Crispien watched as Audi's lips trembled, her caramel face deathly white. Good...he had her attention. Though she could have been scared to the point where wetting her pants where imminent, he knew she was going to listen to him...she had no choice.

"I take it Sa will have to wait for you just a bit longer, right?" Crispien asked softly.

"Page....is back..." she repeated to herself. Her voice trembled along with her voice, almost choked, near tears. "You...you're joking, right?"

"Nora, do I ever joke?" She was silent, except for her erratic breathing. His voice was strict and cold, not a hint of emotion spread upon any of the words he spoke. That, and he spoke her true name...something only her beloved did. She knew he was serious...deathly serious. "I didn't think so."

Audi placed an hand over her eyes, leaning over. "Oh God...Oh God...when...how..."

"I don't know how...but I saw him last night. After I..." He remembered his short conversation with Maria...why he even went out in the first place. "Never mind...either way, he's here...and he's...well...changed."

"Ch...changed?" Her heartbeats jumped started...pounding fiercer than they had before. "How...so?"

"He's..." Even if he was the bearer of bad news, he had to tell her the truth. "He's...stronger now. A lot stronger than we could ever imagine. And he's angry, Audi...he wants revenge...and he's going to want you."

Audi hesitated before speaking. "He's strong...how?"

"I don't know how," Crispien began gruffly, "and I don't care how. All I care about is this. You had better watch your back, Audi...he's pretty damn pissed and intent on raising hell. And he doesn't care whether or not Sa is in the picture. Page is full of rage."

Audi wanted to protest, but she simply nodded. Page...he was already a ticking time bomb...so unpredictable and dangerous, but if Crispien was right, the Gaia help them all...

Page would be a force to be reckoned with...and the fool that went up against him would die before he knew he was attacked.

Audi looked into Crispien's eyes, pleading for a lie, fear bubbling toward her lips. "What are we going to do? Page isn't a stable person, and if what you say is true, then Lund House is in trouble. And if Nigel...even remotely finds out he's here...he'll...he'll go..."

"I know that, Audi. And even if he does, at least he has a chance at slowing him down. He's a strong child, you know that. And besides... Sa is pretty damn pissed with him after what he's done to you in the past, and will want to kill him. He's very protective of you...that...makes me sick in a way, but I am sure he'll help you to stay away from that jerk.

"And stay away he will." Crispien licked his lips, almost hungry for a fight. "This is my battle...and once I'm done with that bastard, he'll wish he'd never came back...in hell, that is."

Maria simply kept herself quiet, looking at the young man before her. She seemed to stare at him with indifference, but she was in fact analyzing him. He was a handsome young man...probably not much older than she was, but his looks could have easily fooled her.

And the aura that pulsated from him...it was like her brother's, but then again, it was not. Of course, it was intense, flaring with uncertainty. Raging with hot and heavy emotion, she couldn't pinpoint what he was going to do. The feeling, the aura, it surrounded her and covered her, smoggy and stuffy, crying out for attention, she found it hard to breath.

"You haven't said a word, my dear," Page replied, smirking. "I have introduced myself to you. Now, it is your cue to introduce yourself to me."

"Why?" Maria said quietly, almost flatly. "It is my choice to let myself be know to others, and since this is a chance encounter, I never tell my name to anyone whom I will meet only once."

Page smiled. The girl had a spine. She may have looked like an innocent creature, but she wasn't a doormat. "Now, now, no need to be cruel. I am not going to hurt you...Maria." He chuckled.

Maria slightly recoiled, stepping away slightly. Telepath?

"Ummm...you could say that. And speak with your mouth, girl. I'm not your brother, remember, so people can see you. After all, people like us are suppose to hide our powers from the unawakened world."

Just what was he getting at? This was a peculiar "enchanced" one. "There is no one else here. No one can hear talk of the mind. You should know that. Now, if you shall excuse me, I need to get to supper. I have other things to do on my agenda tonight."

"Like spend your night alone?" Page's voice was full of huskiness, a warm tremble spreading across he stomach. Telepathic people only knew your name...not your life story. "Studying or doing something else without anyone around?"

Maria found herself walking further away. "Who...who are you? How do you know these things?"

Page walked toward her. He wasn't going to let this one get away...no, she would do nicely tonight. "Let's just say I'm a person that knows what you need...to escape the shell of yours..." he smirked. His eyes glowed softly, fixated on his stationery prey. "That's what you want to do...isn't it, Maria?"

"I...I suppose..." She couldn't even articulate anymore. She was too fixated on him. She'd gone from guarded to penetrated in one moment, and she didn't even realize it. He knew about her...he'd taken her existance from her mind...he knew about her. He knew everything she'd wanted NO ONE to know.

