Whew! I think this is the longest chapter I have ever written, but at least you'll have plenty to be read while I work on the next one. But I'm so excited about this chapter! I poured my heart and soul into this to make it as good as it can be because it's a significant turning point for both Kory and Dick. Good for Kory, not so much for Dick. Our girl really starts coming into herself in this one.

I have a little tidbit about my creative process, and then we'll get to the good stuff, but I get a lot of inspiration for my scenes through music, and the song "When You Say My Name" by Chandler Leighton was the muse for the vibe of this chapter. I have a whole playlist on Spotify called Titan Academy if you are curious about the type of music I listen to that helps me set the mood of my world.

Enjoy the ride...

Chapter Twelve: The Winter Ball

Tap. Tap. Tap.

I mindlessly watched my pen tap against my opened textbook over and over again as I became lost in my thoughts. I was finally given the time to reflect on my recent discoveries at the clinic and try to piece together how the Elites were involved, and, for whatever reason, so was I. For the last couple of weeks at the Academy, I have been working up to the point of complete exhaustion physically and mentally. By the time I had a moment to reflect on everything, I usually fell asleep either in one of the common rooms or at my desk, and Rachel would have to wake me up to remind me that I had an actual bed to sleep in.

I was worn out physically from all the vigorous training Victor put us through in my combat classes. This did not bother me since, after hearing about this mysterious weapon from that voice message, I wanted to train harder to be ready by the time 'it' was ready. I had no idea what this weapon could be, but I knew it would be used against the school somehow, and I wanted to defend the students when that time came.

And then I was worn out mentally, not only from the large amount of school work that had seemingly been piled on me but also from trying to plan out my daily routes to class every day to avoid the least amount of male interaction on the campus. There was an event at the school called 'The Winter Ball,' and apparently, it was an Earthly tradition where boys would often ask girls to be their companions for the duration of the event. I believe it was something to be compared to as courting on my planet, but I lost count of the number of boys who had already approached me to ask me to this Winter Ball. Roy was the most persistent one.

I, of course, had politely 'turned them all down' as Karen would say, and made up an excuse that I had a research assignment assigned to me by the Elites' leader and that I would have to be working on that instead of joining in on the fun with the others. This was partly true because Dick stopped me again in the outdoor corridors to let me know this. I rolled my eyes and continued to tap my pen as I replayed the memory in my head.

"Sock patterns?" I ask him incredulously. "First the graveyard assignment, and now this? I fail to see how volunteer service is a ten-page research assignment on sock pattern evolution."

"It is to me." Dick shrugged.

"And what if I refuse?" I asked him, even though I already knew the answer to that.

"I guess you'll get a new schedule that takes you off combat training." He said. Seemingly finding the one thing to get me to comply with him.

I sighed, knowing that arguing with him would not get me anywhere, and I was enjoying my training sessions with Victor and the others. "What is the due date?"

"This Sunday."

"This Sunday?" I exclaimed. "Why not Monday, like most assignments? The Winter Ball is this Saturday evening! That means I would have to work on it during that time!"

"Oh, is it?" He asked. And by the mocking tone in his voice, I could tell he was making up this due date on purpose. "I must have forgotten. It doesn't matter. The due date still stands. So I guess you'll have to tell your date for the ball that you can't make it."

"What date?" I asked, momentarily forgetting what that meant in Earth terminology. "Oh, I did not have one of those for the event anyway, but I suppose I will not be able to have one even if I wanted to."

"I guess not. That's too bad." Dick said though he showed no sympathy in his voice. "I'll expect that paper by Sunday then."

As he turned to leave me, I did notice a particularly satisfied look on his face. I cursed at him in Tamaranean, but he ignored it. He was more than likely amused at my peril. Though I was furious at him, that did not stop one of those disturbing dreams from reoccurring that night. The same nightmare turning strangely intimate with him, and then I woke up and felt like I was on fire.

Those dreams did not happen often, but it was enough to make me feel disgusted with myself if my Tamaranean hormones were the cause of them. Why, of all the people in the universe, did it have to be fixated on him? I was not interested in him. It was quite the adverse. I have recently wanted to be as far away from him as possible. I had to constantly repeat to myself I did not wish to sleep with Dick, regardless of him being painfully gorgeous for a human with his alpha male persona and how now I was able to recognize his woody and musky scent whenever he was near. No, I was most definitely not interested.

Though as bleak and pointless as the task he gave me sounded, I knew I could complete the paper fairly quickly as long as I could concentrate. Which I was trying to do now at the coffee shop, but I kept getting interrupted by thoughts of the clinic and what I had discovered in the woods. If I had been able to get this paper done before the weekend, I could have planned to sneak out and try to find that cave and investigate it more. It would be easier to get out since everyone, including the school staff and the Elites, would be at the ball and distracted by that. Even Rachel said she was going, which shocked me the most. I believe Gar must have asked her to attend the ball with him, and he was not going to take no for an answer from her. I was happy for her. She was finally beginning to 'break out of her shell,' as one would say.

If I were completely honest, I would not have been all that heartbroken that I would not have been able to attend. I attended more than enough of those events while growing up on Tamaran. I understand that it was probably different on this planet and maybe even a little more fun since I did not have to worry about how well my posture looked or make sure I smiled sweetly to the most relevant noble at that time. But I was more interested in what I could find out about what was happening within the town with that extra time given to me. It was the perfect opportunity until...

"Hey!" Xavier captured my attention while sliding into the chair across me, interrupting me from my thoughts. "Are you counting how many taps it takes before your pen falls apart? Because you've been staring at that pen for the last half hour."

"No," I said, sitting up from my slouched thinking position. "I am just not at all that interested in this silly research project Dick has me doing, so I am..." I paused to think of the correct word, "Procrastinating."

