"Why?" Alice gasped, pushing herself up off Magnus's lap as her heart jumped suddenly, her iPhone still pressed to her ear.

"What?" Magnus asked, his eyebrows furrowing as Alice hurried to the window to look out, only to see several police officers already arresting students in the garden out back. Alice cursed under her breath, hearing one of them say he was going to check the rest of the house since it was evident the party had just been ditched and people could be hiding anywhere.

The garden, from what Alice could see from the window, was covered in red cups and empty alcohol bottles... it was evident everyone had been drinking, so no wonder the cops were having a field day putting a bunch of teenagers in handcuffs.

"There are so many cops!" Candice hissed from the other side of the phone and Alice whined angrily and stamped her foot gently even though she was frustrated. She didn't want to be interrupted with Magnus... she didn't want to leave the party just yet but she knew that if she stayed a few minutes longer she'd end up in the back of a police car. She'd had enough trouble with the cops to last her for years, and yet - here they were, arresting people for underage drinking and drug possession and she was not about to allow herself to get caught.

"I have to go," Alice muttered quickly and hung up her phone, putting it on silent before she tucked it away in the back of her cheerleading skirt. "There are cops." She continued, turning back to Magnus who was still sat on the edge of the bed, looking unbothered and still a little turned on as he reached for Alice's thighs and pulled her forwards gently, "What are you doing? We have to go," she urged, laughing a little as Magnus pulled her back to him more.

"Cops are just cops," he murmured, enjoying how Alice's soft skin felt under his palms as he held the backs of her thighs, wanting her to back down on his lap but she slipped from his grasp and stepped away from him with a playful smile,

"Come on," She smirked, grabbing his hand anyway and tugging so that he stood up. Magnus exhaled loudly, but let Alice lead him out the room after she turned off the light and waited for it to be clear... she could hear cops talking downstairs about checking the upstairs rooms and grimaced, knowing that they only had a few minutes to escape before they were caught.

"This way." Magnus muttered, still feeling no sense of urgency as he pulled Alice's hand forward and pushed her a little ahead of him. She exhaled sharply with a little attitude as he nudged her in the right direction, but didn't comment on it whilst he showed her the way. They walked into a large empty bathroom further up the hallway and closed the door behind them quietly since they could hear voices getting louder. "Out the window," Magnus mumbled and Alice turned towards the longest wall, seeing a double window that would probably open enough for them to squeeze out. It opened like a book, letting the cold wind from the out doors suddenly sweep in. Magnus let Alice go first, and she pulled herself up from having to step on the closed lid of the toilet and climbed up and out onto the roof.

She stepped carefully along the slanted surface, feeling slightly uneasy since her balance was a little off from the alcohol consumption and crouched down to steady herself as she waited for Magnus to climb out also. Effortlessly, he pulled himself up and out of the window and onto the roof, barely needing to think about where to put his feet as he walked along the surface towards Alice. "Go," he muttered quietly, waiting for Alice to stand up before they walked along the tip of the slant and managed to jump down onto a lower level, which Alice assumed to be the garage. "There's an alley behind the house, it leads to the park." Magnus said quietly as they came to the edge of the roof and glanced down onto the concrete where more cars could park if needed.

Magnus went first, and jumped down easily onto the concrete below as if it was almost second nature. He was surprisingly agile for his height and weight, and Alice was distracted for a moment after his feet had touched the ground and he'd stood back up to his full height and turned back around. "C'mon," he murmured, keeping his voice quiet so that he didn't bring any attention to them. Alice breathed in deeply then licked her lips as she stared at the ground, wondering what the best possible route was to get down onto the ground without hurting herself. She was a lot less experienced with unusual athletic activities like this alongside being considerably shorter than Magnus... who was watching her carefully and edged closer to help.

