Back from the dead, for a little bit. Exams are over, and I'm super bored. Most of this chapter was already written, but I thought I'd add the odd twist or two, so I hope you enjoy.

THE ACADEMY

**CHAPTER 16 – Surprise**

Before my legs had time to buckle, Theo gently steered me in the other direction towards the dance floor.

His warm arm wrapped itself around my waist. It was half supporting me, and now half guiding me in slow circular motions that to people observing may have looked like dancing. Slowly, I rested my cheek against his shoulder, swallowing to hold back tears.

"It's him," I barely whispered.

"No," Theo countered just as softly, his voice barely a breath in my ear over the band that was playing light, meaningless Classical music. "That man is Sebastian Vaudrienne, Rafael's brother. After leaving the Academy, the two chose paths in the exact opposite directions, and supposedly haven't been in contact since. Both are at the most successful position in their path choice. However, indirectly they attempt and often succeed to damage and destroy each other's businesses." As usual, his words were logical, and should have made sense, but none of them sunk in. My body was shaking, as I silently relived the days spent in that room, with that man, whilst full of that endless, relentless pain.

"Don't look over," he whispered urgently in my ear. "Once you catch his eye you'll become the centre of his attention."

I looked over Theo's shoulder.

"You're looking, aren't you?"

I nodded, watching the man with morbid curiosity. He was currently chatting to some of the older women at the dance who were laughing flirtatiously and swishing their hair a lot better than I ever could, even though my hair was longer and less on the greying side. The man's head of tidy black hair also had streaks of silver, but his smiling face looked timeless. It was hard to see his features from so far away, so all I could see was that he had a strong build, and a neatly trimmed black beard. He seemed to be keeping the women entertained, but every now and then he would scan the room quickly with his eyes.

And the next time he did that, his eyes found mine. It was such an intense gaze that it felt as if he was drilling into my mind, searching for answers. Suddenly my thoughts became a simple, empty blank, and I felt myself freeze up.

There was no mistaking the colour of those eyes. They were black. Pure, endless black. My breath caught, and Theo diverted my attention by spinning me on the spot in a twirl.

"He saw you, didn't he," he said, defeated, when we were back together.

"I think so," I replied shakily.

Theo sighed. "Then we'd better make this last, since he'll be at us as soon as we leave the dance floor."

I swallowed and buried my head in Theo's shoulder, wishing I could fade into the expensive material of his suit as I suddenly understood the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat'.

The song was over far too soon, and Theo rubbed my back reassuringly as we headed back to the side of the room directly opposite to the man.

But, surely enough, a gentle hand patted my shoulder to get my attention, making me jump.

I turned to the man and forced a smile onto my face. "Oh, hello."

"Good evening, Miss… Jasmine, is it?" I nodded, and he smiled kindly. "I recognise all of the faces in this school, and your lovely one is the one I have yet to know. My name is Sebastian Vaudrienne."

"It's an honour to meet you, Mr Vaudrienne," I said quietly as we shook hands.

"Believe me, the honour's all mine! Caroline was absolutely astounding at this school, and later in life, too, and I only know that because I was her employer at the time."

"You… employed my mother?" I was shocked at the high status she must have had at this school. "Does that mean you hired my father, too?"

"Indeed," he said with a reminiscing smile. "The two were inseparable; they were such good partners, so it's no wonder they chose to start a life together."

A small frown formed on my head, but I quickly smoothed it out as I remembered who I was talking to, but Vaudrienne had moved to shake Theo's hand. "Melanthios, you're looking well. I assume you're still top dog of the school with your brother?"

I could tell Theo was about to reply modestly, but another voice cut in. "So they say," Zane said from beside me. He had a smile on, but I could tell through his eyes that he was furious. He hid it well. "You're looking just like when we first met you, Sebbie."

Mr Vaudrienne roared with laughter. "Oh, Zane, you flatter me! Alas, I'm afraid that age has begun to take its toll. Enjoy your youth, kids; now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to spend as much as what I have left as possible on the dance floor." He turned to me. "I will be in contact." He chuckled one last time before heading in the other direction.

Zane kept his smile plastered on his face as he turned to me. "You looked for him, didn't you?"

I swallowed.

"Shit, I'm not even going to ask, because I know you would have warned her, Theo." Zane pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh. "Oh, well. I guess it was just a matter of time until the two of you met."

