THREE

The Caine Competition

Disclaimer: The Gone series and its characters are all owned by Michael Grant, along with his various publishers, and no copyright infringement is intended by this story.

Previously:Diana's tongue gets her placed at the top of Drake's hit list; Doctor Hyde begins counselling; Caine saves Diana from Drake's wrath.

-C-

Doctor Hyde's fingers were steepled together, fingertips cemented. His eyes were focused, watching over the top of his dark glasses.

Drake refused to react. He'd been counselling with Hyde for around four months before the summer, and he always refused to give him a proper reaction, other than the usual disdain and strong dislike. Doctor Hyde waited several moments longer before venturing to speak.

"So what you're saying is that you attacked Miss Ladris because you felt like it?"

Drake's earlier attack on Diana was the talk of the school - and the talk of Drake's current counselling session. He was fed up of hearing her name.

Drake just shrugged.

"And why did you feel like it, Drake?"

Drake shrugged again. He wasn't in the mood to chat.

-C-

She was on everyone's lips. Everywhere people were talking about her as if she was a movie star or something. Drake knew that she was just a bitch with an attitude. There was certainly nothing special about her.

Everywhere he went, she seemed to be. The lessons he didn't have with her, there was always some reminder of her. The lessons he did have with her were unbearable. Just knowing she was sat there got his blood boiling.

Diana Ladris was driving him crazy.

Well, crazier.

-C-

Diana had been at Coates just under a week, and in the oddest way she found herself almost enjoying it.

Sure, she had a freak breathing down her neck, but Coates had its luxuries - namely, Caine's gang. They had a kind of dark glamour in the school, a reputation that kept people watching. Being with them was like hanging around with Coates royalty, and thanks to Caine's mini-fascination with her, she was a few steps away from being queen.

"S'up."

Caine sat down on the bench next to her, hands buried in his pockets to protect them from the chilly autumn wind. He smiled at her awkwardly.

"Hey," she said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much."

"Well I'm so glad I asked," Diana smirked. "I'll be writing that down in my diary. Saturday: Woke up. Went on Facebook. Caine was up to nothing. Went to bed."

"Do I really impact that much on your day?"

"It was just such life-changing news," answered Diana smoothly. "I feel it's something that the whole world needs to know about."

"Oh shut up," Caine snapped. Five days and he was already getting used to her sarcasm. She'd noticed how he allowed her to say her bit, how no-one else could get away with it when he was in earshot. Having that little power over him was oddly satisfying.

September was cool and crisp; there was already a chill in the air that foretold the approach of winter. The hairs on Diana's arms were standing in a line, but she ignored them. Sitting in the courtyard gave her time to think.

Her father had not contacted her since he'd dropped her off. She hadn't expected him to, but in her heart she had wanted him to, and there was a small ache inside her that was weighing her down. It wasn't the feeling of abandonment, or betrayal, or loneliness. It wasn't anger or sadness. It was guilt.

"It was my dad, I saw him do it, they were screaming and he pushed her!"

"Slow down now, I -"

"He pushed her, I swear... I think he wanted to kill her."

"What are you thinking about?"

Caine interrupted her trance. He was looking at her curiously, and Diana wondered how much he had read from the expression of her face. Could he sense her lying soul?

"My dad," Diana said, and it surprised her to realise she'd actually given him a real answer.

If Caine too was surprised, then he didn't show it. "Oh right," he said skeptically. "You miss him? Seemed like you couldn't wait to get away from him, the day he dropped you off."

"Yeah. Well. I like my alone time, I guess." She looked at him pointedly.

"Coates is boring at the weekend," Caine said defensively. "I was just seeing what you were doing." There was something else, something hidden in his voice, and she sensed he had an ulterior motive in coming to find her. He was definitely uncomfortable about something.

"Caine," she prompted, dragging his name out. He looked at her as innocently as he could. "You're a terrible liar."

"What?"

"I can tell you're avoiding something."

Caine sighed in defeat. His expression was similar to someone who was about to run into a burning building. "I... Actually, I was going to ask you... something."

Shit.

Diana could read the warning signs. Tony Ellis in the year above had asked her out two days ago; Nick Smith had asked her on a date the day before. And now...

But she didn't want to be Caine's date. She didn't want to be anyone's date. She just wanted to be Caine's...

Not friend. He didn't really have any proper friends. And she did not want to be part of his posse, because the thought of him bossing her around the way he did the others would drive her to distraction. She wanted to be his...

There wasn't a word for it. She wanted him to protect her, she supposed, the way he had stepped in the other day when Drake had lost it. And she wanted him to worship her.

Diana was dancing along a very thin line.

"You better not try and ask me on a date," she said, feigning ignorance. "The other day I nearly made that Tony guy cry when he tried. I'm a cold hearted bitch, remember?" Diana laughed lightly, avoiding his eye.

"Actually, no," Caine said. "No. Nothing like that."

"Okay." Thank God. "Then what?"

His uncomfortable expression had not shifted. "I was just wanting to ask... What you'd heard about... Me."

"About you?"

"Yeah. And Drake."

Diana blinked, almost too shocked to reply. Almost. "Are you two bumming?"

"What?!"

"Are you two bumming?" Diana repeated, not even bothering to keep the laughter from colouring her voice. "I mean Jesus Caine, do you have no taste whatsoever?"

"Shut up!" he hissed angrily, bright red with embarrassment. "I'm not gay!"

"So did Drake just trip dick first into your mouth, or...?"

"I'm not gay!" he shouted, and a group of passing girls all turned around and stared. Caine did not notice. "I'm not gay, Diana!" he repeated grumpily.

"Then what did you want to say?" Diana asked. The girls were still staring.

He was bright red. "I just meant... Y'know, some people spread rumours about me. Some people don't think I'm very... nice." He finished lamely.

Diana laughed again. "You think I'm a nice person?" she said. "Caine, nice is boring."

"Yeah," he said. He didn't sound convinced. He sounded deflated. "I was just wondering if you'd heard of why either of us got sent to Coates."

That peaked her interest a little, but she tried not to show it. She hadn't heard anything. In fact, she hadn't really spared it a second thought. "No," she said. "Is it a good story?"

"The best," Caine grinned, standing up and folding his arms, protecting himself from the cold. "I'll maybe tell you sometime." He breathed into his hands and rubbed them together, trying to get some blood circulating. