IheartHunter: Ok, I respect your opinion but maybe you could offer me a little more than you think it's weird? Why was it that you found it weird?

Ouiplanete: I am so SORRY for taking so long to update, I had MAJOR writers block.

SummerBaby94: Lol, it wasn't that bad of a cliffy :P

HRInuyashaFan16: Thanks so much!

sunshine-faery: Hehe, you're too nice! Thanks heaps!

Lily9306: Thanks for the offer, but I'll be continuing. :)

Moira aine: I meant surprised shock. Hehe, sorry for the confusion!

Oook I know I haven't been updating but I reeeaally can't think of where this story is going. I know, I know, you shouldn't start writing a story where you don't know the plot. But no worries, I'm working on it. Enjoy this chappy!

---

Ch5: concentration, relaxation, levitation

I don't think it's fair to say I had overreacted. I wasn't the type of girl who liked surprises and the one I had just received had literally given me a heart attack. Was it just a coincidence or something else entirely? I was beyond shocked, I mean, I was amazed that I hadn't quite collapsed yet. Don't ask me what, but there was something that really scared me about that guy. Yes, I didn't know him, but my instincts were telling me otherwise.

My blush crept up my neck and managed to spread all over my face. I probably looked like a tomato but that thought didn't help any. I tried to say something, anything. But I couldn't, I was just too taken aback.

So he took the initiative. "Hello," He smiled, genuinely. It was an expectant 'hello'. He was expecting me to say something, to break the uncomfortable silence that has just surrounded us.

Okay, it wasn't really silent. All around us were people pushing pass, impatient to get to home on time.

"Hi," I replied, in a stage whisper. Then I remembered what I did, and how I got myself into this situation in the first place. I cleared my throat and gestured towards my messenger bag "I'm sorry."

"No problem," He waved it away like it was nothing.

"Listen, I-" but I didn't get to finish. An all-too-familiar brunette had appeared at that moment, her arm interlinked with the guy. Was it possible to have two heart attacks in the maximum time of three minutes?

"Oh, my God!" she screeched, jumping up and down in excitement, "its Morgan, isn't it?"

I cringed and if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I could swear the guy did too.

"Yeah, hi."

She wrinkled her eyebrows. "You remember me, don't you? Lily?"

"How could I forget?"

"Oh, that's good. This," she motioned at the guy, "-is Cal."

He put his hand out and I shook it, that's when I felt a tingle go up my arm. Now, I'm sure I didn't imagine that either.

"Morgan, is it? Lily was just talking about you," He smiled, and all his teeth managed to make an appearance. "She was going on about how she would love to go to America," he laughed, "I told her to dream on."

Lily swatted him lightly. "I'm going to be really famous one day and I'll travel to L.A to record my albums," Cal sniggered and she shoved him again. "I'm a really great singer. You should hear me."

"Yeah right. She'd rather listen to nails on blackboard than hear your voice, Lil'."

I rolled my eyes. The fluffy banter being exchange was irksome; I could hear my stomach churning.

"Well, I should be going; my parents are probably getting worried by now." I said, trying to dissipate the conversation.

Lily frowned, "Okay, but listen," she grabbed my arm and stood in front of me, blocking my view of Cal, and said in a low voice, "Come to this party tomorrow. It's at Cal's house, I'll be there," She let go of my hand, slipping something into it and grasped at Cal again before saying, "Well, I'll see you there."

---

Naturally, my parents had been worried. They informed me that they had been waiting for almost an hour and was about to send the FBI and London police after me if I hadn't arrived at the time I did.

I smiled and reassured them that everything was fine, on the outside anyway. I felt all scrambled and scattered inside, as if a hand was grabbing at my stomach, squeezing it every once in a while. I couldn't exactly tell my parents that an unknown anxiety had me vexed, so I just told them I was fine.

If my parents were flustered about my behaviour before, I'm sure they would be soon more than ever. The black sheep of the family was about to ask her parents if she could go to a party.

Yes, a party. A real party.

One where there was heavy music, no chaperones, grinding bodies and most likely, alcohol. That was so not like me. Nuh uh.

But I felt like I wanted to go anyway. Something about Cal was so intriguing.

So my hands were sweating, and my ears were ringing and I was about to ask. All I had to do was to get the words out in the air and it would be over, regardless if I got to go or not.

Argh! Why was I so nervous?! Mary K. had done this kind of things tons of times. Maybe I needed lessons with this kind of thing? God, what was wrong with me?

I approached my parents, in what I thought was quite a stealthy way. They looked up when I entered the room and I plunged right ahead, "So I…uh, you know…um, I-"

Oh no, I was a fish out of water. Desperate for air. Dying, dying, dying. With embarrassment, that is.

"Honey," my mother intercepted, "you might want to slow down."

Deep breaths now. Deep breaths. "Okay, this is a first for me so don't go into cardiac arrest or anything, okay?" they nodded. "I kind of want to go to this party."

