This is Chapter Three! I am so proud of myself, my output has dramatically increased (at the decrease of all schoolwork) but that's okay, as long as I keep my story up and going! (don't worry, my classes are all easy, and I can keep a high B average without trouble) So, the disclaimer follows:

Disclaimer: I claim only the characters and the clarineto itself, they are my fabrications!

Chapter Three

It was in mid-stride that I realized we hadn't seen Roth at all. And come to think of it, how on earth did I get into a new world? So I caught up with Logan and grabbed his arm.

"Logan, where the hell is Roth?" I demanded

"He was in the boat when it shattered. It's reasonable to assume that he shattered along with it," Logan replied coolly.

"He shattered along with it?" I was incredulous. "So he's dead? I thought you said you were his friend. You don't even care that he's dead!"

"I can remain calm, because there is the high probability that he landed on the shore back in our world, and that he's perfectly well and healthy, assuming he hasn't been caught."

"You bastard!" I spat, and managed to hit Logan's cheek.

Coolly- Oh, boy, I am going to make him regret being so emotionless, I thought- he wiped the spittle off of his cheek. Mackenzie and Konstantin were growling at each other, both with their fur fluffed up, and I had a feeling that this wasn't going to end prettily. "I care for Gannon, as much as you care for him, but you must recall that he's out of the immediate picture, and worrying about his wellbeing can wait until we're further away from this place."

I had definitely had enough of his stolid attitude, and I tackled him, dimly aware that Konstantin and Mackenzie were fighting tooth and claw. I managed to land several punches before Logan rolled me onto my back and pinned me down. I was keenly aware of his body heat, and I struggled against his strong grasp.

"Listen to me, Riva Mischa. I frankly have not a single high opinion of you, and you aren't making things better. I'm only helping you for Roth's sake, because he regarded you very highly. Don't make me regret it." He stared at me disdainfully, keeping my glare locked upon his green eyes.

We were like that for a moment before he released me, and I immediately leapt to my feet and brushed the sand off of my clothing. Konstantin was sitting on the sand next to me, demurely licking his shallow cuts that Mackenzie had given him. Logan was sitting in the sand, staring at the sea, as Mackenzie cleaned her injuries as well.

"You shouldn't have done that, and you know it," Konstantin said to me quietly when he had finished.

"I guess I let my temper take control too often," I replied, eyes still upon Logan's back.

"Go apologize, now, before it becomes too late," he said. "You might want to ask him any other questions we have too, because it's the best time for that."

So I walked over to Logan's side and sat down next to him- not too close- and stared out at the sea, ignoring the disdainful glance Mackenzie gave me. Konstantin walked over to her and talked to her quietly, and I sighed. "Look, Logan. I'm sorry I blew up at you. I was pissed at you because you didn't seem to care that Roth was gone." As I said this, I kept my gaze on the sea, not wanting to see his reaction to this apology that was wounding my ego big time.

We sat there in silence for a while, and finally he spoke. "Look at me, Riva." It was the first time that he'd called me by just my first name, so I did. He was staring at me, the ice gone from his eyes, and the sun caught his hair in just the right light so that it looked like it was on fire.

"What?" I croaked.

"I miss Roth, because he would be able to tell me what to do with you. And I have to be cold and rational, because you're so hot-headed that you become completely irrational and impulsive, and if we were both to be like that, then we'd be dead," Logan said, something different in the timbre of his voice. "And I can't afford to become as attached to anyone as I was to Roth, because attachment is a weakness that the Magisterium can exploit. So I have to be a cold, hard son of a bitch."

I tore my eyes away from him, because something was happening inside me, and if Logan said that we couldn't even be friends, I definitely couldn't allow what ever was happening to happen any longer. The sun was going down now- time here was different than what it was back in my world, for some reason. Maybe it was just the place, or maybe it was just the weather, or the world, or whatever. All I knew was that it was time to find somewhere to sleep.

"Logan- we need to find somewhere to stay for the night. Maybe one of the houses here is unlocked," I said, standing.

Startled, Logan stood too, and Mackenzie and Konstantin ended their conversation. We headed into the city, and I tried the door of the first hotel that we came across. It was unlocked, and we went in. No one was in the reception area, and there was only one set of room keys behind the desk.

"Not even a master key," I reported after ransacking the drawers of desk.

"Great," Konstantin said. "Let's hope that it's a double room."

As Logan headed for the staircase, Mackenzie began following him, and laughed softly. "You have that right."

"C'mon," Logan called, already halfway up the staircase. I leapt over the desk and ran to follow, Konstantin hot on my heels. We reached the first level and tried to open each door as we passed it. All of them were locked, and when we knocked, no one answered.

Logan looked at the number of the room on the tag of the key and swore. "1390," he read out loud. "That's ten floors up from where we are now, and we don't have any faster way to get up there."

