|Jared Jones|

Balls, dances, parties – everything that a girl of her age should have been attending but unfortunately, was too sheltered from the real world. Demetria had been to homecoming, of course and just about any other party that her school had held whether it be in the courtyard of her hometown, the basketball court in school or the house of a random pupil. She was familiar with how to act; how to gracefully sweep herself across the floor, heels clicking with a demand as all eyes glazed upon her… It was almost impossible for people to NOT look at her at homecoming. Not only was she the most beautiful, but people had to give their applaud to the homecoming QUEEN, didn’t they? Walking through the double doors that led to the cafeteria, iridescent greens illuminating as the orange spotlights circled around the floor in disco effect – her cherry red lips curdling into a HELLISH smirk. It was like attending a school dance all over again and wherever she went, she knew she was going to leave her mark. With her hands on her hips, elbows lightly grazing the scarlet wings that had completed her costume, Demetria allowed her gaze to dance across the floor – taking in everything before her. Skeleton figures were dotted around the place, big black cauldrons with smoke pouring out of its oblivion-like hole, people with masks who were unidentifiable, a makeshift stage, spooky music echoing… Brielle had really pulled out at all of the stops. It seemed as though Doctor Wright was good for something. 

Though, the decorations were not what she was looking at – she was looking for something else… Somebody to terrorise, somebody to dance with, somebody to hypnotise; ANY kind of reaction. A pretty girl like her couldn’t go the night without the attention she deserved. Hazels bounced from person to person, trying to suss out who was who but most importantly, trying to find her certain somebody. There was Eden, dressed as a teapot – what the fuck? Toni dressed as… Okay, she didn’t have a clue what Toni was dressed as. Charlie as a Mexican – no way did he actually do it. Becca as batgirl, Tiernan as the joker, Zoe as a flintstone, Chase as a Jester, Kit looking H O T as Indiana Jones maybe? Near enough everybody was there apart from the person she was looking for. With a sigh, Demetria looked down to the floor – a discouraged look crashing upon her face as she wondered where Jared was. He wasn’t off dancing with somebody else… Or maybe he decided that he didn’t want to be at the ball, though that seemed unlikely seeing as he was just as excited as a CHILD about dressing up, eagerly disappearing off to the store and later appearing with a gallon fake blood. There she heard it – his voice, thick like syrup but just as sweet as he drizzled a sweetness over her – cerulean hues scouring across her entire canvas as the devil pirouetted a 180° crescent, finally meeting his own body. Each corner to her cherries lifted up into a coy smile, trying her hardest to not look too pleased with the fact that he was stood in front of her – the crimson stains littered across his lips, jawline and shirt complimented her own outfit PERFECTLY as if they had arranged to wear the same colours and somehow, Demetria couldn’t help but feel as though she was being reeled in by the fangs that sharpened his canines and the bloodshot patterns that followed under his sapphires – it reminded her of a dream she had once about coming face to face with a creature of the night, one that looked identical to her lover. 

“Hail Satan indeed, though she would be absolutely NOWHERE without these wings.” 

Taking a few steps closer, the echo of her stiletto reverberating throughout the room as though the music had silenced, the ambient buzz of the crowd had dissipated and as if their words were the only ones that could be heard for miles – Demetria was no inches away from him, head tilted and lips curved with their scarlet plump. God, she was a SEDUCTRESS… One that Jared would be dying to grab hold of, no doubt. The wine colour to her two piece set – pencil skirt and cropped vest was just as addictive as the liquid itself; luring men ( not just alcoholics ) in to her own space and yet, the only one that she wanted to FEED was Jared. Her horns, heels, nails and makeup were all a devilish red too that she had managed to assemble herself – complimenting the outfit as chocolate curls draped their way around her neck, where any typical vampire would want to feast but the wings… They made the costume and without them, they looked plain. “Thank you.” Her words were a whisper, barely audible but incredibly gratuitous for the little surprise that the tutor had left in a box on her room. Never in a million years had somebody bought something of the such for her and they didn’t look cheap either… The quality of them almost seemed realistically ANGELIC – yet here she was, morphing them into something so dark and evil yet making it look as though they were designed for her. 

