The Nephelim
Chapter 10
animus and Staine

S�up people?

Yeah, that isn�t a typo or a repost. It does say �10� and yes, this is actually a whole new fucking chapter! Written mostly in the space the last one took to get edited, too, and the extra lag was just because the last couple of scenes required a little more effort to get them just where we wanted em. Okay, admittedly, it contains cast-offs that were supposed to go in the last chapter, but were deemed �too stupid� at the time, but what the hell. The words needed a home. It�s a little shorter than usual too, but we�re probably hard at work (read: un-frigging-likely!) on the next chapter as you read this, and on the bright side, it�s getting posted without the usual four month delay between updates.

Also, this was easily the most fun of the Nephelim chapters to write. The last chapter was there for the sake of the general plotline, story continuity, character development, blah blah blah� this one is here because it amused us. So much so we even wrote ourselves in for cheesy cameos, took events, and people from our pasts, suitably blew proportions to hell, and threw them into the mix as well. There�s also some minor background trivia and plotty stuff thrown in to bolster the word count, if anybody actually cares.

In no particular order, some vague notes on the glossary: the Endeavour Foundation (or �Group� or �Association�) deals with getting handicapped people (some of them mentally handicapped) jobs. �Endeavour Reject� is a term used to describe people too fucking stupid to legally qualify as retarded. Yes, I know it isn�t an especially nice thing to say, but the term is MEANT to be offensive, which is why we use it. �St Vinnies� refers to the St Vincent de Paul charity that collects second-hand items for Thrift shops. Also, I don�t know if Americans even use this thing, but a Hill�s Hoist is a dubious clothes drying device that has a crank handle which is used to get your clothes approximately one foot closer to the sun, and just out of reach when it rains and you need to get them down in a hurry. A �Byron baby� refers to someone who was raised in Byron Bay, the new-age hippy capital of Australia.

Thanks to Black Rose for taking on the mammoth task of editing this chapter.�You�re worth every cent it�ll cost us to mail your bribe all the way to the states.

Special thanks to pharmaceutical-grade cups of Mocha Kenya Instant (Staine), Vittoria Roast (animus), ye ol� faithful, XXXX Bitter (both of us), and of course, Benson and Hedges Special Filters (Staine), and Peter Jacksons (animus)... the lifeblood of our dubious creativity.

-animus and Staine

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[email protected]

Act X

�Damn, but it�s cold.� Alec mumbled to no one in particular.

He glanced at his watch, and then at the empty parking lot, for the eighth time in the last ten minutes. He had gotten off at Nambour station, as per Marc�s instructions, and was now supposed to sit tight until they came to pick him up. From the background noise when he�d called his mate for further directions, Alec got the distinct impression the party had already started, and he hoped they hadn�t forgotten about him in the time it took to walk down the stairs.

He was about to call Marc again when the sound of a car engine caught his attention, and then did its level best to deafen him. The sleek, gun-metal coloured monstrosity that apparently passed for a motor vehicle finally came to a stop in from of him after circling the car park twice and dropping a tyre-squealing doughnut just before the turn in. Alec normally didn�t have much time for cars, but even he had to admit, this one looked impressive. It was a 2-door Sport Coupe, complete with bonnet scoops, projector headlights and a sleek ground-hugging sport body kit.

�Get in,� Marc called from the passenger seat.

�This thing even street legal?� Alec asked as Marc hopped out to drop the front seat.

�Metho?�

�HA!� the driver, a youngish looking man of indeterminate racial heritage, grinned. �5.7litre, 3^rd Generation V8 knocking out 260 Kay Double U? It�s a fucking weapon!�

�Metho, Alec. Alec, Metho,� Marc waved as he got back into the car. �Nick�s flattie, and pothead partner in crime.�

�Metho?� Alec raised an eyebrow while offered his hand.

�Name�s Murrey, only dopey midget crackers call me �Metho.�� Murrey shot Marc an evil glare, shook Alec�s hand, and then put his foot down on the accelerator. �Hang onto your arses boys, there�s a party beckoning!� The Monaro surged forward into the sleepy streets of Nambour.

�I take it the party�s already started?� Alec asked, poking his head between the seats.

Marc�s fire hazard breath was enough of an answer, but he elected to clarify the issue anyway, at the top of his voice just to be heard over the roar of the engine and the car stereo. �Fuck yeah! They�d already started when I got there, at TWO in the frigging afternoon!�

��Bloody hell. So, how far is Nick�s place?�

�Couple of minutes, max,� Marc answered, �We just took ages because there was some drama downstairs that Murrey needed to deal with� shite, here we are!�

From the road there was little to separate the house from its respectable neighbours.

At least if one was deaf. Even with the windows rolled up, and Judas Priest blasting through Murrey�s paired 500w subs, they could still hear the guttural roar of Rammstein�s Asche Zu Asche issuing from the house as Murrey sent the Monaro wildly power sliding into the driveway and smashing the mailbox into the neighbour�s front yard.

�Gents, we have arrived,� Murrey declared grandly.

�Dude, you realise you broke the mailbox, right?� asked Marc.

�Eh?�

�The� never mind. Lead on, Macduff.�

It was the weirdest, most fucked up amalgamation of humanity Alec had ever seen. The fashion included everything from leather-and-lace-clad Goths to clock-wearing wiggas.� He watched �as a handful of dread-heads passed around an intricately carved bong, and a couple of very pretty blondes made out in a corner while a group of large Polynesians enthusiastically cheered them on. Every available horizontal space had a person, some form of mind-altering substance, or the after-effects of the latter, sat down, passed out, or strewn across it. Most had various combinations of all three. Here and there, amongst the chaos, were some normally dressed people, but they were a decided minority. Between the overindulgence of alcohol, drugs, and dubious fashion tastes, they had clearly stepped into a �Flog the Stereotype� party from hell.

Murrey stepped over some sort of humanoid - sex indecipherable - lying in a dubious pool of liquid at the base of the stairs and beckoned them onwards. Tepidly, Alec waved Marc forward, and then followed at what he hoped was a safe distance.

�Yo, Metho!� a thin, obviously drunk guy with a blue Mohawk and a half empty bottle of Beam yelled as they crested the stairs. �Where�s the-�

Murrey turned, punched the guy full in the gob and, displaying an amazing amount of dexterity, snatched the whiskey bottle before it hit the ground. �Damnit, Nick! What the fuck is Michael bloody Fiedler doing here? If I�ve told you once, I told you a billion goddamned times that the moron is NOT to be allowed within knuckle range! And I�ve got the frigging court order here in my wallet to prove it!�

�Fiedler?!?�

Alec turned to see a short, stocky individual with a full goatee and a cigar-sized joint jutting from the corner of his mouth look up from a black leather recliner where he had been in the process of rolling more �super size me� blunts.

�And on top of merely being present, he�s been helping himself to your booze.� Murrey took a hefty slug from the bottle, draining at least half of what had been left in a single heroic swallow before holding it up as proof of Michael�s sins. �Now what the fuck are we going to do about that?� he challenged.

�That filthy fucking feral cunt rag!� Nick�s face contorted in supreme displeasure. Turning to a nearby mate, he said, �Jacko, be a mate, get Sissy out of the fridge and get my nail-gun! We�re going to play pin the tail on the arsehole!�

�Sissy?� Marc asked.

�The neighbour�s tabby,� answered Murrey. �Nick hates cats with a passion, and he�s allergic to cat fur, so the other day when it came over, they caught it, chucked it in a sack, and dumped it in the freezer. Every couple of hours or so, they bring it out, blow bong smoke at it, and hit it with a stick to thaw it out.� He sighed dramatically. �The things some people do for kicks��

Alec shook his head, unsure whether he was supposed to laugh, wince, or just hit someone.

�Marco! Fuckface! Back so soon, you pale-arsed pecker-head?� Nick yelled, catching sight of his cousin.

�Yah, you limp-dicked, goat-fucking spazzo!� Marc shot back, stepping out of the way as Jacko returned with a large Black & Decker nail-gun in one hand, and a hissing sack in the other. Handing the cat to Murrey they headed downstairs, dragging Fielder by his ankles. The dull �thoks� that coincided with the back of Michael�s head hitting each step did make Alec wince. By all appearances neither Marc nor his cousin could have cared less.

�Grab a beer,� Nick offered, indicating the bar fridge on the floor beside the banister.

Alec glanced around at what he took to be the living room and noticed at least four more fridges strategically placed in other dubiously accessible locations. Apparently, a cold drink was never more than three feet away from anybody. Without needing to be told twice, he and Marc quickly did as instructed.

�You two!� Nick shouted at a half-naked couple busy necking on the couch. �Get a fucking room! It�s over there, second door from the left!� As the pair moved off, Nick nodded at the now available space. �Help yourselves, gents, and worry not, my luuurrve suite has three built-in cameras, one of them is even night-visioned, so we get to watch the green-eyed vampire replay later�� He turned his attention to the vanishing couple. �So you two fucking lovebirds better make it worth my viewing pleasure!�

Plonking himself down on the couch, the next thing Alec noticed was another decidedly oddball couple in the chair next to Nick�s.

