The next day, Ash and Lorelai were walking out to the oak tree together for lunch.

Ash was re-telling her eventful time in class. "…then I said: Hey buddy, if you wanna just send me out - just send me out."

Lorelai chuckled. "What happened then?"

"He sent me out," Ash replied, "And I stole his lighter."

Lorelai did a spit take. "What?"

Ash removed the sterling silver trinket from her back pocket. "Isn't it pretty?"

"You could get expelled!" Lorelai demanded, indignantly. "Why on Earth would you steal his lighter?!"

Ash shrugged, clicking the flame on and off, staring into its core. "I felt like it."

Lorelai stated, "You're returning it now."

Again, Ash shrugged. "Sure, whatever you say."

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Ash saw Tee begin to get up and walk towards the window from inside the detention room. Devious smile plastered on her face, she ignored the futile yells from the teacher trying to intervene and made it to the window.

It was only when Ash saw Tee's hand grab onto the window frame and the other reach behind into her back pocket did she grab onto the bewildered Lorelai's arm and drag her to safety around the corner.

"Get down!" Ash hissed, crouching down behind the bin and pulling her own weapon out from her bag. Posting her aim by the door closest to Tee's outside exit, she peered back over her shoulder to make sure Tee wasn't hopping out the window.

Lorelai shifted uneasily. She wasn't out of the game yet herself and had left her gun at home.

Brushing the dust off her skirt, she hazarded, "Thank… thank you?"

"Don't mention it," Ash replied, silently confirming the all clear and putting the gun back in her bag.

She glanced up at Lorelai, glancing back when she met her nervous gaze. "I'm not that mean," she assured, "That'd be way too easy."

The next morning…

Kayley crept around the exterior of Amethyst's house, pressing herself firmly against the wall with her gun tightly clutched in her hands. Sneaking up to the kitchen window, she pricked her ears up to listen out for any signs Amethyst was preparing breakfast.

Kayley thought she knew her friend well enough to time the attack perfectly. School started at nine sharp, but Amethyst usually got their a little earlier to talk with her friends as a little bit of sanity and entertainment before bordom commenced.

Working backwards from the time it would take Amethyst to walk to Lakewood, Kayley pin pointed she'd be down for breakfast no later than half eight. Well, that knowledge could have worked in Kayley's favour if she hadn't been delayed herself, due to an angry rottwieler and a tuna sandwhich. Long story, but at least the 'my dog ate my homework' speech would have a glimmer of truth in it.

After five minutes, Kayley heard nothing. Not even from any other Cook family member.

The window was prised a little open, so she crouched down, pulled it open some more and then poked her head inside.

"Nothing," Kayley mumbled to herself, disappointed. "I got up early for this?"

Then, a shooting pain bowled into her left side.

Stumbling back a little, Kayley's eyes widened as she turned to see Amethyst lowering her gun and offering Kayley a damp cloth to wipe the paint off with.

"When you decided to sneak around my house," Amethyst began, dryly. "Did you tell yourself to step on every branch, tree and dead leaf there is?"

Kayley took the cloth and scowled off the remark, working to wipe off the majority of the paint before it stained.

Amethyst chuckled and spun the gun around her finger.

"Now me..." she continued, "I got mad ninja skills sister."

She spun the gun around her finger again, went to holster it, and shot herself in the foot.

"In the foot?" Opal smirked, raising an eyebrow for conformation.

Kayley nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

Skulking next to her, Amethyst subconsciously put extra weight on her wounded foot as she grumbled, "You said you wouldn't say anything…"

"I said I might not say anything," Kayley corrected. "Stalin promised to let Poland choose their own government after World War Two - like him, I saw an opportunity and I took it."

"Yeah, and how did that work out for him, huh?" Amethyst countered, proud at the thought of outsmarting her enemy.

Kayley answered, "He died peacefully in his bed."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Kind of a let-down, isn't it?"

"Nobody assassin-"

Opal cleared her throat. "As much as I would like to continue this historical debate about Kayley's likeness to Stalin," she began, spinning the conversation back on track, "Am I correct in saying that only Tee, Ash and Amethyst now remain?"

Kayley nodded. "It would appear so, yes."

Amethyst crinkled her brow. "Rory's out?"

Kayley nodded. "Tee got her walking home from school last night."

"Me, Ash and Tee, the last soldiers standing…" Amethyst smiled wickedly.

Opal sighed. "This is going to be a bloodbath…"

"Yes it is…" Ash trotted up to them. "Sorry, I missed all that. What's going to be a bloodbath?"

"Amy shot me," Kayley informed, glancing down at the faint paint splodge at her side. "It's down to you, Tee and her now."

