<--- VOTE

"So what was that spell that you used?" I asked Gerrard a few days after my first intense training session.

We were both in the room that was reserved for me in the mansion. Gerrard was laying down on the bed and I was sorting through the many clothes that were in the closet.

"Which one?" he asked.

"The one where you made the spheres of fire in your hands," I replied, turning to him.

He smirked

"Don't worry about that one just yet," he told me.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because, it is way beyond your current magical ability," he replied. I frowned.

"That's not fair," I said.

"Well, you're just a beginner at this point. You'll learn soon enough," he said.

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered.

I was really getting sick of people telling me that I was just a beginner. It made me feel inferior to everyone else, like I wasn't good enough.

I turned back to the closet.

A lot of the stuff in it was really dark. It reminded me of a bad-ass vampire slayer, like Buffy. There were so many pairs of black jeans that I couldn't count them all. There were black shirts of all kinds. There were black jackets and black dresses. It seemed to me like most of the attire in the closet was black. Whatever wasn't black was a dark crimson red color, a deep purple, a dark navy, or an obscure ivy.

"This looks like the closet of a goth," I said, pulling out a red and black lacey corset. Gerrard snickered from the bed. 

"You're on the dark side now; you have to dress like it," he said.

"That's so cliche," I commented. He chuckled.

"I do like this, though," I said, pulling out a black leather jacket. I had always wanted to own a black leather jacket, but felt like I wouldn't know how to wear it. But Gerrard always walked around with the same leather jacket on and he looked totally hot.

Well, as hot as a generic guy wearing a black leather jacket can look. I was in no way looking at Gerrard in that way. I had Trey. Trey was my boyfriend.

"What's my schedule for today?" I asked him, pulling off the hoodie I was wearing and slipping the jacket on. It was a perfect fit.

"You're going to learn some magical theory and memorize spells," he replied. I rolled my eyes and looked at him.

"Seriously? That's just like school," I complained.

"Except you'll actually be learning spells of substance. Not ones that help you turn off the lights," he said, his eyes glinting maliciously when he said the last part. I guess he was still bitter about the whole kick in the groin thing. I looked at myself in the mirror with the jacket on. It made my blonde hair and blue eyes stick out even more than usual.

"That looks good on you," Gerrard said.

"Checking me out?" I asked, turning towards him and raising an eyebrow. He smirked and got up, coming towards me. He put his lips right at my ear and I froze.

"As always," he whispered.

I felt a shudder run down my spine and he chuckled a low laugh, his eyes flashing brightly. I snapped out of my reverie and smacked him on the arm, which caused him to laugh more.

"You're an ass," I told him.

"And you're sexy as hell," he replied.

"Pig," I snapped.

"Beauty," he replied.

I glared at him and he gazed back at me in amusement.

"You look so intimidating when you're angry," he said sarcastically.

"And you look so douche-y when--no wait. You always look douche-y. Never mind," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Come on. Elijah's waiting," he said. I followed him out the door and down the stairs.

As we made our way downstairs, I saw a scene taking place in the middle of a foyer. There was a man with dark hair and a pale complexion on kneeling on the ground, fear evident in his eyes. Elijah was standing in front of the man, an angered expression on his face. Gianna and Isaac were standing next to him, their eyes narrowed at the man on the ground.

Gerrard paused for about a second as he took in the scene. He grabbed my hand.

"Close your eyes, Caley," he hissed.

"What-?" I began.

But it was too late.

The man had made eye-contact with me and his eyes widened. The fear that was in his eyes was so powerful, so agonizing, that it took all I had to keep from going to him and saving him from whatever horrible fate awaited him.

It seemed as if Elijah had something and the man kneeling in front of him began shouting in agony. The cry sent shivers of fear up and down my spine and I gripped Gerrard's hand tighter in my own.

"Caley, close your eyes," Gerrard said again, looking at me.

But I couldn't.

