Russian Roulette

potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver,

spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger.

Sitting in this room playing Russian roulette,
Finger on the trigger to my dear Juliet,
Out from the window see your back drop silhouette,
This blood on my hands is something I cannot forget,

It was morning. A cold morning, for the current month. The fog on the grounds was hazy and misty, and there were no signs of life. Trees grew like gnarled nightmares, casting dark shadows everywhere. No birds sang; no insects chirped. Not even the recently freed blue jay zoomed around the grounds, singing its song of freedom to the world. No, the air was still and heavy. The wind barely moved, but still managed to cast muted whispers that chilled the breeze even more. There was only one shadow being cast upon the crumbling stone walls that marked where the Red King had once lived.

It was the gardener. Not a very pleasent or remarkable fellow. His hands were too large, his chin too wide. His bottom lip was wide, while his top one was small. His hair was a dull brown, streaked with grey. Flinty hawk-like eyes peered out from behind a heavy brow. He wore overalls, grey denim over a plaid green shirt. Moles covered his face, and a crease split his forehead. He was tall and stocky, old but not too old. He had never revealed his age to anyone except for Harold Bloor, but that was for his job description. He looked around fifty, perhaps sixty.

He shuffled as he walked, hands barely moving from their position as they hung by his side. His mouth was a firm lineas he trudged along. He wasn't overweight, but he certaintly wasn't in shape. He followed the contour lines of the Academy. The trees watched him, barely daring to creak or to groan. He stopped by a grey cellar door, still grunting to himself. His obese hands, each finger as fat as a sausage, lifted the door up and he began to climb down underneath.

There was nothing peculiar about this site. It was one that a caretaker would do many times. No one should think twice about it. Yet why did the man continuously look over his shoulder? What was he up to?

He climbed down into the cellar, shutting the door behind him. It was cold in the air, and the air smelt musty and dank. His fingers groped for a switch and he flipped it up. A bare lightbulb flickered on, illuminating a wooden table and some fluttering moths. Pulling out a chair and moving aisde an old rake, the caretaker sat down. His dark eyes stared straight ahead as he sat motionless. Or at least, he looked motionless. Only the slight twitch of his grey eyes gave away that he was waiting for someone.

"Glad you could make it," came the soft voice of a snake from behind him. The caretaker turned to see a man dressed in all black move towards him. The man didn't sit down, he just kept his coal black eyes fixed on the caretaker as he stood about a step away.

The caretaker's eyes searched him. They found the orange glow of fire emitting from his body. Assured about who it was, the caretaker gave a little grunt. "Hello, Mr. Bloor."

Manfred laughed, a chilling sound. "Did you just check me?" he asked darkly.

The caretaker looked away for a moment before nodding slightly. "I had to be sure," he replied softly, running a wide hand through his greasy hair.

The tall Bloor smirked, eyes emotionless, before looking towards the other door to the cellar. "You can come in now."

The door opened with a creak, and three figures stepped in. The first was a tall woman, captivating and beautiful. She had long mahoghany hair, with narrow brown eyes. The caretaker squinted at her, mind buzzing, but no aura was emitted. He turned towards the second man, a tall and scrawny fellow. He had messy hair and a sickly green complexion. But his eyes were dark, healthy and inteligent. Tilting his head a little to the side, the caretaker could see sea green coming from his hands and mind. Nodding slightly, he turned to the last woman. She was as skinny as a pole, her face was fixed in a permanent frown. It took awhile, but the caretaker managed to get a purple glow from her.

"Damn telekenetics," he grumbled, voice low. Their power hid their aura. "Zelda and Dagbert, right?"

Zelda nodded shrewdly, still frowning. She walked over to Manfred, attempting to slip her arm into his. He pulled away, resting a hand on her shoulder and murmuring something in her ear. Dagbert just gave the caretaker an unfathomable glance.

"Who're you?" the man asked the beautiful woman curiously.