"Uh oh," Xavier remarked, "Got yourself in trouble with the playboy dictator?"

"I think he is having me do this so that I am not able to attend the winter ball at the school this weekend," I told Xavier. "I do not know why. I have not done anything wrong in his eyes recently. I have been trying to stay away from him."

"Oh, I think know why," Xavier mumbled, almost too inaudibly for me to hear, as he looked off into the distance smirking.

"What?" I asked to clarify what he said.

"Were you planning on going with anybody?" Xavier asked.

"Oh, no." I shook my head and wrinkled my nose as I thought about all the boys who asked me to go to the ball with them.

"Really?" He asked, seeming to be shocked. "I would have guessed all the guys at the school would be lining up to ask you to the ball."

"Believe me, they have," I sighed, "But I was hoping to attend it by myself so I did not feel obligated to entertain someone else the whole night. It does not matter now anyway since Dick wants this ten-page paper on sock pattern evolution to be done by Sunday."

"Oh yeah," Xavier laughed. "He definitely doesn't want you to attend the ball. The only reason he would assign such a ridiculous task to you is to keep you busy."

"It is fine. I did not want to go all that badly anyway," I told him, not letting him know I had another plan.

"How about I make you deal?" Xavier said, leaning over the table and smiling, "If you let me take you to that dance this weekend, I'll take that paper off your hands and finish it for you by Saturday."

I stared at him. Speechless for a moment. He could not be serious. "You would do that? And I did not think anyone not enrolled in the school would be able to attend the ball."

"Are there any rules saying that?" Xavier inquired. "And even if anyone were to give you a hard time, you could just say you invited me. Girls are allowed to ask guys to dances."

"I am unsure..." I trailed off. It was not so much because I did not want to go with Xavier to the ball but because that would ruin my plans to investigate the cave again.

"Come on!' Xavier urged, "It would be fun! And you know it would get under Grayson's skin. Imagine the look on his face when he sees you at the ball when you're not supposed to be."

Now, that was tempting. Finally, I was to be the one to cause suffering besides the other way around. I was not sure why Dick was so against me being at the ball, or maybe it was part of his plan to torture me, but I was curious to see what he might do if I decided to show up. Perhaps I would be 'in the way' of something there, as Babs would say I would be.

"Ok, fine," I finally said, extending my hand toward Xavier as if to finalize the deal. "If you can complete that paper on sock pattern evolution for me by this Saturday, I will go with you to the ball."

Xavier smiled widely and took my hand to shake it. "Oh, that would be easy, so you have a deal, cutie."

A tremble of excitement flowed through me as I thought about how much this was going to annoy Dick, but then another thought had crossed my mind. "I will have to get a dress, however. I understand this is a formal event, and I do not have any gowns from...where I come from." I had to stop myself before I said the palace.

"I'm sure you'll look riveting in whatever you find." Xavier said charmingly, "And I would say I'll pick you up at your dorm at seven on Saturday, but I think the school's gates will be closed by then, so you'll have to let me in. It's not really what I prefer in trying to appear as gentlemen like for you, but that's the only way I'll be able to get in."

"I do not have a problem with that," I told him. He was doing all this to help me. Therefore, it was the least I could do for him.

"Fantastic!" Xavier chirped, jumping to his feet. "So, I'll meet you at the school's gates at seven this Saturday?"

"Yes, that sounds wonderful," I replied.

"Cool," he said with another satisfied smile. "Well, that would be one date down. Oh, and the coffee is on me today. Now, I must return to work before the supervisor calls and asks what I'm doing. See you this Saturday!"

I watched him walk away, and then I grinned wickedly at myself. Usually, I kept my school work honest and would have never thought about doing something dishonorable by having someone else do my work for me. But this was an assignment made up by Dick, and he has not been acting honorably with having me do these time-wasting assignments for no reason. So, did it matter if it was honest work? He would get what he needed, and then I would not get in trouble with him, and I would be able to continue working with Victor and the others.

Of course, now I would need a dress. I did have quite a bit of Earth currency left over from what I took from Kom, so I should have had enough to afford a dress. I have been buying more clothes as of late, and my funds were being spent quickly. Therefore, I had to be wiser about spending the remainder of that money after I bought a dress. I was unsure if I was in any position to get a job anywhere since I did not know what the employment policies were like for offworlders. Or even if there was such a thing. Therefore, I needed to start spending my money more wisely. Or saving it, I suppose.

The next couple of days leading up to the night of the ball have been quite enjoyable. Each day I would get a little more excited with anticipation of how Dick would react when he saw me at the ball. Would he be angry? Or would he be dumbfounded that I found a way to complete his assignment in time for the ball? During that time, I did not dread passing him while I walked to my classes at the school, for each time I did see him, I gave him a mischievous smile, knowing that he had no idea what I was planning. Our eyes would lock every time, but he did not respond to my smiles. I was not surprised.

Karen went dress shopping with me to help me find the perfect attire for the event. I trusted her judgment of style, considering she made the cutest Halloween costumes and always seemed to know the latest 'trends' in clothing on Earth. We managed to bring Rachel with us, as Karen did not believe that Rachel owned any dresses and wanted to ensure she was dressed appropriately for the weekend.

Rachel was not as amused as Karen and me while we tried on dresses, but we were able to convince her to try on a lovely tulle gown that looked quite flattering on her. It was black, of course, and even though that was her color of preference, she complained heavily about the puffy sleeves.

"I've seen puffier," Karen said while bouncing the dark tulle of one of the sleeves with her hand. "These are not even that puffy. But I really feel like this dress is you, Rae! Gothic but also feminine. I'm sure Gar will trip over his feet once he sees you in this."

"Ugh, that's not the effect I was going for," Rachel droned, "And I didn't say I was going to get this."