I watched, horrified, as blood began pouring out of the man's eyes and mouth. He continued to keep his gaze on me. I felt sick all of a sudden and buried my face in Gerrard's shoulder. The sound of the man's screams still echoed around the foyer. I was breathing hard and unevenly, the image of the man's bloody and gaunt face plastered in my mind's eye.

Gerrard wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me walk the rest of the stairs down. I stayed in the same position I was in before, my face hidden in his shoulder. I tried not to think about the horrible sight I had just seen and just focus on the smell of Gerrard's jacket, but it was impossible. I couldn't unsee something like that. It was just too horrendous.

We stopped walking and Gerrard pulled me away slightly. He placed his hands on my shoulders and told me to look at him.

"Forget you saw that," he said, his voice low.

We were now in the formal dining and meeting room that I had been in when Elijah first told me about my mother and the curse that I had.

"I c-can't," I stammered, my eyes wide. I could still hear the invisible echo of the man's pained screams. I could still see the fear in his eyes as I stood helpless.

Gerrard furrowed his brows and his jaw tightened. He moved his hands from my shoulders to the sides of my face. His thumbs gently caressed my cheeks, a movement that surprised me slightly. It was so gentle and kind, so unlike something Gerrard would do.

"That man was a traitor. He had to be punished," he told me. I shook my head and felt tears well up in my eyes.

What was wrong with me? Why was I getting so emotional? Why was I so scared?

I knew the answer immediately. It was because I was afraid that I would screw up and that I would be tortured the same way that that man was. I was afraid that I had gotten myself into a horrible situation and now I wouldn't be able to get out of it. I was afraid I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

"Caley..." Gerrard muttered as tears slid down my cheeks. He pulled me close to him in an embrace. It wasn't a gentle and comforting one, like Trey's, but stiff and awkward instead. He wasn't warm and the embrace didn't give me the same sense of comfort that Trey's hugs gave me. But I felt protected, like I wouldn't get hurt as long as Gerrard was around.

"Just try to forget what you saw. You shouldn't have seen that," he whispered in my ear.

I nodded, but I knew it was easier said than done. The horror that I had just witnessed would haunt my dreams for several weeks to come.

We heard someone clear their throat behind us and I pulled away.

Elijah was standing at the door. For once, Gianna and Isaac weren't with him. Instead, beside him were Dominic and a girl I didn't recognize. Elijah held a calm expression on his face, but his eyes raged in anger. I wondered what the man had done to make him a traitor.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked, looking between Gerrard and me.

"She saw," Gerrard replied stiffly.

Elijah pursed his lips.

"Drink it off. You'll forget in no time," Elijah replied. "The first torture to watch is always the hardest, but it will be something you will get used to. You are just a beginner now and your innocence is still very much in tact," he continued.

"What did you do to him?" I asked.

"It's better you don't know," Elijah replied. I looked up at Gerrard, whose hand was still clasped in mine. I refused to let him go. My body was still full of fear and anxiety.

I tried to divert my attention by bringing my gaze to the girl that was beside Dom. She was really very pretty, with dark black hair, pale olive skin, defined features, and silvery eyes that were currently glaring at me.

I blinked.

Did I know her from somewhere? As I continued to study her, I realized who she looked like.

"Do you know Sylvia?" I asked all of a sudden, remembering the gorgeous restaraunt owner I had met in Trinity Hollow.

Elijah's eyebrows went up and he turned his head slightly to look at the girl behind him.

"She's my mother," she replied.

"You're Isobel, then?" I asked. She nodded slowly.

"How do you know her?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"I met her in Trinity Hollow," I replied.

"Well, this is perfect. No need for introductions, then," Elijah said, clasping his hands together.

He turned towards me.

"There has been a change of plans in your instruction today due to certain circumstances. Instead, these three will explain to your our current situation and fill you in about the war," he told me.

I frowned, confused.

"Well, that's that. Feel free to use any room in the house. Just stay away from the training room," he said. And without another word, he walked out the door.

"Can we go upstairs somewhere?" I asked. I wanted to be as far away from the foyer as possible. I felt like I could smell the stench of blood from where we were, even though I knew I was probably imagining it.