"Cara Silk," she said, a smile grazing at the corner of her lips. "You?"

"Derek. Derek Hampton," he replied promptly. "You were Gabriel's wife before his... accident. That was your fault, wasn't it?"

Cara gave a tight nod, smirking once more. She perched herself on the old table, crossing her legs. Dagbert stood beside her, casting glances at Manfred and Zelda. "Why is this man useful?"

"He can see other people's endowments," said Manfred casually. "Remember Olivia Vertigo, and how she ended up being endowed? We haven't had a singe case like that since Hampton came here. No one can hide from us."

"Or so you think," interjected Cara, playing absentmindedly with a lock of hair. "So, why is he useful to us now? Maybe we can laugh them to death. He can come out and glare at them until they start."

"Cara," said Manfred, exasperated. "That's not all. He can also... tell things. Like, sense things. He sensed something yesterday morning and came to tell me. Hampton, tell them," he ordered.

Derek nodded, ugly face softening. "They're planning an attack on us Saturday, once the rest of the kids have gone home. We need to be ready for it."

"Them?" Dagbert asked, suddenly interested. "You mean Charie Bone and his lackeys?"

"Yeah," grunted the large caretaker, a grimace on his face. "They're coming in Saturday."

"Saturday was the day Audrey planned to drown Edward," Dagbert replied. "We should keep all the kids in on Saturday. That way we have them, maybe to use as hostages."

Manfred blinked twice before a grin spread across his sallow face. "That's it. We'll keep them in. Tomorrow is Friday, so everything should work out. Today, though, we need to prepare. Dagbert, Idith and I will be the front line. Joshua and Zelda can cover us from behind. I'll get Eric to come in, he won't mind."

"Eric?" asked Dagbert slowly. "The stonemover? Isn't he in Cornwall?"

Manfred nodded. "After his wife and kids left him, he stayed there. But I'm sure he won't mind coming here. After all, he'll get to see his niece."

"Is she endowed?" Cara asked. Now that the caretaker was paying more attention, he could make out a faint aura from her. She wasn't endowed, no, but one of her parents had the ability to- the caretaker opened his mouth in shock at the colour that had registered. If one of her parents could do that, then Cara certaintly had some ability to her- though he wouldn't go as far as to call it an endowment.

Eyes flickering darkly, Manfred looked up. He nodded slightly, black eyes as cold as ever. "We don't know."

"I thought that Hampton could tell," Cara said smugly.

Derek looked away slightly, brow furrowing. "She does have an aura, it's true. But some people who're related to endowed people also have auras. Hers is very faint, and Mr. Bloor is keeping an eye on her."

"Mr. Bloor?" chuckled Zelda, lightly tracing the outline of Manfred's arm with her spindly fingers. "You really just don't..." she trailed off.

Manfred looked at her, and Derek thought he could see a trace of annoyment in his features. Did those two people really love each other once, or did they marry due to mutual appreciation.

"So what should we do, then?" Dagbert asked, always the voice of reason.

"Cara, contact Eric. Dagbert, tell Joshua and Idith to keep an eye on Edward Bone and his group. Zelda, you stay with them. Dabert, also inform Audrey on what's happening. Hampton, give me information about everyone in the school with an aura," ordered Manfred.

Derek nodded and got up, making his way back up the cellar stairs. As he reached the top, he paused. Flicking the switch, he plunged the whole room into darkness.

--

Haley was just walking down the stone steps, brushing his black hair back from his face, when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, Haley stared in confusion as Autumn came down after him.

"Hey, Haley," she greeted him cheerfully, but Haley could tell there was a seriousness in her voice.

He nodded, looking away from her gaze slightly. "Uh, you have a spare, too?" it was one of the advantages to being in the fifth form. He got one class off a day, and considering he only had four classes in the first semester, it was equivilent to one fourth of class time gone. He had a habit of going outside to enjoy the cool breeze, knowing full well that when winter rolled around, he wouldn't have it anymore. He had only seen a few students that had a spare the same time as him, and he had never seen Autumn out at the same time. Still, he supposed that she was rather good at keeping herself hidden when she wanted.