"No, I'm making that decision for you," Karen added boldly, "You are getting this, and you are going to allow me to do your makeup for you."

"Uh, how about no?" Rachel replied, giving Karen a death glare from the mirror.

Karen ignored Rachel and then turned to me as I lounged on one of the dressing room couches. "I haven't seen you in any dresses you tried on yet. Did you not like any of the ones I picked out for you?"

"Oh, I have already picked the one I will wear," I said while patting the dress I had purchased while Karen fussed over Rachel. It was in a black garment bag, so neither could see it. "I want to keep it a surprise until the ball."

"Uh huh," Karen said while placing a hand on one of her hips, "Like how you're keeping who your date is going to be a surprise as well?"

"Yes," I smiled at her, "You all just have to wait to see what I have up my arm."

Karen laughed. "That's up your sleeve. You were close."

I let out a little embarrassed laugh at one of my idiom mistakes again and then looked at Rachel to see if that social blunder had put a small smile on her face like it usually does. However, she was not even paying attention to our conversation. Her eyes were cast down as she began wringing her hands.

Karen must have sensed her nervousness and said, "Hey girl, don't be so nervous! I know you are not used to going to these types of things, but you're going to look so beautiful, and Kory and I will be there with you as well!"

Rachel snapped her eyes up to break out of her trance and focus them on us again. "That's not...I mean, yeah. I guess I'm a little nervous about the whole thing."

"Don't be!" Karen said as she lightly clapped Rachel's shoulder. "We got your back!" Karen turned to me and winked, saying, "And that was another phrase we say here, so don't take that literally."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, I have figured that one out for myself, thank you."

Saturday had finally come around, and for the majority of the day, Rachel and I spent it in Karen's dorm room getting ready for the main event that evening since Karen seemed to have all the essential products and tools for a human female to have to prepare for these type of events. Karen insisted that she do my hair and make-up for me, which I did not hesitate to allow her to do. Being the princess of Tamaran, I was always accustomed to having someone else prepare my hair for social gatherings held in the royal court. Also, Tamaraneans do not wear makeup as we pride ourselves on our natural looks and wish not to conceal them. Therefore, I did not know where to begin with how I would do my hair or make-up.

"You have the most luscious locks I have ever seen!" Karen said while curling my hair with a heated tool. I gave her a confused look because that statement did not make sense to me. She had laughed in response. "I mean your hair. It's so beautiful! Why do you always have it tied back in a braid?"

"Oh," I replied, "It is customary that members of the high court of Tamaran wear their hair in braids, for it signifies our status. Usually, the longer the braid, the higher your status."

"That would explain why your hair is so long," Karen added.

I nodded. "Yes, and I prefer to keep my hair out of my face. Especially whenever I am fighting."

"I can understand that," Karen said as she did another pass with the curling tool through one of my strands of hair. "But tonight, you party with the Earthlings. Therefore, you can let your hair down. Literally!"

I giggled at her. Though it could be confusing at times, the Earth language was amusing.

Once Karen had completed the curling process for my hair, she placed a black satin bow within the curls behind my head as a 'finishing touch' to the look. She then added some makeup to my face, but not too much, for I told her I preferred a more natural look. She obliged and only added a dusting of gold shimmery eye shadow and some mascara on my already long lashes to accentuate my eyes.

"Gorgeous!" Karen announced when she was finished. "Now, I'm dying to see your dress, so get changed while I work on Rachel."

"I'm good," Rachel said tepidly as she flipped the page of the book she was reading on Karen's bed.

Karen snatched the book from Rachel and then pointed to the chair in front of her vanity. "Get in the chair," she said.

Rachel sighed dramatically as she slowly rose from the bed and floated onto the beauty chair with her arms crossed. No one was going to argue with Karen when she was determined to complete a particular goal.

I went into the bathroom to change into the dress I had bought from the dress shop. It was a simple dark green dress with spaghetti straps tied into cute bows at the shoulders, a skirt that fanned out just below my knees, paired with some strappy black heels. I mainly picked the dress because it matched so well with my eyes and exposed more skin, so I could finally breathe again.

I examined myself in the bathroom mirror to readjust the bow in my hair and smiled at my reflection. I knew that I was indeed a far cry from being ugly, but I never really thought of myself as being beautiful. My mother and father had always told me I would never have a problem finding a suitor, for X'hal had blessed me with what was most desirable in a Tamaranean woman. At the time, I never really gave a second thought to what they meant by that, but now that I was exposed to a different culture and seeing what a lot of the males were attracted to on this planet, I was beginning to see what they meant. My dress certainly did some justice in showing off one of my most desirable features.

When I finally reemerged from the bathroom, Karen had nearly dropped the makeup brush she was currently using on Rachel. "Damn girl," She remarked, "Are you trying to give every guy in the room nose bleeds tonight?"

"Whatever do you mean by that?" I asked innocently.

"You couldn't have picked a better dress to show off the girls. And that color...goes perfectly with your hair." Karen complimented.

"The girls?" I asked, still needing clarification.

Karen motioned around her chest to show what she meant and then said. "Tamaraneans are definitely built different."

I shrugged, "My body had matured earlier than most Tamaranean girls my age."

Rachel dropped her phone on the floor again. I have counted at least six times she had done that in the last two hours since we started getting ready in Karen's room. I had caught on several occasions during our time together today where she would type something within her phone, look off into the distance, and stash it away in her pocket. Only then to bring it back five minutes later to repeat the cycle all over again. She appeared very nervous, but I could not figure out why. At first, I thought it was because she did not like being subjected to being around so many people. But she had competed in the Halloween race, though against her will, and attended the party afterward without acting this nervous beforehand. So why was tonight any different? I was about to ask her why she was so nervous until Karen interfered.

"Well, whoever your date is, he will be speechless whenever he sees you. By the way, will you tell us who he is now?" Karen pressed while running a brush through Rachel's silky black hair.