"I thought so, Maria." Closer he came to her...soon, he would be able to touch her. "I was once like you Maria...quiet...meek...a doormat...but I know there's a world out there...waiting to be discovered...waiting to be taken." Maria kept her eyes upon his as Page's fingertips softly brushed against her cheek. "I can show you that world, Maria...I know I can. If you will let me."

He was charming her...that's what he was doing. She could faintly remember the stories her brother told her, how men used their minds to seduce the most beautiful women, women that wouldn't give them the time of day. How certain men, whether of Gaia or of God or of someone else could use their minds to get what they wanted...money, power, sex...anything.

And that same power she was forbid never to use was being used on her.

But Maria could do nothing. He'd muddled her thoughts. He made her forget about her abilities. He overwhelmed her senses...he'd made her submissive. He'd had his way with her...made love to her with his words...made her drunken with his charm. She moaned...this was just too much for her...a sensory overload...a decent into desire.

"I believe you want to..." He said, cupping her face with his two hands. His palms her soft...his fingertips gentle. Her eyes were closing...her breath cool and soft... "I believe you really want to..

"GAH!!" Maria's eyes tore open, awareness of her surroundings coming back to her. She watched as Page violently flew away from her, crashing hard onto the pavement, and pained cry escaping his lips.

"Maria, come here." The voice was authorative, quiet. She turned to see Crispien behind her, his hands growing brightly, crimson lights warming her eyes as anger surrounded his whole exterior. He was -not- happy. "Get behind me, now."

She didn't even leave room for protests. She simply obeyed him...after all, he was her advisor.

"Now for you Page," Crispien began, "what do you think you're doing, trying to seduce my Maria?"

-Commericial Break-
Voice acting is a big thing over the internet. So if you are Radio/Dub Producer, why not visit the VA resume of Anthony Sass? He's a great VA, and he's really nice too! (IMHO) Did I mention he's a great VA?
-End Commericial Break

Page found himself licking the fresh blood that dressed his pale white lips, the fall a lot harder that he anticipated. That King...that angry, foolish bastard. Always possessive of his students, and his women. He should have remembered that.

Maria watched as Page sat up from the grown, a bemused expression on his face. "Ah, so the powers are still with you after all, aren't they King? I'd almost forgotten how strong they..."

Page stopped suddenly. His hand slowly cupped his cheek, which roared with pain. Crispien hit it...not physically, but with his mind.

"That hurt, King," Page whispered slowly, his voice no longer taunting, but genuinely angry.

"Get out of here before I do something a hell of a lot worse, Page," Crispien spatted roughly. "If there is one thing I will not tolerate, it's your antics...or whatever you have looming in your head, especially if it involves one of my students."

Page slowly stood up, a smirk curling upon his lower lip. "Your students...umm, I remember when I was one of those. Tell me...do they know why they are really here yet?"

"I don't know what you are talking about." Crispien made sure his voice didn't waver. He couldn't let the cat out of the bag...not yet anyway.

"Don't lie to me. You know exactly what I am talking about. But of course, you won't admit it. Even though your melodramatics pretty much gave it away. But no matter...it'll all be coming out soon...whether you tell them or not." And with that, he walked away.

In the darkness, close to the action, yet far enough not to be spotted, Kay's eyes narrowed. She gritted her teeth, rage within her heart. "That little bitch..." Oh yes...Maria was going to pay...

"Mr. Sill, I am sorry for this occurrence." Crispien was startled slightly, turning to see his quiet student looking at her feet. An aura of dread dressed her from head to toe. If she were a wolf, Crispien thought, I could imagine her with a tail in between her legs. "I have no excuse for my actions. All I can tell you is that it shall never happen again."

Crispien flinched. Usually, such an occurrence would have enraged him, and he wouldn't have any trouble torturing his student because of their stupidity. All students of Lund House had to keep their guard up. There were people out there that would love to rip them up to pieces and feed them as repast to the dogs. He would have done things to her to make her wish that Page had made her his.

But looks at Maria, who stood submissive to whatever he had to give her, he knew he couldn't do that.

It wasn't because she didn't know of Lund House's secret. That was only part of it. It was much more than that. He couldn't explain how much more, really. He just couldn't. Maria...had something about her, something that told him not to treat her like a played out toy, or to show no mercy to her. He didn't like it...he treated everyone like they were nothing special.

But Maria...in her own quiet way, was special.

And I can't blame her for this...she doesn't know anything about what's going on...and it wouldn't be right...

"Look at me, Maria." Maria slowly tilted her head up at her advisor, mouthing a gasp as her soft eyes met his intense ones. "You don't have anything to be sorry about, Maria."

