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"I still think we shouldn't do this," Kendall said taking one long glance at the school building before turning back to Paige, the seatbelt locking in place and restricting her movements. "We should lay low. Call in sick. I dunno. But we shouldn't just go back to school like nothing happened."

Paige had a faint smile on her face as she unfastened the seatbelt and opened the door. She stepped out of the BMW her dad let her borrow for the time being, Kendall quick to match her movements. "The devoted bookworm actually wants to play hooky. I don't believe it."

"It's not a game," Kendall hissed, following Paige to the main doors, keeping her voice low as they weaved around fellow students hustling to get inside. "Aaron . . ." Before Kendall could say anything more, Paige reached out and placed a hand over her mouth, sealing her unspoken words.

"No," Paige hissed, half-dragging Kendall off the paved footpath before she finally retracted her hand. "Don't say anything yet. It's better if he doesn't know anything's amiss." Her eyes darted across the parking lot to a blue convertible. Tess lingered by the open passenger door, Aaron was half-leaning inside his expensive vehicle, smiling at whatever Tess was saying.

Kendall followed her eyes, paling visibly as she first got a real look at Aaron since the car wreck. "You think he can hear us?"

"Probably." Paige shifted her backpack on her shoulders and walked back towards the main entrance. "It wouldn't surprise me."

Paige followed Kendall to her locker and watched silently as Kendall ruffled through her locker, desperately trying to recall whereabout in her schoolwork she was up to. Taking most of last week off seemed to derail her slightly. "I need to hand in the essay for Ms. Schade on teleportation methods." She glanced sideways at Paige, her iron-straight brown hair an unusual look for a girl who never bothered with makeup. Paige rather liked it. "It was due Thursday. I hope she accepts it late."

Paige shrugged and leaned against a nearby locker. "I'm sure she will. You were in the hospital."

Kendall nodded too quickly. Her despair with the thought of getting a bad grade seemed almost pathetic, but Paige didn't mention it. Instead, Paige said, "Don't worry, Kendall. Ms. Schade is fairly understanding."

"You got your essay?"

Paige shook her head, trying to keep a smile off her face. "Never even started it."

Kendall stopped trying to wiggle two textbooks together and turned to Paige. "We were given the assignment two weeks ago."

"Grades aren't really my priority."

Kendall's smile withered away. "Because of Aaron?"

"Partially, but I've never really been much for school."

"You'll get into trouble."

Paige shrugged, flinching slightly when Kendall suddenly slammed her locker shut, the sound causing her heartrate to increase. She really needed to get a grip. She can't be frightened with every sudden sound. "Wouldn't be the first time."

The bell sounds and Paige noticed the flash of fear cloud Kendall's eyes. "Hey," Paige said in a soft tone. She knew where the fear came from. Kendall would be off, on her own, in a school with a draugr. A monster. A murderer. "Just relax, okay? Just breathe and keep your head down."

With a shaky breath, Kendall nodded. Her eyes still glistened with fear and uncertainty, but she scurried off to her first period. Keeping her own reassuring words orbiting her mind, Paige went off to her first class. She knew that when Aaron was concerned, unlike Kendall, she couldn't really keep her head down. But for the time being, she had to at least try.

Ms. Clark was writing on the board when she entered. Her glassy emerald eyes homed in on Paige as she scurried to an empty desk. "Ms. Davis. Welcome back. We were all so concerned when we learned about the accident. I do hope you're feeling better."

Looking around at the dazed and distant faces of her classmates, Paige bet that none of them even really noticed she had been absent last week. She instead chose to believe the teachers kind words. "I'm fine, Ms. Clark." Physically, she wasn't that bad off. The stitches had come out yesterday. There was hardly even a scar left. Mentally, she was exhausted and confused to the point she almost wanted to crawl into the fetal position beneath a desk and never emerge.

"I'm sure you'll quickly catch up with what you missed last week."

Paige slid into a desk and reached for her notebook. "I doubt it, but okay."

Ms. Clark's lips turned into a thin smile as she dove into the lecture, something about Roman art, but Paige's mind was so absent, she couldn't recall anything the teacher said next. She hoped she wouldn't be quizzed on this topic, but she doubted it. Ms. Clark was known for her pop-quizzes.

When the bell rang, Paige took far too long to walk to her next classroom. She lingered in the hallway once the warning bell rang. Peering through the open doorway, her eyes hunting for a particular face. She didn't have the best angle of the room and couldn't see him anywhere.

"Ms. Davis," Mr. Withers said from his desk. "Care to join us today?"