"Let's get going then," Mackenzie said.

Hundreds of stairs later, we reached our room, and Logan unlocked it. I brushed past him, and found that the room contained a kitchen area, a bathroom station, one dresser, and a single bed. No couch, no armchair, nothing to sleep on except the bed and the floor.

"Great," I said. "Just peachy."

"Yeah," Logan agreed.

"Me 'n Konstantin have the bed," I said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Mackenzie asked, startled. "We shouldn't have to put up with you two. Logan and I deserve the bed."

Logan sighed. "Let's not argue. Why don't we settle this with Jan-Kan-Pon?"

"Sure," I said. It's not like Jan-Kan-Pon is that complicated. If you choose Jan, you make a fist, which defeats Pon, but loses to Kan. When you choose Kan, you put your hand out flat, and Pon defeats it. To make Pon, you put your hand out like it's a pair of scissors, and it defeats Kan, but loses to Jan. "What if there's a tie?"

Konstantin grinned wickedly at me. "Then everyone gets the bed."

"Okay," Mackenzie said, just as wickedly.

Logan and I put our hands out. As we said the words of the game, I rapidly calculated the odds, and figured that since most people choose Pon or Kan, I would do well to choose Jan. Logan had the same pattern of thought, and we tied.

"Best out of three?" I asked, still confident of a win.

"Sure." He replied.

Again, I calculated the odds, and chose Jan again, because it was likely that he would pick Pon, in anticipation that I would make Kan. We tied.

Konstantin and Mackenzie looked at each other and laughed. I glared at them. "You knew that this would happen, didn't you, Konstantin."

He shrugged. "Yes. You calculate exactly the same way that Logan does."

My ego was beyond repair. "Yippee," I said dryly. "I get the pillow."

"Wanna try?" Logan challenged.

"Why not?" I asked. "What else do I have to lose?"

I showered, gritting my teeth, grateful for the fact that the curtain was actually opaque. How could I have been so stupid? Of course we tied for the pillow. And the sheets. And the blankets. And the mattress. I dressed and stepped out of the curtain. Logan had been waiting patiently for me to come out- I had purposely used up all the hot water, and was pleased to hear him yelp in surprise.

Konstantin leapt happily onto the bed, taking the pillow for himself. I roughly pushed him off of it. "I'll take what I won, thank you very much," I said shortly, and climbed into the bed. I saw immediately that there was going to be no avoidance of bodily contact with Logan. The bed looked even smaller now that I was in it.

I rolled onto my side and faced the wall as Logan came out of the shower. I could feel his eyes examining how much room was on the bed. Konstantin was at my feet, and he was taking up all the foot-space available.

"Mischa?" Logan asked.

I rolled over and looked up at him. Thankfully, he was wearing pants and a shirt- I don't know what would have happened to me if he was barechested. "What?"

He awkwardly looked at his feet, and alternately standing on each of them. "Um-"

"Just say what you want to say."

"Well, there would be more room for our dæmons if we- y'know-"

And yes, I did know. And I didn't want it one bit. But there was the taboo. So it was necessary. "I know," I said. "It's fine with me. Just don't try anything."

"I swear it, I won't."

Logan climbed into the bed, and Konstantin made room for Mackenzie. I waited for the dæmons to get situated, and then allowed Logan to pull me closer. Painfully aware that he was good-looking, somewhat nice, holding me gently, and that we were in bed, I allowed myself to relax. When Logan felt me relax, I could feel the tenseness in his body to relax.

"You never answered my question," I said quietly.

"What question?" he asked.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen. Why?"

"Just wondering," I replied. I couldn't give voice to the thoughts that went too far racing through my mind. "How'd we get to this world?"

"There's a window into this world somewhere in that cesspool we fell into, and you can only go through it when you swim upwards, 'cause the creator of it was near the bottom of the pool and needed to go to a different world at the time that he or she created it," Logan replied.

I yawned, breathing in his scent. "Logan?" I asked sleepily.

"Yeah?"

"Did you know you smell good?" I asked.

He chuckled. "This is from the girl who spat on my face less than two hours ago."

"You do."

"Thank you, very much, Riva." I didn't have anything else to say then. "Mischa?" he asked, his voice husky. There was something in his voice, and I didn't care anymore what happened inside of me when he talked that way. "Riva, please, look at me." I did. "Did you know you're beautiful?"

I blushed. "You're just putting me on," I said.

"Not unless you were when you said I smelled good."

"So you really mean it?"

In reply, he gently tilted my chin upwards and kissed me. And I didn't have a single problem with it.

So here the romance enters- I thought it was about time, even though its kinda a strained relationship, but it'll work out for this story. I apologize for the length to those of you that prefer short chapters, but it all rolling out and I would have lost the idea if I hadn't said everything that I did in this chapter. Review, review, and if you review some more, you'll receive a new chapter within the next two days!