But I was hardly focusing on the two of them; my mind was on something Mr Vaudrienne had brought up. I spoke my thoughts aloud, but uneasily. "So… when two people are good partners… is it expected for them to start a life together?"

They both hesitated, but Theo answered first. "It's not always necessary," he said softly. "But a lot of the time, it's a lot more convenient, since the person you are with does not have to be worried about all the time, since they have the capability to look after themselves."

"So my parents just got married because it was practical?"

They looked down, seemingly embarrassed by their culture. "Apparently, they were expected to, since they worked so well together. Having children is extremely rare. After they had you, Caroline gave everything up to raise you, but your father still wanted to continue. However, unless there was a case for him, he got to stay at home with you. It's incredible how much he continued to achieve."

I wished I could ask my parents about this. Had my father still worked for Sebastian up until now? They may have actually been at this dance, what with their high status, if it hadn't happened to them. I blinked away tears hastily. "Ok. Whatever."

Someone placed a hand on my arm. "Come on," Zane said, leading me gently back to our friends. I knew we were within the group without even looking up because I could hear Dee hissing, "You think they'll notice if we just dump this dance and go get something to eat?"

"There are refreshments on the other side of the room, if you are interested." I looked up to follow John's pointing hand, and for the pure sake of the delicious food at this school, I sneaked over to the table stealthy with Dee.

We spent the majority of the evening stealing food from the refreshments table and stuffing it in Dee's purse, and chatting, dancing with employers – including the not-so-bad Vaudrienne who was also a pretty good dancer, past the extreme discomfort I felt at having to dance with someone who looked disturbingly similar to my torturer – and exchanging quiet comments on other people's outfits. Especially Kathy's.

But all the while, my attention was on Zane. How did he turn off that cocky side of him while he mingled with his employers, who all seemed to adore his presence? Where did he learn to dance so smoothly and perfectly, not a foot out of place?

And when was he going to look over at me for once? I gritted my teeth and mentally cursed myself for that last one. It wasn't like I wanted him to.

"Having fun?"

I turned and did a double take. It was a married couple, standing in front of me with familiar but wary smiles on their faces, each with hair of a dazzling blonde. The woman was dressed in a modest yet flattering black dress, and looked so different from when I'd seen her at her house, wearing her slacks and asking me how my day had been. The man wore a pressed black suit, looking like he belonged at events like these despite me having seen him countless times soaked in sweat and oil, with a spanner in his hand, attempting to piece together the wreck that was his car back in England.

Even in this unusual attire, both of them still radiated summer.

I could barely utter the words, "What are you doing here?" to the parents of none other than Evan.

Their smiles barely wavered at my evident shock, and Ian, Evan's father, spoke up first. "As employees of the Academy, we could barely pass up an opportunity such as this to meet our future co-workers."

Meanwhile I was still unable to contain my fish-like gaping. "You mean, you two…?"

"We've been closer to your parents than you could ever imagine, working alongside them in countless operations." Janice's smile turned wistful. "It really was a terrible thing, what happened to them. I'm sure you've heard it many times already, but I'm so sorry for your loss. They'd be so proud to see you turning into a beautiful, strong young woman, just like your mother."

My heart swelled for a moment, but her words made me think. Would they be happy about this? Had my mother eagerly enrolled me here, hoping I would live the same lifestyle as her? Or had her hand been forced, due to the situation she was in that led to her and Dad's deaths?

"Thank you," I replied quietly, giving them a polite smile.

"So have you spoken to Evan tonight? We heard about your separation –"

"Evan's here? He knows?" I demanded, guffawing, a dozen thoughts immediately crowding my head. Angry fire flooded through my veins, and misery blocked my throat.

"I'm taking that as a 'no'," Evan's father said with a chuckle. But he quickly sobered. "He is indeed. He's been looking for you. His mother and I were foolish enough to leave some paperwork out, and now that he knows the Academy's story, he demanded that he'd be taken here. The authorities thought it was harmless since it was merely a dance, and Evan didn't take no for an answer," he said, almost apologetically.

"And we have a feeling," his mother confided, "that Evan's trying to woo the staff into letting him enrol here."

"Oh, you've got to be fu–" I quickly stopped myself, despite the emotions raging inside of me, as I remembered who I was talking to. So soon after Evan and Jemma, I definitely wasn't ready to face Evan yet. "I'll go see if I can find him," I lied. "It was wonderful seeing you two again." And with that I bid them goodbye, going to my best efforts to weave through the crowd unnoticed. Momentarily I cursed the bold, red dress I wore, which caught the eye instinctively better than any other outfit I'd ever worn could.