"It is still a surprise," I said meekly. "Oh, what is the time? I am supposed to meet my date at seven." I asked, trying not to give any more details, that my date did not attend Titan Academy and that I had to let him in.

Karen looked at her watch, and then her eyes widened. "Shit! It's a quarter till seven! I must have lost track of time! I'm supposed to be meeting Herald in the courtyard in five minutes! You can brush out the rest of your hair, right, Rae? I need to text Herald and tell him I will be a few minutes late."

"No, I can't," Rachel said sarcastically, "Because I'm incapable of doing normal girl things."

"Good!" Karen exclaimed, ignoring Rachel's sarcasm while grabbing her dress from her bed and charting it off into the bathroom. "I have to change and figure out something to do with my hair! I'll see you there, Kory!" She said while slamming the bathroom door closed.

"I should start making my way to find my date," I told Rachel. Just as I was turning to leave Karen's room and tell her that I would be seeing her soon, Rachel twisted in her chair to grip the back of it.

"But seriously, Kory," Rachel started, her face suddenly somber, "Who is your date tonight?"

I was a little shocked by her sudden seriousness, but I replied calmly, "I told you it shall be a surprise. I will see you there!"

And with that, I left Karen's dorm room before Rachel could say anything else. I suppose I should have been concerned by Rachel's odd behavior, but I think my excitement of meeting with Xavier and then attending the ball to see the look on Dick's face when I arrived had overridden any concern that I had. I truly believed that Rachel was only nervous because this was probably the first 'date' she had with anyone. Still, she should not have felt that way, considering she and Gar were already good friends, and they had done the 'hanging out' several times before I had arrived. I was confident that she would be fine.

I raced out of the girls' dormitories and swiftly walked through the campus's dark corridors to meet Xavier at the time we agreed. I was surprised that only a few people were wandering around outside. I had assumed it was because everyone was already at the gymnasium anticipating the ball to begin. Or it might have been that we were in the middle of the winter season, and it was too dark and cold for anyone to want to spend a long time outside. That did not make much of a difference to me.

By the time I had reached the front gates, I had found Xavier already there waiting for me. He whistled as I approached the entrance to push it open for him.

"Damn, you're certainly a sight to behold," Xavier greeted me as he passed through the gates.

Concluding that he was complimenting my appearance, I smiled and said, "Thank you. You look nice as well."

It was not a lie, for Xavier did look handsome in his formal suit and tie, looking quite distinguished and proper for someone who seemed a little on the rugged and rebellious side of humanity.

"Where's your coat?" He asked, looking almost concerned. "I mean, I'm not complaining because you look fantastic in only your dress, but aren't you freezing? It's the middle of winter."

"Oh," I blushed. I must have forgotten to grab my jacket when I hastily left Karen's room. "I did tell you I do not get cold easily, yes?"

"Yeah," Xavier laughed, "But I thought you were just trying to act tough in front of me that night after visiting the library."

"Maybe I am tough," I told him, punching him on the arm. But not too hard, for I knew I could easily bruise him if I used even a little bit of my strength.

"I'm not denying you aren't." He laughed again, rubbing his arm where I punched him, acting as if I had hurt him. If that punch had hurt him, he would have to be the one to toughen up. "Oh! And as promised."

Xavier took a rolled-up parchment of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. "One ridiculous paper on the evolution of sock patterns."

"Wonderful!" I exclaimed, "I am most excited to see the look on Dick's face when I show him this."

"Oh, me too," Xavier muttered almost maliciously before holding out his elbow to me and then asking, "Shall I escort you to the ball, milady?"

"You shall," I smiled and took his arm. The gym where the ball is being held is in that building just ahead."

"I know," Xavier said while smirking when I looked at him surprised.

"You have been here already?" I asked him.

"A few times," He said, his smirk never fading. He then changed the subject to keep our casual conversation flowing until we reached the main gym building.

Once we reached the gymnasium, I could already hear the music playing inside, and I noticed Miss Petrov standing at the entrance door to welcome the students to the ball.

"Good evening, Miss Anders!" Miss Petrov greeted us. "You look breathtaking, and your date looks quite dashing as well."

Miss Petrov nodded at Xavier, and he nodded back out of respect, I had assumed. However, I was a little surprised that she did not ask who he was or why someone who did not attend the school was escorting me to the ball.

"Thank you, Miss Petrov," I replied politely, "You look beautiful as well."

As usual, I was working my charms and returning to my princess duties of posing as the most eloquent and well-mannered girl in the room. I was not shocked to see that Miss Petrov had selected a red gown to wear for the occasion. I had convinced myself that the principal of Titan Academy did not own anything that was not some sort of shade of red. And she was still wearing her blonde hair in the same updo that she wore every day with the same amount of makeup.

"We will begin serving dinner shortly," Miss Petrov announced. "I believe Miss Roth and Mr. Logan are sitting at the table over by the drinks table. I'm assuming you will want to sit with them tonight."

"Yes, thank you." I said, "We shall find them."

"Have fun, Miss Anders," Miss Petrov smiled as Xavier led me into the gymnasium. Noticing that her eyes had lingered over Xavier for a moment as we walked past her.

As if falling back into my old habits, I instantly went into the regal posture instilled in me from a very young age whenever I entered a royal event. Pausing at the entrance for a moment to take in the scene, which was quite impressive as the large gym was decorated with a multitude of silver glittered paper snowflakes stringed above everyone's head mixed in with hundreds of white twinkle lights to set the whimsical ambiance of the winter theme. I was sure Karen may have been one of the volunteers to decorate since this certainly looked like something she would have put together.

