"Clearly responsible," he said while gliding his hand over his heart. "Alerted the media too," he bluffed. "Although, maybe I should have." Saith ran a hand through his hair before sheepishly laughing. "And this is what makes you school president and me just... well, a drow."

There was something off-putting about how he said that last statement. He was hiding something, that much was blatantly obvious. But what he was hiding, well, it was probably better she not inquire. With Saith's shady history, it was safe to assume he knew more about this than he should because he was, as she believed, closer to these kind of situations than most.

Thankfully, the woman was distracted, having made calls to her friend and the campus safety. With any luck, she wouldn't pry further for he didn't need to put them both in a compromising position.

Out the door they went and Saith was trying not to grin at how she had actually said yes to his demands. She said no to dinner but yes to his escort? Was there more going on here? Or did she truly note the authority in his voice when he mentioned she couldn't get out of this offer.

When greeted (more like interrogated) by Heather, Saith was quite pleased when Mae dismissed the man. Perhaps she was actually doing this out of her own self-interest and not his prideful demand? Or maybe... no, there was no way she was doing this because she liked him. Saith thought hard. Was this her way of saying sorry for belittling him on Tuesday? With an inward nod, he decided it was the only logical explanation.

Now outside, the eerie darkness started to consume them. Saith's ears were listening to anything out of place and, if something did sound off, he would make sure he flickered his eyes toward whatever alarmed him. He was taking this escort role very seriously. Or at least he was until she brought up Tuesday's incident.

She spoke and he listened. When her words came to an end, he wanted to speak but she seemed distracted. He caught her glance at him before she shooed her gaze elsewhere. Brow piqued with curiosity, the drow began to wonder if maybe his initial instinct was right--that maybe she was with him to test the waters and see just what was between the two of them. What were the odds that maybe, just maybe there was a small spark between them. His lips began to part and a small grin started to tug on his mouth. Although that all came to a jarring end when she randomly mentioned spark and then proceeding in yanking him off the path. Was she mad? Was this her idea of seducing him? No, and no. The eruption of fireworks and crackers behind him made him dismiss the fact that she was crazy. It also erased all the images of her kissing him. Still, that didn't stop him from dreaming.

As the night went alive with noise, sparks, and colors, Saith found himself looking at Mae's eyes to watch it all unfold. The colors that danced on her face, the way the light made her features all the softer--why everything about her seemed to angelic. Her hand on his elbow, he felt her warmth pour into him and he did his best not to disturb the tender moment. Now if this were any other woman, he would have kissed her. But Mae? She was different. A kiss would undo it all. Right now, his patience was necessary as was his unyielding, unwavering support. Still, his eyes said it all. If he could have, he would have been pinning her to a tree while making their lips kiss.

When the moment ended and she requested they hurry along, he smirked. His hand took hers--just for a second--before he spun her back into him. There was no way he was letting her off the hook this easily. This was the perfect lead into asking her on a date, again. If he started just right, she might actually say yes this time!

"Do you honestly think they would pin this on yo-" his ears flicked forward and a scowl marred his face. So much for asking her out. Something just had to be lurking in the woods and heading their way.

"Get back," he hissed while rudely shoving her into a bush. Stomping out the remains of the fire, the drow moved up into a tree. The sound of muffled voices followed, as did the silver gleam of what looked like a gun.

"I swore I heard someone over here."

"Dude, obviously, they tripped the trap. Just need to look for whoever did this and bust 'm up."

"Yeah, we'll get into the Hellhawks in no time!"

A snap spooked the kids and the one with the gun pointed it in every direction. "Wh-who goes there," he said with shaky breath.

"Wow," a voice from above said with a haughty tone, "they must be desperate if they're roping in rookies like you." Thud following, the boys pulled out their phones to shine light on the voice that spoke to them. In seconds, they were gazing at Saith, who had his hands crossed over his chest.

"It's the traitor," the boy with the gun mouthed to another. "If we call in James, we'll be hailed as heroes."

"And if you call in James, you'll lose your scholarships and be sent straight to the iron pen." Saith's hand moved in and gripped the pistol he waved. "Listen, punk, you think this is the best way to get your name out there? It's not, trust me." He flung the boy back, seizing the gun. Taking out the bullets, he snapped it over some rocks, instantly breaking the less-than-perfect weapon. "If you do this, this clan is going to forever be a cloud that hangs over you. Look for something else, something more respectable."

"James said you couldn't be trusted."

"James, ha, it's that funny coming from a guy who murders people for a living?" Saith hitched a brow before scoffing.

At that comment, the boys began to whisper among themselves. "Kill? James has never killed anyone."

"Is that the lie he's feeding you? Just what club do you think you're joining?"

"The Hellhawks. Known for making boys into men."

"More like making men into criminals," Saith shook his head. "Did you do any research?" When they shook their heads no, Saith rolled his eyes. "Why don't you three do yourself a favor and get back to your dorms. You want to make a name for yourself? Join the Student Council. It's the fastest way to fame. You get to learn from the one of the most respected people on campus, Lacrimae Heliandum."

The boys glanced at each other, itching to learn more.

Pinching his nose, he growled. "You want a criminal record, go ahead, stay with the Hellhawks. You'll learn how to cheat, steal, lie, and kill. If that sounds peachy, stay. But if you want to be a CEO, a manager, a somebody, join the student counsel. I hear they need help planning the dance. Help. Ladies love men who do good, not bad."