The guy in the chair would probably reach five-eleven if he was standing up, plus the height of his ridiculously large boots. As if to make up for the skin-deep razor job on his skull, his goatee was nearly a foot long and braided into one long, hairy rope. About as Goth as they come, his open shirt displayed a scary array of tattoos and a pierced nipple. His blue shades were perched on the end of his nose, revealing pupils that were wide and stoned.� His creepy grey eyes were arrowed in concentration. He looked only marginally less insane than the girl on his knee, with blonde roots showing through her charcoal dye job. Clad almost entirely in black leather, she wore fluffy white cat�s ears atop her head that poked out through the midnight mass, and a labret piercing that stuck out like a small blade. Her bare arms showed an impressive array of tatts at least equal to her boyfriend�s, and her eyes were similarly glazed. The smile on her face was borderline psychotic as she reached under his shirt to yank at his piercing, earning her a hard yank on her hair and a resounding open-palmed slap across the cheek. She gasped and glared into his eyes with an almost scary intensity, her chest heaving.

�What the fuck?� Alec screamed to be heard over the music.

�Eh, oh, you mean them?� Nick waved a careless hand in the pair's general direction. �Don't worry �bout them. Lori�s a whack-job submissive... likes pain. Andrew�s the opposite... likes dealing it out. Basically, she hurts him, he gets annoyed, hurts her back. They get along great in between hospital visits.�

�Match made in heaven�� commented Alec dryly.

Nick shrugged, �He doesn't mind sharing if either of you want a try. I might recommend the Hershey Highway, though should either of you choose to take that course, a word from the wise - she�ll be very upset if you decide to go all gentle and use lube.�

Marc and Alec glanced at each other, blanched, and in unison resolutely declared: �No fucking way!�

�Ha!� Nick guffawed. �Don't blame you. I lasted all of five minutes, if that. Bitch likes it rough. Real rough! I reckon Andrew staggers off with a mangled cock every night. He seems to heal up nearly as fast as she does, though. Odd��

�Where the hell do you find these loonies?� asked Marc.

�Here and there,� Nick replied. �Andy, I went to school with; the psycho bint, he found on the �net. Still, they�re amusing enough. At least until the fucking demented screaming forces the neighbours to call the cops again. I had to sound proof the downstairs bedroom just so they�d have somewhere to play.� He paused to glance at his watch as a loud bang and a bloodcurdling scream resounded from the backyard. �Come to think of it, I�m surprised the cops aren�t here already.�

�What the fuck are they on?� Alec wondered aloud.

�Baldy will take anything that doesn't require a needle, except weed, for some reason. The girl is high on life. And pain. And sex.� Nick cocked his head to the side and grinned. �But mostly pain.�

�Fucking loons! Anyway, I�m starved. What's edible?� Marc asked eagerly.

�Got some microwave burritos, microwave pizza, microwave burgers, and microwave hot pockets,� Nick answered. �If it�s edible in Chernobyl, it�s in the fridge. Just look for the room with the white goods gathering dust.�

�Do you even HAVE an oven?� Marc asked.

�Shit yeah, but that's for drying the weed,� his cousin said seriously.

�Oh, Christ.� Alec buried his face into his hands. It was going to be a long night�

�Jen, I�m just popping over to the shops for the mid-week restock. Want anything?�

�Yeah,� Jenni muttered under her breath, �take that creep of a boyfriend with you, and stuff him in a Saint Vinnies bin. Hmph, no, on second thought, I doubt even the charities want the retard.� In a louder voice she said, �Nah, I�m good, but I could do with a pack of Griffs. Full-strength this time, please.�

�Full-strength?� Her mother�s head appeared at her doorway, �I thought you were cutting back to eight-milligram?�

Jenni shrugged. �Fine. Eights, then. See you in a couple.�

�You got anything planned for today?� her mother asked.

�Nope, not really. Might just watch some telly and pig out. Why?�

�Oh, it�s just that Sean and a couple of his mates are coming over for dinner and-�

�Mother! You DIDN�T!!!�

�Jennifer! Don�t you take that tone with me! This is still my house and Sean is my boyfriend! Now why are you being such a wet blanket about him coming over? I�m not asking you to be best mates, but why can�t you guys just get along? Christ, it�s not like he�s an axe murderer or a paedophile or anything.�

Jenni snorted. She wasn�t about to tell her mother about Sean hitting on her, because� well, just because, and she doubted her mother would believe her anyway. They weren�t what anyone would call close, both just basically tolerating each other to live in the same house. For the umpteenth time Jenni wished she�d got her father, and Douglas got her mother. Unfortunately, when her parents had divorced some ten odd years ago, the judge had come to the conclusion a son was better raised by his father and a daughter by her mother. She didn�t especially miss her father or brother, or having anything to do with either anyway, but living with them was bound to be better than living in bloody Sydney with Kath and - in all likeliness, Sean - for the immediate future.

�Whatever. Look, as long as he stays far the fuck away from me, we�ll get along just dandy.�

Kathryn Tynen sighed. �Not quite what I was hoping for, but I guess it�ll have to do for now.�

�Uh-huh.�

�Anyway, I�m off, see you in a bit.�

�Eh,� Marc mumbled, rubbing bloodshot eyes as he staggered out onto the deck and flopped into a deck chair by the pool.

�Eh, yourself,� Alec returned, glancing at his watch. It was pushing three in the afternoon. About time his friend finally got out of bed. In all fairness, though, they had gotten very, very drunk the night before, so the late start was understandable. �How�s your head?�

Marc groaned. �Sixteen beers, four tequila shots, a king-sized joint, and one absolutely putrid fucker of a cocktail some ditsy bitch made me, whaddaya think?�

Alec laughed. He�d had the barest sip of the aforementioned �cocktail� (a vile mix of several liquors, spirits, beer, cordial-flavoured girlie drinks, and god knows what else) and almost heaved on the spot. Marc had upended the glass, draining it in a single long gulp, then sat there wide-eyed and absolutely still for a minute, before dashing off towards the kitchen. Even over the music, Alec could hear him violently throwing up� in between loud promises to grudge-fuck �that ditzy bitch� something chronic.

�Some party, huh?�

�Damn straight!� Marc grinned in spite of his obvious hangover. �And just think, we�re still got two more nights!�

�You�re shitting me! You mean there�s another one tonight?�

�Not as big as last night�s one, but yeah, there�s another on for tonight. This�ll probably go on for a couple more nights and then slowly fizzle off around the time people start checking into hospital for alcohol poisoning.� He grinned. �As you might have noticed, a lot of the guys that show up here aren�t especially loaded with an abundance of working brain cells.�

�Hey! Fuck you, cracker!� Nick called as he stepped out onto the pool deck with Murrey in tow. �Don�t you be dissin� my Endeavour-reject mates. I�m the only one that gets to spin shit about them!�

�Yeah, yeah.� Marc waved imperiously. �Now be a proper host and go make me a coffee. Black, three sugars, preferably lukewarm.�

�Get fucked!� Nick shot back. �Make your own damn coffee, butt plug.�

�Coffee�s for sad little virgins not yet past their first confessional,� Murrey added, sliding a frosty six-pack across the table (that he pulled from his handy-dandy subspace pocket). �This is the best cure for a hangover.�

Marc�s comeback died on his lips as a blonde girl let herself in from the side gate and passed by the deck on her way to the back door. She looked to be about the same age as their hosts, early twenties or so, and was dressed in a simple black tee with �Bitch� blazoned in white across her very ample chest and a pair of Adidas track pants. Holding a grocery bag in one hand, and a six-pack of vodka Cruisers in the other, she made straight for the door, without even a token greeting. �Who the fuck is that slice of heaven?� he whispered in awe.

�Hey, Deb,� Nick called out cheerfully.

The blonde spared him a glance, grunted something under her breath, and kept walking.

�Fuck you too, Deb,� Nick called out just as cheerfully.

�Crabby bitch,� Murrey muttered, producing a baggie and a pack of rolling paper.

�That time of the month?� Marc ventured, causing his cousin to laugh.

�Debbie? Ha! For that miserable sack of angst, every day is that time of the month. The bitch has the people skills of a half-starved rabid werewolf.�

Alec stared at their host, but if Nick�s expression was anything to go on, he was just spinning shit. Shrugging, he reached for a beer. A minute or so later, Deb reappeared, minus the bags, but with a laundry hamper tucked under one arm. They watched her get some clothes off the Hill�s Hoist, each silently toying with his own sick little fantasy. Predictably, Nick was the first to break the silence, and predictably, he was an arsehole about it.

�Deb, if you�re going to hang out the laundry, could you at least bend down from the hip, knees locked and feet spaced at least a foot apart� oh, and maybe invest in some more attractive apparel?�

He got an angry, death-dealing stare for his efforts.

Taking a sip of his drink, Alec wondered if Debbie had ever cracked a smile in her life. He had no doubt that she�d be very pretty if she�d just stop being so damned rude. As things were, she was pretty anyway, but in a cold sort of way. Her mouth was full, but a bit small in her round face, with dirty blonde hair in a feathered cut finishing a little below her shoulders. Stormy grey eyes, seemingly stuck in a perpetually annoyed squint, fit in well with what he could discern of her personality: constantly evasive, short, and downright bitchy. Below her neckline things got decidedly more interesting - tits don't need to smile to look good, and hers looked very good indeed.

�So why the hell does everyone give that blonde chick shit?� Marc asked, helping himself to a cigarette from Alec�s pack.

Murrey glanced up from his weed rolling, �Who, Deb? That's easy, dude. She ain�t the sharpest knife in the drawer, and she's too fucking morbid to really blast anyone, and everyone wants to fuck her anyway, so anything to get her attention...�

Taking the hint, Nick yelled. �Hey Debbie! You in for a meaningful overnight relationship?�

�Oh, fuck off!� Debbie snarled in his general direction, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder as she stalked past with the now filled laundry hamper.

Marc raised an amused eyebrow. �That�s it? Just �fuck off?� No slap, no screeching, no feminist �my body was not put on this earth for your viewing pleasure, arsehole!� bullshit?�

Debbie didn't bother responding.

