Vanilla: Thankyou so much for all the great reviews:

"Fatimah"- I know-don't they rock?!!!

KirjavaLyra- Lord, aren't we eager?! Will can't see Kirjava for the same reason we can't see ours. Lyra's 16, like Will, and is done with school all ready because she has papers declaring her a legal adult and she doesn't need to go to school if she doesn't want to. Mary was too boring for me so she moved to like the US or something- but don't worry, there'll be old characters to come back! Wink.

Serafina- Thanx!!!!!

And now, Chapter Four.. TADA!

P.s. My computer was acting up so if half of the chapter is bold and the other isn't sorry bout that.

Chapter Four

Angelica

Angelica stared out her window. Why was she the only legible girl in the whole town of Cittigazze whose date was already ten minutes late? If they didn't get going soon, their trip to the ball in the neighboring town, Mi Tamo, would be in total darkness. Her dress was already there on the bed, waiting. She was going to change at the ball, as was custom in the Cittigazze ways. Her date would have bad luck for three weeks if he ever saw his girl dressed up before the first dance. Her hair was up, her face made up, and all she needed now was her man.

Three sharp knocks came on the front door of her two-story house. She carefully picked up the silky cloud of gauze, which was her dress, and rushed down the stairs, gracefully sweeping up her shoes as she went. She flung open the door.

"Oh, Jacqui! I was so afraid you were- YOU!"

It wasn't her beloved Jacqui. It was her brother's murderer, that boy with his fingers cut off. She prepared to shut the door, but he pushed it open.

"Uh, Angelica, right? I'm Will, and I was wondering if I-''

"Oh, I know who you are!"' She threw her shoes down and pointed into his face, waggling her finger before his eyes. "You are my brother's murderer!"

"Madam, I think you- oh for- I didn't murder him, the specters did!"

"Oh, I watched you! I was there, remember! I watched as you FED HIM TO THE SPECTERS!!!"

She was sweating now. Great, thanks to this guy, her face and hair would be a mess soon if she didn't calm down.

"Eez zees man geeving you trouble, mademoiselle?" That was her Jacqui, at last. His rich slick French accent filled her ears. She closed her eyes in exasperation.

"Yes, darling, he was trying to steal something else from us. What do you want?" she snapped. "And make it quick. I have a ball to get to."

"I need a horse. Wait, did you say ball?"

"Yes you idiot, a ball! All the girls from Oxford, Cittigazze, Mi Tamo, and-''

"Oxford?"

"You moron! Get out of my way!" she bellowed as she marched past him and took hold of Jacqui's offered elbow. "If you please, I have a ball to attend to." And with that, she walked away as gracefully as she could while holding a pair of heels and a dress.

Will sighed and shook his head. There really was no hope for that girl. But he really needed to get to that ball. If all the girls from Oxford were going to be there, then. Lyra! Yes! Score one for Will. Now, the question was, how to get to the ball without a date.

A high pitched scream sounded nearby, interrupting his thoughts. He looked around, then ran towards more cries and scufflings. He reached a small alleyway, where a carriage pulled by three white horses was. There, beside the carriage, was Angelica and Jacqui. Jacqui was wrestling with a white wisp, which was trying to get hold of his fox daemon. Angelica's daemon, a small peach colored bush baby, was scrambling up and down the carriage, trying to get away from the Specter.

By now the Specter had got hold of Jacqui's daemon. Slowly, slowly, the daemon shrank until it was gone. Jacqui gave a strangled sob, and sank to the ground.

Angelica had quit screaming and was now staring in horror at the lifeless form of her date. Suddenly she also sank onto the pavement, only in a faint. Her daemon flopped off the carriage onto the Specter. Will pulled out his knife and slashed out at the Specter, which simply dissolved into a breath of lime green smoke, and then drifted away on the breeze. He caught the daemon, and, shuddering with the sheer grotesqueness of the idea of him holding her daemon, slipped it into her arm.

Angelica's eyes fluttered open. Will's face floated above her, with a worried expression. She scrambled to her feet, blushing and sweeping the dirt off her dress.

"Angelica, are you alright?" Will reached to politely help her up, but Angelica took it as another gesture.

"No, damn you! That's another man in my life you've killed! God, what are you?"

"Your date."