Paige took a tentative step backwards. She still couldn't see Aaron. Maybe he decided to skip this lesson. "I'd rather not."

Mr. Withers didn't find her amusing. "Sit," he instructed.

Feeling a mix of defeat and resentment, Paige hustled through the door. Now that her view wasn't obscured by a half-open door, her eyes instantly landed on Aaron. He sat at the back of the room, beside a brunette werewolf Paige didn't know. He had a relaxed smirk on his face as Paige stumbled to the empty desk beside Kendall.

Paige tried to ignore the heat that raised at the centre of her neck as Mr. Withers droned on about the possible supernatural involvement in The Black Death. "Of course nowadays, it'd be impossible to know for certainty if this pandemic was caused by the supernatural. Too much time has passed, but what we do know for certain is the peculiar nature of this disease as it interacted with the supernatural. Can anyone please elaborate on this?"

Only silence met his question. He tsked at the lack of enthusiasm in his students and was about to call on someone randomly when his question was finally answered.

"Supernaturals were immune."

Paige turned at the familiar voice.

"That's right, Lucas. It was very unusual. Supernaturals didn't get sick from this plague, but every disease since – right down to the common cold – affected the supernaturals just as much as they affect humans."

Mr. Withers walked to his desk and picked up a small white remote. Pointing at the projector strapped to the ceiling, a bright light flashed on the board before half a dozen images flooded the board. There were men in beaklike masks, piles of bodies, people flooding a street.

"Whether magic was involved in such a matter – a fact we'd never actually know – but it does prove that there is significant difference between those that possess magic and those that do not. Biologically, speaking. Those that do not have magic were subjectable to this illness. Maybe the disease couldn't infect anyone with magic – who knows."

Mr. Withers continued speaking about the connection between humans and supernaturals, before he moved on to more recent events that pinned magic against non-magic users. He assigned ten minutes towards the end of the lesson for the students to begin reading the next chapter in the textbook. Before he could give up on the lesson, Paige – before she lost all her nerve – raised her hand.

"Yes, Paige. You have a question?"

"Kinda." Paige settled back into her chair, her arms strapped to the top of the desk. She could feel the air shift in the room as Aaron perked up from where he sat, his inquisitive black eyes landed on her. Paige ignored the heat raising in her body under his eyes. Instead, she focused on the teacher. "I'm just curious about something. You've spoken a lot recently about specific events and supernaturals connections to these events. I'm just wondering about draugrs."

That's it. She was officially dead. Or stupid.

It was a reckless, an impulsive gamble. Aaron was fond of games. She wanted out. She wanted it to be over. If that meant confronting Aaron, then so be it. She was tired, no, she realised. She was angry. Angry that Aaron made her feel such emotions, so much fear, mixed in with desire.

It sucked being a hormonal teenager.

Mr. Withers didn't really understand the question, so Paige babbled on, feeling a heat raise in her cheeks. She ignored the sharp nudge from Kendall and she wouldn't look at her friend. "I was doing some reading on them. On draugrs. So I was just curious about their historic events. What's their history?"

"I don't know why you were researching such creatures –"

"Let's just call it teenage curiosity."

Mr. Withers continued speaking as if Paige hadn't interjected. "– but they're not exactly appropriate discussion material for school." A murmur broke out in the room, students shooting inquisitive glances at one another. It came as no surprise that hardly anyone knew about draugrs or what they were.

"Like I said," Paige said, trying not to sound too pushy. "I'm just curious. They're such abnormal creatures."

"More like atrocious," Mr. Withers said. "Fortunately for us, draugrs are so uncommon that their impact on history is minimal. They're always killed upon discovery. Some creatures are just too dangerous to be allowed to live."

"But what if they go undiscovered?" Paige said, twisting her head sideways, her eyes roaming to the back of the room. "What if they live? Blend in with the general population?"

"I can't see that happening."

Paige disregarded the teacher as her eyes settled on Aaron. His face was turned towards her, his eyes seem darker than usual, sharp and hostile. There was something different about him too. Something Paige couldn't really pinpoint at the moment. When she spoke next, she didn't speak to the teacher or any of the inquisitive students. Her words were directed solely at Aaron.

"I don't know," she mused. "If you're such a despised creature, an abomination, would you go around, announcing yourself for the world to see?" She could see Aaron's aura now, dark and wild, like a black hole about to swallow the classroom whole. It didn't frighten her like it used to.