“You don’t look so bad either. I’d let you drink my BLOOD if you asked – your eyes are what would convince me. And your voice and your body and your… Okay, I’m going to get carried away if I complete the list. You’re just so…” 

 Viridescents crept around the room just to double check again that nobody was listening but as she leaned in to whisper the singular noun to the tutor, she couldn’t help but feel herself getting giddy – autumnal irises completely mesmerised by the small smirk that was swiping across his features as he recognised that she was getting flustered. Could you really blame her? There would have been nothing more CARNAL than the vampire and the devil disappearing off to his classroom for five minutes whilst everybody else was enjoying the ball – two demons fighting against the other as her back slammed against his wall, wings crooking with each new pound that her small body took, the remnants of fake blood plastering across her own neck and down in between her chest, with each kiss he placed against the porcelain of her skin. 

 “HOT.”

 Pulling back now, in an attempt to regain herself, the beauty spun around on her toe – heading towards the punchbowl, ensuring that she was giving Jared a show of his own as she knew that he would follow suit. They were ‘FRIENDS’ after all… Demetria Rivers was a patient who trusted the Jones’ and the staff members were never going to discourage something as ‘HARMLESS’ as their relationship. They could have been talking about how yesterday’s lesson went or how in class, Jared was going to be teaching them the origins of Halloween once the fun was over. Nobody else around them had to know the lustful and loving thoughts that clouded one another’s minds as they were with one another – and they certainly didn’t need to know about what happened when they were behind closed doors. There was the exception of Charlie and Dana but nobody else would ever find out… Not until Demetria was out of Brielle and nothing could be done about it. Swaying her hips from side to side, the curves of her peach looking enhances as feathers draped either side of her waist – looking like the doorway to HEAVEN, Demi shot back a playful smile to get a glimpse of how his eyes followed her and to her own expectation, he looked D E S P E R A T E.

               The charming grin that had been the demise of so many women before her slipped over Jared’s features easily as Demetria rattled off compliments about himself and his costume. He was nothing compared to her though, a vision of pure elegance shrouded in hell fire and brimstone. He gave her points for creativity of course, having seen the costume in it’s bare bones state the Jones had no idea just how encompassing the wings he had purchased for her would be. And of course he had spared no expense, they had been something she wanted and it was becoming evident very early in the relationship that whatever the beauty wanted the tutor would acquire no matter what hoops and hurdles he had to over come in order to complete the request.

Little did Jared know he was having the same impure thoughts as the devilish beauty, visions of her frame pinned against the door of his classroom or the thick mahogany of his desk dancing through his head like sugarplums at Christmas time. The blood clinging to his lips would surely stain her neck, leaving smeared impressions of passion and wanting as they encompassed the entire map of her body. It would be so obvious when they returned, with makeup smeared and cheeks flushed, hair tousled and stinking of sex. Needless to say the very image of the beauty wasn’t the only thing that Brough such a smirk to the raven haired males lips. “Look who’s talking.” He ventured, the irony of the Devil using the word hot not lost on the literary scholar.

As her frame began to fade away Jared made quick, subtle steps to follow, the eagerness behind his feet shrouded by the many others that laced their path. The crowd was distracted of course, the cacophony of noise and imagery enough to keep their eyes anywhere but on the beauty and the beast. So desperately did he want to reach out and touch her, to caress the backside that was so flawlessly framed by the wings he’d retrieved for her. There was lust behind those cerulean pools but also adoration - both emotions that were hidden from plain sight thanks to the crimson effect of the contact lenses he donned. Admittedly it seemed as though Jared was sizing Demi up like she was a bite to eat, but that was part of this character wasn’t it? The vampire who hungered eternally for blood? Such creatures didn’t exist of course but if they had Jared’s doppelgänger would certainly have been a force to be reckoned with. Other worldly powers or no this creature would have had zero issue drawing in women to feed from, one look at those baby blues and they would be putty in his hands - but of course, this was all simply fantasy, an amusing thought in the back of the tutors mind.