The caramel girl's eyes widened, in surprise, and in shock. Since when did Mr. Sill ever admit something like that? "Wh...what?"

"You don't need to be sorry. It wasn't your fault. Just forget about it." He frowned at the softness of his voice. He was out of character. He was -never- out of character. Yet the words flowed so easily from his mouth without a second thought or abrupt correction. Damn! he thoughtfully cursed. What was it about this girl?

"But...but..." He saw it within her...he saw how confused she was...about his behavior. He wasn't acting like her advisor...he was acting like some else.

And past her clouded gray eyes, past her confusion and her silence, he saw that she liked it. She wouldn't show it, of course, for fear that it may end too quickly. But she liked it, he knew that...and he could see that she to like this bout of humanity.

I...I have to get away from her...I have to leave her..."No buts...just leave it alone, Maria. I'm not blaming you...so don't worry. Right now, let's just go to dinner." He simply nodded one last time, and walked away.

And as the coldness seeped back into him...as the angry of Page's actions and his role has the dark Knight of Gaia came flowing back into his mind like a drug rush, only one thought remained in his mind...

That moment with her...it shouldn't have ended so soon.

Maria didn't watch him leave...she just stood there, evaluated what had just happened. There are some things in life we can and cannot understand. This was the latter.

She closed her eyes, running through the events that happened before. The look on his face...it was gentle, yet awkward, not knowing if it was the right face to show or whether the mood was right. She was just as confused. She was always able to take his cruelty, at least she thought she could...

But his kindness? His soft voice, his intense eyes, his...bout of humanity?

It made her shiver slightly, thinking about it. It was hard to take...for two months, she'd been so used to his angry and his extreme personality, but when it changed on this night, she couldn't take it. It was too much for her. She felt things her body never allowed her to feel aloud, and for others to see. It affected her, and she'd made it a point to let nothing affect her with her permission.

And yet, it just happened now.

I'll get no explaination from what has happened on this night, she thought, almost unsatisfied with her conclusion. Not standing here, anyway. Taking a deep breath, she turned, headed for the cafeteria, thoughs weighing heavily in her mind.

"I've come through for you again, love," Kay said softly, a slight flatness in her voice. "There is more dissention in the ranks at Lund House. That Crispien fellow got yelled at today by the headmistress, and I heard the three new students bad mouthing him before class today."

"Oh, wonderful," he murmured, gingerly running his fingers through her head. "Despite certain interferences, things have worked out nicely. Now, all I have to do is show I mean business."

"Of course, love. There's nothing more to it."

Her love leaned down to kiss her shoulder, his lips brushing up the sides of her neck. "You seem very tense today. What is troubling you, my dear?"

"Nothing," she replied rather quickly, as well as huffily. "I'm fine, I'm just fine."

His finger brought her face up to level with his. "Don't lie to me, my sweet. And I hate being lied to." A shiver went down her spine. He was capable of doing many things...most of which were not aesthetically pleasing. "Something is wrong, dearest...something you had better tell me."

Kay sighed. Her love was far too observant for his own good. "Love...do you love me?"

He was silent a moment before speaking. "Of course I love you," he replied calmly and slowly. "Whatever would make you feel otherwise?"

She bit her lip. She wanted to yell at him for being with that girl...she wanted so much to yell at him. But naturally... "Nothing...I've just been so afraid of losing you, love. And all this snooping has made me so nervous."

"Kay, you have nothing to be worried about," he said assuringly. "Once we are done, there will be nothing standing in our way. You'll get what I've promised you, as well as my heart. So do not worry."

Kay frowned slightly. He was so terribly sincere...she could have killed herself for the actions that taken place. But at the same time, he was so unpredictable. She felt the need to look after him, to make sure he wouldn't pull any fast ones on her...

"I...I suppose I shan't worry anymore, love. It's just been getting to me, and I can't seem to handle it was well as I used to. It's been...so much..."

Her love wrapped her in a gentle embrace. "Don't worry about anything, Kay. Nothing terrible is going to happen. I assure you. Once we are done, the world will be ours. I'll take care of you, and you'll have everything your heart desires."

Kay sighed. She liked the sound of that...it was why she was involved in the first place. She wanted so much out of life. She wanted to get things that would make others envious of her, instead of lusting after everyone else's stuff.

She was going to be a somebody. She may have had a clique to be in and friends to talk to, but she wanted much more...she wanted to be envied.

I'll have everything my heart desires...and the first thing I want is to make sure I get what's righfully mind...and I don't care what I have to do...I'll eliminate the competition if I have to.

Author's Note:

I'm sorry if this chapter is shorter than the others, but I just ran out of ideas, and it's best that I close all gaps in Chapter 4 and beyond.