Though I was taking in the scene's beauty, I had felt several pairs of eyes on me. My dramatic pause had worked. Therefore, I knew it was the right time to continue navigating further in the room. I still captivated my audience as I walked gracefully forward with my chin slightly raised and my shoulders back, displaying a posture of pure confidence and femineity. I could tell that the majority of my audience was the boys, with their mouths slightly agape and eyes wide. I even saw one of them get slapped hard across the arm by his date in the corner of my eye. But none of them mattered to me. I remained focused on getting the attention of one boy in particular.

Then I saw my main target.

Dick was sitting at a table with all of the Elites and was in deep conversation with Wally, that was until he looked up to notice me. Though he was across the gym, I could see his lips part as his jaw dropped slightly, and I watched his eyes traverse up and down over me. Even Dick Grayson himself was not immune to my feminine power.

When his eyes fell back on mine, I gave him the most wicked smile I had ever given anyone. My eyes, on instinct, became half-lidded, and I lifted my chin even higher in pure triumph that I could get that primal reaction from him. I watched him rise from the table to start making his way toward Xavier and I. Excitement coursed through me as I bit my lip in anticipation of what he had to say.

"Don't you have that paper due tomorrow?" Dick asked. I could tell his eyes were struggling to remain on my face.

"It is already completed," I told him smoothly as I gracefully lifted the rolled-up parchment Xavier gave me. I continued to smile at him as he took it from his hands. His fingertips slightly brushed against mine as he took it. I felt a slight tingle run down my spine, and I immediately threw that off as giddiness from beating Dick as his own game. Not because he looked incredibly gorgeous in his formal attire, and his scent was almost intoxicating.

"A ten-paged paper on sock patterns?" Xavier piped in. I jumped slightly, nearly forgetting that he was there. "That's kind of a pathetic attempt to keep someone from going to a dance, Grayson."

Dick's eyes shifted over to Xavier. Apparently, just noticed that he was there. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm Kory's date," Xavier said proudly, "Is that not obvious?"

Dick's jaw seemed to have tightened before saying, "Oh really?" His eyes fell back on me, and before I knew it, he had pulled me roughly by the arm away from Xavier, and Dick whispered harshly in my ear, "I need to talk to you."

At that moment, I felt something strange stir inside me. It was like a lioness being shaken awake from hibernation at being handled so roughly. I felt all the breath leave me all at once, and all my stomachs did something equivalent to a somersault.

"How about you take your hand off her, asshole," I heard Xavier demand, though he sounded so far away at that moment. "She's my date."

"Then go get her some punch," Dick told him, still holding onto my arm.

"You can't order me around here like you do with the students!" Xavier said, raising his voice slightly. Tensions were quickly escalating, and curious onlookers were beginning to crowd around us.

"It is fine, Xavier," I said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. "I will meet you by the refreshment table."

Xavier gave Dick one more resentful look before calming his face with a smile at me. "Very well. But if he causes any trouble with you..."

"I'm not the one causing trouble here," Dick hissed viciously.

I rolled my eyes and then repeated to Xavier. "I will be fine."

Xavier hesitated but eventually walked away. And then I felt myself being pulled further away from where Xavier was going. I knew I could have easily pulled away from Dick, but for some strange reason, my body did not want to fight back. Maybe I was just curious about what he had to say to me.

Eventually, Dick halted before rounding on me. "What are you doing?" He asked, his voice punctuating in anger.

I looked at him confused and replied, "I am attending this school function like everyone else."

"I mean, what are you doing here with him?" Dick clarified. The anger seemed to intensify in his eyes.

Still confused, I said, "He is my date. I met him at the coffee shop in town, and he was nice to me, so I asked him to go to the ball with me. I did not think there were rules about bringing someone not from this school."

Dick let out an impatient sigh before saying, "I was really hoping to avoid having to tell you this, but I feel like I have no choice now."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Dick leaned in closer to me, and my heart skipped a beat before he said in a low volume, "Xavier was expelled from Titan Academy shortly before you arrived."

"What?" I blurted while taking a take step back from Dick to create some distance between us. What he had said could not have been possibly true.

"He had caused a major scene at the beginning of the school year when..." Dick began, but he cut himself in an attempt to rephrase his sentence, "and ended up getting him expelled for unruly behavior. He shouldn't even be allowed to step foot on campus, but the staff here don't seem to care, and that's concerning, considering they were the ones to expel him.

I shook my head in disbelief, "No, that cannot be true..."

I trailed off as I turned my head to see where Xavier had gone, and I had found him over by the drink table conversing with a few other students as if they were all old friends. Dick must have sensed the same thing as I was noticing, for he said, "He seems quite friendly and familiar with the others here. Why do you think that is?"

I continued to shake my head, but only in confusion now. "He works at the coffee shop. I am sure he talks with many of the students who go there."

"Kory, listen to me," Dick said while taking hold of my wrist to bring me back to attention. That simple touch left me breathless again. "I understand you're stubborn to listen to me, but you must take this seriously. Something is off with Xavier, and hanging around him could endanger you. That's why you need to stay away from him."

There he went again, trying to control another thing in my life. Xavier was a perfectly nice boy and had only shown me nothing but kindness and understanding. He has shown no sign of ill-intent towards me. Dick was just upset that I was at the ball and was doing all that he could to ruin all the fun for me. I pulled my wrist away from his grasp before saying, "You are wrong! Xavier would never harm me!"

"Please, Kory," Dick pleaded, and I raised my eyebrows at how desperate he was starting to sound. "He is not what you think he is."

Fury had consumed me in that moment. I had had enough of his constant manipulation, and I was finally putting my foot down on this. Literally, as I stomped my heeled foot down on the gym's floor while saying passionately, "What is your quarrel with me? It seems like the moment after I challenged you on my first day here, you have been trying to control every little thing I am doing, and you are always watching me as if I am about to commit some terrible crime. And now you are attempting to ruin my night by telling me I have poor taste in dates?"

"You don't understand, I'm trying to..." He was trying to say, but I was not listening to him. My anger had clouded everything I was hearing.

"Is this some sort of punishment for making some foolish gesture in front of you and everyone else? Well then, fine! You can announce that challenge off. I am no longer interested in defeating you anymore. I just want you to leave me alone!" My last sentence had almost turned into a scream, but I no longer seemed to care at that point.

I watched his jaw tighten again, and his face went from desperate to eerie, calm anger. His fists clenched, but he did not say anything. I took that as he finally understood what I was saying to him and was left with no other words to say.

"Now, if you would excuse me," I continued, "I am going to enjoy myself this evening, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

I gave him one fierce look and then turned around to stomp away. I could not believe he had the nerve to try to tell me who I could or could not spend my time with. All because he did not want me to be here and was trying to keep me from having fun. Well, I will show him. I was going to have the most fun I have ever had at this ball, and there would be nothing that he could do to stop me.

Once I reached back up to Xavier, I took the drink he had offered me and quickly gulped down the icy cold contents to cool down my fury without saying a word or knowing what I was drinking. "Whoa, easy," I heard Xavier laugh as I finished my drink, "I'm pretty sure they didn't put any alcohol in that if you think slamming down some fruit punch is going to help with whatever Dick said to you. But now, I'm curious. What exactly did he say to you to get you all riled up?"

"Nothing," I growled while the plastic cup I was drinking from crumbled in my hand.

"Are you sure about that?" Xavier asked with mixed concern and amusement. "Because that cup in your hand is saying otherwise."

I finally looked back at Xavier to acknowledge him as my date, "Do you wish to dance?"

"Sure," he managed to say before I pulled him toward the dance floor, where other students were already wildly moving around. I suddenly realized I might have been too rough with him and loosened my grip. But I did not hear any complaints from him. He just looked mildly amused and curious.

Once we were in the center of the dance floor, I dropped Xavier's arm. I began moving along with the dancers, who were all having a good time with themselves, getting lost in the upbeat and catchy music that reverberated around us. I had no idea what I was doing when it came to how I was supposed to dance like a human. But as I observed what the others were doing, there was nothing choreographed like how the dances were at the royal gatherings on Tamaran. Everyone was making up their movements and swinging their arms and bodies in every direction to the beat. It looked so fun, and I could not help but join in.

I allowed my instincts to take over as a more sensual sounded song began to play while I kept my sights on Dick to see if he was nearby so that he could see the fun I was having. And to my utter delight, he did not seem to stray too far from the dancing area, for every time I would catch him in the corner of my eye, I could tell that he was watching me. And every time I caught him looking at me, I would make eye contact and slide my hands up my torso, then to my chest with a slight arch of my back. It might have been a bit provocative, but it was what felt so natural to me at that moment.

But he continued to watch, nonetheless. His whole demeanor was getting more irritated by the second. And that's when I knew I was beating Dick Grayson at his own game.

I soon felt my arm getting grabbed and felt myself getting pulled out of my pleasurable trance. Xavier had pulled me close to him and then said in a low and husky voice, "You're a pretty good dancer, cutie. How about you dance with me like that?"

"Oh," I blushed, suddenly remembering that Xavier was supposed to be my date and I would be expected to dance with him.

"KORY!" I heard Karen shriek excitedly from somewhere behind me, and I instantly turned around to find her. I was relieved to be pulled away from that awkward moment with Xavier.

"Karen!" I called out with the same enthusiasm and ran over to give her a hug. "You look gorgeous!"

And indeed, she did. She wore a black spaghetti-strapped dress with a skirt that fanned out just below her knees. Her hair was pulled back in a bun behind her head, with a few tightly coiled curls left out to frame her face.

"Thanks, hottie," Karen winked. "And speaking of hottie, your date is also super hot!" She motioned toward Xavier, and then her face turned serious as she concentrated more on the boy who was waiting for my attention behind me.

"Wait, isn't that-?" Karen began to ask as another boy approached, whom I assumed must have been Herald, Karen's date.

"Hey Karen," He said, "It's our table's turn to get in line for the buffet, and I'm starving."

"Oh right, I just remembered that I've barely had anything to eat today!" Karen said as she took hold of Herald's arm before calling out to me when they walked away, "Catch ya around, Kory!"

I turned back to Xavier and smiled at him sincerely. I felt like I owed him an apology for neglecting him so much, especially since he went through all the trouble of writing that paper to take me to this ball. But then, the red alarms began going through my head as soon as I remembered Dick's warning about Xavier. I shook my head to get rid of the thought.

"I am sorry if I have been a little distant." I apologized to Xavier, "It is just...I think I am getting a little tired and want to rest. Shall we go sit down with my friends?"

"Or..." Xavier began to say, walking his fingers up my arm. "We can just get out of here and go someplace else."

"Uh," I hesitated, the alarms blaring even louder in my head now. After going through all this trouble to get dressed up for this thing, why did Xavier want to leave it now? We had not even eaten dinner yet, nor had I checked on Rachel to see how she was handling all of this social interaction with others.

Sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him, Xavier said in my ear, "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes upon and a Goddess among these commoners. Let me take you away and worship you."

I gasped but for the wrong reason. I immediately sensed danger, and I was unsure why. It was not from Xavier being so forward with me, for I knew I could quickly put him on the ground if he tried to make the 'moves' on me. No. It was something else.

My instincts did not fail me as all the lights in the gym went out, along with the music, leaving the room in darkness and confused silence. That was when I found my opportunity to push some distance between Xavier. Everyone looked at each other with the same shocked expression before everyone jumped in unison when static and white noise filled the room. The projector that had once displayed videos that matched the music we were previously dancing to was now displaying a 'snowy' screen famously shown in horror movies when something scary was about to climb out of the television.