"Yeah," she smiled, sitting down on the steps. Haley noticed that she wasn't wearing her uniform- she never did, but the Bloors never called her out for it. "Sit down," she added.

Haley did what he was told, a little incredulous. "So, what's up?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the stone. He had talked to her before, but Haley had the feeling that this was going to be more than just a little chat.

"I just want to let you know before I start," she took in a deep breath. "I'm staying completely neutral."

"Neutral about what?" Haley asked, after a slight pause.

Autumn looked away before looking back at him. She sighed softly before meeting his gaze with her intense green eyes. "The whole fight between you and the Bloors."

"So..." Haley twiddled his thumbs. "You came over to tell me that you're staying neutral? That's it?"

"No," she scoffed, giving him a look that made Haley suddenly feel a little bit idiotic. "There's more too it."

"Okay," the black-haired boy said, shrugging and flitting his purple cape. He looked at Autumn with his bright blue eyes, suddenly extremely curious. "Shoot."

Autumn sighed, flipping her orange hair away from her face. "Look, Haley. You know I'm not endowed, but... my dad is, alright? He's a windmaker, which is why I'm slightly... I'm sure you've noticed, I have a bit of a breeze."

Haley leaned forwards, squinting. "Wait," he said, trying to form the words. "Are you saying that an unendowed person can recieved part of an endowment? So even if they aren't endowed, they could have endowed qualities?"

"Yes," the girl nodded, and Haley's heart began to race. What if he had a special quality because his dad was endowed? Not that he had ever made anything explode, but... What if there was something he could do? Something he hadn't noticed before because he hadn't been looking for it?

"What's a windmaker?" he asked, heart still pounding. "Is it liked Tancred? Can he bring storms?"

Autumn leaned back on the stone steps slightly, shaking her head. "He makes wind... he's a carver. He carves things out of wood, stone and glass. He can make these pipes that have the ability to summon the wind."

"So these pipes can summon wind," Haley repeated, trying to figure this all out. "So he can make things with wind, but not control it himself?"

"Sort of," Autumn said. "When these pipes are used, they don't summon wind from somewhere else. They make it completely new. So if you use it, you increase the wind on this planet. That's why it's dangerous."

Haley leaned back as well, azure eyes curious. "So if these pipes can be used to summon wind... Does that mean you can be used to summon wind?"

A smile grazed the orange-haired girl's face. "Yes. My dad never figured it out, though. No one knows how. But if somehow you can figure it out, you can use me to summon wind."

"So," started Haley thoughtfully. "Did this just come naturally, or is there a reason you recieved part of his endowment?"

"When I was born... he was playing a pipe. My mom had these beautiful wind chimes. She was giving birth at home with a midwife, and she wanted them to play, but there was no wind. So my dad made wind at the same time I was born... That's why. But there are other cases too. Usually you need an endowed object, but not always."

Mind racing, Haley tried to think of something that could have been present at his birth. He knew that his dad had a bunch of old artifacts, but he was doubtful if any of them had been used at birth. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of something, but he couldn't. "Does it have to be something relating to a parent's endowment?" he asked.

"Yes," nodded Autumn, voice quiet.

Haley turned towards her, and he noticed she had done the same thing. "Why are you telling me this, Autumn?" he whispered, wondering how on Earth his spare had turned into this serious conversation.

Autumn gave another secretive smile. Her pale fingers found a lock of his curly black hair and they moved it behind his ear. Haley shivered as her cold skin touched his face. "Because," she whispered. "It's all going to come down to you."

"Are you saying... are you saying I have a power?" Haley asked, floored. This was what he had always hoped for.

"I don't know," replied Autumn, but her voice sounded genuine. "But you need to remember that..."

