ShadowRose18: okay… I'm on the plane…and to put it simply…I'm dead bored.

I brought a book (Charlie Bone 2 – The Time Twister) but I just finished it (sighs) and I still got another few hours left -.-;

Anyway, here's the next chapter :D

Chapter 4 – Anxiety

Emma sitting in her English class when someone knocked on the door.

'Come in,' boomed Mr Litish (A/N: Literature and English mixed XD)

Tancred appeared at the door.

'Sorry Mr. Litish, but could I borrow one of the art books on the shelf?' Tancred pointed to a shelf at the back of the room. Most of the class glanced at the bookshelf that he was pointing to, but Emma gasped in shock as she saw his hands. His talented sculpting hands were covered in bandages.

What has he been doing?, Emma thought. She decided to ask him later.

Mr. Litish nodded and Tancred walked to the shelf, took a thick white book with paint splashes covering the front and hurried out the door, but as he passed Emma, he flashed a shy grin. Emma managed a small smile back, but was too shocked to give it much energy.

When morning break came she searched for Tancred in the gardens. She soon found him in a group with Charlie, Fidelio, Dannielle, Billy, Olivia, Gabriel, Lysander, Jamie and Emily (A/N: I can't keep it in! I'll just say that you meet Jamie and Emily later :D, well.. In JoM that is :D)

She ran up to them, but Lysander said something and they pulled out of their close huddle.

'H-Hey Em,' said Olivia, trying to grin, and, although she was an actor, she wasn't good at hiding the fact that they knew something.

'Hey,' replied Emma, smiling, 'what's up?'

'Um,' Fidelio was hiding the fact too. Actually, it seemed like they all knew.

'What's the news?' she asked. If all of they knew, then she wanted to know too. She was part of the group after all.

'Oh, um, nothing Em, don't worry,' said Tancred, smiling at her.

Emma felt so left out. 'I deserve to know too,' she muttered. While she stared at the grass all the others exchanged anxious glances.

'Em, we'll tell you soon, but for now, just trust us, okay?' said Charlie, trying to compromise.

Emma sighed. 'Fine, but I want to know one thing first,' she said, pouting a bit.

'Um, okay,' Lysander was hesitant.

'Why does Tancred have bandages for hands?' she asked, staring at the storm-bringer's hands.

'Um,' Tancred couldn't seem to find the words for it.

'His mum wanted him to make something for his aunt. She convinced him to make it himself, so he got pricked a couple of times by the needle,' Lysander was always reliable to think properly in a crisis.

'Oh gosh!' cried Emma, she glanced worriedly at Tancred, 'Are you okay?'

'Y-Yeah, just fine,' replied Tancred, blushing slightly and running a hand through his hair.

Emma frowned, really worried. 'You sure?'

Tancred grinned. 'Absolutely!' he replied, ruffling her hair.

'Hey!' she backed off and re-did her hair.

Emma sighed. 'Okay,' she said as the hunting horn blew, 'We have ceramics class now. Come on Danni,' she said and turned to leave.

'Alright,' Dannielle waved bye to everyone and smiled at Billy, who blushed.

'Awww,' Charlie teased, grinning, wrapping his arm around Billy's small shoulders.

'B-Be quiet!' muttered Billy and they moved off to music theory class.

The next Monday – Emma's birthday party is on Saturday.

Emma entered the King's Room, for the two hours of homework, when she saw something that made her stop and drop her books.

Tancred and Lysander, the only ones there, looked up at her in surprise, but Emma only saw one thing.

The bandage around Tancred's forehead.

'Em?' Lysander had stood up by now and was walking towards the younger girl.

'What happened?' Emma managed to gasp, after to standing and gaping for almost a minute.

'Huh?' Tancred was confused, completely unaware of the bandage on his head.

'Y-Your head!' cried Emma.

'Oh,' Tancred ran his fingers through his hair and tried to think of an excuse.

'A-And your hands! They're still bandaged!' she gushed.

Lysander had picked up her books by now. Placing them beside Tancred's books (Lysander's idea of another chance), he slowly steered the gaping Emma towards a chair.
Emma sank into the chair and rested her forehead on her hand.

Lysander sighed. He'd have to think of another excuse for Tancred.

'Tancred's mum wanted him to go get some groceries and on the way back he tripped over something and hit his head. He broke all the eggs too,' Lysander added.

'The stones were uneven,' muttered Tancred. He glanced at Emma and was sure that his heart just got pierced like a needle bursting a balloon.

Her eyes had such fear and anxiety, he was worried that they would never shine with happiness again.

She stood up, as the other children of the Red King entered. Charlie, Gabriel, Jamie, Dannielle and Billy glanced anxiously at the two friends.

'Are you – Does it still hurt?' Emma asked, reaching to touch the bandage gingerly. Tancred grabbed her wrist before she could touch it though. Emma's eyes searched worriedly for any signs of pain, but Tancred's face was blank.

'Sometimes,' he murmured.

'Torrson! Tolly! Get to work!' Manfred barked, ruining the moment.

'I'm okay,' Tancred muttered, then he let go of Emma's hand and took his seat at the table.

Emma stood still for a minute, not moving.

'Tolly! Do you want a detention?' Manfred ordered. Emma wiped her eyes with her sleeve, shook her head and took her seat at the table, next to Tancred. The two hours of homework never seemed so long after that.

ShadowRose18: Well, this was a longer chapter xD

And yay! I have BillyDanni and I introduced Jamie and Emily :D (Even though I shouldn't have)

Okay, the only reason I let Jamie and Emily come through is because in this one, it doesn't reveal much about them, only that Jamie is endowed and Emily isn't, where as if I introduced them in Mistaken Sacrifice, it would have introduced their characters and who they were related to, and possibly even talk about their past.

So! How was that? Oh, and when Tancred got the bandage on his head it was when he was getting material for Em's present, on the way back he tripped over some material that was dragging along the ground and he hit his head xD

So anyway, here's the fourth chapter. The next chapter will be just before Em's birthday and then her party :D And please review! :D