This is a work of fiction involving the relationship of two young men (well, late teens to mid twenties), both physical and emotional. If you are made uncomfortable by such subjects as gay sex, magic and the supernatural, then please stop reading now. Likewise, if you are below the age of 18, please stop here as well.
This story uses elements from White Wolf's World of Darkness series of games. Mage: The Ascension, Magadon Pharmaceutical, Verbena, Cult of Ecstasy, The Traditions, The Technocracy, New World Order, Iteration X Progenitors and similar elements are copyrighted by White Wolf Game Studio. This work of fiction is not a challenge to existing copyrighted materials, and no profit is gained by it's publication.
Kate Sanders, Aaron Barry, and Stefan are the intellectual property of Don Bassingwaite and White Wolf Fiction. For a more in depth treatment of these characters, and a great read, pick up a copy of SUCH PAIN from Harper Collins.
Lyrics for `The Borderline' by Gabriela Robin. The Sharon Apple Project.
Constructive criticism is highly appreciated; flamers and hate mail will be ignored. Write me at PaganGamer@yahoo.com with Awakening in the subject heading.
** Notice: I made an error in the first half of Chapter 4. Stephan should have been Stefan. I always get that wrong. Sorry about the typo! **
The Awakening
By Liam Barnes
5
Confrontations
May 23rd, 2002 10:10 a.m. Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco
Marcus had closed his eyes to rest leaving Andrew to think about what had been going on. It was nearly too much, and he wasn't sure he believed any of it, but there was little he could do but wait. Then he remembered his parents. What would he do about them? Surely they were wondering where he was by now. And what if the so called Technocracy figured out he was the one who rescued Marcus, and they told his parents about what had happened? Worse yet, what if they did something to his family in retaliation? He hoped this Stefan guy hurried up.
He sighed and looked at Marcus, breathing quietly next to him. His face still looked pretty bad, though he didn't seem to be sweating as much. I hope he isn't hurt too badly, he thought worriedly.
Andrew looked up, wishing to see their would-be rescuer looking for them. What he saw caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. Standing five feet in front of them was a tall woman of indeterminate age and race. Her pitch colored hair was pulled back into a Grecian styled topknot which spilled out into dozens of silver beaded braids. Draped in black and deep blue material covered in gold and silver celestial patterns and a sheer black veil, she appeared to be waiting for him to say or do something. Her eyes held him stock still, however. They were black as the night sky, and not figuratively; Andrew could see pinpricks of light swirling in their enigmatic depths.
"Who are you?" he whispered. Something about her was familiar, and the weight of the presence about her held him as strongly as her steadfast gaze.
she said. Her melodic voice seemed to emanate inside his head. Within that simple phrase laid the comfort of a mother's arms, seduction, enigma, and death.
"Do I know you? I think I've met you somewhere . . ." his voice trailed off.
She tilted her doll-like head, causing the many glittering beads in her hair to clatter like tiny silver bells. <IT HAS BEEN MANY LIFETIMES, BUT NOW WE ARE ONCE MORE BOUND>
"Many lifetimes? I don't understand." Andrew's face screwed up in confusion.
A mysterious smile barely touched her pale lips. She stepped towards him, bending over to place a willowy hand aside his cheek. Her movements were almost perfect, with no wasted gesture, nor any ungainly gait. <ONCE YOU ARE WHOLE AGAIN, YOU WILL REMEMBER EVERYTHING. BUT FIRST YOU MUST HELP JARILA WITH HIS QUANDRY>
"Yarila?" Andrew tried to sound the name out, yet felt that in doing so he had somehow failed to capture it properly.
she repeated. A long arm reached over to the sleeping Cultist.
Andrew looked over at Marcus and was shocked to see the dark-haired youth from his dream. There was no sign of trauma to his face, and his green silk shirt and shorts were replaced by the white blood stained robes. The blonde youth looked back up at the woman. "What does all of this mean?"