"Thanks," Haley said, noticing that their faces were still so unbearably close. Autumn noticed this too. She leaned forwards slightly, pressing her ashen lips to him. It was soft and sweet, and Haley looked at her in astonishment.

She placed a finger over his lips. "Tell Edward that 'It has nothing to do with the brain' for me, would you?"

"Wha-?" Haley started, but she shushed him. Before he knew it, Autumn Wind was walking away, leaving a light breeze in her wake.

--

"Copy down your notes," came a soft voice, and Iszak felt himself being prodded in the shoulder.

The boy looked up, brilliant green eyes sparkling with playful humour. He was dressed in a slim white shirt, lime green belt, and grey skinny jeans. His hair was everywhere, and there was a bored expression on his face as he turned to the girl beside him. "Shut up, you scene kid."

"Hey!" she gasped, with mock anger. "You're one to talk, scene kid," she huffed angrily, prodding him in the shoulder again. "Now copy down your notes."

"Fuck that. I don't give a shit about..." he looked up, as if to check what class he was in again. "History."

The girl was about to reply when Iszak leaned over to see what she had written down. It was beautifully neat writing, but there was nothing written except the title. "Michelle," he teased, eyes gleaming. "Don't be such a hypocrite."

"I'm gonna copy them off of Ryan," she protested. Michelle dug into the pocket of her dark jeans, pulling out her phone to check the time. She rolled her eyes at it, tongue absentmindedly going over her snakebite piercing.

Iszak grinned and leaned back in his chair. "What, that smartass back there?" he asked, gesturing with his elbow to a couple desks back, where Ryan sat managing to look utterly bored and yet rapidly copy down notes at the same time.

He and Ryan had been best friends since basically forever. He was probably the only one in the school, never mind the eleventh grade, who knew Ryan's original hair colour. One day it was black with orange, and the next it would be fluffy blond. Iszak could remember it being a light chestnut brown, but he wasn't sure. "Seriously though," he added when Michelle didn't reply. "He's all like drugs one second and good grades the next. How the fuck does he pull it off?"

"Why don't you ask him at lunch?" suggested Michelle mildly. "I'm sure he could give you some tips. Oh wait, but you're going to pick up some heroin at lunch, aren't you?"

"Wanna say that louder so the whole class can hear you?" asked a disgruntled Iszak. Michelle disapproved of his drug habits, but he didn't use them that often. His friend was just being a worrywart.

She chuckled, eyes sliding to her cell phone once more. "Five... four... three... two... one..." she mouthed.

The bell rang, and Iszak leapt from his seat, hastily shoving his spiral notebook and mechanical pencil back into his light messenger bag. "Right, well, I'm off. Ryan, come to my locker with me?"

Ryan came up behind him, grinning and flipping his- currently- black hair away from his bright brown eyes. "Yeah, sure, got it," he said. He was a little shorter than Iszak, with a slim build and soft voice.

They walked through the halls towards Iszak's locker, but when they got there, they found it blocked by another girl. She was Asian, probably Chinese, and was wearing jeans with a hoodie. She cast a bored glance at Iszak and Ryan as they came towards her.

"Move please," grunted Iszak, but she wouldn't move.

"Iszak Kendrenski?" she asked, voice soft and tough at the same time. The girl raised a thin eyebrow.

Iszak nodded. "That's me," he grunted.

"You were at the Pet's Cafe last Saturday, right?" she asked once more, but the tone of her voice indicated that it wasn't a question.

"Mmm," he nodded again, scrutinzing her.

"My name is Mai Bloor," she told him matter-of-factly. "I need to talk to you."

--

They were sitting in the all, all five of them. Lunch wasn't over yet, but they had managed to escape their respective serveries and were now crowded around Gemma's locker. She sat on the floor, leaning against it. Beside her sat Edward, his blond hair tousled and his arm around her. On the other side of the hallway were Liam and Caitlyn. Kai sat on Gemma's other side, at the farthest possible distance from Caitlyn. He had also forgone the school uniform, choosing instead an Aerosmith shirt and a Hurley hoodie. He had detention anyways, so he really didn't care what he wore. He would change if he needed too.

