"I'm pissed!" Devin's face was a construct of pure frustration and rage.

 His nostrils flared as he eyed the interior of the large office that the Headmaster also called home; there was a winding staircase in the corner that would lead right to his personal room.

Devin glared down at the boy behind the large mahogany desk; the boy looked up and smiled back innocently. The boy wore a strange outfit of jean overalls and a red and white striped long sleeve shirt, he looked like a 'Where's Waldo' phony that'd trick you into thinking you'd actually found the original Waldo.

"Headmaster Noetal? Last time I checked aging spells were illegal." Devin said as he sat across from the young Headmaster. Bonita was already sitting just to the side of him, her long legs crossed inconspicuously as if she were trying to fade into the background.

"It's just an illusion spell; I wouldn't dare break the law." The boy said with a roll of his eyes. "And please, call me Archie."

The room was clearly larger than what was possible to actually be there, it either used teleportation runes or possibly dimensional warping spells. Both were illegal, but people tended to look the other way for the headmaster of Roxelt's, also known as the Grand Wizard of the High Court.

Archibald Noetal aka Archie, was a true philosopher of all things magical and arcane. He was a man many would either find intimidating or a pure annoyance. Startling blue eyes and a permanent smirk on his lips made it seem like everything he said had hidden strings attached. There were rumors that he was over a thousand years old and had made a deal with a goddess of death to keep himself alive.

"I told you he was going to be pissed," Bonita spoke up. She was fidgeting with her rose vine wand with a bored expression on her sharp face. "Never was great with his anger issues."

"You!" Devin snapped as he turned in her direction. "This is your fault, all of it! I left Mason in your care, it hasn't been a fucking month!" Spit sprayed from his lips, to which Bonita dodged expertly. He took a quick breath to keep himself from hyperventilating, then continued. "Not a single fucking month, and you already have people electrocuting him? Where is he?!"

Archie took his seat behind the large desk, folding his hands together as he watched the two argue. "Yo Devin, chill. Want something to drink?" He pointed his small hand and a mug of steamy hot chocolate appeared in Devin's open hand.

"No thank you," Devin set the mug on a small table on the side of his chair. "I won't be here long. Just tell me where Mason is and we'll leave, I can't trust either of you to watch over him." He rose from his chair and made a show of dusting off his leather jacket. "Now, where is he?"

"Dammit Devin, calm yourself before you blow a gasket!" Bonita pressed her finger to her temples as if a headache was blooming in her skull, then rose to her feet to stand right in front of Devin. Even with her long legs she was still a few inches shorter than Devin, but that just irritated her more. "Or before you blow mine. Coming in here like a fucking madman, I told you over the phone-"

"WHERE IS HE!?" Devin roared in her face, the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise. His skin tightened as his shifting triggered, soon the sound of creaking bones would fill the air.

"Tranquillum spiritus." Archie said softly as a wisp of pink energy began to swirl around Devin and Bonita, followed by a lingering aroma of lavender and honey.

Both Devin and Bonita slumped back into their seats, heads lolling slightly on their shoulders. They looked like cartoon characters after an anvil fell onto their heads, all that was missing was the ring of tweeting birdies. Devin tried to snap out of the strange warm sensation washing over him and only succeeded in making a few unintelligible mumbles.

"Don't fret, it was just a simple calming spell." Archie chimed as he folded and unfolded his hands, a serious expression blooming over his boyish face. "I did try to be nice, gave you a mug of hot cocoa and everything. Take a load off, there will be no fighting among peers in my office."

"But fighting in the library is okay?" Devin's voice was still slightly slurred due to the spell. He rushed a hand through his brown hair, getting his wits back as he reflected back on his recent actions. "Gods, I should apologize-"

"You will." Archie said curtly. "But not now, Lord Dinkle will be joining us soon."

Just then there was a quick knock on the door, followed by the door creaking open for the secretary to poke her head in. "A Ms. Lund is here to speak to you on behalf of the most recent altercation."

Devin grunted as he adjusted himself in his chair, "He sent a lackey? Didn't even come to see his son? What a piece of s-"

"Send her in please," Archie said, effectively cutting off Devin. "And please Devin, keep yourself under control."

"I make no promises."

Ms. Lund was a woman constructed of pure professionalism, wrapped in a closely fitting gray dress suit. Black rimmed glasses, black hair pulled into tight ponytail, stern dark blue eyes, a chin sharper than a katana, and her suit made her look more rigid than the iceberg that sunk the Titanic.