The woman straightened up and walked off. She stopped a few feet away, and turned her face towards him. Though her face was enshrouded by shadow, he could still make out the glittering stars in her eyes. With that, she continued to walk off.
"Wait!" Andrew cried out. "Who are you? I mean, what do I call you?"
Stopping again, the woman turned her face back to him, this time only the mysterious smile apparent. <I HAVE MANY NAMES, CHILD. TO SOME, I AM YUMI CIMIL AND IX CHEL. TO OTHERS I AM NÛT AND HATHOR. I HAVE GONE BY ARIANRHOD AND CLIODNA AND A DOZEN OTHERS. THERE IS NO CULTURE THAT DOES NOT HAVE A NAME FOR ME. YOU MAY NAME ME, NOX>
With that, she moved off into the shade of the park trees, away from Andrew and Marcus. Andrew started to get up, calling out to her, but she didn't stop.
"Andrew!" Marcus called out.
Andrew turned to him. No longer did he appear as the youth of his dreams, but as the disheveled boy he had rescued a short time ago. His bruised face wore a concerned expression. "Are you all right?"
Marcus squinted. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Who were you yelling at?"
"That woman. She was just here while you were asleep." He flung out an arm to point towards her, but when he looked in that direction, no one was there.
"Andrew," Marcus began carefully, "I've been awake this whole time. No one has even looked over here. You just suddenly started crying out for someone to stop."
"I'm not crazy, Marcus," he pleaded. "You have to believe me; I was just talking to her. She was dressed in black and blue and had black hair. And her eyes were all black, but there were tiny stars . . ." He placed his head on his knees, and laughed. "Oh gods, that does sound crazy."
He felt Marcus lean against him. "Hey, don't worry about it. It could have been your Avatar talking to you."
Andrew's head popped up. "What?"
"Some people have strong Avatars. Really powerful ones are said to have whole personalities of their own, even to the point of appearing to their mages as other individuals, or even as the old gods."
Andrew looked over where Nox had disappeared. No matter where he looked, there was no sign of her, not even footprints in the dirt. Maybe Marcus was right. A chill ran up his spine at the thought of ghost-like people watching over him, never knowing when they might appear.
"What the fuck happened to you?" A young man, seeming to be in his mid twenties strode up to the two mages. His black hair was cut short, matching the trim look that his dark colored clothes held. Several silver hoops lined both of his ears, and he had matching rings on his fingers. Andrew would have said he was cute except for a haunted look deep in his eyes, and the very creepy feeling he gave off. "I told you to avoid those rough trade bars, man," he continued with a smirk.
"Yeah, well you know how I love to be beat," Marcus retorted, giving him his patented roguish grin. "Andrew, allow me the displeasure of introducing you to Stefan. Stefan, this is Andrew."
Andrew stood and shook hands with the new man. "Hey."
Stefan gave him the once over, then looked over at Marcus with a knowing smile. "Any friend of Marcus," he began. "Is always in need of a better escape plan."
Marcus made an attempt to kick the man, but missed. He grimaced at the effort. "Asshole! Stop messing around and help me. This really hurts."
Stefan never stopped smiling, but there was a sudden, subtle change from humor to seriousness in his eyes. He leaned down to pull Marcus up with Andrew's help. "Here I thought you Ecstatics were into the whole pain thing," he said lightly.
"Maybe some," Marcus replied through gritted teeth. His eyes teared up from pain. "I know my limits."
"Wait!" Andrew exclaimed. "Won't we look pretty obvious hobbling through the park like this?"
Stefan gave a small shake of his head. "Don't worry, nobody will even notice us. I'm fairly good when it comes to the Entropic arts."
"What?" Andrew looked at him, confused.
Marcus spoke up. "He just Awakened this morning, Stef. He doesn't know details, yet."
"Ah, gotcha. Well, simply put, I've altered the probability of anyone looking in our direction. Those who would normally see us, will find themselves looking conveniently elsewhere."