Slowly, ever so slowly, they started to react but I interrupted, "Mom, I know what you're going to say. You're right, this could be dangerous, but I'm responsible, aren't I? Haven't I proven that to you?" I was rushing to get the words out now. "And yeah, I know we're in London, and I could get lost but I've just made these new friends. They're really nice and…well, cool-" Alright, I'll admit it, they were cool. Well, Cal was, anyway. "-and if I don't go, I'll look lame. I really don't want to look lame."

Oh, God. That was lame. What was I thinking?

"Sure."

"W-what?"

"We said, sure, just get back before curfew."

Oh right. Okay, I think I was surprised. No actually, I was really surprised. And when was curfew? I didn't know I had curfew. Maybe it was because I never really went out.

---

She draped a strapless floral dress over me as a look of uncertainty spread across my face.

"I'm not sure about this Mary K."

She barely glanced over at me, too engrossed in her fashion raiding. "Yeah…yeah, you're right," she slapped herself lightly on the forehead, "What was I thinking?"

"Don't take it so hard, sis."

"Hmm, I'm thinking vintage, what about you?"

It was the afternoon before the party and I was pretty much freakin' out. But, according to Mary K. she had it all worked out.

"Don't look at me, you're the fashion expert," I pointed out.

"Right, right, of course."

I raised my eyebrows. "Relax. Can't I just wear jeans, a cute tee and some pretty shoes? That's what normal people wear, right?"

I was totally new to this kind of thing. It was foreign to me.

She cocked her head to one side and smiled. "You may be right, Morgan."

---

Going to a party for the first time was like starting kindy all over again. And, boy, did I not want to go through that experience for a second time. Maybe that was why I never ventured out as far as my backyard. I guess tonight I was willing to try.

After my Mom had dropped me off (in the rental car) she promptly reminded me of her rules and my curfew and I assured her that I would be fine.

It seemed that the party was well under way when I arrived with music blasting out so loud I was sure you could hear it blocks away. A few people had decided to loiter in the front yard and as I walked up the pathway, they stared at me kind of strangely, at which my confidence (if I had any) had deterred. The door was wide open, so as discretely as I could, I stepped onto the premises.

The air was rank with the bitter smell of beer. I saw now that the stereotypes in my mind about most teenage parties had reigned true.

I coughed a little, relieving some of the tension that had built up inside of me. I saw no one that I could recognise so I tried to find Lily, seeing as she was the one who invited me.

The room was so crowded that I had to squeeze myself through the cluster of people to move even a few feet. When I reached the kitchen I grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down. I was feeling nervous before the party had even started.

A hand had snaked its way around my arm and I flinched. Turning to see who had the nerve to touch me, I was surprised to find it was Cal. Well, wasn't he friendly tonight.

"Hey," he grinned, "Glad to see you here. The party's kind of a bore."

I smiled back nervously, consciously replaying possible scenarios between myself and Cal. Not that I was hoping or expecting anything to happen. Okay, not expecting.

But Cal was out of bounds. 'Cause he was going out with Lily, right? Right?

"So, what's the deal with you and Lily?" he said, while I was thinking the exact thing, what's the deal between you and Lily, Cal?.

"What do you mean?"

He raised one of his eyebrows, in a handsome, cute-ish sort of way. I could feel my knees weakening and told myself to stay strong. Cal wasn't that cute or dreamy or hot. Well, no, actually he was.

"You know, she keeps talking about you, like, she knows you really well," He reached out and took my hands before saying. "It's funny, really. But c'mon, Lil's waiting for you."

In beat to the 'doof-doof' of the dance music he led me towards the front of the house, where the 'party' action was taking place. I tried to talk to Cal as we walked but it was almost impossible as the music's loud rhythm had overrided us. I tried to scream, but that didn't work either.

I finally spotted Lily in the small corner of what looked like the lounge room but she was talking to someone already. No surprise really, I mean, she seemed like a chummy girl. But the guy she was talking to? He looked less friendly, cold, even.

She noticed Cal and smiled brightly when she saw me. It was kind of weird, for someone I hardly knew to brighten up, as if I made her day, like she did.

"Morgan! So glad you could make it!" She looked at Cal. "Lucky you found her Cal. She would've gotten lost for sure," She looked so comfortable, so sophisticated, like she was right at home. I, on the other hand, could tell that I looked as gawky as I felt.

I examined the other guy, realising that I'd never found out what his name was. He was handsome too, in a more classy way. More English than my American heritage. He was blonde, nearly white blonde, with high cheekbones and a pale, serious, almost solemn appearance, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in ages.

He caught my eye, and stared. Just stared. I couldn't help but feel weirded out. I felt uncomfortable, intimidated and at some point nearly yelled at him to stop.

"This is Hunter. Hunter, Morgan," Lily smiled and offered me some Pringles. I politely declined.

"So, Morgan, what brings you here?" It was Hunter. He asked in an almost menacing way. I could already tell that we weren't exactly going to be the best of friends.

"What do you mean? Lily invited me."

"I meant what brings you to London?" He smirked as if I was stupid for not understanding his question. The rude prick.

"Family stuff," I turned away and started chatting to Lily, which signalled the end of the conversation.