"Greetings, smelly idiots!" A voice was heard over the gym speakers, but it was distorted to a low and deep voice to mask the speaker's identity. However, the dialect of this person already gave me a clue on who it was.

"I have decided that this ball literally sucks balls, so I've decided to make it all little more interesting and more...colorful. Colorful with blood!" The voice began to laugh maniacally, and then there was a chorus of groans once everyone realized who was behind this.

"We know it's you, Mikron!" I heard someone call out.

"I am not Mikron!" Mikron must have turned off the voice disguiser, for his annoying high-pitched voice came through the speakers. "Shit! I mean..." The voice then turned deep again, "I am not Mikron! I am your worst nightmare! A demon among the living, and you will feel my wrath! And don't even think about trying to run, for you see...all of the locks on the door have been mysteriously locked from the outside, so there is no way you can escape!"

A few people started to laugh, for they seemed to be not taking Mikron all that seriously. I was not sure what to think, for I knew it was a prank, but it was Mikron who was hosting the prank, and I remembered how threatening he was toward Joseph. I looked over to Xavier to see if he found any humor in it like I thought he would, but I was surprised to see him facing the static projection with an unreadable expression, his lips pressing in a thin line.

"How dare you laugh at me, you fools!" Mikron called out, "You will dearly pay for your insolent actions! Now feel my wrath rain down upon you!"

The lights had turned on again, and then Mikron's laughter filled the room. A sizzling sound was heard from above, but nothing seemed to be happening at first. However, within seconds, I began to smell a powerful odor of what could have been rotten eggs. My body now recognizing a clear threat, my respiratory bypass was activated so that I did not have to breathe in whatever was contaminating the air.

Unfortunately, everyone else around me did not have the same bypass, and I watched several friends and acquaintances drop to the floor one by one. I managed to catch Xavier before he fell. "Xavier!" I cried, "Xavier, speak to me! What is wrong?"

But that question was meaningless, as Xavier had become unconscious in a matter of seconds. He was nothing but a dead weight in my arms. I gently laid him on the floor among the other unconscious students and then stood back up again, doing my best not to panic.

I looked around for anyone conscious and would be able to help, but strangely enough, I could not find any of the staff who were supposed to be spectating the ball. I could not even find Miss Petrov's bright red dress among the unconscious sea of people on the floor. I was even desperate enough to look for Dick, but he did not appear to be around either, regardless of him circling me like a predator only minutes ago.

When I felt like all hope was lost, I heard Victor's voice call from behind me. "Kory, thank God you're okay!" The relief was evident in his voice,

"Victor!" I ran to him and saw that he was wearing some filtration device across his face that must have been part of his robot body. "Where is Dick? Where is anyone who can help us?"

"I don't know, but we don't have much time before this gas turns deadly." Victor said, "It's coming from the sprinkler system, so I'm thinking Mikron is hiding in the boiler room, considering one of the entrances is located by those bleachers over there. You can probably stop him and turn the sprinklers off if you can get in there. He's no match for you, and I know you can take him down easily. And I will try to break the code he has set on the doors so we can get those unlocked and start getting people out of here."

Without saying another word, I nodded at him and ran toward where Victor had directed me to go, mindful not to step on anyone lying on the floor. As I was running, I saw Gar and Rachel both face down on the table I was to be sitting at with them, and my stomach dropped, fearing that if I did not find Mikron fast enough, I might lose my closest friends.

I found the door labeled 'Boiler Room' and attempted to open the door, even though I should have known better. It was locked, but I knew it was closed with a mechanical lock and could easily be broken open with one strong...

BOOM.

Even in heels, I was able to deliver a kick powerful enough to bring down a door. Now gaining entrance into the boiler room, I found Mikron out of the chair he must have orchestrated his evil mastermind plan in and struggled to pick himself up on the floor. The gas was now starting to catch up to him.

I watched him try to grab something invisible in the air, or maybe he was motioning for me to do something. "The flashing button..." Mikron croaked. Even speaking was a struggle for him. "On the screen...press it...hurry!"

I turned to see what he was motioning at and saw a holographic screen with multiple windows opened with complex code running through them, but I could make out the flashing button he was referring to. I ran over to the floating screen and tapped where it was flashing. I heard the hissing from inside the gym stopped, and I let out a breath of relief, knowing that the flow of gas had been turned off, but then I remembered to keep my bypass active since there was still too much gas in the area to breathe in.

"I didn't know," I heard Mikron behind me say weakly. "That wasn't supposed to..."

Mikron's words trailed off when he finally went unconscious. I knew he was the culprit in this prank gone wrong, but I could not leave him there. I lifted his tiny body like a ragdoll and quickly ran out of the boiler room with him slung over my shoulder to find Victor.

"Victor!" I called to him as he pushed one of the doors open, and I immediately felt a rush of cooler and cleaner air sweep throughout the building. "I was able to stop the sprinkler system and get Mikron out of there."

"Awesome job, Kory!" Victor said, "I was able to get at least one door open so that we can get some fresh air in at least. Get Pipsqueak outside, and once you drop him off in the largest snow pile you can find so that it takes him a while to dig out, come help me get everyone else out."

It took us almost an hour to try to get everyone out of the gym, and during that time, several vehicles from the emergency authorities had arrived on the scene. There were ambulances to begin treating everyone with medical attention quickly, the fire department to inspect when it was safe to enter back into the building, and the police department who had Mikron, now fully conscious, in handcuffs in the back of one their vehicles while he was throwing a fit saying that the sprinklers where supposed to be filled with red paint and someone must have switched out the canisters with hydrogen sulfide. Then Miss Petrov finally made her appearance, and she was questioned by the police as well. I knew I certainly had questions for her.