"Um, okay."
He and Stefan placed an arm around Marcus, helping him towards a waiting blue Mustang out front. Andrew got in back, allowing Marcus to sit in the more comfortable seat. Sure enough, no-one even glanced their way.
May 23rd, 2002 11:55 a.m. Castro District, San Francisco
Stefan drove them to a three story brown building that faced Castro Street. There were a few boys hanging around the front, all in there late teens. Next to the porch was a modest bronze plaque which stated;
Mike's Home for Youths
Founded July 10th, 1996 in Memoriam
Andrew gawked at the people on the street. While it wasn't unusual to see gay couples out and about San Francisco, it seemed everywhere he looked there were men holding hands, or kissing affectionately. There were even some women and straight couples, though not nearly in as great number. He turned to the building and looked at Stefan.
"You live at a Youth Center?"
"Yeah, I supervise things; make sure that the kids keep in line."
Andrew glanced out at the youths on the porch. They're kind of cute, he thought. Giving a smirk he retorted. "Pimping them on the street to trolls for extra cash."
"Fuck you."
The blond youth looked at Stefan. The man was getting unstrapped and shutting the car off, studiously avoiding eye contact. The air in the car had a definite sense of tension. Realizing that maybe he had offended the mage, Andrew said. "Look, I was just kidding."
"Forget it." The comment was terse. The dark headed man got out of the car and went to the trunk.
Andrew sighed. Well, that's just great, he thought sourly. He got out of the car and went to open Marcus' door. Stefan shut the trunk, and walked towards him, carrying a coat. The two helped Marcus out, with Stefan placing the coat around him. Andrew guessed it was to hide the cuffs, trying to make the battered youth look just like any other teen victim of abuse.
As they made their way up the steps, one of the boys on the porch hollered out to them. "Do you need any help, Stefan?" The kid seemed about only fifteen or sixteen to Andrew.
"We've got it, James. Thanks though," Stefan answered.
James shouted an "Okay" at them then eyed Andrew and Marcus. The look was flat; not a snub necessarily, more of a cold analytical weighing. The two others with him gave them only a cursorily glance, then went back to talking.
Inside, they were greeted by the deep rumbling bass and sultry female singing of some jazz song. Something in the words seemed to stick in Andrew's mind, like a cryptic message hidden in a written paragraph.
Smoke & Mist
Night & Midnight
The Deep & Hell
They really get me
"Chris!" Stefan shouted. "Turn the stereo down!" The music continued unabated.
Meet Me and Hit Me
Tiny and Sticky Candy
Kiss and Eating
Are Just Same Things.
"Chris!" he shouted again as they hauled Marcus into a side lounge area. "I'll be back."
Andrew was focused completely on the song, however, and barely even noticed that the other had said anything. He sat Marcus carefully down on a couch, and sat down next to him. Something in the lyrics was hidden, he was sure of it. He just had to figure out what.
Free & Fall &
Love & Low
Evil make you feel good
Can't help doing that.
Suddenly, the song ended, snapping Andrew out of his reverie. Stefan came back into the room, muttering fluently in another language. Funny, he thought, he didn't seem to have a foreign accent.
Stefan pulled two French doors shut, preventing any curious bystanders from interrupting them. Walking to a small desk, he opened a drawer and brought out a small black pouch. Sitting down on the other side of Marcus, he turned the youth to face Andrew, gently taking the cuffed hands into his lap.
"Ow! Watch it back there!" Marcus grumbled.
"Oh, quit your whining." He removed a slender piece of metal from the pouch, and then began to fiddle with something on the cuffs.
Andrew held onto Marcus' shoulder, and held his head close to the other's. He breathed deeply, only just then noticing that Marcus had no real scent to him that wasn't natural. No soapy smell, no colognes, nothing but the clean scent of him. Smiling contentedly, he looked up at Stefan who seemed very intent on getting the cuffs off.
"Stefan, I'm really sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to offend you."
The man sighed, but continued to work. "I know, Andrew. It's just a very touchy subject, especially around here. Some of the boys here have been on the streets. Joking about it just brings back bad memories for them."
The last statement came out twisted in Andrew's ears. He knew what Stefan had actually said; yet, in a quiet, whispering voice he heard `memories for me.' Looking away, Andrew softly said, "I'm sorry."
Stefan stopped what he was doing to glance over at the blonde youth. Though he wasn't sure, Andrew felt that he knew he was expressing sympathy for him, and not apologizing. The sound of clinking metal filled the silence as Stefan began working again.
"Got it!" he exclaimed.
The cuffs slid off Marcus' wrists. Wincing, he pulled his arms around, and gave them a stretch. That was when he noticed something odd. There was a sense of worry and fear in the back of his mind, emotions that weren't his own. He glanced up at Andrew, who was staring intensely back at him. The boy's eyes were watering, and he knew deep inside that he could feel every pain Marcus was feeling.
"I," Andrew started, but the words fell silent. "I can feel you," he said quietly. He tapped his chest. "Inside here. Why?"
Marcus knew it was true, because he could sense Andrew right now as well. It wasn't like when a person reads another's mind or emotions, but in the way which one senses that a hand is on the end of their arm, or that their ear is on the side their head. He could feel that Andrew was becoming distressed. He placed a hand on the other's. "And I feel you, too."
"But . . ."
The Ecstatic sighed. "You and I, Andrew, we share a soul, or at least a portion."
"What?" The other leaned away, and confusion began to bleed through the link.
"That was why I was looking for you, Andrew. A while ago, I had an encounter with a seer. She told me that I need to find you, that our destinies are somehow linked. She said they have been for many past lives as well. I'm not sure how, but during one of those lives, your soul was shattered. I gained one of the pieces, while the others were scattered."
Andrew felt . . . no, knew that he spoke the truth. It was as if it resonated within his soul, like a crystal glass to a high musical note. Now he really felt guilty for ever doubting the Cultist. "I think we need to heal you, or whatever it is we do," he said as the link continued to feed him Marcus' discomfort.
Marcus smiled, "Get me a joint; I'll be all better real quick."
"Uhuh, I bet" Stefan said with a lopsided grin. "However, I think I will fix you. You both are doxed." With that he got up and headed to the closed doors.
"What?" Andrew asked.
"He means that we reek of Paradox. And," he directed at the other mage, "if you think I'm going to let you do some sort of death-mage Voodoo on me, think again." Marcus gave Stefan a shit-eating grin.
"Careful," Stefan snorted. "I might decide to recycle you. Wait here, I'll go get something." He gave Andrew a suggestive smile and said, "Why don't you get asshole here undressed, and make sure the door stays closed."
"No!"
The exclamation was so vehement that both Andrew and Stefan jumped. Andrew felt a wave of shame and concern flood the link. "Marcus?"
He looked pleadingly at the black-haired man. "Can't you just forget the Copperfielding?"
Stefan gave him a sideways stare. Then he marched straight at him, kneeled down and started to unbutton his shirt.
"Hey!" both of the other mages shouted almost in unison.
Stefan gave them both a look that froze any further protest. "If you fight me on this, Marcus, I. Will. Paralyze. You."
Marcus turned his head away, and remained still as the man undid his shirt. Andrew gripped the Cultist's hand, trying to grasp what exactly was going on. Stefan's angry hiss brought his attention to Marcus' stomach. Small red marks snaked across his skin in weird fern-like patterns, originating from various spots across his torso.
"Fuck!" Stefan swore.
"What are those?" Andrew asked, his horror growing.
"It's nothing," Marcus whispered.
"It's feathering." Stefan's hands were gripping the shirt so tightly that his knuckles were white.
