A/N; Sorry, A-levels suck so my updates haven't been exactly.... frequent. Thanks for the support though and everyone who's reading this. Hope you like it, I'll post the next chapter if/when I get five reviews! That's really low of me but there's at least ten of you out there who have me on stroy alert so that shouldn't be too much to ask right? Anyway, please enjoy, and just a few words in a review would really make my day!

"No."

"But you said we were friends."

"We are."

"Then why not?" Jasdero asked.

Looking up briefly, Jessabel was met by a pair of greenish-gold eyes, wide as can be, set in Jasdero's most effective puppy-pout. Jessabel felt her conviction waver and tore her eyes away from the younger twin, staring at the book in front of her. She had given up reading ages ago, just like their poor substitute teacher had given up trying to control the class. At that moment, most people were talking to their friends, sitting wherever they liked, while the substitute stood at the front of the class looking rather deflated. Jasdero had taken the seat in front of Jessabel and Debitto had taken the one beside her, when they normally sat behind her in that class. It was impossible to concentrate on the book in front of her while the pair had been talking, even more so when the attack had commenced.

"I'm busy," Jessabel replied with difficulty.

"With what?" Debitto demanded, poking Jessabel in the side of the head.

"Don't do that," Jessabel snapped, taking a swipe at Debitto's hand. "I need to get Mark some stuff."

"Let him get it himself," Jasdero suggested.

"He's a kid, Jas," Jessabel reminded him. "He needs help."

"So? It'll take you an hour or two at the most," Debitto pitched in. "It won't have even started by then."

"Mark's staying at my house overnight," Jessabel amended. "I'm not going to leave him in my house alone to go some club."

"It's a gig," Debitto corrected her. "It'll be fun, if you actually know what the word means."

"No thanks," Jessabel insisted. "Maybe next time."

The twins glared at her but she focused on the book, desperately trying to ignore them and stay calm. It was Friday and Jessabel had a gig at the regular club. She had been expecting a few scenarios, like the pair would try to follow her around before the gig was due to start and she'd wander off when it was show time. However, the thought that Jasdebi would actually invite her to go to her own gig, especially so early on, never occurred to her. The suddenness was making her panic, trying not to get out of going without making them suspicious and giving away her reasons was difficult.

Still, Jessabel had her secret weapon: Mark. For some reason the pair hated the mention of the eight-year-old's name, let alone the prospect of hanging out with the boy. Admittedly, Mark didn't seem to like them anymore than Jasdebi liked him but Mark was a child so unexplained hostility was more normal.

"You promise?" Jasdero asked.

"No, I said maybe," Jessabel insisted. "It depends whether I'm free or not."

They continued to glare at Jessabel and she had to fight the urge to sink further into her seat.

"Next Friday," Debitto said.

"I'm bu-"

"You're coming whether you like it or not," Debitto said firmly.

Jessabel lifted her eyes from the book and met Debitto's. A staring match ensued and just as Jessabel felt she wouldn't have been able to hold it anymore, the bell rang overhead and they both broke contact at the same time. The class was the last of the day so the bell was followed by the shouts of Jessabel's classmates. Finally, the first week of the new year was over and the weekend began. People rushed out of the school, pushing and shoving to get out like their lives depended on it. Jessabel was bashed into the walls more than once but Jasdebi managed to elbow and kick their way through the crowd and get out relatively unharmed.

When the rush died down and Jessabel had set herself on the way home, she looked around to find herself alone. Jasdebi were no where to be seen and even when she reached her house, there was no sign of the psychopathic twins. She sighed a sigh of relief and greeted Mark, who stood on her doorstep, with a very faint smile. Her secret was safe for now.

The drums beat out the rhythm harshly and the crowd's shouts echoed in the ears of everyone gathered. The two guitars controlled the melody and the singer's voice weaved in and out as the song drew to a close. Someone had gotten hold of alcohol among the minors and some were drunk enough to climb up on the bar and the tables, singing an off-key version of the song. As the last cord was played, the crowd stomped its feet and demanded an encore but the band departed, leaving them disappointed.

Chugging back a swig of beer that they had brought with them, a pair of twins shouted loudest of all. Feeling pissed off, Jasdebi had decided to get pissed instead and had been drinking since school had been let out. Everything was a blur of colour, noise made their heads throb but they didn't quite make the link between the pain and its cause. They leaned on each other, unaware that their supply of alcohol had been entirely depleted, half through their own efforts and half from it being stolen by the others around them. The band disappeared and someone else came on, met by booing from the drunken audience.

"Fuck this," Debitto slurred. "Lez go."

He stumbled away, bumping into someone who swore at him before being floored by Debitto's fist. Jasdero laughed loudly, his already strange laughter transformed into a noise only uttered by the demented and depraved. The twins staggered in the direction of the exit and a fight erupted in their wake.