My insides were churning as I politely nodded at people I'd spoken to earlier in the evening, but now passed without comment. The thing I was worried about was that Evan actually stood a chance at getting in. Now that I knew the workings of the Academy, I knew it didn't all depend on smarts. Sure, Evan was pretty smart, but the traits of his that would make him a possible candidate were his muscular build, his ability to think on the spot, and his charisma, which could easily rival Zane's.

About to make another turn towards the hallways that led to the dorms, the inevitable happened. About four metres away, the previous love of my life stood, with that summertime grin spreading warmth through my stomach as he made an elderly man laugh.

Oh, another of his useful traits I forgot to point out: his ability to spot me in a crowded area.

Within seconds, before I had the chance to make my getaway, his eyes found mine. For one intense second, neither of us moved, and just like that awful day outside Evan's house, we merely stared at each other in immobilising shock.

And then, I ran.

Well, I wouldn't call it running. I didn't want to cause a scene. But, I fast walked as quickly as my (damn short) legs could carry me, only interrupting my stride to apologise to people I accidently knocked into during my retreat.

I glanced back, feeling hope welling up as I didn't see him following. But I should have known he'd be much faster than me, and I should have expected him to take a detour and end up blocking my path.

"Jasmine," Evan said.

And just like that, hearing his voice again, hearing him say my name, made my insides melt like butter.

"Please get out of my way, Evan," I said in a clipped tone, proud of myself for remaining cold when all I really wanted to do was reclaim my summer and dissolve in those strong arms, forgetting about the world around us.

He didn't waste any time. "I didn't cheat on you, okay? Jemma came over because she'd just been dumped by some guy, and –"

"Oh, so that's it," I interrupted in mock speculation. "She needed a shoulder to cry on, and instead you offered a dick to ride on?"

"Shit, Jas, that's not true and you know it! She was fully dressed when I was in the house, but when she saw you outside she undressed and came outside to make you jealous. I love you, Jasmine; you know I'd never do something like that to you. You have to trust me." His amber eyes willed me to understand, and I saw nothing but pure sincerity.

I tried to make it mean nothing to me; it was all lies, after all. But what if he was telling the truth? What if it was all just some cruel, unfortunate misunderstanding? Could I forgive him so easily? Could he enrol here, and allow us to resume our blissful happiness together?

"I came here," he continued, "so that I could get you back in my life. I came here so that even if you didn't love me anymore, you'd still be there, and I'd still be there for you, because all I want is for you to be happy. For that to happen, we need to resolve what happened between us. So please, please –"

"Save it, Evan." I pinched the bridge of my nose, blocking the wave of emotional exhaustion that threatened to spread through me. "Let me think about it, okay? Too much has happened today, and I'm really not ready to consider letting you back into my life again. Okay?"

He didn't seem to realise the effect his puppy dog eyes were having on my willpower. "Of course. That's fine. I'm staying in one of the dorms overnight with my parents, so I'll see you another time. It was… it was amazing to see you again, Jasmine. You look beautiful," he said softly, brushing his hand lightly against my own. I closed my eyes momentarily, and for the first time since Rafael had taken me, I craved more of someone's physical contact.

"Travelling to a different continent for her? Talk about psycho ex boyfriend."

I rolled my eyes and turned to Zane, who had a critical smirk decorating his face as he eyed Evan up and down. In response, Evan immediately puffed up like the testosterone-filled teenager he was, and the two were immediately immersed in a battle for the more intimidating glare.

"What do you want, Zane?" I finally said, when I had recovered from the humour of the situation.

After tearing his gaze away from the now-upset Evan, Zane held out his hand to me, a broad smile on his face. "Thought I'd save the best dance for last."

Just then, a new waltz came on. Evan's eyes were on me, willing me to refuse. But I took Zane's hand grudgingly, figuring that it was only polite and it would be the least awkward way to get me away from Evan, and he walked with me to the now almost-empty dance floor.

He pulled me close to him as we begun to dance. I was thankful that I'd worn heels, because without them, our height difference would have looked bizarre.

Zane spoke to me, his mouth close to my ear, so his breath sent shivers down my spine. "You know, I would've been a better escort if I wasn't obliged to go and mingle with all of those mundane employers. I'm sorry I wasn't with you when you faced that guy; I had no idea he'd manage to get here, and I always know the gossip when it comes to these events." He spun me in a twirl, making my dress flutter out in a large circle.