She gave a curt nod to both Bonita and Devin then strode in front of the Headmaster's desk; quickly she lifted her black briefcase and pulled out an envelope. "It's an honor to meet you Grand Wizard Noetal." She did a slight curtsy, which Archie waved off. "Here is the compensation for the damaged library... and tickets to the Regal Dinkle Ball."

Devin chuckled lightly. "So it's a bribe then?"

Ms. Lund whipped around to stare down at Devin, looking him up and down. "It's not a bribe, just paying for the damages that from what I've heard were mostly your pet's fault."

Devin shot to his feet, "My pet? Wanna try that again sweetheart?"

Ms. Lund fortified herself and stood her ground, to Devin's surprise she was nearly as tall as he was. "No, I think I said it right the first time." She jabbed a manicured nail in Devin's face. "If it was my decision I'd have that 'pet' of yours thrown out of here. Dogs don't belong in classrooms."

The room was quiet for a moment before Devin turned on his heels, fist clenched so hard his nails were digging into his flesh. If it weren't for Archie's calming spell he would've pulled the limbs off this ignorant woman's body, he felt like a tea kettle on the brink of whistling. 

"That was the most..." He turned back around, his once handsome face now twisted into a mask of rage. "Are you out of your rabid ass mind!? I mean really, just who the fuck are you? Walking in here like your shit doesn't stink... I outta-"

Bonita quickly slid herself in between the two. "Now, now. Let's just sit and talk like adults! Headmaster Noetal? Some help here."

"Got dammit! That's enough!" Archie slammed his hand on his desk, making a sound like the clash of thunder. His child illusion began to fade as his real appearance began to emerge; the effect was like a mirage as the space around him began to shift like a heatwave.

Bright blue eyes dulled as their child-like innocence left them; light brown hair became zebra striped with gray, and his skin became just a bit more textured as wrinkles and crow's feet bloomed around his eyes and cheeks. A sturdy handle bar mustache sprouted on his lip with a pointed beard to match giving him quite the distinguished look, if anything he looked a bit like a clean Jack Sparrow.

"Now we are going to sit here and converse like responsible and respectable adults," he eyed them all accusingly. "And before you can ask again Mason is somewhere safe."

"Somewhere safe?" Devin arched an eyebrow.

"Yes... He's in the Detention Chambers."

*****

The place was a true dungeon. It had craggy and chipping stone walls, and a ceiling with long forgotten cobwebs and dusty spider egg sacks. In the far corner of Mason's cell there was a small hole in the ground with a single roll of toilet paper next to it, a foul smell emitted out of it. Mason wrinkled his face in disgust, what kind of detention room is this?

"Back in the day," Tobias spoke up; he'd been waiting for Mason to wake up since he was dragged into the cell, he had even brought a change of clothes. Apparently under all of his moody and indifferent expressions, he actually did care for Mason a little. "This place was a jail for the prisoners of war." He flicked away a spider that had dangled itself in front of his face.

Mason sat in the center of the cell, legs crossed underneath him. He tried his best not to touch anything in the filthy cell, and silently cursing his strong sense of smell. "I want to talk to my lawyer."

"You're not actually in jail, this is just..." Tobias walked up to the metal bars separating them, tapping his index finger on them causing a musical tuning fork type of sound. "It's just detention. The disciplinary group didn't know what to do with you, actually you were the first student they ever had to really... discipline."

"Oh really? I am so glad to be part of Roxelt's ever expanding history," Mason gestured to his surroundings with forced glee. "Make sure to thank the interior designer for me, that stink hole truly makes things authentic." Sarcasm was dripping from each word.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Don't be so over dramatic, it's just temporary."

Mason glared at his friend. "Over dramatic? They locked me in a freaking dungeon! All I did was-"

"Destroy a library! And not just any library, that library held countless priceless tomes about Roxelt's history. Not to mention you also-"

"Saved Jaclyn's life!" Mason countered. "Yea, I bet they won't put that in the academy newsletter! Fricking pricks! I didn't get one thank you either, but a cell in a dungeon? Oh yeah, they dish that out with ease." The words tumbled out of him like a raging river breaking through a dam.

Tobias scoffed, and then kicked at some grime by his foot. "This is all that damned girls' fault anyway, if she hadn't-"

Mason kicked at the metal bars which caused a loud clang sound and stopped Tobias in mid-sentence. "Watch what you say about Jaclyn, it isn't her fault her brother is a flipping psycho."

Again Tobias rolled his eyes, he was a real pro when it came to eye rolling. "Isn't though?" He gave Mason a dull look. "I mean really, how could she not realize that her own brother was holding serious feelings for her?"

"W-well I..." Mason stuttered as he tried to think of something to say back. "It's still not her fault!" He settled, crossing his arms over his bare chest like a toddler during a tantrum.