Meanwhile the band gathered behind the scenes, changing into their normal clothes conscious of the chaos that was blooming inside the club. The noise was apparent even in recesses of backstage and the girls regarded the club manager with wary eyes.

"Don't look at me like that, girls," he said, smiling weakly. "Someone handed out alcohol to the minors so we don't think of this as your fault. It won't put your regular spot at risk. Here's your pay for tonight."

Each of the girls took the offered money and exchanged relieved smiles.

"Psychos at the back," Ebony muttered when the managers had gone. "Looked like the worst of them."

"Yeah, seemed like all the drunks were at the back too," Athame pointed out. "You don't think they brought the stuff with them?"

All eyes turned to Marred and the red haired singer shrugged. She had honestly no idea if or why Jasdebi would have brought drinks to the club.

"Monday rehearsals as usual?" Bane asked. "Four?"

"Four thirty," Ebony corrected. "I have to pick up my kid brother from school and lock him in his room before you guys get to my place."

"Fair enough," Athame laughed feebly.

The girl's laughter was cut short as the previous act stumbled backstage, around fifty minutes before they were due to get off. They were wet with drinks that had been thrown at them and the lead guitarist's trousers had been ripped in places where they hadn't been before. The panicked look in the act's eyes spread to the band and they scattered quickly, hoping to get out of the club before the riot began to get dangerous.

Jasdero stumbled and fell to the ground once again. Debitto tugged on the back of Jasdero's hoodie but only managed to turn him over so that he was lying on his back.

"Hii, wheres Road?" Jasdero slurred in between the giggles. "I wanna sleeeeeeeep."

"Dunna," Debitto answered. "Stuuuuupid Road, stupid doors to stupiiiiiiid manshun."

A couple of seconds passed, the world silent apart from a cat rustling in a nearby alley way. Their heads still throbbed and they wanted to get home but Road was no where to be seen and she was their only way of getting back to the Earl's mansion.

"Hey, isn't tha Bel's housh?" Jasdero asked suddenly, rolling over onto his hands and knees. "Lez go slep there."

"Kay," Debitto agreed, unable to think of anything better.

They rushed across the road, barely missing a car that roared down the street and avoiding becoming road-kill. Eventually, they managed to get into Jessabel's house without setting off any alarms and stumbled up to the bedrooms. Everything was still a blur of colour but they managed to find Bel curled on her bed, her shoes cast to the side carelessly and still wearing her clothes. They looked at each other and shrugged before climbing onto the bed beside her, falling asleep almost immediately.

Debitto woke up feeling like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his skull while he wasn't looking. He vaguely remembered the events of the night before, including sneaking into Bel's house. He sat up groggily, having to remove his arms from the figure in front of him.

Jasdero still asleep, looking no worse for wear than when they started drinking. He was on the other side of the bed, arms wrapped around Bel's waist and her head leaning into the crook of his neck. Bel herself was also sleeping, curled up into a little ball, completely oblivious to her midnight visitors. She was still sleeping on top of the covers, wearing a pair of black jeans and the hoodie Jasdebi had given her. The hood was pulled up all of the way, hiding her face completely with the aid of Jasdero's form.

Debitto stared down at the pair of them, his headache subsiding just enough for him to concentrate on something other than the pain. He felt anger rise up though he wasn't sure why. For some reason, he didn't like the pair of them being that close, somehow it didn't seem right. Getting off the bed, he walked around to the other side almost tripping over a pair of black trainers in the process.

"Oi, Jas, wake up," Debitto demanded, shaking his twin brother.

"Five more minutes, hii, Debi," Jasdero mumbled, snuggling further into the nearest source of heat.

"Now, moron!" Debitto snapped yanking Jasdero off the bed.

"Ow, hii," was all Jasdero said.

He blinked up at the elder twin who stood towering upside-down over him. He got up off the floor as everything came back to him. Looking down onto the bed, Bel seemed completely undisturbed by the ruckus that was happening around her. She slept soundly but started to shiver slightly in the sudden cold.

"Hii, she looks kinda cute like that," Jasdero commented, leaning over the unsuspecting girl.

"Only 'cause you can't see her face," Debitto sneered.

A small noise emitted from the curled figure that was Bel and the twins froze as she started to get up. She sat up and the hood fell off but it was a few moments before Jessabel realised that she wasn't the only one in the room. She had woken up because she suddenly felt very cold but the last thing she'd been expecting was to find Jasdebi staring at her like she was a living gargoyle. They gawped at her openly, their mouths hanging wide open as they stared. Jessabel felt a surge of anger tinged with fear.

"How the hell did you get in here?" she snapped at them.

They didn't answer but look at each other almost as though she hadn't said anything.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Fucking hell," Debitto finally said, his voice quiet and filled with surprise. "You're Marred."