I checked in with several of the students to see how they were coping as they woke up from their gas-induced slumbers before finding Xavier sitting at the back of one of the ambulances with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The moment he noticed me approaching him, he smiled.

"There's my hero," He said as I sat beside him.

"I would not say I was all that heroic," I confessed, "I was only lucky."

"Well, maybe luck is your superpower," said Xavier, "because you saved a lot of people back there. If not for your quick action, I and several other students could have died. So, I would say that makes you a hero."

I shrugged, "I suppose, but I just wanted to say that I am sorry for how terrible this date had been for you. I know I was not entirely present...and then this happened."

"You kidding?" Xavier laughed, "This has been the most memorable date I have been on."

I laughed as well, but not wholeheartedly. "Not memorable in a good way."

"I guess we'll just have to try again," He concluded, "And I should apologize as well. I probably came across a little too forward with you on the dance floor when I should have realized that was inappropriate. But the way you danced back there...you're kind of a tease, you know that?"

"Oh, yeah," I said softly, remembering that display was more for Dick, and suddenly I felt a little embarrassed for how risqué my dancing may have looked to others, but that was not my intention. But thinking about Dick made me remember something else. "Xavier, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Well..." I hesitated, trying to figure out how to approach this conversation without offending him. "Dick may have mentioned something to me about how you were expelled at this school. Is that true?"

Xavier let out a long sigh. "Of course, he would tell you that, but...yes, it is. I was expelled from Titan Academy at the beginning of the year, but before you think anything different from me, I would like for you to hear my side of the story first.

"Okay," I said, urging him to continue as I remained quiet to listen to him.

"You know that Grayson and his buddies started at this school at the beginning of this year, right?" He asked, and then I nodded in response. "So when they all came here, they instantly started using Bruce Wayne's power of money and influence to take over the school, and, of course, rich kids, being rich kids, had bullied all of the upperclassmen to move out of the campus mansion so that they could live there. I was one of those upperclassmen, and I was not about to let those privileged assholes come in and make demands as if they owned the place. I have attended this school for three years, and I worked hard to be able to live in that mansion. I wasn't about to let them take that away from me because they had Wayne's money and were only buying their way in. So, I took drastic measures and protested. I refused to move my stuff out and even tried to change all the locks on the doors so they couldn't get in, but that didn't matter."

He paused for a second to let out another sigh before continuing. "They must have pitched a fit to Miss Petrov and threatened that if I didn't leave, they would convince Bruce to pull the funding from the school. Miss Petrov wasn't going to let that happen, considering that the school has been struggling to remain open for the last couple of years. So I don't blame her for expelling me. She was only doing what she had to protect the school."

I listened to Xavier carefully, watching to see if he was lying at any point in his story. He was challenging to read, but his voice seemed genuine. "I am sorry that happened to you." I told him, "But you decided to stay in the town? Where do you live?"

I never thought about asking Xavier much about his personal life, but every time we spent extended periods of time together, he wanted only to talk about me and learn more about my interests and stories.

"My old man passed away several years ago and left me his house in his will. It's not much, but it allows me to stay in Cold Springs. It's hard for me to imagine ever leaving this place. It's been my home for the majority of my life."

I nodded, "I understand," though my response to his story was to sound more sympathetic. I wanted to believe Xavier, but I had lost count of the strange things I had encountered here without any of them making sense or why they were happening. Therefore, it was becoming more difficult for me to believe anything anymore.

"But I guess it was a good thing that I did stay. Otherwise, I would have not met you." Xavier said while softly nudging my shoulder with his. "So it's not all that bad."

I smiled at him, trying not to be rude, I replied. "That is very sweet of you to say."

We remained silent for a moment before Xavier said, "I'm sure you're exhausted, and I don't want to keep you from getting the rest you deserve, but I think I'm alright now. Go get some sleep."

He was correct on that, at least. The adrenaline of the night's events was beginning to wear off, and I could feel the weight of exhaustion taking its hold on me. Nothing sounded more exquisite than my bed at that moment.

"I think I will, thank you," I told him as I pushed myself off the back of the ambulance. "Good night, Xavier."

That night, there was another nightmare, but this one was the most intense one I had experienced, with several scenes that flashed through my head so fast that it was difficult to get a grasp of what was happening. There were bodies on fire. Lips traversing on neck. Panicked and frightened faces. Hands running over smooth, bare skin. Two siblings were suspended in tubes. Tongues converge over one another. Destroyed hallways on what might have been a spacecraft. Fingers tangled in soft black hair. Hands covered in blood. Becoming breathless.

I awoke from that dream, panting and covered in sweat. That was the usual state I would find myself in after one of these dreams, but this time, I felt a new sensation of wetness in between my legs that seemed to trickle down my thighs, followed by an uncontrollable shiver that coursed throughout my entire body.

When those strange, pleasurable waves had finally dimmed, I tried to settle myself back into sleep, but it was in vain. For the rest of the night, I tossed and turned in my bed, finding it almost impossible to get comfortable with how warm I felt. All while images of a certain boy at the ball that night kept resurfacing in my mind. And it was not Xavier.

And now I'm ending this chapter with the song suggestion of "Dirty Thoughts" by Chloe Adams. And this is as spicy as it gets in this book...maybe. We'll see if Kory can control her primal urges later...

On another note, I'm not trying to make this a love triangle, for Kory has a more platonic relationship with Xavier as compared to how she feels about Dick. We all know how the story goes, but I want Kory to slowly figure it out instead of instantly falling head over heels in love the moment she meets Dick. I did say this was a slow burn, right?

I'm now going to take a much-needed vacation, but I'm happy that I was able to get this up before I left for the beach. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Again, thank you for the marvelous reviews! They honestly keep me motivated to continue with this project.

P.S. I am not really looking forward to writing Dick's POV of this scene. Spoiler...he Fs up big time.