Grabbing his beer off the table, Alec stood up and made a show of not looking in the angry girl�s direction. Marc and Nick noticed immediately.

�Got a thing for lost causes?� Nick asked with a grin.

�Oh, fuck off!� Alec snarled in his general direction.

�Ha!� Nick roared, giving Alec a bone-jarring slap on the shoulder. �You'll fit in here just fine.� He turned in time to get one more in before the blonde made it to the stairs. �Hey Debbie! Show Alec your pink bits!�

Alec rolled his eyes. �Thanks. Now where�s the nearest dunny?�

�Up the stairs, right at the end of the hall. Debbie's room, on the other hand, is the second door on the right.� Nick winked. �Go stake your claim, piss on her carpet.�

�She lives here, too?� Marc wondered aloud.

�On and off,� Nick shrugged. �Four rooms upstairs, three downstairs, two in the basement. Got to fill them with something, may as well be anti-social little bitches with big tits.�

He stood between the planes of existence, his consciousness and senses in the physical, his body in the aether, as he watched the boys cracking jokes.

Not of the first time, Menthayel wondered what attracted his son to what he saw as the biggest bunch of underachieving losers on the planet. Here were people that seemed to go out of their way to remain mediocre. That Andrew character and his demented girlfriend were baffling in their own completely separate category, but his son�s friend Marc, and the host of this particular den of debauchery, Nick, were hardly what anyone could call good role models. Still, Aleck seemed to take some sort of pleasure in their dubious company, and they weren�t actively detrimental to his general well-being, so the issue was of little concern. At least not enough to force him to do something about it.

Looking over his son, Menthayel felt nothing but pride. While he couldn�t slip into the boy�s head anymore, he could still detect heightened emotional states and the like, and had witnessed the brush with the lycanthropes the night before. The presence of the vampire, part Revenant, part Physical, was somewhat disturbing, but a matter for another time. Until she did something to incur his wrath, he would let her be. That she had actively aided his son in battle also sat well with him. If nothing else, the fight had been an important milestone in Aleck�s development. The first victory against the others.

His observations were interrupted by a faint tugging at the back of his mind. His Sigurdians required his attention. In all likeliness, it was simply Liam with another report of Blaise�s activities. Damn that infernal woman! He sighed, and cast one long last look at his son. Surviving against the lupines was impressive, but Blaise was much more than fang and claw.

Would his son be up to that challenge?

�Dude, she�s outside by the pool.�

Alec glanced at Marc, trying, and promptly failing, to look confused. �Who?�

�Mate, do not attempt to bullshit a bullshitter. Debbie, you moron. She�s out by the pool.�

�And I�d care why?�

�Because you, dear boy, just like every other knob here, want a piece of that lush, big-tittied bint. Unfortunately, you, unlike everybody here, actually entertain the delusion you might get some. If you haven�t already noticed, the bitch is evil. She does not like the cock, and actively hates everything attached to the cock.�

�She�s a dyke?�

�I didn�t say that, I just said she doesn�t like the cock,� Marc turned and motioned his cousin over. �Nick, what�s the go with Debbie? I mean, the bitch doesn�t put out, and you don�t charge rent. What the fuck�s the go?�

Nick, high on life, drugs, and most likely more stuff, giggled. �Because, ol� buddy, ol� pal, ol� chappy wappy hairy sacky, she makes for nice scenery. And I got a crush on a pretty pistol� and get to bounce my �come fuck me, but� gently�� lines off someone significantly more attractive than Murrey-face over there.�

Marc winced. �Dude, I swear you need to lay off the drugs.�

�Wot?� Nick frowned moronically. �Poshy woshy! Blunts, grunts and stunts with cunts!� his frown lines deepened in thought. �Or is that blunts, stunts and grunting cunts? I forget.�

�Go away,� Marc ordered.

Alec shook his head and decided it was time to relocate. Their host, whilst friendly and more than generous with his plethora of mind-killing substances, could be a complete and utter moron at times. Like now. Especially, now.

A fresh drink in hand, he nonchalantly meandered through the small groups of party-goers - there were only slightly more than two dozen tonight - and made his way outside to the pool. Debbie stood alone, leaning against the pool safety rail, a cruiser in one hand and one of Nick�s oversized blunts in the other. A devious grin slid onto his face as he noted again that the blunt wasn�t the only oversized thing the girl was packing. Her white mid-riff singlet, worn under a black wide mesh fishnet blouse, fairly screamed �I�ve got tits, and they�re big, and you�re a fucking perv!�

�Care for some company?�

She looked up, obviously irritated. �Pfft. If I wanted company, I�d be in there. Piss off.�

Nick chose that very moment to appear at Alec�s elbow, saving him the effort of a suitable comeback. �Eh? Still after Debbie�s goodies huh?� he commiserated, throwing an arm over Alec�s shoulders. �Dude, words from the old, wise stoner: find someone not born with a telegraph pole grafted up her colon.�

�Fuck you,� Debbie hissed, throwing him her best �fuck you� glare.

Nick was either too stoned to care or had just grown immune to her testicle-withering glares. In all likeliness, both. �Silence, wench!� he commanded, focusing his glazed eyes on Alec. �Not only is this comely specimen of female anal-ness a charming and witty lass, but the bint�s about as frigid as an esky. Oh, and speaking of anal, Andrew�s passed out somewhere, and Lori�s after a cheap, no-strings-attached, rough, bareback coyote fuck via the backdoor. The guys are drawing straws to see who goes first and who gets to mop the slop. You in?�

Alec made a face. �I�ll pass.�

�Hmmm, clever boy. I�m pretty sure the bitch has had her shots this week, but she likes to bite, scratch, and basically make what�s usually fun into some sadistic, fucked up pain marathon. Decidedly unfunky.� He sighed dramatically. �So, what to do? Make with the psycho bitch, or try - and fail - with the frigid bitch that pointedly does NOT put out? Woo, that�s a toughie��

�Frigid, huh?� Debbie spat contemptuously. �Shows what you know, dickweed.� She grabbed Alec by a sleeve, and started walking back to the house. Bewildered, Alec shot a questioning glance at a similarly confused Nick as he allowed himself to be led inside past the other revellers, up the stairs, and into what he assumed was Debbie�s room.

�Uh, what?�

Debbie glared at him as she kicked off her boots and reached for the buttons of her bell-bottoms. Then she was stepping out of them, and a moment later, a pair of white briefs joined them in a heap by her feet.

�Well?� she demanded impatiently.

�Uh��

�Christ! Look, you wanna fuck me or not? Because if you�re a poof or broke your dick or whatever, quit wasting my time and get the hell out of my room!�

Alec stared at her, so utterly baffled he didn�t even think to get inside her head. Damn, but this is one seriously fucked up cookie, he thought, but the fucked up cookie�s got no pants. Admittedly, she lacked the classical hourglass figure, being rather narrow hipped, but she had good legs, and that no pants issue was really making an impression on the principal organ of male thought.

�Well?� Debbie glared.

The thought of just undressing while she stood there, unhelpfully glaring at him like he was the sole source of all the world�s wrongs was definitely not a comfortable one, but he was damned if he was just going to walk out of here whilst she was naked from the waist down. That would be just� wrong.

Nervously, he closed the distance between them, uncomfortably aware of the fact he was blushing and doubtlessly looked like a frigging virgin. With Nadine he stood on mutual ground, and she was very comfortable to be around. With Elaine he called all the shots, and with any other random chick he wanted he simply tampered until he was in complete control. But he�d never met anyone like Debbie before. She wasn�t under some mind spell - unless a blunt and a couple of leg-spreaders counted - and she certainly didn�t rate as comfortable. There had been absolutely no build-up, no flirting, hell, no real talking, even. Still, she was willing, if grudgingly, but from all he�d seen, that was just Debbie being Debbie. About as bloody charming as a Mako shark... a sexy Mako shark, with big tits, and no pants, but at the end of the day, just as cold-blooded and bad-tempered.

She was a good six inches shorter than he was, so when they were close enough, he gently lifted her chin to kiss her but was stopped inches short of her lips by a clearly unimpressed scowl. �What the fuck are you doing?�

�Uh, trying to kiss you?� It had seemed like the right thing to do, because there was a generally accepted ordering of things, but as he said the words Alec was struck by how ridiculous they sounded.

�Kiss me, huh? Does this look like some sort of bullshit romance novel to you? I�m not your frigging sweetheart! Quit fucking about with that soppy crap and get with the programme, retard! Desperate Housewives is on in half an hour!�

Alec grunted, moved past her and sat on the edge of her bed. �Do you actually go out of your way to be such a fucking bitch, or does that come naturally?�

�Arsehole,� she grumbled.

�Okay, uh, why me? There are easily a dozen guys downstairs who�d happily slit my throat to be up here with you; why�d you pick me?�

�Oh, for fuck�s sake! What�s with the twenty questions?�

�Maybe I�m just trying to get a grip on whatever weird fucking twilight world I stepped into?� Alec shot back. The bitch was really starting to irritate him. Not nearly enough to just walk out without getting some, but more than enough for him to ditch the nice guy routine and just match her bitchiness with arseholism.

She snorted. �Well, let me tell you what; if you aren�t in the mood, then just fuck off!�

�Ha! The mood! I like that!�

She flopped onto the bed next to him, rolling onto her back as she tucked her hands behind her head. �Shut the door on your way out.�

�Sure,� Alec grinned. The hem of her singlet had slid up slightly and the black mesh of her blouse made a nice contrast against the smooth dusky skin of her belly. As a matter of course his eyes trailed lower until they stopped, utterly fixated on her pubes, only marginally darker than the hair on her head. He kicked off his jeans. �I�ve got what, about half an hour right?�

�Twenty-five minutes,� she corrected, with all the interest of a bored receptionist.