"There's a sitting room on the third level. We can go in there," Dom suggested. We nodded and left the room.

I realized I was still holding Gerrard's hand tightly in my own. I let go of it and glanced at him sheepishly. He didn't look at me, but instead rubbed his hand with his other one and flexed it, no doubt to get the circulation running through it again.

We sat down in the sitting room, which was decorated in silvers and blacks. Dom turned on some lights and settled on the couch next to the one I was sitting on. Gerrard sat beside me and Isobel sat next to Dom.

"How did they find you?" I asked Isobel.

She exchanged a glance with Gerrard, who looked down at his lap.

"I was eager to find ways to use magic and found Elijah's crew," she replied.

"So you're apart of this because you want to be able to use magic?" I asked.

"That's what we're fighting for, right?" she replied, raising an eyebrow as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. I leaned back against the black suede couch I was sitting on.

"You guys keep talking about fighting and Elijah mentioned a war," I said.

"Well, there will be one. We're planning for it now," Dom told me.

"A war between the two sides?" I asked. They all nodded.

"What you need to know is that there have been wars within the wizarding community for years, ever since the Trinity was first established. Almost every generation has had one, on some level, big or small," Dom explained.

"And it's been over the same thing? How to interpret the Trinity?" I questioned. He nodded.

"More or less. There have been other factors, too, depending on the time period," he added.

"So how far has this one gotten?" I asked.

"Well, like Dom said, we're still planning for it. We're building up our armies--both sides--and trying to figure out the other side's strategies," Gerrard said.

"How long has the planning been going?" I asked.

"Hard to say, but when the last leader died, Elijah was appointed the new one. He's been recruiting people to join him ever since," Dom said.

"Basically, there's been a war going on for over a thousand years. The war is about whether or not the Magii should be allowed to use their magic at will. As long as two interpretations exist, so will this war," Isobel said in a bored voice.

"To put it short..." Dom muttered.

"So Elijah recruited me?" I asked.

"Yes, which is why you're here," Isobel snapped.

"Ok, you know what? I haven't done anything to you. You don't have to act like such a bitch. I'm just asking questions," I said, glaring at her. Gerrard grabbed my arm as I made to stand up and face her. She glared back at me.

"We don't need a stupid, weak girl like you to be here. You're just slowing everyone down and wasting time!" Isobel shouted, sneering at me.

"WELL THEN YOU CAN JUST LEAVE!" I yelled back. "Gerrard and Dom can tell me everything I need to know," I said. Her eyes flashed.

"Oh I'm sure they can," she spat.

"Calm down, Isobel," Gerrard warned.

She sent him a death glare before stalking out of the room.

"What the hell is her problem?!" I cried, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation.

"That's another problem for another day," Dom said. He glanced at Gerrard. "You go talk to her. I'll fill Caley in on what's left," he added. Gerrard nodded and got up, leaving the room. I gazed after him, feeling extremely confused.

"Why does she hate me?" I asked Dom.

"Just stick around a while longer and you'll find out," he replied. I gave him a wary look.

"What else do I need to know?" I asked.

"Well, Elijah wanted to tell you himself, but because of..." he trailed off. I closed my eyes as I remembered the incident that happened earlier.

"What did he want to tell me?" I asked.

"That during this whole war, you're going to play a really important part," Dom said.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at him.

"Well, it'll be the same role your mother played," he paused. "You're going to act as a spy," he said.

I choked on air.

"A what?" I asked.

"A spy. You're going to pretend to be on their side--your father's side--but at the same time, you'll be working for us," he explained.

"So I'll be a double agent," I said. He nodded.

I sighed and leaned back against the couch, rubbing my forehead with my knuckles.

"Why does he have so much faith in me?" I asked Dom, feeling extremely emotionally exhausted at that point. I didn't think I had it in me to feel surprised and terrified about being a double agent. Too much had happened to today and I wanted nothing more than to go back to my room in my father's apartment and sit on my pool and let the water heal my emotions.