"I got it," she whispered, waving him away slightly before sitting down onto the edge of the roof and easing herself off... she landed neatly onto the ground with bent knees and straightened up, her eyes avoiding Magnus's since she was aware her skirt had lifted when she'd jumped. He smirked a little, still feeling the buzz from the alcohol he'd drunk and glanced at her thighs, picturing her cute pink panties that had pandas on them again. "Let's go." she hissed, giving in and making eye contact then laughing quietly.

Magnus showed her the way, and they eased through a hedge at the edge of the property unnoticed and walked quickly and quietly down the alleyway that led towards the neighbourhood park. They stopped at the entrance as Alice pulled out her phone seeing a message pop up from Candice asking where she was and if she had to pay bail at the police station. A smirk etched across Alice's lips as she replied that she was fine and with Magnus at the park just down Candice's road...

"She's fine," Candice said out loud as she stood with her fridge open, having just arrived home after running enthusiastically away from Juniper's party to avoid being arrested. Trey exhaled heavily as he sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen with Charlie next to him, since they had all been together when the cops had arrived, they all escaped together too through the back garden.

"Is she with Magnus?" Trey asked and Candice nodded as she pulled three bottles of water out the fridge and handed them to her brother and his friend. "I thought so,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Candice asked, a curious but calm expression taking over her face as she unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the cold, crisp water that her body had been begging for - for the last half an hour.

"Nothing, I just noticed some things tonight that's all," Trey chuckled, taking a sip of water himself.

"I think he's into her," Candice said, smiling proudly as she thought about how much Alice liked Magnus and how things were finally going her way.

"He's just going to fuck and duck." Charlie interjected, shrugging his shoulders as he pulled out a cigarette packet from his pocket and laid it on the counter after he'd pulled out a straight and placed it on his lips.

"You can't smoke in my house," Trey said quickly, snatching the cigarette from Charlie's lips then scowling at him just before he was about to light it. "And it's different this time, it's not like how it was with Veronica-"

"And we all know how that turned out," Charlie snorted as he snatched his cigarette back from Trey's hands and stood up. "Magnus is fucked in the head, i mean we all are in some way, but he's just a fucking psycho," Charlie continued, obviously as high as a cloud and unable to stop himself from talking, "But this whole thing with Alice? It's gonna end up exactly the same way as it did with V-"

"Charlie," Trey snapped, since Candice was staring at Charlie and going a little pale. It was almost as if she'd forgotten who he was, who they all were, for a few days... her mind replayed seeing Veronica's swollen, discoloured body and she felt her stomach lurch. Magnus was a murderer... and her brother and his friends were murderers too. Her eyes began to water slightly but she tried to push the feeling down so that Trey wouldn't notice.

"- And guess who's going to have to clean it up? Me. Except you'll have to remind me to burn the body this time, Trey. I got sloppy last time he asked me to do it, we almost got caught." Charlie laughed as he walked outside, letting the glass door that led to the patio close with a quiet click on its own. Candice breathed slowly and deeply as she stared after Charlie then looked slowly at her brother. Trey didn't know what to say as he looked back at his younger sister, seeing the anxiety behind her eyes even though her expression dripped with disgust.

"Candice-" Trey began but she turned on her heel and walked off, feeling her own heart racing as she put her phone to her ear and began to nervously call Alice to make sure she was okay. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest with the anticipation, and it was as if she was beginning to re-live what had happened at the hospital only a week or so ago...

... "So, you think i'm the hottest senior?" Magnus asked as they walked side by side back to Candice's house were most of Alice's stuff was still. The night was cold, but still pretty clear since they could still see the stars twinkling above their heads. The breeze tickled Alice's skin, blowing some hair into her face...and she laughed lightly but didn't reply straight away since her cheeks were now red and she wasn't sure of what to say yet. Silently, she thanked God that it was still dark and her blush wasn't as obvious to Magnus's gaze.

"Don't flatter yourself, I don't know any of the other hot seniors," Alice replied, finding her voice and folding her arms across her chest as she tried to stop the smile from beginning to spread but it was hard to stop it once it began growing across her lips.

"If you knew the other hot seniors, you'd kiss them instead?" Magnus asked, watching the profile of her face as they walked up the curved slope to get to Candice's road.