"What's feathering?" Andrew was starting to feel exasperated.
"Electrical burns, from a very strong current." There was a hard-edged bitterness in his voice. "Take off the rest." The two began to protest, albeit weakly. Stefan cut them off with an icy rebuke. "If there is more serious damage, and I suspect there is, I could cause more harm than help. I need to know exactly what the extent of damage is."
Red-faced, Marcus began to take off his shorts. Stefan gently placed a hand on his, his expression softening. "Look, I know how you feel Marcus. You know I do. But you also know that you can't let your embarrassment, or pride, allow you to permanently hurt yourself."
Marcus nodded and removed his shorts. Andrew was appalled at the seriousness of the wounds he reveled. He wanted to cry, but tried not to do anything that might make Marcus feel worse. Instead he gripped the dark-headed youth's shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze.
Stefan nodded. "I thought so. Let's lay you down on the couch." He helped Andrew move the Ecstatic over, propping his feet on a pillow. "Nothing I have will heal these," he said shaking his head. "I'm going to have to go vulgar."
"Can I help?" Andrew asked.
Stefan shook his head. "No offense, but your inexperience could do more harm than good. Also, you don't know what your own strengths are yet. You may mean to help him become stronger, but end up turning him to stone." Seeing Andrew's hangdog look, however, he added. "But, you could hold his hand, and focus as much of your feelings for him through that spiritual bond of yours."
As the man prepared to perform his magic on Marcus, the two youths held hands, trading squeezes back and forth. Stephan kissed Marcus' forehead and whispered, "I love you."
Marcus smiled back, his eyes tearing up. "I love you too."
Both of them looked up at Stefan as he began to chant in a foreign tongue. Andrew thought it was vaguely Middle Eastern or Hindu sounding. He waved what looked like a rib bone, or maybe a curved stone stick over Marcus as he continued. Suddenly, Marcus squeezed hard on Andrew's hand, causing him to yelp. Blue-green light engulfed the Cultist's nude form, shifting like a heatless flame.
Andrew was in awe. Almost everything he had seen up to this point had been coincidental effects, but there was no denying what he was seeing before him; it was true magick. Several points of light exploded across Marcus, creating a pulsing runway of rainbow colors, starting from his groin and proceeding to the top of his head, seven points in all. He watched the burn marks slowly fade from Marcus' genitals, and then from his stomach and chest. The cuts on his lip and face sealed up, and the swelling around his eyes gradually went down.
After several minutes, the lights faded and Stefan stopped his chanting. Marcus was covered in sweat and began to shiver uncontrollably. Andrew laughed suddenly, tears starting to run down his cheeks. He tentatively placed a hand on Marcus' chest, the hugged him. Marcus hugged him back, then took hold of Andrew's face and kissed him gently. Pulling apart, the two smiled at each other.
"Are you better? I mean, truly well?" Andrew asked.
"I'd say he is," Stefan commented with a smirk. Andrew and Marcus looked up, the blonde youth wearing a befuddled expression. Stefan pointed at the Cultist's crotch. "Talk about a one track philosophy."
"What can I say, I believe in what I preach." Marcus grabbed Andrew, pulling him on top. He kissed the boy again, and then held him. He glanced up at Stefan, who wore a sour expression. "What's the matter, too saccharine for your taste?"
The mage smack his mouth in distaste. "No, I think I've been doxed. I always wanted to know what was meant by `tasting ashes.'"
"Sorry," Marcus said with sympathy.
"I'm going to go try and wash this taste out of my mouth. Probably will do no good, but it will give you two time to be alone." With a grin he walked by the two, delivering a firm smack to Andrew's ass.
Andrew yelped, as Marcus laughed beneath him. Stefan opened the French doors and walked out, but not before the two inside heard a curious voice exclaim, "Is that guy naked?" The doors clicked shut.