�That�ll do. A natural blonde, huh?�

�Moron,� she grumbled as he pushed her legs apart and slid in between them.

Alec laughed, and, seeing as she obviously wasn�t going to help, took the initiative and lined himself up against her. She was right. She wasn�t his girlfriend, wasn�t someone he particularly cared about, and aside from indifferently offering a free root, hadn�t even been nice. Fuck her! Literally.

�Ow! Fuck! You arsehole!� Debbie yelped as he went balls deep in a single unfriendly lunge. �That frigging hurt!�

�Well, I was going to invest in a little foreplay,� Alec offered, �but I recall a crash and burn on that account��

Debbie hovered on the edge of a smirk for almost a full half-second, then glared at him. �Point taken,� she conceded, looking annoyed. �Very deeply. Now be a bit more careful... shithead!�

�Sure,� Alec smiled, and then proceeded to do exactly the opposite. Debbie didn�t really protest. She continued to glare at him, but by now he had come to the conclusion the glare was more or less a permanent expression and he paid it no mind. In fact, she didn�t really do much of anything, seemingly content to lie there, occasionally grunting and deepening her scowl lines to coincide with an especially hard thrust. She barely even reacted when he slipped a hand under her singlet to get a better feel of those magnificent tits. A little disappointed, ego-wise, that he wasn�t coaxing more enthusiasm out of her, Alec went for broke. The no-holds-barred, all-out grudge fuck. He doubted she was going to give him another go, so it made sense to max this one out.

To his surprise, it was the roughness that finally made Debbie get with the programme.

She locked her wrists around his neck, threw her head back, and began to work her hips with the same fervour. She still had no interest in kissing, even turning her head to the side when he tried, but now it was clear she really getting into it. Alec kept up the furious pace until the pitch of her moaning indicated she was close, and then pulled out. Debbie�s eyes snapped open, glazed and furious, but he didn�t care. Getting off her bed, he pulled her to her feet, and reached down to pull her left leg up. She still didn�t look especially thrilled, but she got the picture and hooked her arms around his neck again. She kicked off her right leg, raising it high enough for Alec to get his other arm under her knee, and once she was satisfied he could handle carrying her, leaned forward slightly, and guided him back in. Alec backed her into the nearest wall and happily returned to grudge fuck mode.

They were both sweating now and Debbie had become quite talkative. Mostly hissing �yes�, and �god�, and some good old unintelligible moaning, but compared to her usual manner, it was still a major improvement. Another couple of minutes was all it took. She gritted her teeth, pulled his hair and stared at him with an intensity that was almost frightening. Her body tightened, held that way for a couple of moments, and then she shuddered deliciously before going completely limp in his arms.

He carried her back to bed, laying her down gently before getting on top of her again. Eyes still tightly shut, she shook her head weakly as she felt him pushing into her again. Alec took no notice, but he slowed down a little, giving her a chance to catch her breath. As the pressure built up to critical, Debbie did the last thing he expected. Her eyes still closed, she pulled his head down and kissed him. And held the kiss as he flooded her insides.

Breaking the very intense kiss to get some much needed oxygen, Alec grinned as he looked down at her. Damn, he breathless admitted to himself, now that was root and then some!

�Okay, we're done here,� Debbie said dully, thrusting her hips up at him to force some movement. �Get off me.�

He rolled off of her, looking uncertain as he pulled on his pants. �Are you-�

�Oh, stop being such a fucking boy scout about it. We fucked. You came, I came, it was good. Now get out. I need to take a shower.�

�Oh, uh... sure.� The next thing he knew he was being pushed out the door by a semi-nude Debbie.

�Wait a sec�,� he said as he reached the exit. �Can I at least have a smile?�

Debbie turned, her hair draping halfway over one shoulder, and gave him a dazzlingly beautiful smile that lit up her face and was more than capable of stopping traffic. The next moment it was replaced by her trademark scowl. �You happy? Now, fuck off. I have things to do.�

Any further talk was cut off as she slammed the door in his face. From behind it, he vaguely heard her mutter, �Men. You let them fuck you, and the next thing you know they wanna get chummy and start a goddamn family��

Shaking his head, Alec zipped up his pants and walked off, unable to wipe the grin from his face.

�Well if it isn�t Wonder Woman herself!�

�Hey Marty,� Jenni grinned. �S�up?�

�Same old,� said Martine. �Josh�s just doing inventory in the back, the second he gets back here, we�re gone.�

�I see they fixed the cigarette rack.�

Martine laughed. �Yep, Old Mr. Kerry was pretty livid about having to shell out for that, but since it was an attempted robbery and all, they managed to wheedle it out of the insurance company. Got a tradie in here first thing on Monday morning to put the new one in.� She made a fist and held it up. �The cigarettes must be sold!��

�Damn right they must!� Jenni returned the salute with a grin.

�Hey Josh, I�m out,� Martine called as a teenager appeared with an armload of boxes. �Catch ya tomorrow. Same fucked up time, same fucked up place.�

�Yup, later,� Josh called back.

Popping some change into the register, Martine grabbed a bottle of Sprite out of the fridge and they made their way out of the store. �Where we headin�?� she asked, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip before offering the bottle to Jenni.

�Your place? I don�t really care. Anywhere but home I guess.�

Martine shrugged. �My place then.� She gave Jenni a searching look. �Trouble on the home front?�

�Ha! When isn�t there?�

�Worse than normal?�

�It�s called Sean.� Jenni paused to light a Griff. �Mum�s slumming again, but this is an all-time low. Now I have to put up with a skinny, undersexed freak of nature that doesn�t seem to mind hitting on me in his free time.�

Martine�s eyes narrowed angrily. �Prick! You shouldn�t have to deal with that shit,� she hissed. �Look. If you wanna crash at my place for a bit, you know you�re welcome to. I know it�s only a couch but-�

�Nah, thanks babe, but I can deal for now.� Jenni sighed loudly. �You�d think I�d be used to this shit by now. If it�s not one complete loser, it�s another. One sad rebound cock after the last.� She feigned horror, �God, I hope it�s not a genetic trait! Jen Tynen, doomed to roam the world chasing the scum of humanity for all time!�

�Poor baby,� Martine teased. �Now what�s up with your love life? Last time I checked, you haven�t done any moving and shaking since that thing with� what�s-his-face?�

�Danny?� Jenni supplied without emotion.

�Yeah, Danny. And that was, like what, almost a year ago now. What�s the dealio?�

Jenni jutted out her bottom lip and shrugged. �Men suck balls? The only guy I�ve met in months that might have been worth the effort was taken. And he was easily ten years older than me anyway.�

Martine�s eyes twinkled delightfully. �This was that Hockey trip, right? Spill!�

�No.�

�Oh c�mon! Us old maids love juicy goss! An older, married man? Spill, now!�

�Old maid my arse,� Jenni grumbled. �Okay, if you must know, his name was Logan. One of my, uh, coaches. Six foot, dirty blonde hair, chiselled like a Greek statue with the looks of a god.�

�Yummy!�

�Very yummy, but also very taken. I offered, hell, I would have followed through too, but nothing doing. He�s got a daughter in her early teens, a wife he adores and fears in equal parts. A real fucking shame too. I know he was older and all, but he was funny, and had these absolutely gorgeous hazel eyes, so fucking cute��

�So what happened?�

�I kicked his arse.�

Martine exploded into laughter. �You�re shitting me right?�

�Nope,� Jenni deadpanned. �I kicked his arse.�

�Oh my God, you�re actually serious!�

�Uh, yeah!� Jenni smiled.

�Speaking of kicking arses,� Martine fixed Jenni with a serious look, �you�ve been holding out on me. Last weekend, where the hell did you learn to do that?�

�You wouldn�t believe me if I told you.�

�Crashed and burnt, huh?� Marc smirked as Alec flopped down next to him and accepted the offered beer. �Told you it was a waste of time. I did some checking, and that bitch is just that; a bitch.�

�Yup, definitely a bitch.� Alec�s eyes twinkled as he waited for just the right moment to drop his punch line. It appeared a couple of seconds later as Marc raised his stubby to his lips, �But she does look good when she comes��

Marc spat beer all over his own lap. �What the fuck?!? Bullshit!�

�You!� Nick appeared, drunk as sin and obviously worked up about something. He thrust a finger under Alec�s nose, �I wanna know how the fuck you pulled that stunt off! Debbie doesn�t put out damnit! I know! I�ve been trying to get into that little ice queen�s knickers for almost two years now!�

Alec just grinned.

�But how?� Nick continued, �I�ve tried getting her drunk, nothing; �getting her stoned, nope. For fuck�s sake! Getting her flowers, waste of frigging money! Now� how� the fuck?�

�You mean he actually scored?� Marc gaped.

�Yeah,� Nick snapped, �now how is what I wanna know! Short of knocking her out with a big stick and just raping the bitch, which, by the way, is starting to look less and less like a bad option, I�m fucking clueless!�

�But� but he actually scored?�

�Yes, you fucking moron, he scored!� Nick growled. �They made whoopee, hid the sausage, danced the horizontal tango, plundered the pie-hole, logged the beaver, punk�d the pink panther� in other words, he fucking fucked her. Get the picture? Now shut the hell up about it!� He turned his attention back to Alec, �C�mon, I need to know!�

�Right place, right time.� Alec winked. �Also, I�m prettier than the two of you.�

�Powder puff cunt rag,� grunted Marc.