"Maybe." Alice smirked and glanced up at him and met his eyes, she smiled warmly then looked away, pushing her lips together as she tried, once more, to stop smiling like this but she couldn't. She was lightly annoyed at herself for being like this in his presence, since her feelings towards him were becoming a lot harder to hide. "Um," she mumbled quietly, wanting to change the subject as Magnus watched her and chuckled under his breath before looking away. "So, are you-" she began, but the intense vibration of her phone suddenly distracted her. "One second." she said quietly, pulling her phone out of her pocket and seeing Candice calling her. "Do you mind if I answer it?"

"No," Magnus replied quietly, watching Alice smile again as she answered her phone and held it up to her ear.

"Hi," she answered, tucking some hair behind her ear as they walked at a relaxed pace along the dark, deserted road that would take them closer to Candice's house. It had just gone midnight now, and around here things usually seemed to quieten down as early as eight o'clock so by this time of night things were usually deadly silent.

"Are you with him still? " Candice's voice whispered quietly into the phone and Alice noticed her tone quickly. "Just say sure if you are,"

"Sure," Alice smiled, keeping her expression the same as she glanced at Magnus who was looking at the road ahead. "What's up?"

"I don't want you talking to Magnus anymore." Candice whispered down the phone, causing Alice's expression to falter slightly. "It's like we've both just forgotten the reality, Alice. He's a murderer, we can't- I can't believe I left you alone with him."

"I'm okay, just a little cold." Alice replied, causing Magnus to look over at her. Her tone was off, and he was starting to wonder why.

"Alice please, as soon as you get here just... this is all so fucked up," Candice hissed into the phone, her voice cracking as she tried not to cry. "They're all killers. All of them. I sleep with a killer in my house, i sit with one at the table. They've stayed in my house all together. What if they'd chosen to kill me?" Candice continued, breathing heavily down the phone as she whispered. Alice could hear Candice beginning to spiral and steadied her breath to make sure she sounded calm before she spoke.

"Candice, it's fine-"

"What if this is all some kind of fucked up plan to kill us both? They play friendly because its too obvious if they hate us, and then when our guard is down..." Candice hissed quickly, making Alice swallow hard since she could see Magnus continuing to stare at her. "You need to run, run away from him. I can meet you outside! I'll call the police-"

"NO!" Alice gasped, feeling her heart jump suddenly at the sound of the police. "No, Candice- um... don't do that because the stain won't come out. You can't un-do that if you.... if you... it will affect all of us. Please just... relax. Okay? I'll be there soon, in like five minutes."

"Is everything okay?" Magnus asked, his voice low and steady and for some reason it made Alice nervous. Suspicion crawled up her back and lent over her shoulder to watch Magnus watch her, and she couldn't help but think about what Candice had said... what if it was all some kind of fucked up plan? Magnus had been unusually nice. Unusually open about his childhood and his intentions. Maybe he didn't mind because she would eventually be unable to tell anyone about what he had said... or done.

"Please hurry." Candice whispered and Alice hung up the phone quickly and stuffed it into the band of her skirt.

"Candice is trying not to throw up on this new bag." Alice said and laughed a little nervously. "I really like it and she promised i could borrow it but if she vomits in it then its ruined,"

Maybe he'd make it look like an accident... and he'd planned it so perfectly even she wouldn't see it coming. Alice didn't look at him directly, and she could feel herself sobering up as the adrenaline began to burn through her veins. "So when do you graduate?" she asked, changing the subject since Magnus hadn't replied and had just continued to watch her carefully. He could tell when she was lying, both of them knew that.

"End of June, same as you." Magnus replied like it was obvious and furrowed his eyebrows at the strange question.

"Have you chosen what University you want to go to yet?" Alice asked, forcing herself to relax since she had a small suspicion that Magnus could smell anxiety and fear like some kind of apex predator.

"Maybe Harvard... or Oxford, I don't know." Magnus said, coming to the conclusion that Alice was attempting to distract him.