Andrew laid his head down on Marcus' chest. He could hear the other's heart beating, and the air moving through his lungs. The emotions moving through the spiritual bond they shared were warm and comforting. He also become aware of Marcus' erection rubbing against his own growing member in his pants. Andrew leaned up to kiss Marcus, but the dark-headed youth stopped him.
"What's wrong?"
"You need to think about how you are going to deal with your family."
Oh, that. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But they'll flip out if I tell them the truth."
"You don't have to tell them anything, but don't you think they'll start to get worried if they don't at least hear from you sometime today?"
Andrew felt a sense of dread creep into his mind. "What if the Technocracy got to them?"
Marcus smiled, and shook his head. "I doubt they saw you help me, things went kind of crazy for a moment then."
"What did happen, Marcus?" Andrew's expression turned serious.
"You don't remember?" Andrew shook his head in negation. "Hmm, well that happens sometimes. All I remember is hearing this shout from outside, and suddenly everything went black. It was as if the whole side of the building and car had been engulfed in shadow or a physical darkness. Then the next thing I saw, you were driving the car down the highway, about to have a nervous breakdown."
The two were silent for a moment. They could hear people outside the door talking mutedly. Andrew got off Marcus and allowed him to get dress. Coming together for a kiss, the two walked hand and hand out of the room, joking about what the boys in the center would think about his quick recovery.
Kate Sanders parked along the row of homes and businesses on Castro Street. She saw Stefan's car outside the youth center he ran, and thanked whatever god existed that he was home. She had made a stop to the Dispatch Center to check in. Then taking one of the tracking devices she had set it with the car's homing signal number, which she later found abandoned in Golden Gate Park. Foreseeing a long search for the RD, she decided to head over to Stefan's, just in case she had been wrong about the events at the Taravel police station.
Getting out of the car, she smoothed her gray skirt and straightened her jacket. She knew Stefan was part of the Traditions, and considered by the Union to be a Reality Deviant; however, she had earned his friendship while helping him through a highly unusual and tragic Enlightenment. He had also been helped by a man named Aaron Barry, notorious the world over as a wealthy womanizing playboy. Only Stefan and she knew that he was also a member of the Cult of Ecstasy. The three had become fast friends; her and Aaron even became continuously on-and-off again items. His cover, and their allegiances, however, made it too difficult to maintain any serious relationship for long.
She crossed the street to the brown building, trying to appear as casual as possible. Some of the youths have seen her at the house in the past thinking she was a social servant with the city. They kept up that pretense for both her and Stefan's protection. Being a Gray Suit in the New World Order provided some insurance against other Technocrats from snooping around her activities, but all it would take is one slip to land them all in hot water, and Aaron as well.
She marched up the steps, recognizing two of the boys on the porch. A short, brown haired boy named James nodded at her.
"Hey, Ms. Sanders."
"Hello, James. How are you doing?" She wore a polite smile, trying to play the part.
"Eh, okay." The boy had never been very talkative when she had been there in the past. Stefan said that he had been on the streets for about five years before he took him in.
"That's good to hear. I hope you're staying out of trouble." She gave him a slightly stern look before adding, "Is Stefan around?"
"Yeah, he's with a couple of new guys."
"Thank you. I'll just wait inside for him."
"Cool." James turned back to the other two, and continued talking as though she wasn't even there.
Kate sighed inwardly, and entered the house. Something about that kid had always unnerved her. Stefan said he had disassociation disorder for which he was undergoing therapy. She had offered to take him to a Technocratic clinic, but they both felt that it was too much of a risk, that he may have seen or heard something about the two of them that the clinic's probes would uncover. He assured her that the therapy was helping, but it would have to be done the conventional way. The front door closed behind her just as a door opened to the side.
Stefan stepped out of the parlor, closing the room's doors. He wore a very disgusted expression and was smacking his lips like he had tasted something truly fowl. "Kate," he said in surprise.
"Hello, Stefan." She smiled, relieved that he was all right.
