died in his throat when he saw the look on his best friend's face.

Disappointment.

Betrayal.

Hurt.

"I thought you were above this, Tom." Kaz clenched a fist over the cigarette pack, "Seriously, you smoked?" He shook his head, "What else did you do?"

"Look, I was angry!" Tom argued back, distraught by the look Kaz was giving him, "Krystella said she could…could "show me a good time" so I brought her back to the room and—."

"You brought her back here!?" Tom winced as Kaz shouted the words, "What were you planning to do with her!?"

"N-not that!" Tom waved his hands through air, "Never! But I…she…I was so mad at Sarah for picking on me and so I wanted to get back at her…"

"So you smoked?" Kaz wasn't shouting anymore but the ice in his voice made Tom feel lower than garbage, "You thought that was the answer? You never think do you? That thing between your ears doesn't function, does it?"

"Kaz, I—."

"Nu-uh!" Kaz shoved past his roommate, furious and hurt, "There's no "Kaz, I'm sorry" this time! There's no "totally cool" this time! You crossed the line, Tom!" He threw the empty cigarette pack in the trash with such force, it rattled the whole can.

"But it was just one and I—."

"It doesn't matter!" Kaz screamed, cutting him off, "It was sleeping in or the arcade! Our friendship or drugs! Some girl or the gang! And you lied to our faces!"

"How'd I—!?"

"Because we trusted you to make the right decisions!" A single tear streaked down Kaz's cheek and it blazed there like a beacon, making Tom feel all the more guilty, "Darn it, Tom!" Kaz relented suddenly, stepping back with a shaky breath, "Some friend you are…" And turned, opened the door, and dashed out, slamming it behind him.

Tom cringed at the noise.

The room suddenly seemed fifty times bigger…

…and fifty times emptier.

He sank onto the couch, staring at the floor.

He'd done something horribly wrong and now he was losing his best friend because of it. Then again, when had he ever been there for Kaz in the first place? Now that he really thought about, wallowing in his guilt, he usually left Kaz to his own devices. Sure, he'd stick up for him and hang out with him but…

Tom rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes until he saw spots.

He'd messed up so many times, that much was true.

So there was only one thing left to try.

Apologize.

-Edwardian Leo-Davis Private Academy, 9: 50, The Front Gate-

Kaz didn't even realize he was crying until he blinked and his vision cleared as a wave of tears ran down his face. He scrubbed his hands over his face to get rid of them but his eyes wouldn't quit the water works. Why was he crying so much!?

Tom was a jerk! Tom had lied! Tom had stepped all over their friendship! Tom could go burn in the burning depths of the Underworld for all Kaz cared! He'd had enough!

And yet, he was hurt so deeply it physically ached.

That feeling… He thought, walking unconsciously towards the Front Gate with his head down so that his red and black hair curtained his face and kept any other early risers from seeing his constant stream of tears, It's that horribly empty and lonely feeling…the same one I felt when I left home…

He froze.

Left…home?

Where had that come from?

When he'd left his adopted mother's home?

No, the feeling didn't click with that thought.

Home…

Something tugged at the back of his mind, begging him to remember. Warmth, darkness, high stone walls, the feeling of safety and security…

Kaz closed his eyes and tilted his head back, standing in the middle of sidewalk. Tears still stained his cheeks. His eyes burned. He grabbed at the thought in his head.

Something swam into focus in his mind's eye and he eagerly urged it into existence.

A blur of red…and blue…and a hulking form…the presence of unsurpassable power…and at the same time…comfort…love…and a face…it was sharpening…a pair of ice blue eyes…demanding respect and commanding author—

"Kaz!"

The boy snapped out of his daze so quickly his head spun. He looked around and saw Mercy jogging towards him. He waited until she was level with him before responding, "Morning, Mercy."

"I've never seen you with your hair down before! It looks cute!" She giggled and then her smile dropped, "What's wrong?"

Kaz cleared his throat a couple of times and took her hand, "Somewhere else." He whispered, "Not here." He led her into The Ring and they sat down together on the flat rock in the center of the willows. Kaz stared at the grass between his boots and explained what had happened between him and Tom.

When he finished, Mercy leaned against him and pulled him into a hug. The move was so unexpected that Kaz was rendered speechless in a moment of pure, bright red, embarrassment. Then she let him go and her hazel eyes locked with his dark chocolate ones.

"Kaz, listen to me, okay." He nodded, "You need to sort this out. You and To—."

"Kaz?" The two looked around and saw Tom sticking his head through the curtain of leaves, "Kaz, I really need to talk to—."

Kaz turned his back on his with a huff and a scowl, clearing saying he didn't want to talk to Tom.

"Mercy," He said coldly, "Will you tell Tom I don't want to talk to him?"

Mercy raised an eyebrow at him but stood and relayed the message. Tom's eye narrowed in anger and he spat something in reply. Mercy sighed and stepped back to Kaz's side,

"He says he was going to say he was sorry but if you're going to act like that then you can move out of the dorm."

Kaz felt hot fury boil up inside him, "Yeah!? Well you tell him that I don't want his stupid apology!"

Mercy rolled her eyes but did as Kaz requested. He kept his back to Tom but he could hear his hissing whisper of anger and then Mercy came back, "He's calling you a bunch of names I'm not going to repeat." She muttered sullenly.

"Fine! You can tell him—!" Kaz began.

"NO!" Mercy shouted, stomping her foot, "I'm not going to be your messenger! If you've got something to say to Tom, you say it!" And she left, kicking the draping leaves of the willows out of her way with a snort of anger.

Kaz stared after her, dumbfounded and hurt. He'd just lost two friends in one day. How could this possibly get any worse?


Translations: Eruditio Ferreus Via – Learning the Hard Way

Ever heard of Murphy's Law, Kazzy? "What can go wrong, will go wrong." Geez, everything's just falling apart around him, isn't it? I feel bad for him. Still, part of it is his fault.

Oh, hey, I forgot to ask in the last chapter if anyone caught why Sarah and Peyton got so upset. Virtual cookies for whoever can guess. (grins)

Anyway, I've been brought up short on watching Chaotic episodes because the school computers don't want to stream the videos anymore and I want to kill them because they won't LET ME WATCH MY SHOW! (runs around, screaming in anger, and smashing things)

Kaz: Straight jacket, anyone?

Shut up, you. Like you're any better! Anyway, thank you all so much for reading! Please keep doing so because the good stuff's on the horizon! Yesh, yesh! And please keep reviewing! I look forward to them every time I check my mail! Hoo-rah! And reviews also make more chapters and free the ones locked in the UnderWorld pits!

Kaz: Why are your chapters in the UW pits?