"So I found this drawing of a boy," Edward was explaining to the rest of them, but Kai just groaned and pushed his head back against the locker. He was tired, so tired. He didn't know where Lydia was, and he couldn't bear to look at Caitlyn. Things were just too awkward between them ever since...

It was lucky nobody else knew about it. Edward was a good friend, but he couldn't keep his mouth from gossiping, and Kai had no doubt that Lyda would have heard about it eventually. She really was sexy, he thought with a smirk.

"I just need to figure out how to work his endowment... Then I can bring him to life," continued Edward, pulling Gemma close to him. She didn't mind, instead putting a hand on his chest and leaning her head on his shoulder.

Kai watched them, wishing his relationship could be like that. Lydia wasn't some warm comfort that he could always turn to. She was demanding, bitchy, presumptious, but still so damn sexy. He ran his eyes over his friends. Liam and Caitlyn were nodding to what Edward was saying, so Kai forced himself to nod too.

Then the bell rang. Kai leapt up, about to head to his French class when he paused. Maybe he should make up his mind, about Caitlyn and about everything. About Lydia. Frustrated, he turned the other way, planning to skip class and clear his head. He had just taken about four steps when he heard Caitlyn's voice behind him. "Kai? I, uh, I thought your class was the other way..."

Damn. It wasn't like her to be nervous, and Kai knew that. He nearly froze as she gently touched his shoulder with her hand. The brown-haired boy spun round and grabbed her wrist gently with his hand. "Caitlyn," he murmured, determined to meet her gaze.

Caitlyn looked down instinctively, trying to pull away, but Kai held firm. "I want you," he told her simply, not thinking about having to deal with a bitchy Lydia Lyson if- when- he broke up with her.

Looking dumbfounded for a moment, Caitlyn quickly recovered. She gave him a glare and ripped her arm out of his grip. "You're too late," she replied to him primly, before turning and walking away.

Completely shocked, Kai stood there watching her go. "What? Caitlyn... Caitie..." he called after her, voice fading to a murmur as he called her by the name she had sworn to kill him if he used.

But she didn't stop or turn around- she just kept walking.

He could have sworn he heard drumbeats.

But it was just his imagination, Kai decided.

After all, she was an illusionist.

--

It was quiet in the King's Room. The endowed sat hunched around a table, flipping through their respective notebooks and jotting things down. Kai bordered Audrey and Edward bordered Jenna on the divide between the two sides. Caitlyn sat beside Kai, simply because Gemma was sitting beside Edward. There was a tense atmosphere there, one that Kai was determined to break.

"Hey Patrick!" he yelled out hoarsely. "Looking sexy today, huh babe?"

Patrick looked up, completely confused. "What the hell, Brown?"

"Kai!" Caitlyn hissed, breaking her I-won't-talk-to-that-stupid-invisible-idiot rule. "What are you doing?"

But Kai continued on unbothered. "Maybe it's something you did with your hair. Anyways, I have some money for last night," he went around digging in his pocket.

"BROWN!" yelled Patrick, fire coming off of his palms and licking the air.

By now, Edward had caught on. "What? Kai! You'll sleep with him but not me? That's it, we're over!"

Now Gemma was giggling. "Honestly, Kai. I don't know how you could due that to poor Edward."

"Oh pfft, 'poor Edward'? Need I remind you that he was the one who left me for Dominic!" Kai snapped back, brown eyes sparkling in delight. This was much better than just simply doing homework like they usually did. Antagonizing Patrick was just so much more fun.

"Because YOU left for Jacob!" shouted Edward, rising to his feet and pounding the table with his fist. Jacob looked thoroughly embarressed, and he turned away. Patrick just had an astounded expression on his face.