�On another note,� Alec asked, eager to change the subject, �how are you two even related?� Nick was marginally taller than Marc and somewhat wider across the shoulders, but that was about the end of the physical similarities. Where Marc sported the anti-tan, Nick was essentially a mini-Polynesian, same general appearance, but scaled down to about 5�9.

�Related?� Nick frowned quizzically. �Who the fuck said we were related? Do I look like the unholy mating of gook and cracker?�

�Then?�

�We, uh, fudged the actual family tie,� Marc admitted. �That way, it kinda looked a little better in court.�

�Fudged?� Alec frowned, �Didn�t they bother to check records or something? Hell, didn�t they just get the pair of you to stand next to each other?�

�That�s the brilliance of the current Australian legal system,� Nick laughed. �It was bullshit, and they all knew it was bullshit, but having an ethnic background that allows you to pass for anything between South American and Samoan comes in handy when explaining family ties. Anyone objects and out comes the �cultural insensitivity� and blah blah� it�s not worth the effort, and the piggies know it. We just claimed we were part of the same extended family or some shit, and apparently, it worked.�

�So what did they actually bust you for?�

Nick and Marc shared a glance and in unison said, �Long story.�

�Uh-huh, well excuse me gents, I need a refill,� said Alec, catching sight of Debbie from across the room. He wasn�t making excuses to go over to her, he was making excuses to not be around Marc or Nick when they caught sight of her. Alec had no intention of going through the whole �c�mon, tell me how?� crap again. Securing a beer, he slipped out onto the porch. It was cooler out there, and as the party was much smaller than the night before, it was also devoid of loud, drunk morons.

�What a trip,� he muttered to himself. First there was that business with the lupines and that pretty vampire - he instinctively reached into his pocket for the Bloodstone. Holding it up, he wondered about its use. The only other vampire he�d met, or almost met anyway, had intended to eat him or worse, but Chantelle had settled accounts with �that bitch. Now he had a favour in hand against the next one he might come across.

�Wonder what passes for a favour? Don�t eat me?� he laughed at his own rather weak joke.

�What�s so fucking funny?�

Startled, Alec quickly pocketed the stone and spun around to find Debbie a few feet away, scowling as per usual. �Uh, just thinking about something,� he offered.

�Yeah, right,� she snapped, glowering at him for a few more moments before turning to leave.

�Hey, Debbie��

�What?� she stopped, but didn�t turn around.

Her hair looked a little damp, so maybe she did take that shower, but she was wearing the same clothes she�d worn earlier. Her hips weren�t as narrow as he�d earlier thought, still not full, but then again, he wasn�t looking for the mother of his children so it wasn�t that much of an issue. She didn�t seem to have all that much of an arse either, but she was still very pretty in that chewing-a-lemon way of hers, and that rack was the stuff of legend. Damnit, the girl would have been such a fine catch, if she wasn�t such a fucking bitch!

�Look, I just wanted to, um, say thanks for earlier��

She turned slowly, and then took a few steps towards him. ��Thanks�? What, for fucking me?�

�Err�yeah.�

�Aw, shit. Look, do we need to go through this crap again?�

�Jeez, what crawled up your-�

�You did not see me like that, okay?� she snapped, grabbing hold of his shirt front. �The whole point of that little stunt was to get Nick back for years of being a prick.� Her eyes softened for a moment, making her infinitely prettier, �And I wanted a fuck, and admittedly, it turned out better than I expected� but that�s not the point!� The scowl returned with a vengeance. �Now you can just get that image out of your fucking head this instant mister, or I swear I will so bloody hurt you!�

�Eh?� Alec frowned, before a hint of mischief appeared in his eyes. �Oh, you mean what you looked like when you came?�

Her glare made it clear she thought he was the biggest moron on the planet. �No fucknuts, the smile. Forget the goddamn smile!�

�Home, sweet home.�

�And a far fucking sight better than my place, with its evil taint of the Sean kind.� Jenni grumbled, following Martine into the apartment. Looking around, it was easy to see Martine�s hippy roots. The couch, an old cast off she�d dug up from god knows where, had been made vaguely presentable with a large tie dye cover featuring a wobbly rendition of the �Peace� logo. The drapes were sky blue, decorated with some sort of mystic eye/plasma effect pattern on each that never failed to give her the creeps. There were candles and psychedelic wall-hangings aplenty, and a star-studded wooden storage box for incense sticks on the coffee table next to the stick holder.

Martine handed Jenni a small white ashtray and opened the incense box. �Sandalwood, jasmine or lavender?� she asked.

Martine didn�t smoke, so whenever she had Jenni over she�d mask the smell of tobacco with incense. While not a big fan of incense, Jenni didn�t especially care one way or another. It was Martine�s place, and as far as she was concerned, her host could burn whatever the hell she wanted.

�You�re obviously a Byron baby.� Jenni commented, flopping onto the couch. �Sandalwood, I guess.�

�Sandalwood it is,� Martine selected the appropriate sticks, used Jenni�s lighter to ignite them, and stuck them into the holder. �Ani, Sarah or Natalie?�

�Ani. Dilate,� if you would; I wanna hear Untouchable Face.�

The CD player was one of those old VCR-sized things that required a separate amplifier or receiver. After scouring various thrift and charity shops for weeks, Martine had eventually got her hands on an old Sony TA-4650 stereo amp for the grand price of ten whole dollars. The volume knob was a little screwy, producing a burst of static whenever it was adjusted, and the system, being too old to have a remote, was manually operated, but other than that, the setup worked fine. Now the bulky CD player, coupled with an even larger, bulkier amp, provided the basis for Martine�s stereo. The mess of plastic, chrome and wires sat upon an old packing crate covered in hippy cloth similar to the print on the couch. Rifling through the stack of CDs on the amp, Martine eventually selected one that featured a chick with blue dyed braids on the cover and popped it into the player. A few seconds later the beautiful, reflective voice of Ani DiFranco and her acoustic guitar filled the lounge.

As Martine disappeared into the kitchen for coffee, Jenni lit up a cigarette and let the music take her. There was a sad, melancholy feel to the song, and the chorus in particular matched her mood. She sang along as she waited for Martine to return:

��so fuck you, and your untouchable face,

and fuck you, for existing in the first place,

and who am I, that I should be vying for your touch,

said �who am I�, I bet you can�t even tell me that much...�

Fuck him with a big stick! she thought moodily, picturing a tall, dark-haired boy with emerald green eyes. She could see Martine�s back through the beaded curtains that separated the kitchenette from the lounge. The story was far too weird to tell, and her emotions were a jumbled mess. Damn it all! Jenni began to work up an alternate story to tell her friend. One that was close enough to the truth to appease her own need to talk to someone, but was also at least vaguely plausible. It was easy enough in theory. She could tone down the obscene training schedule, passing if off as part of hockey practice, claim Logan taught all the girls a little self-defence as a cross-training/confidence booster thing, and ad-lib the rest. She hated having to lie to the one person she actually liked, but she didn�t see much of a choice in the matter. Martine deserved better than to be fed bullshit, but what was the other option? Tell the truth? The truth was completely, utterly, and absolutely fucked up beyond all recognition. How could she talk about goddesses, and people with kinetic abilities, and a tall, dark haired boy who seemed more important to her now than the air itself? The answer was simple: she couldn�t.

It wasn�t the �right� thing to do, it was simply the �less dumb� thing to do.

And it made her feel like shit.

�Dude, you ever, y�know, sleep?�

�Morning Murrey,� Alec raised his coffee mug slightly as Nick�s roomie, clad only in bright blue boxers, shuffled into the kitchen and began rummaging around in the fridge from breakfast. Breakfast turned out to be strawberry pop tarts that would be thawed and �cooked� in the only cooking device these people believed in: the microwave. �You�re up early.�

�Eh, well.� Murrey popped his meal in the microwave, set it to nuke, and poured himself a glass of orange juice. �Today�s a big day.�

�Oh?�

�Payday,� Murrey explained. �All those parties we throw, and the rent, and food and crap, all needs to be paid for somehow.�

�I�ve been meaning to ask someone about that. Exactly how do you guys pay for it? I mean, none of you seems to hold a nine-to-five job, and unless one of you inherited this mansion, it can�t be cheap. What with you, Nick, Debbie, Andrew and that weirdo chick of his��

�It isn�t,� Murrey admitted. �But as strange as is it, Lori, Andrew�s girlfriend, actually has a job. Works in a tattoo parlour in town, so she actually does chip in a little. Not a whole lot you understand, but a token sum in exchange for us giving her and lover boy a place to play. Debbie and Andrew are basically dabbling scrubs, and Nick is one of those career students. The last time I checked, he�s been enrolled at Queensland University of Technology for going on six years now.�

Alec winced. �Six years? What the fuck is he doing?�

�Who knows?� Murrey shrugged. �Its basically free at the moment, because he�s putting it all on his Hex bill, which is probably like eighty grand by now, and he�s collecting student benefits on the side, so he kinda just does a little bit of everything. The idiot already has an Arts degree, then he got an InfoTech diploma, now, he�s just sampling the field under some sort of Open Learning Graduate thing. He�s counting on never making enough to fall within the tax bracket where he�ll have to pay his Hex bill back, and as a bonus, being on campus provides him with a constant source of new buyers.�

�What about you?�

�Oh, I do this and that. Drive a forklift or some general warehousing when I�m in the mood, anything else when I�m not.���

�So about making ends meet? I doubt your odd jobs, Nick�s allowance, and Lori�s rent keeps the lot of you out of the red.�

�Bloody oath it doesn�t!� Murrey grinned. �Between the three of us, we�ll be lucky if we can scrap together eight hundred, a week, all up. Take the rent, the utilities, and the food bill out and we�d be less than broke. It�s the pot sales keep us out of the red. That�s one of the reasons we throw these parties. We score maybe once a fortnight on average, then we throw a party, and provide token samples of what�s on offer. Lori and Andrew bring in the freaks, Nick ropes the QUT crowd, and I bring in the rest. Once everyone�s had a taste, we start taking orders. On a decent week, a ten grand take isn�t unheard of. Of course, most of it gets parcelled away, or �invested�, but what�s left over is still more than to keep us all floating.�

�And floating high,� Alec chuckled.

