RAWR! I thought of something cool to add to the plot. Don't worry, Landon is'nt the only antagonist around here.

'Thanks. Again.'

Claire smiled gratefully at Landon.

'You're going to be in even more danger now that they know you're with me.' he mused.

Claire's smile faltered.

'I think I kind of understand you now. They're dangerous. And they won't stop until they get what they want.'

Landon nodded, with an icy smile on his face.

'...and let me guess: they'll never find out. But I don't understand. Why can't you just give them a false story?'

Landon sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.

'You saw - that brunette. Massie. She's very perceptive. She knows - or senses when she's being lied to. She could be a potential threat, but without Alicia and Christopher on her side, she won't be able to hurt me. She knows that.'

Claire pounded her hand on the windowsill in frustration.

Massie paced the room in agitation.

'Uh...remind me again. Why are we doing this?' asked Kristen, her brows furrowed and her head down, like she was thinking things through really hard.

Massie's hand came down hard on the table.

'And I always thought you were the smart one, Kris. Maybe you should think of joining Landon and Claire.' she spat.

Kristen placed a hand on Massie's shoulder.

'Wait. Let's backtrack for a second, Mass. You're being impulsive. We should count our losses against his. This could seriously be damaging for us. Okay. Let's see. Landon broke Alicia's heart and she retaliated by beating him up in the faceoff. You attacked him and he defended himself and injured you. He saved Claire in a fight against Cam. Alicia and Chris try to break him but he ends up defeating all of you. don't you think the losses on our side are getting a bit heavy? Maybe we should think of new strategies, and wait a bit before attacking again.'

Dylan nodded.

'Hm. I guess it kinda makes sense. We don't want to get hurt anymore anytime soon, and Mass, think about it. Its better to hit him when he's least expecting it, right? So wait a while. Plus, I kinda forgot how this all started. I mean, a broken heart is not really a valid reason to attack...no offense, Leesh.'

'So, what now?' grumbled Alicia, 'do we just let Claire prance around as a member of our group while she fraternises with the enemy?'

Massie thought about this.

'Now, we wait. We wait for the right chance to strike. Meanwhile, we're going to keep them wondering what's going on.'

'Dude, that seriously hurt.' Chris rubbed his arm again, wincing.

Cam snorted.

'Really. That loser thinks he's all that.'

'Those losers.' corrected Josh.

'Claire is'nt a loser,' insisted Cam.

'Oh, really?' sneered Josh. 'Associating herself with him within the first week? That's definitely not loserish behaviour.'

Cameron sat down on a sofa, pondering the matter.

'It seems like we're stuck at a dead end. Nothing we can do.'

'Yeah, you're such a ray of sunshine, Chris. You totally make me feel hopeful.' Josh rolled his eyes.

'I guess there's nothing we can do, then.' Cam announced quietly.

There was a knock on the door, and Cam walked over to open it.

Kristen was standing there, looking bored.

'Mass wanted me to deliver you guys a message - Now, we wait. We wait for the right chance to strike. Meanwhile, we're going to keep them wondering what's going on.'

Chris nodded.

'I guess that's smart of her. You know, to cut our losses and stuff. Gives us a bit of time to think.'

Kristen walked over and sat beside Josh, looking troubled.

'What is it, Kris?' Josh wanted to know.

She looked up into his dark eyes, feeling all her unhappiness drain away. If she could keep falling...falling into those swirling pools...

She shook herself out of her reverie.

'Uh. Oh, yeah. I dunno. It's like...foreshadowing. Like Landon coming is a bad omen - a sign for something worse. Like he is'nt the main problem.'

Josh shook his head slowly.

'You don't have to worry, Kristen. We'll be here for each other.'

He moved his hand to place it on top of her, and somehow Kristen liked how it sent electric tingles up her spine. She felt like she could stay here with Josh forever, with him protecting her from all her fears.

Any guesses for the big baddie and what his motives are?