As they reached the punch bowl Jared was sure to give passers by a polite acknowledging smile each of which was accompanied by a nod - all in an attempt to persuade them not to strike up a conversation. It was a passing nod, the kind you might give someone in a hallway when you wanted to confirm their existence but also had somewhere else to be - and he did have somewhere else to be, glued to the side of the devilish queen of course, there was no where else the tutor wanted to be situated.

             He grasped a plastic cup, swirling the ladle within the large clear bowl as the mixture of juice formed a subtle vortex thanks to his manipulation. Filling one cup just below the brim he offered it to Demi, filling a cup for himself shortly there after. It was a mixture of pink lemonade and some other ingredients - a variable witches brew if he’d ever laid eyes on one. With the hand that wasn’t currently invested in gripping his cup Jared dug into his jean pocket, subconsciously needing to distract himself lest he faulted and reach out to caress the beauty in such a public place. “So, Ms. Rivers,” He began, well aware the music would be enough to keep others from eavesdropping on their conversation but smart enough to know he could play the entendre game if he phrased things properly. “Do you have any plans for after the dance?” Ultra marine’s widened with the question, as if to emphasis his point all the while that trade mark smirk continued to stay plastered against his features, even as he took a sip of the lemonade mixture.

She’d hardly been paying attention to her immediate surroundings, given that her gaze had been fixated on others throughout the night. The first being Emmy, making sure than her little spawn wasn’t unintentionally getting herself into trouble or wandering too far off. And if she was looking at Emmy, Cecily often times didn’t seem too far off. However, Eden had a bit more faith that the other little blonde could certainly hold her own better than Emmy could. And finally, Eden had been keeping a very nonchalant eye on Demi. There wasn’t any particular reason, she’d given up on the whole mystery man thing, she just couldn’t help but be even just a little protective over the adult.

So when a low voice spoke rather close to the blonde, she didn’t even assume that they were talking to her. After all, she’d already spoken to the staff members that she was friends with— the conversations were brief and predominantly initiated out of common courtesy, but they were out of the way nonetheless. It was when the voice spoke again that Eden turned to the source, her eyebrows furrowing slightly at the familiar man. Surely Jared had other staff members to dance with. Eden was perfectly content with being a little wallflower for the evening, she liked being able to keep an eye on everyone. Which is why, when her mouth opened to respond, she sent a rather brazen“why?” in the man’s direction.

                A flicker of amusement flashed over the tutors features, thick brows twitching as a smile crept against his lips. Some people might have considered what Eden had just said rude, but to the tutor, who social standing was rather fractured, it was entertaining. It was an entirely fair question, he and Eden barely spoke bar a few passing words in the halls and a sparse conversation within the staff quarters here and there. So her desire to understand just why Jared might want to waltz around the room with her was entirely warranted.

                “Because it would be fun.” He offered with a shrug, still extending his hand, as if the absurdity of it would break the psychologist’s will all on it’s own. “Come on, Eden, let loose - just for a little. I only want one dance.” There was a puppy dog like feature that encapsulated the males face now, a look he had perfected over his thirty three years on this earth without ever truly being aware he had done so. It was a look that had demolished Demi’s will in the past and countless women before that - all thanks to the radiant sapphire pools and striking good looks he had been fortunate enough to inherit. A fake pout took hold of his lips though the expression looked vaguely wrong placed against the features of what was supposed to be a blood thirsty vampire.

    A coincidence. Was that an accurate enough word to describe the person who found their way into Piper’s office? Jared was the last person she had expected to show up on her doorstep - yet here he was by the call of her thoughts. And what was worse - scalding HOT beverages were in his hands. ‘Great. He’s probably going to dump those on me too.’ Her thoughts had her believing.