"Oxford? As in Oxford in England?" Alice asked, feeling her heart drop suddenly. "That's in a whole other country, though." she added, looking up at Magnus suddenly. His eyebrows raised slightly as he saw the slight worry in her eyes.

"They have one of the best politics courses in the world," He said calmly, analysing her expression then smiling suddenly. "I might take a year out, but that depends on a few things." he added, looking at her lips then back at her eyes.

"Um... like what?" Alice asked, glancing at his lips too and trying to reel in the sudden warmth and yearning in her chest. Her consciousness was whispering in her ear, telling her that if anything played out in her favour that he'd take a year out for her so they could spend more time together. Magnus could see her eyes twinkling as he looked at her, and felt a small spark in his chest in response to it. They both looked away suddenly and remained quiet for a few moments.

"You're asking a lot of questions," he replied, feeling himself suddenly put the lid over the spark and calm down. "I have a lot to consider over the next six months, so."

"Oh," Alice said lightly, looking up at the road ahead and seeing Candice's house coming up.

"What about you?" he asked after they had been silent for a few seconds. The air had gone slightly tense, but both of them were attempting to ignore it.

"With colleges?" Alice asked and Magnus nodded, "Um... well I want to study psychology, but I was looking into staying in Canada, though."

"Harvard has one of the best courses for that," Magnus commented, looking down at her as they arrived at Candice's gate and he pushed it open and let her walk ahead. She thanked him quietly and walked forward then waited for him. "Why do you want to stay in Canada?"

"I like it," she replied, "And also I've never really thought about leaving the country." she shrugged as he watched her carefully, "Like... England is far."

"It's not that different to here." Magnus chuckled, "And if I stay in this town any longer I might end up losing it completely."

"Is that why you do it?" Alice asked suddenly, her steps halting on the stepping stone walk way that was alongside the drive way leading up to Candice's front door. Magnus stopped too, although he was a little ahead of her now, and turned to look at her slowly. "I mean, kill people."

"I know what you meant." he snapped quietly and glanced back towards the house before he walked back to her so he wouldn't have to project his voice. Irritation flashed across his eyes as he stared her down for a moment but she held her ground and stared back, waiting for an answer. "You really have to control your impulses to ask me shit like this," he muttered angrily, his annoyance at her obvious.

"You're as impulsive as it gets," Alice replied, her calm tone making Magnus angrier suddenly. "I don't think you get to tell me to control myself..." she continued, the slight attitude in her voice making him exhale loudly.

"I'm not going to argue with you," Magnus replied, "I know what you're doing." He added, feeling that familiar burn of anger in his chest that he was trying to suppress around Alice. He was annoyed that they'd seemed to be having a normal conversation and it took a turn in a way that showed Alice was still focusing on the fact he was an impulsive... killer.

"You know you can't keep deflecting," Alice said, staying where she was stood. "I'll find out eventually." she added, unable to stop her mouth from moving but her expression was different even though it was calm and gentle...the aura she gave off was one that Magnus hadn't come across before. He paused... and looked at her carefully... the girl he was looking at wasn't the one that he had been walking next to just a few minutes ago. And instead of Magnus feeling a sense of superiority, he found himself looking at what felt like an equal.

"What makes you so sure about that?" He asked,

"What makes you so unsure about that?" Alice smirked, "You know nothing about me, Magnus. Not really." She smiled, then dropped it seconds later so that her face was dead straight again. "I have to go now," she continued and went to walk passed Magnus but he grasped her arm to stop her.

Alice looked down at his hand on her arm then looked up into his eyes, feeling the low rumbling energy begin to move between them both... "Don't go yet," Magnus murmured quietly, but his voice radiated a strength that was giving in to another power other than its own.

"Why?" Alice asked, her voice soft now.

"I don't know," he replied, letting go of her arm and looking away from her as he reached up to push his hair back. "I don't really know anything about you." He continued, and looked at her again as he folded his arms.