�Hell yeah,� Murrey grinned as the microwave beeped. �So, how long are you guys here for? Nick apparently has no clue, which isn�t really surprising, because he�s a clueless fuck at the best of times.� Murrey extracted his breakfast, then frowned, suddenly realising what his question implied, and quickly clarified. �It isn�t that we mind or anything, because honestly, after the last couple of nights, this is looking to be a damn good week indeed, but I�d prefer it if there�s at least one person in this nuthouse that knows what�s happening. Andy and Lori are out, because the house could burn down around them without either noticing; Nick�s got his own schedule, and mental plane of existence to manage, to say nothing of being a forgetful moron; and Debbie simply doesn�t give a shit.�

�No sweat, tonight�s our last one. We�ll be out of your hair tomorrow morning and we should be back in Turnam by late afternoon.�

�You guys sure? You could always crash a couple more days��

Alec laughed. �You�ve got to be shitting me! No offense mate, but we couldn�t keep this up for a couple more days. As it is, we�re both checking ourselves into AA once we�re back home.�

Murrey was still laughing when Debbie appeared, her eyes sleepy and her blonde hair badly mussed. She was still in her pyjamas, with enough buttons undone on the top half to reveal a delightful amount of cleavage and a pointed lack of brassiere.

�Morning Deb,� Alec and Murrey, eyes riveted to her chest, called out in unison.

�Eat shit.�

�No fucking way!� Alec declared as Marc returned from the bar, an evil grin on his face and a large glass of yellowish-green alcoholic muck in hand.

�C�mon dude, you just have to taste this!� insisted Marc. �It�s Barcardi, Bundy, Midori, Lemon Squash and a splash of tonic water.��

Alec raised a sceptical eyebrow. �That�s it? No cr�me de menthe? No Baileys? No DNA-laced protein matter? Wait, was it strained through Sissy�s guts?�

Marc snorted and glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the bar. �Hey Debbie, Alec hates your invention. Reckons it tastes worse than bleeding pussy!�

�Gimme that, arsehole!� Alec took a slight sip and was surprised to find the concoction wasn�t all that bad. Another sip, and his opinion rose a little further. It wasn�t as sweet as a leg spreader, and the Lemon Squash and tonic water diluted the syrupy Midori to palatable levels while also taking a little of the throat sting out of the white and dark rums.

�Watched her make that,� Marc grinned. �Gotta give that bitch some cred, she knows her ratios. It might not taste all that strong, but it�ll fuck you up something chronic in record time!�

Alec nodded approvingly. Beer was still the drink of choice, but there was no denying a decent tasting drink that promised to get one smashed very quickly still had appeal. He was about to head over to the bar and see if Debbie was in a good enough mood to show him the exact ratio when a commotion at the front door caught his attention.

Almost immediately Marc was by his side. �Fucking pigs!� he hissed.

�Shit!� Alec glanced around, the coffee table was home to two bongs, a pack of rollies and a large bowl of grass. At least three of the �guests� had lit blunts in hand, and the stench of burning pot was strong enough to be apparent to flu sufferers. If the premises were searched, and there was no reason why it wouldn�t be, Alec had no doubt the twenty odd kilos Murrey kept under lock and key would see them all riding in the back of a paddy wagon. Fuck!

�I think it�s time we booked out,� Marc whispered, edging towards the glass sliding door that led out onto the pool deck. �Murrey should be able to stall them for a couple more seconds. There�s a park over the back fence; we hop the fence and wait for this shit to blow over.�

�Some mate you are,� hissed Alec, trying to nonchalantly follow him. �What ever happened to sticking by your friends?�

�Bah, you wanna spend the night in jail, be my guest.�

They had almost made it to the door when a skinny, obviously terrified teenager flanked by a pair of blue shirts pushed their way past Murrey and into the lounge. There was a stunned silence in the room for a long, horrible moment, and then general pandemonium erupted as the blunts were quickly stubbed out and everyone made a beeline for the closest exit. Marc was reaching for the door handle when the sight of a grinning pig on the other side caused him to falter.

�Oh, fucking great,� he swore.

�Not this time fellas,� the cop grinned, pushing open the sliding door and ushering them back into the centre of the room.

Someone killed the music as Alec furiously tried to think of a way out of this mess. As far as he could see, there were only three pigs: the one that had stopped them at the back door, and the two that had come from the front. He briefly entertained the idea of slapping them all with mind wipes, but dismissed the idea as too chancy. He�d never attempted to do that with more than one person at a time, and now wasn�t the best time to start experimenting. If he could get at the three, singly, it should be a piece of cake, but it wasn�t something he was willing to risk when his intended targets had guns. The other thing that effectively put the mind wipe on hold was that there were far too many witnesses present. Assuming he could even simultaneously put all three cops in the trance required for the mind wipe, there was no way the other party goers could miss it. He really couldn�t afford to explain what he was doing to them, or get them all to stand still and purge it all from their minds either. Too many people knew his secrets already.

He could probably use an NTSH shield and just try to walk out, but that, too, would be a risk. The shield worked fine when it was used to prevent people who weren�t especially interested in him from noticing him, but it didn�t make him invisible. As these cops were obviously alert, he wasn�t about to risk it. Lacking any better notion of what to do, he decided to just sit it out for the time being. It wasn�t a pleasant course of action, but like everyone else present, it didn�t appear he had much of a say in the matter.

�Hey what the fuck happened to the tunes?� Nick called out as he skipped down the stairs, a bottle of bourbon in each hand. His merry expression died at the sight of the cops. �Oh, great. What the hell do you want?� he demanded.

The skinny teen took a step forward, and pointed at Nick. �That�s him,� he said quietly.

��That�s him�, what?� Nick frowned, his eyes moving from the cops to the teen, and back again.

One of the cops held up a half empty baggie. �Found this on him, claims he bought it off you.�

Nick handed the bourbon over to Murrey and then held out his hand expectantly. With a shrug, the cop with the baggie handed it over. Nick opened the baggie, brought it up to his face, and took a sniff, recoiling almost instantly. �Hmmph! Fucking Indonesian ditch weed, with a hint of oregano,� he spat disgustedly before turning to glare at the teenager that had dobbed him in. �Lemme guess, the little prick wants a bit of leniency, so he offered to rat me out in exchange for, what� a little community service as opposed to a couple of months in juvy?�

�That�s about it,� the cop grinned. �So we thought we�d drop by, and� I dunno, see if we couldn�t bust you for possession and intent to sell.�

�Intent to sell?� Nick�s expression was one of supreme distaste. �You�ve got to be shitting me!� He tossed the offending baggie back. �As if I�d ever consent to sell that shit! Christ, I do have a fucking reputation to protect!�

The two cops shared a glance and grinned. A few seconds later, Nick�s grin was a match for theirs, and a few seconds after that, all three erupted into laughter. Frowning, Alec began lashing out with telepathic feelers.

�That�s it!� Marc declared solemnly. �The world is now completely fucking crazy!�

Alec ignored his friend, all his attention focused on the probes he�d inserted into Nick, the teenager, and the two cops. It was tricky trying to filter and absorb information from four different minds, so the reading was significantly slower than he was used to, but soon he was struggling to keep the grin off his face. This was just fucking priceless!

�W-what�s going on?� the skinny teen stammered.

�The deal,� Nick�s grin vanished, only to be replaced with a condescending glare at the teen, �is that you royally fucked up, shithead. Do not attempt to fuck me, buddy. You�re not even in the same bloody league.�

�Huh?�

Nick ignored him, focusing his attention on the nearest cop. �So Jamie, what are we going to do about fucknuts here?�

The cop shrugged indifferently. �Like I give a shit. We�ve got the prick for possession; we�ll claim he was being uncooperative and, with luck, he should get a couple of months.�

�Two months sounds fair,� mused Nick. He suddenly frowned, as if remembering something, and then produced a large baggie crammed full of lush, deep green weed. �With my compliments, gentlemen,� he said tossing the baggie at Jamie. �From my personal stock of course, pure hydro, and not a trace of seeds or stem.�

�Ta�, mate,� Jamie nodded happily. �Well, I think we�re done here, boys?� The other two offered grins, tipping their hats slightly.

�A pleasure, as always,� Nick bowed, �but next time, could you do me the courtesy of calling ahead first?� He waved vaguely at the confused, startled, and downright terrified party goers. �You�ll wind up giving one of these poor sots a fucking heart attack, and that, mate, would be detrimental to my humble enterprise.�

Jamie laughed, �Humble enterprise� of course. It was just a slow night and we thought we�d see if we couldn�t liven it up a little. Anyway, we�ll leave you to it, but do us a favour and try to keep the music down a little. The neighbours are really starting to give us the shits with their complaints.�

�Turn the music down? Fuck that! Later, boys.�

�Later,� Jamie glanced at his colleagues, who wordlessly flanked the now totally dejected teen, and the four headed out.