"Because you have the potential to be an extremely powerful witch, Caley. You don't realize the amount of power you have inside of you. But it's untapped and wild and Elijah just wants to get it out of you and help you figure out how to use it," Dom told me.

He moved a little closer to me. I realized that he had really nice eyes: green rimmed with thick black eyelashes.

"I can tell that you're still hesitant about being here, but trust me when I say this: Elijah's only trying to help you become a better witch. He's not the bad guy," he said. I nodded.

"I think this is enough information for one night. I want to go home now," I said. He nodded.

"I'll get Gerrard," he said.

He got up and left the room, leaving me to my thoughts. I closed my eyes and let my mind roam.

My mother had been a spy for the dark side and now Elijah wanted me to do the same. I guess that was all right with me. My only concern about that is that I don't know how good of an actress I can be. Trey can already read me pretty well to know what I'm thinking and how I'm feeling. If playing a double agent entails anything like what I saw earlier today, then I'm not sure how well I'll be able to play it off.

And then there's always my father. He was a smart man and he was also powerful. He definitely had to have been as powerful as Elijah, which means that if he wanted, he could read my thoughts. I would have to be really good at shutting people out if I were to do this.

And then, according to Dom, I was extremely powerful. Apparently, I had untapped potential and Elijah was only trying to make it come out. But what did that mean? How did they know? Honestly, at that point, I just felt like I was the weakest person ever. I wanted nothing more than to crawl under a blanket and hide from the world forever.

Gerrard walked back into the room, his face grim.

"Is everything all right?" I asked. His jaw tightened and he nodded.

"Come on, I'll take you back," he said. I got up and went to him.

We walked outside together and at the end of the walk-way, I held onto his arm. We transported into a forest that was near my father's apartment. We had decided that this would be our new meeting spot. There weren't any people snooping around and it was secluded and hidden.

"Gerrard," I said, as he turned to leave. He faced me.

"What?" he asked.

"Thanks," I said, feeling a bit awkward.

"For what?" he asked, confusion replacing the roughness on his face.

"For earlier," I replied, averting my gaze.

In a second he was right in front me, my face cupped in his hands. I looked up into those icy grey eyes of his that were staring down at me with an intensity that scared me. I could feel my heart beating quickly against my rib cage.

He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't. He couldn't.

He did.

Before I could even react, Gerrard's lips were on mine, kissing me gently. Without knowing what I was doing and why I was doing it, I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his strong neck. I felt nothing in the pit of my stomach. The electricity that welled up when I kissed Trey was non-existent. The butterflies that erupted in my stomach, causing it to turn over and over, weren't there. It was just a kiss.

We pulled away and neither of us were out of breath.

"Anything?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"You?" I asked him.

He leaned down and kissed me again. Then he pulled away, leaning his forehead on mine.

"Nothing," he replied, a lazy smirk on his face.

I felt a smile creep up onto my face for what felt like the first time that day. I pushed him away with my hand and he chuckled.

"Did you expect anything?" I asked him. He shook his head.

"Did you?" he asked me.

"No," I replied. "But it sure would have made things more complicated if I did," I said. He laughed.

"You don't have to tell your boyfriend about that," he said.

"I wasn't planning on it," I said. "Besides, what would I say? This totally hot bad guy from the dark side kissed me. I hope you don't mind," I said. He laughed.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Not the point of the sentence," I said. He shrugged.

"But still," he said. I laughed. "It's ok. You're pretty hot yourself," he added with a smirk.

"Good thing we didn't feel anything or there would have been a problem with you saying that," I said. He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Be careful with your boyfriend, all right? Don't give away anything or Elijah will kick your ass," he warned me, his face serious. I nodded.

"I won't," I said.

"Good. I'll see you in two weeks," he said.

And then he was gone.

_______________________________________________________________________

A/N: Haha. They kissed.

But there was nothing! So Trey it is!

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That's Isobel in the side!

XOXO