At the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that I saw both Cal and Hunter talking about me but maybe it was just me my imagination.

---

Gradually the crowd dispersed and the only people left were those who were drunk and wanted to crash for the night. I was about to leave too when Cal came up to me and surprised me by saying, "Come with me. I've got something to show you."

"But…" I gestured to where Lily and Hunter were, across the room, deep in conversation.

He grinned. "Leave them. Come on, it'll be interesting."

I smiled feebly, took one last look at Lily and Hunter and escaped with Cal. He pulled me towards the backyard. I spotted the pool and rolled my eyes.

"You're not actually thinking of going skinny dipping, are you?"

He feigned shock. "No, I didn't, but now that you thought of it how 'bout it?"

"Let me take a raincheck on that," We laughed as he led me past the pool.

He smiled and pointed towards the pool house. "It's this way."

After leading me inside, we went through another door then another, and I couldn't help notice how dark it was. It was full moon and I expected it to be quite bright but before my night vision had a chance to kick in, Cal was bending over a door that had suddenly flashed light around the edges.

Whoa, maybe I had too much to drink? He opened the door slowly, went in and beckoned me to follow. I don't know what on earth possessed me to do it. Everything about not taking candy from strangers had vanished from my mind.

The room was not quite what I had expected. There were a few candles lit causing gloomy shadows to dance on the walls. When Cal had lighted some more candles and the room was a little brighter, I looked around me and gasped.

The room was so…different. The walls, strangely, were painted black. A black that was so foreboding that it made me want to bolt out of there. But I didn't. The black covering the walls were also accompanied by white markings made everywhere, covering every square inch of wall. The markings seemed to be some kind of symbol language and gave the impression that they were glowing. But they couldn't have, right?

And that wasn't all. If the way the room was painted to go by, the atmosphere was measurably worse. The air inside that little room was uncomfortably intense and I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic.

"Hey," Cal looked at me and I started to panic, "are you okay?"

I blinked once. Twice. "Well, it's a bit stuffy in here, don't you think?" I laughed nervously, "Maybe we could crack open a window?"

He smiled but replied, "Uh, no, I'm sorry but we can't do that. This room, Morgan. It demands to be hidden away from everything."

"I don't understand."

He took my hand, practically having to drag me away from the door and lead me to a comfy sofa. "You see, this room is where I do magic."

My eyes bulged. "M-magic? What are you talking about?"

Cal smiled, "Come here." He sat down on the clean, white carpet and patted the space opposite him. I followed suit and as soon as I had sat down, he closed his eyes. Disturbed, I stared at him until he told me to do the same thing. I looked at him doubtfully. "Come on, Morgan, trust me. Nothings going to happen, not really."

I sighed and slowly shut my eyes, fully aware that we were sitting so close that I was practically sitting on his lap. He took both my hands in both of his and quite abruptly all the candles had extinguished, except for one left flickering weakly.

I flinched but he said soothingly, "Don't worry about anything else. Just concentrate on your breathing and relax."

"But…why? What are we doing?"

I opened my eyes just a peek and saw Cal smile. What was he up to?

"Sssh, just concentrate and relax."

"How am I supposed to do both at once?" I said, playfully.

He sighed and I quickly shut up and obeyed. Eventually, the dreadful feeling that was welling up in my stomach drained away with every breath I took. My tense muscles eased slightly and soon I was feeling a bit drowsy. My eyelids were drooping and my limbs had gone to sleep but I was completely and utterly relaxed.

I could feel, strangely enough, in tune with the rest of the world. Even my breathing had become in tune with Cal's. For some weird reason I could feel the energy, the aura surrounding myself and Cal, that too had become one with our breathing and mind, and for a split second I felt like I was on top of the world. Funnily enough, I felt lighter too, like all of my problems were gone with the passing wind. My surprising reactions of shock and wonder had almost clouded over my feelings of anxiety and suspicion. Almost.

I opened my eyes to see what exactly Cal was doing to make me feel this way; calm and serene. But it was short lived because as soon as I opened my eyes I realised that the reason I felt so light was because I was actually floating. Yes, floating, or rather levitating. Same difference.

I shrieked in panic and promptly fell to the floor with a thud. Cal snapped out of his concentration and looked at me in concern but as I was screaming and freaking out, I didn't notice. Without delay and so much as a glance back at Cal, I leapt to my feet and proceeded to run out the numerous doors, aware that Cal was at my heel which only encouraged me to go faster. Once I was out of the house I ran, without looking back, to the first bus stop I could find.

When I stopped to catch my breath and replay what had just happened in my head I couldn't believe it. What on earth had just happened? Alright, so I was safe for the time being; it looked like Cal had given up on his chase. But how was I going to get home?

Mom. When I was safely back in the warmth of the rental car with my mom, a thought occurred to me.

I had just run away from Cal, yet again. Maybe I should've just stayed away, I thought miserably.

---

I know, I know, it's a little weird but stay with me, okay? I realise the thing about skinny dipping is actually said in Dark Magick but, I swear, I wrote this before I realised it. Okay, so, do me a favour and REVIEW!