Terry sat in English trying not to fall asleep. Being Batman was his life, but it always made him grumpy when this meant spending almost all night awake fighting Gotham's criminals.

"Good day class." Miss McCracken greeted them. "Your teacher Mr Potnik called in sick today, so I'll be taking your English lesson this morning." Terry shook his head to wake himself up. Dana and Lark were sitting a few rows in front of him. They were wide-awake. Terry wearily opened his book at the correct page.

"Right, we don't have much time. As you know I'm a drama teacher so I won't be teaching you complicated English theories today, if there are any!" Mr McCracken laughed. "I hear that you are working on the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. So if I can get two volunteers we will act out this scene in front of the class." She looked around, but as ever no one volunteered. "Fine, I'll have to choose someone."

Everyone looked down at his or her desks, not meeting her eye. "Let's see, to play Juliet let's have.Lark!" Lark groaned slightly and made her way to the front of the class. "And as Romeo we'll have Terry!"

Terry's groan was audible. He dragged his feet as he made his way to the front of the class.

"Now then. Let go of all your inhibitions. For the next few minutes, you two are star-crossed lovers." Miss McCracken sighed. "I want no holding back. And Mr McGinnis, when the stage directions say kiss her, I want you to kiss her." Some of the class giggled at this, but Dana didn't look too happy.

"Miss McCracken." Terry protested.

"No excuses Mr McGinnis, unless you have some fatal disease that you will pass on to Lark by kissing her on the cheek." Miss McCracken clapped her hands. "Begin!"

"What light from yonder window breaks." Terry began.

"No! With feeling!" McCracken shouted.

Terry began again, somehow managing to work some feeling into his speech. They followed the stage directions completely until it came to a part where Romeo kisses Juliet. Terry paused for a moment, not really wanting to kiss Lark, but knowing Miss McCracken would probably fail him if he didn't. Leaning over he pecked her on the cheek and continued his lines.

'Hey, that wasn't so bad.' He thought. They carried on acting. They had a true on stage chemistry between them, enthralling the audience. Apart from Dana, she looked on angrily as Terry kissed Lark again, this time closer to her lips.

They continued the scene, with Miss McCracken reading in any other lines. Eventually they came to the last part where Romeo has to kiss Juliet for the last time. Terry leaned over for the final time, but as Lark moved towards him her foot got entangled in a computer wire that ran across the floor. She fell forwards slightly, and Terry's kiss that was aimed for her cheek, landed instead full on her lips. As she fell forwards he caught her so they looked like they were in a passionate embrace.

"Beautiful!" Miss McCracken cried, tears running down her face. The rest of the class wolf whistled and cheered as Terry and Lark broke apart, blushing slightly. "I award you both with an A. I shall be telling Mr Potnik about your excellent acting abilities." The bell rang for the end of the lesson.

"Miss Robertson, may I talk to you for a moment?" Miss McCracken asked.

"Wait for me outside." Lark said to Dana, not noticing the icy stare that Dana was giving her.

Dana left the classroom and went over to her locker to put away her books. She hid her face as Terry walked past to go to his next lesson. She closed her locker, fuming, and waited for Lark to emerge from the English room. When she did she was blushing.

"What did McCracken want?" Dana asked stiffly.

"She was asking why I didn't audition for an acting part in the play." Blushed Lark. "She says I have natural talent."

"Hmm." Dana said tersely.

"Are you OK?" Lark asked.

"Enjoyed that did you?" Dana asked.

"What? Of course I did, I like to be complimented now and again." Lark replied.

"Not that. Doing that scene, with Terry!" Dana said irritably.

"Well it wasn't too bad." Lark said naively.

"You fancy him don't you?" Dana shouted. "You made me stay away from him so that you could have your shot!"

"No!" Lark replied. "I wouldn't. Besides, he's not my type."

"Really?" Dana asked sarcastically. "So you didn't enjoy him kissing you and deliberately fall into his arms?"

"Of course not. I tripped. He caught me. End of story." Lark replied.

"How convenient." Dana replied tetchily.

"Don't you believe me?" Lark asked.