Paige let the topic drop and when the bell rang, she bolted through the door, not even wasting time to file her books away in her backpack. As she ran down the hallway and through the door leading to Ms. Bevan's classroom, Paige couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

She waited in her desk, her head bent low, hiding behind a curtain of dark hair. Her eyes were intent on the front of the room, watching and waiting for Aaron to enter. To make his appearance. As the minutes ticked by, Ms. Bevan began her lecture, and still, no show from Aaron. Maybe she scared him off? Somehow, Paige didn't think she'd ever truly scare this boy off.

Paige didn't relax, didn't stop glancing at the closed door all lesson. She didn't make a single note, and when the bell finally rang, she moved from the chair slowly, like her body was getting used to moving again.

She knew Kendall would be in the cafeteria. There were safety in numbers, but the air in the school seemed to grow heavy and toxic. Paige stumbled down a nearby staircase, almost tripping once or twice before she reached the bottom. She pushed open a nearby set of doors and hustled out into the mid-morning sunshine. The fresh air felt good on her lungs, her muscles loosened and she gulped in as much clean air as possible.

Paige walked away from the picnic tables that decorated the lawn and round the side of the building. She didn't really have a destination in mind, but her legs were stiff and sore and needed a serious workout. She actually couldn't wait until P.E. and hoped the Coach would send them on laps before whatever mindless sport he was obsessed with this week.

"Paige, wait up."

Paige slowed at the familiar voice. Lucas came jogging up to her, wearing his signature smile that would make most girls droll over. "What do you want, Lucas? Don't you have friends?"

Lucas stared at her under thick eyelashes. Paige almost wanted to reach out and touch his face, his high cheekbones, but she didn't need another complication just now. "I could ask you the same thing."

Paige felt a scowl form. She didn't like his comment, even though she definitely deserved it. "Ouch."

He chuckled as he leaned up against the building, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Before any more hostile comments are thrown around, I just wanted to see if you're okay."

Paige stared at him. For a brief moment, she thought maybe he knew about Aaron, about the threat he posed. Maybe Kendall told him, but that didn't fit. Kendall wouldn't do that.

"I heard about the car accident," he added.

Paige felt her shoulders relax. The accident. Of course. What else could he possibly be referring to? "I'm fine . . ." Her words froze on her lips when Lucas was suddenly no longer leaning casually against the building. Instead, his body had been flipped and his face was pressed firmly against the cold surface of the wall.

Lucas's body strained against the pressure holding him in place. Arms waving wildly, he tried to move, but the pressure on his back was increased to the point he cried out in pain.

"Hello, Little Witch."

"Aaron," Paige whispered, backing away from the monster that currently held Lucas prisoner against the school building. There suddenly wasn't enough air to breathe. She felt confined, trapped. She desperately wished to rewind time. To not be an idiot and go to the cafeteria as planned. Now, she was in an isolated area. No students. No teachers. No one nearby. "Stop it," she cried when Lucas's face twisted in pain. "You're hurting him."

Aaron moved his arm. Not to release the trapped werewolf. To Paige's horror, Aaron moved fast, swiftly. His movements were almost a blur as he slammed Lucas's face against the wall. He made a gurgling sound as blood filled his mouth before Aaron tossed him aside, his body in a heap on the ground. Lucas twitched slightly, but he didn't get back up.

Aaron glanced over at Lucas's mangled form, his expression dark, like a predator regarding a small defenceless animal he just mauled. His eyes flicked back to Paige, the darkness in his expression melting away. He moved towards her, his arms reached out. He no longer carried the same threatening, menacing posture he held just a moment ago. Instead, he looked almost gentle.

Paige backed away, his fingers falling through the air where she just stood. He wanted to touch her, she could see the desire in his eyes. He didn't like her hesitation. Suddenly, he was in front of her, his fingers grasping both sides of her face. He tilted her face to each side, his eyes assessing her. He liked what he saw.

Paige tried to fend him off, tear herself out of his grasp, but he deflected her feeble attempts. His hold was like iron. Unbreakable, until he decided to sever the attachment. Was this how it would end? Was his game finally coming to a close? It was what Paige wanted, to be out of his twisted game, but she was kinda hoping she'd survive it. Now, she wasn't certain.

Over his shoulder, a shape materialised. It looked like all the shadows in the area, the shade the school cast, every shadow connected to every tree or bush, came rushing to one area. The shadows pulled together to create a single form. A body. Like last time, there were no features. Nothing distinguishable.

Her eyes widened as the shadow – the reaper – glided forward.