"Okay, Ed," said Kai, voice calm as he also got up. "Want to know why I keep avoiding your bed?"

"Like hell I do!" responded Edward, trying not to lapse into a fit of laughter as he say Caitlyn and Gemma's expressions.

"It's because," Kai took a dramatic breath, as if preparing for something solemn or serious. "It's because I don't know who would be on top. It would be so awkward, since we're both dominant figures. You know, flipping each other over, skin on skin, running our hands down the other's body as we-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" thundered Patrick. He had also risen to his feet and was now scorching the ceiling. "There will be no talk of sex here, and certainly not gay sex."

There was a pause for a moment as Kai and Edward sat down, trying to to laugh, before a soft voice pierced the silence. "Homophobic."

It was Jacob Tilpin. Edward shot him a wide-eyed glance, and Patrick looked like he was struggling to come up with a good retort. "Why do you care, Jacob? Are you gay?"

Jacob bit his bottom lip and looked down. "So what if I am?" he asked in a very small voice. "That doesn't change the fact that you're a homophobic."

"Shawg," said Kai, before a glance from Dominic Silk shut him up. He turned to Caitlyn, and he hoped that she didn't get the impression he had started this whole thing simply to impress her. Despite the fact that that was true.

Silence reigned once more.

--

Caitlyn sat on the edge of her bed, perched on the purple cotton blankets. Gemma sat on a green bed beside her. The blond girl's face was fixed in an expression of concern. She touched Caitlyn's arm gently. "Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Kai said he wanted me today," the words poured out of the mocha-coloured girl's mouth before she could stop them. She looked up at Gemma with wide, pleading eyes. "I... I told him no..."

"But I thought you really liked him," Gemma remarked, coming over to sit beside Caitlyn. She swung an arm over the other girl's shoulder. "Why did you refuse him?"

The illusionist looked like she was on the verge of tears. "I did really like him... a lot. I still do, it's just..."

"It's just what?" asked Gemma patiently, bringing her knees up to her chest on the bed. She was wearing green and brown plaid pyjama bottoms, with a white tank top as a shirt.

"I don't know," Caitlyn confessed. "I just wanted... I wanted him to feel like I had... because I have him so many chances and he just didn't... he went for that slut and now he wants me but..."

Gemma frowned, looking over at Caitlyn. "The way it sounds to me is that you have no good reason for turning him down, and you still really like him. So... maybe just give it a shot?"

"Yeah," Caitlyn said, and then she brightened. "Yeah, thanks for the advice, Gem!" she got off the bed and headed towards the door to the hallway, still wearing a white pyjama shirt and baggy bue pyjama bottoms with monkey heads on them.

"I didn't mean right now," Gemma hissed, trying not to be too loud. "He's gonna be asleep, dammit!"

Caitlyn just smiled her wry smile and slipped outside.

--

Okay, maybe this had been a stupid idea. A really, really stupid idea. There was no guarantee that Kai would be out roaming the corridors, or if he was even still interested in her anymore. The hallways were pitchblack as she roamed around the empty Academy. It was around midnight, and was freezing. Yes, it had been an extremely stupid idea. Like, seriously stupid. Beyond stupid stupid. Guiness book of world records stupid...

But then she heard his voice. It sounded like something from a dream. Caitlyn turned around, taking care not to bump into a Ming vase that was on a pedestal. Squinting, she noticed the black silhouette behind her. She took a slight step forwards, listening for it again.

"Caitlyn?"

There it was, his voice. It was so perfect. Caitlyn couldn't help going towards him again until they were close enough to touch. "Kai," she murmured, eyes tracing the dark outline of his body. They came back to rest on his face- they always did.

"I know you probably don't want to see me, but-" he started, voice desperate.

"Don't," Caitlyn told him, moving even closer to him. Her head was at chest, and she could hear him breathing. She slowly placed her hands on his chest, tracing the outline of his muscles with spidery soft touch.