"What are you doing here?"
"I didn't realize I couldn't just drop by." She said, sensing that something was up.
He shook his head. "No, it's just that there's been some . . . complications today."
He was being evasive for some reason. She decided to try to press him a little. "Tell me about it. Stefan, actually I came by because I was worried about you."
"About me?"
Now his defenses really seemed up. Something had happened! She decided to tell him what went on that morning. "Earlier today, some of our agents picked up a Reality . . . uh, a Cultist who kidnapped a girl from her family last month, and who has been sabotaging projects at Magadon as well. He was apparently attempting to kidnap a second kid, which is when we caught him. The boy was unharmed, so we let him go, but the mage escaped with the help of someone else." Throughout her spiel, she watched as his face grew tighter, and his posture shift as though he was about to run.
"It was Saffleur."
In a flash his expression and mannerism changed. He appeared very afraid. "That's impossible! I still have his memories! You captured his soul!"
"I know I did, but I really wasn't sure. I though that maybe . . ." She was interrupted by the parlor doors opening. Laughing and joking as they came out were the Cultist and boy she had been discussing. "Ledescu! Uptmor!"
The heads of the two youths jerked up. "You!" Marcus shouted.
The two dropped into a defensive stance. Andrew's face contorted in rage, "She's one of them, Stefan! She did that to Marcus!" The air seemed charged with electricity as the three stared off.
Stefan glanced at Kate in confused horror. "What? You, Kate? Why would you?"
"Stefan, honestly, I didn't have anything to do . . ." she began.
"Liar!" Andrew shouted. "That's why you separated us, wasn't it? She kept me away, telling me a bunch of lies while her buddy hurt Marcus. While he fucking tortured him!" The blonde youth stalked closer to the Technocrat, his words growing louder, angrier with each step.
Kate stepped back, not wanting to hurt the boy, or provoke him. She looked over at Stefan. The look on his face, as though she had betrayed him, tore her heart in two. "Please Stefan, you know I would never have allowed that!" she pleaded. "The agent who picked them up did it without my knowledge." She turned to the two other youths.
She backed up a step. "I am very sorry about what happened, but I honestly didn't know, Mr. Uptmor. I would have dismissed Agent Preston had I even suspected."
"Yeah, you're a fucking saint, aren't you?" Marcus spat.
Andrew could feel the rush of power rising in his body. He wanted her to feel everything Marcus had; he wanted her to feel pain! He wasn't sure how, but he suddenly knew just how to do it. Just as he was about to unleash an attack on her, Agent Sanders' body changed to that of Nox. It was only a flash, but enough to startle him out of his rage. Even then, it still simmered in the back of his thoughts. He stepped back and held onto Marcus' hand.
Stefan looked from one side to the other. Then he noticed that they were being watched. Several of the boys from the center had gathered in the foyer, and were observing the confrontation with typical teenage voyeuristic glee. "Okay," he started carefully. "You three are going to go into the parlor. Now."
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Kate offered.
"Are you fucking nuts?" Marcus exclaimed at the same time.
"Parlor, now!" Stefan's tone gave no room for argument.
The two boys and Kate entered the room, staring at each as they did. The boys held murderous intent in their eyes, while Kate glanced cautiously at them from the corner of her eyes. Stefan shut the door behind them, and proceeded to disburse the gathered crowd. He used a bit of Mind and Entropy magick to ensure that little was remembered about what was actually said. He hoped that all they would recall was an argument between a kid and a social worker over him going back to his abusive family.
His stomach began to toss as he contemplated just how to deal with this situation. Letting out a deep sigh, he pushed the doors open, and prepared for the worst.
<Well, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one may take a little longer to get out since I am working on a second story as well. As always, thanks to all of you who have written to express your support, I love hearing from you. Also, if you would like to have an e-mail sent to you whenever a new chapter is posted, let me know and I will place you on a list. Thanks again!>
Liam ^_^