"Well," I murmured back, "You tried. And I appreciate that, I suppose."

I felt him chuckle silently. "So, no jealousy of me dancing with other women?"

My stomach dropped as he hit the bull's eye, but instead of showing it, I kicked his shin lightly. "You can dance with as many women as you like," I said indignantly. But then I paused. "What about you? Any jealousy?"

"Mmm." He sighed. "Of Theo. While you were dancing, the employers I was talking to were exclaiming how good you two looked together. Although," he said with a grin, "since we're twins, it must also mean that you and I look good together."

I couldn't help but laugh at his logic. "You wish, lover boy."

The song ended, and by that time, the hall was almost empty, so our group headed to get some coffee in the lounge. I kicked off my heels and changed into the shoes I kept in my purse, and let the others talk about the few events that occurred that evening, one of which included how manipulative Vaudrienne was, at which point I inputted that I didn't think that he was that bad, but I was lectured by just about everyone about how I had to keep my guard up.

I headed back to my dorm first, since it was two in the morning and I wasn't much of a late night/ early morning girl, meaning that my hair was messed up, I was sure my makeup was smudged, so overall, as defined by Frankie, I was definitely 'emitting an exhausted aura all over her awesomeness'.

I was so tired that I didn't notice when I walked straight into someone. Judging by the overwhelming perfume I was suddenly engulfed in, I guessed it was Kathy. And I was right.

She looked just as perfect as when then night had begun. "God," she said disgustedly, obviously at the state I was in.

"No," I said tiredly, "it's just me."

She laughed, and it hurt my ears. "Certainly doesn't look like it. Someone can't even take one long night of socialisation."

"Yeah. Great." I walked around her, and after a moment, I heard her heels angrily clicking off.

And, being the trouble attractor I am, I didn't learn my lesson, and I bumped into someone else. Zane.

"Damn it, sorry," I muttered, but he put his hands on my shoulders.

"You don't look like you're going to make it to your own bed," he mused.

"It's been a long, long day," I said slowly through gritted teeth, "and, to be frank, I'm completely exhausted, so seeing you is right on the bottom of the list of things I want to do."

"But that means it's still on the list," he noted, and I inwardly kicked myself for nothing thinking about that.

"Please," I said wearily, "I just want to go to bed."

"I'm going to take that as a subtle invitation."

I didn't even bother replying to that; I just pushed past him, heading towards my dorm.

But, of course, he grabbed my hand and pulled me gently back. "Let's just hang out, then. The school's no fun on a Sunday. Just hang out. Nothing else. If you don't want to, then come and sleep in the lounge. Maybe I'll even let you use my lap as a cushion, if you're lucky."

"Something tells me the luxurious double bed calling my name from upstairs will be a lot more comfortable. Now, can you please let go of me?"

His eyebrow rose (probably due to the new concept of 'rejection') and he paused for a moment. "No." He tugged me closer. "Stop running away," he said with a grin. "You know you love it."

So, I couldn't help it. This stupid asshole was preying on a poor, tired girl who was trying to go to sleep. I knew my anger levels were rising way too quickly for me to control.

"Why would you think that?" I hissed violently, trying to pull away for a moment but soon afterwards realising that it was a wasted effort. "Why me? You think I enjoy putting up with your mood swings? Do you think I'm playing hard to get? That under a mask of hate, I'm really falling for you? Then you can just bloody well piss off, because there's no way in hell that I'd ever turn to someone as sick as you!"

I couldn't help but notice his flinch as he took in the words, but I still used his loosened grip to my advantage. I yanked away from him, and slapped him across the face. I thought he'd just catch my hand and brush off the insults, but I never actually expected him to take the blow, knocking him a bit to the side and leaving an angry pink mark on his left cheek. His expression was shocked. I knew he could've stopped me if he'd wanted to. But all he did was stare at me, for an agonisingly long moment.

Finally, he spoke. "Why you?" he murmured in the softest voice I'd ever heard escape his lips, and it sent warm electricity pulsing through my veins. Suddenly, I ached to hear his next words. "Because you don't compare me to Theo. Because you don't care about my looks, or my approaches. Because you've looked past all that, and snuck right into my core. Because I can't control myself around you. Because no one's ever made me actually smile before. Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Because, even if you reject me, being around you is when I'm happiest. Because… I love you, Jasmine. And, more than anything in the world, I want you to love me, too."