"Caitlyn," he repeated, his breath hitching. She could hear the strain in his voice, the disbelief.

"I said don't," she reminded him. She pressed her lower torso against his crotch, feeling the heat spread between them. She could hear his breath tightening and could feel his heartbeat accelerate. Caitlyn looked up to find him looking down, and she could see the determination shining clear in his eyes.

Their lips touched. The kiss was soft at first, but it quickly turned into a moment of heated frenzy. Caitlyn felt Kai's hands on her back, on her side, on her thighs, as they moved together until she was pushed back against a wall. They were still pressed together, the contact sexually stimulating. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pushing his head closer against hers and his tongue even further into her mouth. This was what she had always wanted, to be in Lydia Lyson's place.

Caitlyn could feel Kai's warm hands rubbing her back and then finding their way down to the elastic waistband of her pyjamas. He pulled it back slightly before letting go and letting it snap back into place. Caitlyn shivered, breaking the kiss to gasp for air before going back to it again. She realized with a start that his hands were now sliding under the waistband, and she moved back- before realizing she was practically against the wall. So Caitlyn moved sideways, escaping him.

"Need somewhere more private?" Kai asked with a smirk, some of his old confidence returning.

"Kai!" Caitlyn hissed, trying to ignore how warm she still was where their groins had touched. "I'm not Lydia Lyson. I'm not some slut. Besides, I'm only fourteen."

"Right," Kai said unsteadily, taking a step towards her again.

Caitlyn blinked and opened her mouth. "Holy fuck, you slept with her, didn't you!" she wailed.

Kai bit his lip and sighed. "Look, you said yourself, she's a slut. It wasn't my idea."

She was still opening and closing her mouth like a fish when she realized what he said was right. Lydia Lyson was what you would see in the dictionary if you looked up whore. Obviously she had wanted some, and Kai hadn't had the strength to resist. Trying to re-orient herself, Caitlyn glanced him over and realized he was simply wearing plaid Joe Boxers with a grey shirt. She also noticed that he had an obvious-

Damn. No wonder that had turned her on so much.

"Look, Kai," Caitlyn sighed. "I don't want to have sex with you."

"I know," Kai replied with a smile. "I'm just hoping you'll change your mind."

Despite his last words, Caitlyn smiled back. She got the sense that he really did know, that he really would respect her and that he cared so damn much that he really didn't care if she was still a virgin when they were married at age forty. If they stayed together, that was.

"Damn," she muttered, no longer able to resist as Kai stepped in again, silencing her with his mouth. She didn't protest as his hands roamed her slender form, just breathing in his smell and realizing this was all that she had ever wanted.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Just before you all flame me for being a lazy bitch...

I swear to you that I will finish this story. I don't care how long it takes, I will finish it. -nodnod-

DotCiki- kays, have a Haley plushie then, since he's so adorable :3 and since you're shipping HaleyAudrey as of September xD If you bother to read the first chapter, you might notice Zelda is Patrick's mother xD

ShadowRose18- at least Kai makes up for it in this chapter : D have a -checks plushie inventory- ...Iszak plushie that swears too much?

Jaredfan- Yep, Haley is win (: have a Jacob plushie 8D

EternalNamine - thankyou c: you can have a Gemma plushie then ftw!

Bookworm- Hahah, well, my updating streak failed here :3 Have a Caitlyn plushie. -tosses into crowd-

Miss Poptart- I DID WRITE MORE YAY 8D Damn, uh, I'm running out of plushies here. Autumn? -gives-

TLR- yeah yeah i abbreviated it xD Glad to know Dot's publicizing my fic -coughcoughsweatdrop-. Thanks for joining the bandwagon then. yeah, I'm too lazy to proofread x___x -fail- But uh, since you're new, have a Kai plushie :D In sexy boxers ;D

AND DOT I WOULD LOVE IT IF YOU CHANGED YOUR POSTSCRIPT KTHX XD

I AM NOT YET BUM :3