Aaron's face tilted to the side, his eyes landed on the shadow behind him. His eyes seemed to convey a message. A signal passed between the creator and his creation. "You see him, don't you?" Aaron turned back towards Paige, his fingers slithering away from her face and down her neck. His eyes only turned angry when Paige remained motionless. "Answer me!"

Paige whimpered, her eyes squeezing shut. She could feel the power behind his words. She could feel the darkness from the reaper. She didn't know what she feared more. The monster who currently had his fingers wrapped around her throat, or the thing that created him.

Her reaction was enough of an answer. "Interesting," he muttered, his fingers loosening slightly. "He's curious about you, you know? No one's ever seen him before. Apart from me, of course. But you're different, aren't you, Paige? I don't think even you realise how special you are." Paige didn't know what startled her more, his comments or the fact that he used her actual name. No nickname this time.

Paige forced her eyes to open. She almost wished she hadn't. Aaron was no longer fooling around. He wasn't hiding from her anymore. Instead of meeting his dark, black eyes, she could almost see herself reflected in his cold, almost white eyes.

Paige craned her head to the side. "Let me go."

"Not yet," he murmured. Using strength and speed that was well beyond a werewolf's capabilities, he had her pinned against the building. His fingers tightened around her throat. "You should have seen this coming, Little Witch. After your stunt in History. You're lucky I didn't kill you then."

Paige's fingers scrapped against the wall. She could feel a pain spreading in her back and hoped he didn't do any real damage when he thrusted her against the wall. But then again, he hadn't knocked her unconscious, like he had with Lucas. She was still fairly lucky.

"If you did," she said through gritted teeth. "The whole class would have seen you." She had been going for courageous, but she sounded more timid and hesitant than anything else.

He considered her words. "True," he acknowledged. "So, I'd kill them too. No real loss, if you ask me."

He leaned forward then, his face buried in the curve of her neck. He inhaled loudly, then exhaled as if he found her scent intoxicating, arousing. His body pressed up against hers, his knee slithering in between her two thighs. Paige felt her body tremble beneath his hold, she tried to tell her muscles to stop quivering, but nothing she did work. She didn't know if she was aroused or scared.

Aaron was definitely aroused.

She felt the hold around her pipes tightening and knew that Aaron was contemplating whether to kill her or not. It was then, trapped between the building and Aaron's body, that she finally understood the gravity of the situation.

Aaron wanted her, but he also wanted to hurt her.

It was kind of like herself. She wanted him, but she was also scared of him.

Paige didn't want to wait around to see what his decision would be. Her mouth flopped open but no sound came out. No matter how much she wanted to call out, scream for help, it didn't matter. It felt as if Aaron's hold around her neck was cutting off her sound.

But there was something, she realised, that he would never be able to stop.

Her fingers tightened into fists as she summoned her magic. Her magic responded instantly, fierce and hot as it moved through her body, looking for an outlet, a target.

Aaron's eyes narrowed as he realised what she was doing. "Go ahead," he mocked. "I can handle anything you throw at me."

Paige's fingers only tightened, her nails burying so deep into her flesh it hurt. Aaron expected magic to be used on him, injure him again, like she did in the past. But this time, Paige had no intention of doing such a thing.

Instead, she sent a wave, a powerful blast of magical energy outwards. It glided off Aaron like he wasn't even there. No matter. He wasn't the target, anyway. Aaron seemed to realise that too late.

There were a dozen windows lined this side of the school. Some, she knew looked into classrooms. Others lined the halls beside lockers. As her magic vibrated through the air, every window shattered. It sounded almost like a bomb going off. An explosion.

Aaron flinched as he was pelted with shards of glass. Aaron towered over her and from this position, he blocked most of the onslaught, but she still felt her skin being shredded open. She didn't even want to think about what was happening to Lucas a few feet away. If Aaron's earlier attack hadn't killed him, this might do the trick.

His hold on her instinctively tightened. He was threatened, and instinct was telling him to eliminate the threat. But before he could do anything, his head jerked upwards to the wall of broken glass. Almost as quickly as he had reached for her, his hold vanished, leaving only pain in its place.

Paige expected him to leer nearby. Taunt her some more. Instead, he almost seemed to vanish, moving too fast for her to keep track with. Maybe she had actually scared him off for once. Maybe she even hurt him.

"Paige Davis!"

Paige realised with a fright that Aaron wasn't running from her. He still wanted to maintain his guise, his masquerade as a typical teenage boy. He couldn't do that if he was caught by Mr. Mendes, who was currently slanting out through one of the broken windows.