�Well, that was fun,� Alec commented.

Marc gave him a cold stare. �Get professional help, fuckwit.�

Jenni pushed open her bedroom door, automatically chucking her jacket into the nearest corner after fishing out a pack of smokes from one if its pockets. The Royal Griff was halfway up to her mouth when she froze, her expression changing from one of exaggerated nirvana into one of supreme displeasure.

�What the fuck are you doing in here?� she demanded.

Sean, sprawled out on her bed, smiled lazily at her. �Why, waiting for you to get here. Just thought I�d let myself in and warm up the mattress for us. You don�t mind do you?�

She knew he was baiting her, but what she wasn�t sure about was the best way to deal with him. She wasn�t going to tell Kath, although she supposed she could threaten to tell Kath� Then again, she could just continue to be rude until he went away or simply ignore him until the same result was achieved� Alternatively, she could try the plan that appealed to her the most: cut him up into really little pieces, coat them in tomato sauce, and feed him to the neighbourhood puppies. She smiled unthinkingly. All things told, that had the makings of a damn fine plan!

Unfortunately for her, those visions of his demise and the devious smile they conjured up had a rather unpleasant consequence: Sean getting it into his head that she was finally seeing things from his point of view.

�Didn�t think you�d mind babe,� he grinned, sitting up and pulling his shirt over his head.

Jenni raised a confused eyebrow. �How did you get it in your head that I�d want to see your hairy chest?�

�Ha ha ha, cute.� Sean made a face. �Well, what the hell are you just standing there for?�

Jenni frowned. �Errr, it�s my room, so I think I�m entitled to do whatever I want in it! That includes standing here about as much as it includes kicking you out.� She pointed at the door. �So get the fuck the out.�

Sean�s eyes narrowed dangerously and, for the first time, Jenni actually felt a little nervous, as opposed to just being generally repulsed. She�d never really thought of Sean as someone she needed to fear because, well, because he was a skinny piece of shit, and she�d been beaten about with a stick wielded by someone far more adept at dishing pain than Sean would ever be. And yet, while she still didn�t fear him, she found herself suddenly fearing what he represented. Someone angry enough to actually want to hurt her. She�d always known in the back of her mind that there were people out there who would happily hurt a pretty, petite girl if they could, but alone, that wasn�t really much of an issue. Hell, she lived in Sydney where there was no shortage of fucked up people. Statistically, she knew there had to be more than a few that got off on pain, especially the inflicting of it. But she�d never really looked someone like that in the eye, at least not until now.

Logan had hurt her, yeah, but when he hit her there was no malice behind the blows, no intent to do any real harm. They were sparring and she accepted that she wasn�t going to learn anything without taking a couple of hard knocks along the way. That was just how things were when you were learning to beat people into a pulp. Even the fight at the corner shop was different. The guy with the gun had mentioned his intention to kill her repeatedly, but he�d never actually held her down and stuck that gun in her face. Her brain might have been aware she was at risk, but it didn�t really seem personal. Just someone talking, and someone that wasn�t even really paying attention to her until she put a steel toe cap in his mouth. And by the time that happened, she was running on adrenaline anyway so fear wasn�t an issue. But this was clearly different. Sean was close enough to pose a very real threat, and the look in his eyes told her beyond a doubt he was going to hurt her. She�d never actually had that sort of animosity directed solely at her.

He left the bed and took a step towards her. �Look, you prick teasing little whore, I�ve just about had it with your fucking stuck up attitude!�

She saw the blow coming a mile off, but for some reason she made no move to avoid it, even though it would have been ridiculously easy for her to do so. She felt the sharp sting as the slap connected against her cheek, and the warm numbness that quickly spread across her face, but she felt oddly disconnected from it all, as if she were some impartial parasitic observer just leeching feeling from her body. The room spun around her as he grabbed hold of the front of her blouse and pivoted sharply, throwing her onto her own bed.

The mattress felt surprisingly cool against the back of her legs, and she found that odd. Didn�t he just say he was warming the bed up for her? No, he said �us�, she could clearly remember him saying �us�. She struggled to think of why she found that important. She hadn�t liked the way he�d said �us�. Not �you and me�, but �us�. Odd� as if they were somehow connected. She felt a sudden weight on her chest and was confused to find him sitting astride her. She raised an eyebrow questioningly, but Sean didn�t seem to understand that the raising of one�s eyebrow implied a question. He seemed to think the raising on one�s eyebrow meant �hit me again�. Her head rolled with each slap. He evidently knew what he was doing, because somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware that he was hitting her across the cheeks. Just hard enough to redden them and hurt her, but not quite hard enough to leave a mark. Why was he hurting her? She wasn�t doing anything�

He eventually tired of that game, and then she was aware of his hand between her legs. He was tugging roughly at her panties, jerking her hips up and down, as he tried to get them off. Dimly, she was aware of the fact he was going too far, and that she really didn�t want this to happen, but she couldn�t seem to come up with any way to make him stop. Her muscles refused to obey her and she couldn�t even form any sort of verbal objections, much less scream.

She heard the front door open and her mother�s voice call, �Jenni, Sean, I�m home. Could someone give me a hand with the shopping?�

�Oh fuck!� Sean snarled, �Of all the fucked up timings fucking possible!� He coughed to clear his throat and quickly added his own brand of slimy pleasantness to his voice, �Kath? Be down in sec, baby�� he grabbed Jenni�s chin, forcing her to look at him. �Not a word you little whore or I�ll fuck you up so bad all the fucking counselling in the world won�t save you.�

He kissed her roughly, his lips bruising hers, and then he was off her and straightening his clothing. �Not a fucking word!� he hissed again before shutting the door behind him.

She lay there for what seemed like hours, unmoving, just staring up at the ceiling cracks with vacant eyes as she listened to them moving around downstairs. Finally, she rolled over onto her side and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Only then did she start crying.

�Smell that!�

Alec made a face. �Lemme guess? Turnam air?�

�Bloody oath! Now was that a mad trip or what?� Marc grinned as they stepped off the train and made their way down the platform.

Alec thought about all that had happen over the four-day trip. He had received a Bloodstone, survived a fight with a pack of lupines, gotten perhaps the weirdest lay of his life, almost gotten arrested, and as Marc had promised, partaken in a serious alcoholic binge. And all it had cost him financially was the price of the train tickets. �Definitely worth it!� he declared. �We need to do that again someday.�

�Damn right we do!� Marc laughed. �Maybe next time Allen could actually show.� He smirked evilly, �I wonder how his family reunion went?�

�Dude,that�s just cruel!�

Marc smiled. �I know. Now let�s get the hell out of here.�

They marched down the stairs, purchased tickets to Turnam Central and made their way over to the platform that would get them home. After a short wait, the train arrived and they boarded, taking seats at the end of the almost empty carriage.

�So what are you going to do now?� Alec asked as the train rumbled forward, homeward bound at last.

�I�m going to crash,� answered Marc. �After a nice, long, hot shower of course. Then I�m going to take it easy for a day or so, just watch TV, play some Far Cry, and chill out. Then I�ll give Dave a call and see if we�ve having the usual Friday nighter.�

�Geez dude, don�t you ever quit?�

Marc poked his tongue out, �Never! What about you?�

Alec smiled. He was home, and as usual, he was horny. �Oh, about the same,� he said airily. He knew just the girl to help him out of the current predicament� just the girl to welcome him home.

Blaise stared into space, daydreaming as was her wont of late. Her blank expression made her appear every bit as vacuous as she truly was. For most of her life she�d been a pretty shell; a spoiled, arrogant brat with little more than the belief that physical perfection was perfection. She�d slid further into her narcissistic persona over the past few months than ever before. After all, what reason is there to care about anything other than yourself when you have the ability to cater to your every whim immediately?

She�d never been one for real thinking. Even now, when the pretty black medallion�s power was becoming more and more obvious, she saw it as nothing more than a trinket that she�d grown attached to. She occasionally toyed with the idea of removing it, but always left it on, never considering for a moment that she may be addicted to it and its power. Freed from the need to earn a living, or at the very least, leech a living from some wealthy (and hopefully attractive) male, she was able to fill her time however she wanted. That included staring off into space.

The problem with her life right now was that it was too easy. She�d never had a lot of trouble getting the material things in life, but now she had everything a girl could want: a handful of beautiful houses, bright shiny cars, gorgeous and compliant men on tap - not to mention a collection of jewellery to make other women drool. Without even the pretence of working for them, these things had no value to her. It never crossed her mind that she was jaded, only that she was dissatisfied. She wanted more. Though she didn�t think too much, she did fantasise, as she was doing now. Or so she thought.

From his vantage point three feet away, Menthayel watched the dazed young woman�s thoughts as though they were projected onto a movie screen. Thoughts of his son. And he should know� he�d put them there himself.

It is time.

Blaise decided that she needed some more meat. Yes, a new acquisition. Somebody she�d actually have to work for. A prize worth earning. She�d never had a man refuse her before, and the experience was� frustrating. She wanted him. To have him, to fuck him, to possess him. To own him. Without effort, her mind reached out in search of the mark she�d placed in her quarry�s aura. She homed in on it quickly, some distance away from where she�d last seen him. Eyes narrowed in anger, her breath hissing between her teeth. Why had he gone away? For somebody else? A girl? She quickly sent a probe into his mind, and was equally quickly rebuffed.

�Damnit!� she flew to her feet and turned over her chair in anger.