Slowly, Ash began to smile, deviously. In her best witches cackle, she said, "And then there were three…"

Phobos towered over the throne room, observing all from his regal, sinister-looking seat high in the air.

After being given authority, Raven entered and bowed at his feet.

"What have you to report?" Phobos demanded.

Raven lifted his head, slightly. "A subject has been chosen for the deed, my liege," he informed, "She seems quite capable in her abilities, yet still susceptible enough to assist us, though perhaps with willing."

Phobos raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"My senses tell me she could be turned without force," Raven continued, "However, that is unlikely. The proper actions as we discussed shall be taken."

"Not so fast, Raven," Phobos thought for a moment. "Bide your time. Gage her actions. Gain her trust. When the time comes, approach her sincerely. Remember, your Serpent does not affect Heart bearers, and your Earth magic is weak. A Guardian following us willingly is more likely to stay loyal than one under a weak spell. Proceed with caution."

Raven bowed his head again. "As you command, my Prince."

Ash, Kayley and Lorelai walked into their geography class and froze at the door. Desks and chairs were overturned, creating two mini barricades at either end of the classroom with a sort of 'no-mans-land' in between. Several students cowered along the bookcase wall closest to the door, squishing themselves together in utter silence, hoping not to be noticed.

Behind each of the barricades knelt Amethyst and Tee, guns at their sides. Amethyst leaned over and took a pot -shot at Tee, only to hit a desk she was hiding behind.

Kayley and Lorelai edged inside and asked a petrified kid, "What's going on here?"

Billy, the kid, gulped and replied, "They've been at it before I even got in the classroom. Lewis tried to stop them but Tia shot him in the chest."

Ash drew her weapon from her belt and pulled a nearby desk to act as her cover. Thinking she hadn't been recognized - as Tee and Amethyst had only exchanged shots at one another since she entered - she tried her luck at crawling round to Amethyst's barricade.

Sitting against the side of the teacher's desk, she dared peer round, only to have two near-miss paintballs shoot back at her. Ash gasped and rolled away back behind her desk-cover.

"Too slow, Rambo," Amethyst taunted, leaning over and taking two shots at Ash's desk and one at Tee's.

Lorelai smiled proudly to herself. "Uncanny, yes?"

Kayley groaned, watching the trio exchange bullets. She turned to Lorelai. "No chance you're willing to stop this one?"

"Not unless you happen to have Ben Franklin in your pocket?"

Taking that as a definite 'no', Kayley jumped into the Bermuda Triangle of shootouts. "Alright you guys, enough is en-"

The shot came as a tiny puff of air but hit with the wallop of a baseball bat.

She fell to one knee, clutching at the yellow stained mark on her thigh. Kayley couldn't even contemplate talking them down or even yelling at Amethyst - that being her accidental attacker. Despite it only being a mere paintball, those shots pack a punch at close range.

However, the moment of shock horror at what Amethyst had done ended as soon as it started; Tee had resumed by shooting three bullets at the wall behind Amethyst, attempting a headshot.

Amethyst had returned with one, and Ash had contributed with two of her own.

Just then, Professor Sands walked in the door, blissful to the battleground ahead of him. He was looking down at his papers as he loudly exclaimed, "Morning class!"

No further words had been said. Tee and Amethyst had both planned to take a shot at Ash, but the noise from Sands had distracted them, impaired their aim.

The two bullets hit Sands with a frightful sting, dead in the chest...

And no less than five minutes later, the three stood solemnly in the Principal's office, head hung in shame as Principal Franklin continued to lecture, "Reckless, immature, irresponsible…"

"…foolish, inattentive, senseless…" Kayley continued to lecture as their group re-joined in front of the lockers after class. "Need I go on?"

"Nope," Amethyst cleared her throat. "I think that just about covers it."

"My goodness, you could have got expelled!" she waved her arms around wildly. "Didn't you consider that?!"

Nobody said anything.

Kayley nodded once, assertively. "That's it - no paintball wars in school."

"What?!" the guilty party cried, indignant. Tee added, "You can't just change the rules!"

"I'm not," Kayley noted. "I'm merely adding boundaries. I don't want to see any of you expelled, so either myself, Lorelai or Opal will confiscate ANY paintball weapons we see on you at school. Is that clear?"

Amethyst's face fell. "But-"

"No 'but's'," Kayley interjected, leaving no room for argument. "Now, out of respect of the game and all, I can't ban any shootouts at school. The rules remain unchanged, being you can assassinate anyone, anywhere. But, I reiterate, if I see a weapon I'm taking it, for your sakes just as much as mine. Is that clear?"

Impishly, the three nodded.