"But all the women on campus talk about you."

"Yeah and not in a good way, kid. It's hurting me in more ways than you could possibly know." Saith frowned.

"But you could date anyone."

"Not true," Saith sighed. "The woman I'm currently interested in can't have a man with my backstory in her life. I would just bring her down and ruin everything she's worked hard to do. So trust me, a bad rep isn't a good rep. Hell, I've had to work my ass off to stay here. If I slip up one more time, I'm out. And not just out of school, I'm out of this territory. You want to be on the run your whole life?" They said nothing. "Well, do you?"

"No," they said in unison.

"Then do something else. Blood on your hands is no way to l-" his ears flicked backwards. A flickering light came into the path. "You four," it was a campus safety officer, "freeze."

"Officer Campbell," Saith said with a friendly tone, "what are you doing out so late?"

"I heard that the notorious Hellhawks were on campus. I'm combing the woods. And," he looked at the group, "you four look like you could fit the bill." Saith's snickering caused the officer to growl before inquiring what was so funny.

"Do these kittens look like killers to you?" Saith flicked his blue eyes on them. "Yeah, I don't think so. We're out here because they're writing a paper on drows. Or at least they want to."

Instantly catching Saith's drift, the boy with glasses piped up. "Yeah, Miss Jarrs said if we could get enough information on drows, she would let us do a group project on them. Since most are very social, we've had rotten luck."

"That was until we met Saith," the one with the oxford jumped in. "He said he would show us how they hunt. Only," the boy scratched his head, "I don't think we realized it would be this dark."

Saith gave the officer a sheepish grin. "I thought we were lighting logs on fire but it looked like they were fire crackers and rockets. I recon they were leftovers from last weekend's big win with the lacrosse team." His hand moved through his hair. "I'll uh, take care of any damages done first thing in the morning."

The officer didn't seem completely convinced but with no proof, he didn't have much to charge them with. "Very well, but if this is true, please follow protocol and do research in the labs."

"Uh," Saith rolled his lip in confusion, "that makes it really hard to write about a drow. We're outdoorsy creatures."

"Valid point. How about you show them during the day. Or at the crack of dawn?"

"Crack of dawn?" The gasp in Saith's voice made the boys laugh. "Do you know anything about drow?"

"They're night creatures. He would never wake up before 6 to help us," the boy with glasses laughed. "But we can see if we can get a security guard to escort us at night, if that would help."

"That would work," he said while pulling out a card. "And since I'm not well-versed on drow, I would love to help. If your teacher signs off on this, I'll gladly be your watchman at night for the experiment. Now, I must ask you all," he stopped.

"Might be wise if you walked them back, officer." Saith made direct eye contact with the man, nodding lightly as he spoke. The two knew each other and from their silent stares, it was obvious that they both knew what was really going on.

"Good idea. If I see you out here when I get back--" he began.

"You won't, don't worry."

Moments later, the boys and the officer were leaving the woods. Saith sighed but it was a fleeting gesture.

"I wasn't sure we could trust you," a voice spoke from behind the drow. "Good to know you're finally on our side." The moonlight caught the man's face, revealing he was another campus safety officer. "Couldn't help but notice you ditched something over there."

"Yeah," Saith rubbed his arm. "James is giving new recruits weapons. This is becoming a real problem."

"Then you sure as hell better work twice as hard. If we have another student die--"

"We won't. I'm on the case. And the ball is the perfect cover up, don't worry. No one will suspect it's us. You just keep the school interested in that ball and I'll keep sniffing out leads. As soon as I know who the informant is, we'll bust them."

"And if you turn on us," he gun was now rested at Saith's neck.

"I know the consequences. You don't need to threaten me." Saith lowered and picked up the mangled remains of the gun. "See if you can get anything useful off this."

"You just had to smash it," he shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be 'the responsible adult and student' I should be. Now what about the kids?"

"We'll keep an eye on them. So long as they stay out of trouble, I don't see a reason to book them."

With that, the two nodded before shaking hands. "Always a pleasure, Saith." Saith waited a moment before seeking Mae out. Offering her a hand, he pulled her back onto the path.

"Sorry you had to see all that," he grit his teeth. "I'm..." He bit his lip. "It's probably best you don't know." He gave her a worrisome glance, "I... I uh, it's why I wanted to walk you home. I had to make sure you were safe. I knew you worked late and I didn't want you to get caught in the middle of something nasty." His voice was genuine and sincere, much like the look of concern in his eyes.

Escorting her out of the woods, the drow kept silent until they finally reached her door. She probably wanted a quick goodbye, but Saith didn't want to pass this chance up.

"Hey," he cast his gaze off her, "about Tuesday. You shouldn't have to apologize. I was wrong to do what I did. I don't know you and I had no right to make assumptions, let alone joke about such personal things."

It was now or never, he told himself.

Stepping up, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "You're okay, Mae." He stepped back down and shot her a wink. "I don't have class tomorrow so I'll see you whenever I get my sleepy ass over to your office."

With that, he flashed her another grin before ducking back into the shadows. Not making it fair, he stopped to gaze back at her. He wondered what she would do with that kiss he left on her cheek.

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