Gerrard grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer to him.

I didn't try to struggle or pull away, because that would only make me look weak. No, instead, I looked him straight in the eye, which up-close, I saw were more blue than they were grey. He smirked down at me, his lips a mere few inches from mine.

"Congratulations," he said, his voice low and almost seductive.

"Let's just get this over with," I huffed, stepping back a bit to create some distance between us.

He smirked again and told me to hold on. I felt the familar sensation of Transporting that I felt when Natalia brought me to her home. After the suctioning feeling of being in a vacuum was over, we landed in a place that was sure to be thousands of miles from Trinity.

Gerrard held onto my arm to keep me falling over. I stood up straight to examine my surroundings.

We were now standing in front of a large, black mansion. There was a long path paved by dead-looking hedges. Along one side, there was a stream of dirty, blackened water. The mansion had an ancient look to it. The architecture suggested that it was build around the time of the Middle Ages, which could only mean that...

"We aren't in the States anymore, are we?" I asked.

Gerrard looked down at me, that same arrogant smirk on his face. I wanted to punch it off his face.

"Come on. It's best not to keep Cain waiting," he said, nudging me from the back so I would start walking. I paused and he looked down at me.

"What?" he asked.

"I--uhhh--" I stammered.

The truth was, I was suddenly paralyzed in fear. I tried so hard to appear like I didn't care what was going on, that my sole purpose was to find out information about my mother and leave. But now that I was here, standing before this large and grotesque, haunted-looking mansion, I wasn't so sure I was doing the right thing.

I mean, for all I knew, I was walking towards my death right now. I had no idea what lay behind those intricately designed doors that were about thirty yards from where I was standing. I had no clue who this Cain person was and what exactly he had in mind for me. I could be walking right into a trap that could lead to my death. And if this Cain person was anything like Gerrard, especially in magical skill, then I was dead-bait for sure.

"Are you scared?" Gerrard asked, his tone mocking. I frowned and wished that I still had my bangs to shake into my eyes. There was no hiding the fear that was so evident in my eyes, which were a dead ringer for the emotions I felt inside of me.

"N-no," I stuttered. Damn it, Caley. Pull yourself together.

Gerrard looked at me, an amused expression on his face.

"Is this the same Caley Lucia I met a few days ago?" he asked. I glared at him, hating him for making me feel weak.

"Just--just, let's go," I said. He smirked again and began walking forward. He placed his hand on my elbow to guide me forward and for some odd reason, it was comforting.

We reached the tall front doors of the mansion and I looked up. Then I looked behind me and then at Gerrard, who was still holding my arm to keep me from fainting or running away. Or both. I wondered for a second how I could possibly get away from him and make a run for it. Suddenly, this all seemed like a really bad idea to me.

But Gerrard was in my mind, already. He looked down at me, his silvery blue eyes narrowed.

"Don't even think about it," he hissed under his breath.

I felt a shiver run down my spine and he pulled out a thin, crooked metal-looking stick with jagged edges. He tapped on the door in a pattern, alternating between the carvings on the door. And then, as if by magic--haha, get it?--the door opened on its own accord.

"Gerrard! Wait!" I cried, grabbing onto his arm. He looked at me, clearly frustrated with the way I was behaving.

"What is it?" he asked. For the first time, I noted a hint of a European accent.

"I can't do this. Take me back," I pleaded.

I knew it was no use. I was trying to bargain with the enemy. But when that door opened and revealed a dark hallway decorated in dark crimsons, black, and silver, I wanted nothing more than to run away as if my life depended on it.

"Why are you chickening out?" he asked, glaring at me.

"Because this is not what I expected," I replied, my voice a squeak.

"And what did you expect? Candy canes and gummie bears?" he asked sarcastically. I glared at him.

"No, I just--" I began, but I didn't know what to say. What was I expecting?

A warm welcome by a guy with a nice smile and kind eyes? I was stupid for even thinking that. No, I hadn't expected anything, really. I was too focused on finally getting answers to all my questions about my mother that I hadn't even taken a second to think about who these people might be and how they know about my mother and me.

Was knowing the truth worth my possible death?

I tried to shake the thoughts out of my head.

No, I was being a wimp for no reason. I had asked Gerrard if he intended on killing me. It was he who had told me that it would have been counterproductive to kill me. I was safe. I wasn't going to die. I was going to do this.

"Ok, let's go. I'm ready," I said.

Gerrard breathed an aggravated sigh, clearly unhappy that it had to be him that had to retrieve me. I guess didn't expect me to be so difficult. Hell, I hadn't even expected myself to be so difficult.

He led me forward into what I assumed was the foyer. The whole placed screamed evil. The floors were black and white marble, gleaming with red, glittering stones. The walls were painted a deep grey color, with black paneling. Along the upper edges of the walls were red velvet curtains, strewn along almost haphazardly. The place was undoubtedly clean, yet it had the look that it was over a hundred years old.

"Is this her?" I heard a voice say.

I nearly jumped out of my pants when I saw a person leaning against one of the archways that was partially hidden in the shadows. I hadn't even seen them standing there. Instinctively, I moved closer to Gerrard. For some reason, I felt like I could trust him, if only for the fact that he told me he wouldn't kill me. But whose to say that he didn't just make that up to string me along? Nonetheless, it was all I had to keep from feeling completely alone. And if I had to, I could always use Gerrard as a shield to block any spells coming my way.

"Yes," Gerrard replied.

The person walked out from the shadows, showing themselves. He was a relatively young man, probably about Gerrard's age. He had dark hair and shining green eyes that were rimmed with a cascade of dark, thick eyelashes.

The guy smirked at me and I loosened up. He wasn't going to kill me, either.

"My name is Dominic," he said, stepping forward. "But you can call me Dom," he added, his breath tickling my face.

"Umm, I'm-I'm Caley," I replied, flinching slightly as my voice echoed in the room.

"She's a lot hotter than I expected," Dominic said, looking me over. I immediately felt self-conscious and defensive. I crossed my arms over my chest and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Well for now, she's untouchable," Gerrard replied, placing a hand on my waist to show the irony of his move. I shrugged him away.

"Where is this Cain person?" I asked, feeling my old courage coming back into me. I didn't want to stand here with two attractive, hormonal, and evil guys.

"You have to wait to be summoned," Dominic said.

"Wait to be summoned? Who does he think he is? A king?" I scoffed. Dom and Gerrard narrowed their eyes at me.

"Something of the sort," Gerrard said. I simply rolled my eyes, shrugging Gerrard off, and walked forward, through the archway.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gerrard hissed, coming after me and grabbing my arm. He turned me so quickly, I didn't have time to react. Before I knew it, I was being pushed up against the side of a cold stone wall.

"I'm going to find out how my mother died," I said, struggling against his grip on me. I tried to shove him away, but it was no use. He was strong.

"Cain hasn't asked to see you yet," he said. I finally succeeded in getting him off me.

"I really don't care," I replied, turning on my heel.

"You're going to get yourself in trouble," Gerrard called after me, his voice a whisper. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. The quicker I got the answers I wanted, the faster I would be out of here and the safer I would feel.

I had no idea where I was going, but down the hall from the first archway was another in the side wall. This one had a light coming from it and the same crimson colored drapes that were in the hallway. I noted that they were lined with small black tassels. I walked under this archway, following the light, which turned out to be coming from a fireplace. I had walked right into what seemed to be a drawing room of some sort.

The room was decorated like the rest of the house: black, crimson, and silver. The couches were a deep, blood red color. The upholstery looked like it was velvet. The carpet on the ground was grey, white and black, with small designs of a deep crimson color. There were lamps in the room, but they weren't being utilized. Instead, there was only the fire from the fireplace, creating flickering and dancing shadows on the silver walls.

After taking in the richness and eeriness of the room, my eyes fell on the three figures huddled around the fireplace, deep in conversation. When they didn't notice me walk in, I cleared my throat. Loudly.

"Ehem," I said.

I watched as the three figures turned around to see who the person who interrupted them was. Two of the three, a man and a woman, had stood up. The other stayed in his seat, peering at me over his fingers, which were interlocked in front of his lips. The fire flickered, showing the glint of his eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses. Blue. He had blue eyes.

This must be Cain.

He put his hands down and smirked.

"Ah, Caley. So nice of you to just barge in, uninvited," he said.

The woman and man beside him glared at me for having the audacity to interrupt.

"I'm kind of on a tight schedule," I replied.

I had no idea where this burst of courage had come from, because just a few moments ago, I was begging and pleading with Gerrard to let me go back to Trinity. But now that I was standing in front of this man, I felt a surge of confidence run through my veins. Maybe the aura of the place was finally getting to me. Maybe I was starting to absorb the evilness of the place. Because quite frankly, I didn't give a damn that I just walked into the middle of a conversation.

Cain surprised me by laughing, his blue eyes flashing.

Blue eyes, as pure as my own. How did he have blue eyes?

"Well, come sit, then," Cain said, indicating the seat across from him. I didn't need telling twice. I made my over to the chair, that was made of a dark mahogany wood and covered with velvety cushioning that had intricate floral and swirl designs printed in it in silver.

Cain faced me, taking in every bit of my appearance: from my slightly winded hair to the black TOMS on my feet. I observed right back. He had tossled brown hair, pale skin that matched my own, a slender nose, lips almost as red as the couch he sat on, and blue eyes. I had never met another witch or wizard, besides myself and my father, that had such uniformly blue eyes as Cain did.

Blue eyes were supposed to be a rarity in the wizarding world, what with the line of Aguamentis disintegrating and becoming wiped out. It was rumored that only a handful of Magii were left that had blue eyes. More specifically, it was rumored that my family were the last of the Aguamentis.

But here was Cain, with eyes as real as can be. And they were such a sparkling blue, just like my father's and mine. How was it possible? Was there a line of descendents that was overlooked? How did Gerrard have blue in his eyes, too? Were they related to each other? Was Gerrard Cain's son?

I felt my thoughts speeding through my mind a million miles per second. But Cain simply sat there gazing at me, unblinking and expressionless.

"Caley Lucia," he said finally.

"Cain," I replied. He smiled at me and for some reason, it sent a chill of fear run down my spine.

"Actually, my real name is Elijah," he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"Elijah?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "Elijah Lucia."

__________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Oh jeez. What did I just do?

Elijah LUCIA?!

Leave me a comment! Vote!

By the way, Cain's crew is in the sidebar. I think it's a good looking group of people. Too bad they're evil. =P

XOXO