"Oh yes. I'm falling over myself to believe you!" Dana spoke sarcastically again.

"Look I don't have time to argue with you." Lark said hotly. "I'm not after Terry so you can relax. I don't see the problem; you're not even going out with him anymore. You've got a date with Rick Jones tonight!" Lark walked off to her next lesson leaving Dana in a huff, standing in the middle of the empty corridor.

Lark and Dana did not see each other again until school had finished. Lark had had a dance rehearsal at lunch and they were in different lessons that afternoon. Dana walked into the drama rehearsal room to find Lark already there.

"Hey." She said, walking over to where Lark was pulling a change of clothes so she could dance.

"Hey." Lark replied.

"Look, I want to apologise for what I said earlier." Dana said, not looking at Lark. Instead she pulled off her shoes and put on some comfy trainers. "I didn't mean to suggest that you and Terry were.I mean."

"Don't sweat it." Lark replied. "It's water under the bridge."

"I know that you don't fancy Terry. It's just that I'm not totally over him yet, and I don't like to think of him with another girl." Dana admitted.

"Can I say something without you taking it the wrong way?" Lark asked. "I don't mean to be rude or picky, but if you can't face seeing Terry with another girl, do you think it is such a good idea to be going out with another guy tomorrow?"

"I see what you mean." Dana said. "But that's different. Terry was the one who neglected me, which is why I broke up with him. It's more his fault than mine. I don't think he liked me as much as I liked him when we split up. Going out with other guys is just my way of getting over him."

"I see. So Rick Jones, he's just a rebound?" Lark asked.

"No." Dana admitted. "Well, sort of. I always liked him anyway, and now I'm free to date him. I mean, Terry was a rebound of mine and look how long we dated."

"Good point." Lark said as Miss McCracken came in and the other cast members turned to face her.

"Right then, let's begin." She said clapping her hands. "OK, we'll start with the opening dance number. The dancers learnt a bit of that at lunchtime, I'm just going to show you where you will be standing at certain points today."

They worked hard for about an hour, and Dana was amazed by how well Lark could dance. She had a certain presence that made you just look at her. Years of dance and gymnastics had obviously paid off.

Suddenly, just as they were starting a section again, all the lights went out. The room was plunged into darkness. Several people screamed and fell over each other in a panic.

"Who is there?"

"You're on my foot!"

"Get your hand away from there!"

"Sorry. Ouch!"

Eventually someone managed to get over to the light switch and the room was bathed in light. Dana disentangled herself from the guy playing Dracula, Stuart, and got up. She helped Lark to stand up. Kimberley Bagley, Dana's understudy, had managed to reach the light switch.

"Great joke!" Laughed Miss McCracken sarcastically.

"Uh Miss, I don't think it was a joke." Lark was standing by the notice board, staring at something pinned on it. Someone had pinned a piece of paper up, with a knife. There was writing on the paper, Lark squinted to read it.

"This production at Milton Hill will be the last. Terror remains and has been awakened, more terrible than ever. Cancel the play now, or one by one you will all die. Dracula shall be vanquished, but good will not triumph. If you value your blood and your lives I suggest you stop this before it's too late.Signed Dracula's Nemesis."

"Friendly!" Dana commented.

"It's just some hollow threat and a stupid trick being played by a jealous person who didn't make the cast list." Said Miss McCracken. "I think we'll end rehearsal here for today. See you next time!" She left, obviously to report this 'hollow threat' to the principle.

The other cast members packed up their things, wondering who Dracula's Nemesis could be.

"You coming Lark?" Dana asked.

"Yeah, I'll just get changed." Lark replied. The rest of the cast left and Lark was left alone in the room. Instead of getting changed she pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and pulled the knife out of the wall. She wrapped the knife in the handkerchief at placed it carefully in her bag. Then she picked up the note and pocketed. She took a final look around the classroom before she picked up her stuff and left.

"I thought you were getting changed?" Dana asked, seeing that Lark was still in her dance clothes.

"Oh, I couldn't be bothered." Lark replied. "Let's get an ice cream or something. I'm starving!"