    Piper had the nose of a bloodhound when it came to coffee. She smelt the steaming mixed brews of mouth watering caffeine’s from behind closed doors, but now the aroma filled the confines of her room - not that she was complaining. Her sensitive little nose picked up on the scents of vanilla and the ever seasonal; pumpkin spice. The only question was.. What did he plan to two with FOUR steaming cups of coffees?

“Good morning.”

    She acknowledged him back, though skepticism lingered in her voice; just as her eyes lingered on him and the brews in his hands. The intern noticed how careful he was being in her presence this time - as opposed to yesterday. Perhaps she really had given the man a startle. Not that she could blame him. ‘I better just get this over and done with’ The woman begrudgingly thought to herself. Yet just as the intern turned her body towards him and parted her plump, cherry red lips to get the apology over and done with - he cut her off.     A peace offering? Was he being serious? There were no words the intern could form; which was surprising. Usually the spitfire had an answer for everything; even if she shouldn’t verbally say it out loud. But right now the woman was speechless. And what had her even more speechless;  if that were possible, was that he was apologizing to her - AGAIN! Why?! Why was this man so insistent on making sure they had a salvageable relationship when it in reality it should have been the intern mending things - not Jared.

    The intern let out a small sigh before walking over to her desk where she perched her rear on the white sturdy table. For some reason, she couldn’t cast her eyes forward to look at the individual in front of her and give him the respect of at least eye contact. Her long, wavy locks of crimson fire cascaded over her shoulder as she spoke.

“I appreciate the gesture - I really do. No one’s ever shown this kind of initiative for an apology.”

   She let slip, which may have said a little more about her character then she would have liked. In other words, no one had ever made this much of an effort towards the intern in terms of an apology - much less wanting to start over . The dragoness was much TOO scary for some people to handle; whether that be adults or teenagers. And in all honesty, Piper felt as if she would have been much better off had this man not bothered with her today with his act of kindness. It wasn’t exactly something she was used to. Not to mention having to respond to this act made her feel awkward in ways. Swallowing a forming lump in her throat, the intern felt her fingers beginning to grip the edge of her desk as she went on to speak.

“Stop apologizing to me okay - I’M the one who’s SORRY. I was having a terrible day and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

    There! She said it! ‘God this is so fucked up! Just look at him will you!’ Piper scolded herself, knowing an apology didn’t mean a thing unless you gave the respected person at least the acknowledgement of eye contact. After a moment, she took a breath and forced her battling hazel orbs to look up to the kind man before her. There was in inner struggle behind those hazel eyes, but the intern was doing her hardest to keep that at bay.

                “Well I’m not just anyone.” 

The tutor chirped, a slick half smirk falling over his lips as he cautiously followed the vixen over toward her desk. How unfortunate would it be for the Jones to trip and fall, only to result in Piper wearing not one but four terribly hot liquids in spite of his actions. Jared was thankful then, that when he arrived at the foot of her desk not one single solitary drop had ejected itself from any of the cups and with one final motion he set the tray down on the mahogany, waiting for Piper to choose which of the four she would like to enjoy.

Her next set of words took the tutor slightly aback. From her tone he half expected her to start screaming at him again, chiding him for perhaps placing the coffees wrong or purchasing the wrong kind - lord only knew, Jared was no mind reader. But when the crimson haired intern instead began apologizing herself, Jared could only blink, ultra marine hues stuttered from the world as dark lashes pressed together repeatedly. He found himself shaking his head, standing now just a foot from where the vixen had perched herself. When their eyes finally met Jared smiled, an easy motion that fell over his features without even a second thought. “Apology accepted.” The raven haired male shrugged, brushing it off as if it were no big deal. Everyone had a bad day - even Jared, despite his apparently everlasting cheerfulness. He could recall many an interaction that had gone less than smoothly, all because his mind had been preoccupied with this or that.