The boy is withdrawn and distrusts them immediately. Candice extends an offer of help and friendship, and his
non-commital reply heralds the start of classes for the day. The new boy, Michael, is in Sumerian with Skin
and Candice. They find the assignments easier than usual...as does Peri, when Michael joins her Biology
lecture later that morning. As she begins to suspect him of affecting her somehow, she feels her amulet
weaken and her mind is suddenly flooded with images.
''She is awash with anger and fear, tears streaming down her face. It all focusses around her father, and in
that white-hot instant she takes the knife and plunges it into him, feeling his life pulsing over her hands
and down her arms onto the cold linoleum floor...''
Peri gasps and turns to see Michael holding his head in his hands, blood trickling from his nose. She is
convinced he has just tried to attack her.
Meanwhile, in the library, Skin has discovered a scrying ball and decides to use it. As he stares into the
ball, his spirit leaves his body. He passes through walls as if they were spiderwebs, and makes his way
through the corridors of the school. Some of the students and teachers appear to glow in his soul's eye. He
tries to talk to people and finds that he cannot...until he passes Michael, who waves at him. More than a
little worried, he turns back to the library. He is proceeding at a comfortable pace when he is instantly
ripped back into his body, and pain flows up his right arm as he comes to. He jumps to his feet to find Peri
crouched down where he has been lying. Her compass hangs from the flesh on his upper arm. She rises to her
feet and shruggs, claiming that she was trying to see if he could feel pain. Growling, he rips the compass
from his arm, mangles it in one hand and throws it into a corner. yes i can still feel pain dammit! -skin
Peri, Candice and Skin discuss their unusual experiences with Michael. They decide to confront him, and find
him in a quiet spot. Black tendrils of smoke seem to be trailing around him, and reaching for each of them as
they come close, almost as if they are being tasted. He admits that he is leaking thoughts, and doesn't know
how to stop. Candice offers to help him by putting a shield up around him. The others are not convinced.
The next day proves eventful for most of them. Kevin goes to the graveyard and raises a spirit called
Tripping Dog, who agrees to help him master his newfound skills. Candice shows Michael how to erect a shield
around himself, keeping others out but most importantly, keeping himself in. Skin and Peri go out into the
mountains and summon a wind elemental, called A-flat. He enters into contract with Skin: he will teach Peri
to control her Elemental Air talent if they build him a playground. The rest of the afternoon is spent buying
pips and chimes, and erecting them in a forest clearing. A-flat approves. don't say i never look after any of you -skin
On wednesday night the five attend a house party thrown by one of the 'popular' kids. Candice brings Michael,
saying that he must learn to relax around people, and that perhaps a chilled atmosphere (and some chemicals)
will help.
Upon arriving at the party, Peri stations herself off the the side, gargoyling, her hood pulled up to hide
her face. Candice introduces Michael to a few people, and he seems to be handling everything, even laughing
and making eye-contact with one particularly cute girl. Skin, Kevin and Jean-Marie have a far more eventful
evening: a few drinks, some weed and JM's favourite acid later, they're all happily trashed. Skin goes that
one step further and accepts a hit of angeldust.
Chaos ensues. i still blame jm slipping me the acid in my drink for all this! (and i'm sticking to that story) -skin
Skin ends up stepping through the front window of the house. The host and his rather large friends take
exception to this, and JM tries to defend Skin with a Soulfire blast, which goes horribly wrong. The floor is
awash with Soulfire, and only Peri, who is gargoyling on a ledge, escapes a draining of essence. JM is
rendered totally unconscious. Skin picks him up, is attacked again, and uses him as a battering ram. Skin
tumbles out of the front door, JM over his shoulder, and an attacker follows. Peri seals off a bubble around
his head and sucks out all of the oxygen. As the attacker stumbles breathlessly, she and Kevin escape the
house and shepard Skin into the car. They go screeching off into the night, leaving an angry mob screaming at
them from the curb. unfortunately, Kevin is as high as a kite and smashes the car into a lamppost. JM, who is
prone in the back of the truck, simply slides forward and sustains a few bruises. Skin is thrown clear from
the car and kisses tarmac lovingly. Kevin slams into the steering column and Peri lifts her arms just in time
to stop most of the windscreen from flying into her face.
Bleeding and picking glass and gravel from their flesh, they take JM's cellphone and call Tony to pick them
up. Next, they realise that Candy wasn't with them, and call her.
Candy has had an eventful night of her own. Michael dissapears behind a bush with a girl, but emerged minutes
later looking stricken. He leads Candy over to the body of the girl who he has killed. Candy assumes that he
must have lost his tenuous hold on his powers while in the throes of passion, and assures him it isn't his
fault. They leave the party anyway, as Candy offers to walk him home. After a while, Michael claims that he
is fine and that Candy should go home herself. As she walks down the road, she looks back and is sure she
sees Michael stepping into a black limo.
She receives a call from the others and meets them at the hospital. She manages to convince the doctors...who
are amazed that Skin is still alive considering the injuries he has sustained...that she can calm him down.
She leads him away to the bathrooms and heals most of his wounds. The doctors are stunned, but assume that
they must simply have misdiagnosed him. She also comes over and heals the cuts on Peri's face. Kevin and JM
are bruised, but otherwise fine.
The next day, Skin's father finds out about the fight and grounds him. Michael also denies stepping into any
car, and Candy just shakes her head.
They go past the house and discover that the window is fixed, the house is for sale, and everyone else who
was at the party has disappeared.