Again Tobias scoffed, but before he could say another word the main door to the chamber creaked open. To both Mason and Tobias's surprise it was Jaclyn who poked her head in, a worried expression painted clearly on her pale face.

"Is he awake?" Her voice sounded smaller than usually, it also had a slight harshness to it as if she had been crying.

"Nope, come back later." Tobias snapped.

"Tobias!" Mason blurted, "Dude, what is your deal?" He then turned to address Jacklyn, his voice softening. "Yes, I'm awake. What's wrong?"

Jaclyn rushed to Mason's cell, she shot a glare at Tobias who shot one back in return. As she got closer Mason could plainly see that she had been crying, the areas around her bright blue eyes had turned pinkish and puffy. Even now tears began to swell in her eyes as she examined Mason's current residence.

"What wrong? They locked you away in a dungeon, that's what is wrong!" She pointed at the far corner of his cell, "What is that hole for?"

"You really don't want to know." Mason shook his head in dismay.

Jaclyn turned back to Mason, her small face folding inward as tears glided down her cheeks. "Oh Mason, I am so sorry. This is my entire fault!"

"Yeah," Tobias rose from the stool he had been sitting on. "We already know that. How's your brother by the way?"

"Goddammit Tobias! Stop it!" Mason barked. He reached through the metal bars of his cell and brushed his fingers against Jaclyn's face. "This isn't your fault; I should've handled myself better."

"But I've caused you so much pain. My brother..." She leaned into his reach as much as she could, a sigh escaped her lips as she felt a delicate tingle as their skin touched.

"Shush, It's all over now." Mason cooed.

They locked eyes then, a moment of silence filled the air as they seemed to begin communicating telepathically as they smiled warmly at each other.

Tobias cleared his throat loudly to end the trance. "Well if you two are going to continue gawking at each other," He turned towards the door. "I'm going to see if I can find someone to get you a better room, this dungeon is ridiculous."

"Thank you Tobias!" Mason called out as Tobias left the room, "He can be a jerk sometimes but he's good people." He said once the door shut.

"I don't think he likes me." Jaclyn said with a frown.

"Like I said, he can be a real jerk sometimes.". Mason shrugged, then reached through the bars to move a strand of Jaclyn's hair away from her face. "Gah, these stupid bars!"

"I might be able to get rid of them with a spell, then we could get closer... "

"Get closer?" Mason arched an eyebrow, "Just how much closer do you want to get? I suppose a proper 'thank you' would be nice," he said with a chuckle.

Jaclyn's eyes widened when she caught on to what Mason was referring to. "W-wait! That's not what I meant... I-uh." She waved her hands in front her face frantically as Mason began to laugh wholeheartedly, gripping the sides of his stomach as he sucked in air between laughter.

"Oh shut up! Forget I said anything." She crossed her arms over her chest, sticking out her lower lip in a convincing pout.

  Just having her there with him made things seem not so bleak. The metal bars seemed to fade away and things seemed more close normal, just the two of them chatting and laughing. "Oh don't be such a baby, y'know you look kinda cute when you're mad." Mason flashed her a charismatic smile.

Just then there was a sudden loud thud against the dungeons main door, both Jaclyn and Mason jumped from the sudden sound. They could hear people shouting and other thuds before the door erupted open, blasting clear off its rusty hinges.

"Open sesame!" Shouted a shrill voice.

A cloud of smoke and dust made it hard for Jaclyn and Mason to make out who it was, but it had to be a woman as the sound of her high heels knocked against the stone floor. Mason tilted his head to catch the woman's scent, he couldn't place it. But he could smell something else, a strong coppery scent. Blood.

The woman walked out of the smoke, a wide grin plastered on her pale face. She had flaming red hair and cruel glint in her eyes as she stared down at Mason, she brought a blood covered claw to her lips and began to giggle. 

"Lookey what I found here," the red haired woman said happily. "He's going to be so happy."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me?" The woman tilted her head in confusion. "I'm Helen, but you probably know my boss..." Her grin seemed to widen to Cheshire cat proportions. "Does the name Wogan ring any bells?"

*Spell Glossary: 

>Tranquillum Spiritus: The closest meaning would be "Calming Wind". It will instantly soothe and calm down any one caught in the casters line of sight. A very effective spell against raging foes or the ex wife.*

>>>> Sorry for the long wait everyone! Things got a bit hectic on my side, but all is well now. So what do you guys think? The chapter is a bit on the long side so I might go back and cut it in half or something. But boy, things are finally starting to heat up! Remember Helen? Well she doesnt care if you do or not, she's just here to bring the pain! lol<<<<