Menthayel shook his head. The girl was a brat. On the bright side, she didn�t use a tenth, not even a hundredth, of the Seraph�s full power. Dim though she was, she only ever used as much energy as she needed. Usually they leeched as much energy as possible, as quickly as possible. He dreaded the thought of the next candidate doing just that.

Patience.

Blaise quickly composed herself, righted the chair and sat down. She needed to calm down. A catch like this was worth it, and she had all the time in the world to work on him.

�Or so she thought.

Elaine sat on her couch, awaiting the inevitable. She�d turned off the television a full ten minutes ago, since the onset of her apprehension. Since then, she�d known he was coming, without quite knowing how she knew it. Obviously Alec wasn�t a normal kid. He wasn�t even a kid anymore. Back when he�d passed out near her office he�d been a normal adolescent, but since then something had changed in him. Not only was he a man, but a man of power. That was the only way she could think of it. Some strange, unknowable power had given him the ability to do anything he wanted. He could make himself invisible to her workmates, could overpower her in an instant. She recalled their last coupling with guilt, then pushed it away. It wasn�t her lust that had risen, but his. He�d forced her to want it, forced her to come. It hadn�t been half bad, either. Hell, it was the best sex she�d had in years. No, not sex. It was the best fuck she�d had in years, and she�d enjoyed every bit of it. Even the fear had been a thrill.

Well, not this time. He wasn�t going to rape her again.

The feeling intensified, and she knew he was close by. Probably right outside her house. She�d already made her preparations and was waiting for him. There was nothing else she could do until-

�Hello, Elaine.�

�Shit!� She stood up quickly, then sat down again. He was standing inside, at the front door. The fully-locked front door. She bit her lip and squared her shoulders, summoning every ounce of will she could. �You�re not going to rape me again, Alec.�

Alec simply grinned, and leaned against the door, looking her up and down. �What�s that in aid of, then?� he asked, pointing to her outfit: a very translucent white baby-doll nightie, with matching white panties. He took a step in her direction.

�Wait!�

Alec raised an eyebrow, but kept moving towards her. �No.�

�I said wait!� Elaine sprang from the couch and grabbed him by the wrists. Seeming to enjoy the display, Alec let her turn him around and throw him down onto the sofa, wearing a Cheshire cat grin the whole time. She straddled his hips and kissed him hard, grinding her crotch into his erection.

�This is new,� Alec said after taking a breath.

�You�re not raping me,� Elaine said again.

�So, what? You�re going to rape me?�

�I�m going to fuck you.�

Alec laughed. �Sure, that works.� She kissed him again as he felt her warm body through the gossamer-soft fabric. Every muscle in her body seemed to be tense at once. He rubbed her back briefly before moving to her breasts. Elaine continued to push herself into him as she frenched him hard. Too hard. When she bit his lip he cried out and pulled away. �What the fuck?�

�It�s not the same!� she complained, getting off his lap and glaring at him.

�What?�

�It�s not the same!� Elaine wailed again, beginning to shake.

�But we haven�t done anything yet,� Alec protested.

�It doesn�t feel the same. I�m not... burning.�

�Oh� oh!� Alec said, nearly hitting himself. Of course it didn�t feel the same. He doubted anybody naturally felt the concentrated, single-minded lust he�d slammed her with the last time. He grinned.

�It�s not bloody funny!�

He watched her pupils immediately dilate and her eyes go half-lidded as her shaking turned to shudders. She let out a tiny, girlish moan that trailed off as she stared at him, her mouth slackening and those pretty eyes taking him in as if for the first time.

�Sure it is,� Alec said softly. �Now come here,� he said in a more stern voice.

�Yes, sir,� Elaine simpered, regaining her position on his lap

�You don�t sound very �in charge�, Miss Jensen,� Alec chided. �I thought you were supposed to fuck me?�

�Oh, shut up,� Elaine growled, pushing him lengthwise into the cushions and assuming the position once more on top of him. Alec tried to get his pants undone, but had his hands slapped away. Resigning himself to a more submissive role for once, he let her take the lead. She was more than capable.

Gripping the side-ties of her knickers, she raised herself far enough to peel them off and pushed her bare pussy against the prominent lump in his trousers. She locked lips with him once more, letting her tongue dance roughly against his while she freed his cock - somehow avoiding potential disaster with the zipper - and shoved herself down.� Alec groaned as she took him all the way inside and bottomed out at her cervix.� Not possessing a dick, Elaine knew that she wasn�t capable of raping a guy� not without some strapped-on accessories, anyway, but she could dominate him, if only for this one act.

She sat up and dug her fingers into his shoulders, holding him down as she set up a hard, slow rhythm, ensuring each stroke was as deep as possible.� A few minutes in saw Alec with his eyes closed and his head thrown back, his mouth half-open as he groaned.� Ostentatiously rubbing the underside of her breasts against his face, she reached under a cushion and grabbed the set of handcuffs she�d secreted there earlier, quickly snapping the metal bracelets onto his wrists.

�What the fuck?� Alec started, sitting up, only to have Elaine push him back down hard.

�Don�t fucking move, bastard!� she hissed, pushing back down on his cock and wriggling until he groaned.� �You fucking love that, don�t you?�

�Oh, yeah.�

�Don�t you!�

�Yes!�

�Fucking tell me!�

Alec groaned as her pussy began to spasm around his dick.

�Fucking take it, you bastard, take it!� she shrieked, continuing to buck until Alec�s load was spent inside her.

They spent a few minutes simply lying there trying to catch their breath, not so much cuddling as lying against one another.

Jesus, do I ever attract the weird ones, Alec mused, running his finger awkwardly along Elaine�s jawline.� The cuffs were really starting to chafe his wrists.� �Are you going to take these off now?� he asked aloud with a grin.

Elaine stared at him for a moment before her eyes came into focus, then shrugged.� �If you�re so powerful, why don�t you take them off yourself?�

Alec held her gaze and went by feel, not bothering to flip to greyscale, easily slipping the locks mentally.� He made them fall from his wrists for added effect, his smile broadening as she gasped.

�How did you do that?� she whispered.

�You�ll never know,� he replied evenly.� �Now� ready for another go?�

Elaine half-smiled as she pulled herself from his still-hard dick.� �How about a shower first?�

An hour and a half later, Alec and Elaine cuddled comfortably under a thin blanket on the couch, enjoying each other�s company while absorbed in their own thoughts.� Alec tapped ash into the empty Griff packet that served as a makeshift ashtray on the coffee table, wordlessly handing Elaine the cigarette and watching her take a shallow drag.� He grinned inwardly at this little display of submission.� He�d corrupted her, all right, and the cigarette was the least of the addictions he�d pushed on to her.� Obviously she had accepted her role as concubine - he rejected the word �whore� immediately, as well as �girlfriend� - and was making the most of the situation.� Who was he kidding?� She�d probably never come like that in her life, and he was quickly realising that sex could be every bit as addictive as some of Nick�s more dubious wares.

Alec became aware of something on the edge of his consciousness and immediately became alert, his jaw stiffening in anger.� If Raphael was here, trying to break into his mind again� but no, it was something different.� This wasn�t an intrusion at all. In fact, it was more like a wordless message.� A growing sensation of foreboding, similar to the one he�d just now used on Elaine to let her know he was coming before sneaking in the front door.� Straightening suddenly, he jumped off the couch and quickly began putting his clothes on.

�What�s going on?� Elaine asked sleepily.

�I have to go.� There�s something I need to take care of.�

�Oh� okay.�� She nodded, unsure what to say.� Alec wasn�t exactly her boyfriend, but she found herself disappointed nonetheless.� She gave herself a mental shake and started to get up.

�Don�t bother,� Alec said, now fully dressed, as he leaned down to kiss her.� �I�ll be back when I can be.�

Despite the fact that it was a post-coital kiss, Elaine was surprised at its tenderness.� It promised something other than the occasional fuck.� But that would have to wait until later - Alec was now giving a careless, distracted wave as he unbolted the front door and disappeared through it.� She toyed with the idea of another shower for a moment, then decided not to.� Curling up, naked, under the blanket, she breathed in her young lover�s scent and closed her eyes, feeling more calm than she had been in weeks.

Alec�s mood darkened rapidly.� He didn�t like being messed with, and he definitely didn�t like being messed with while basking in the afterglow of sex.� Breaking into a run, he checked that his knife was in place at the small of his back as he headed for the train station, hoping to draw his assailant away from Elaine.� There was only one person it could be - Blaise.� The name burned in his mind, bringing with it memories of what the psychotic bitch had attempted to do to him last time.� Not this time, he resolved, hitting the station at a full run just as he heard the train approach.

Befuddling the train guard with a quick mental tap, he ran through the door and took a seat.� The feeling still nagged at him, but was less insistent - he guessed that he�d put some distance between himself and Blaise, and hoped she�d follow him rather than doubling back for Elaine.� It was a risk, but he doubted it would happen - Blaise was interested in him, not Elaine.� Alec frowned as the first station whizzed past without comment from the conductor.� He�d gotten on an express train?� Three more stations seemed to confirm his guess and he watched as Tremaine Terrace passed with a groan.� Well, at least she wouldn�t follow him home.

He looked around the carriage and noted that nobody else seemed surprised by the lack of stops.� As a matter of fact, nobody seemed to care much about anything - every single occupant was staring straight ahead, unspeaking and expressionless.� Something was wrong.� With a screech of brakes, the train finally began to slow.

�Mr Alec Roth,� came a voice over the loud speaker, making Alec jump.� �Please exit the carriage.�

Nobody seemed to notice as, with some trepidation, Alec left his seat and stepped out onto Kensington Avenue station.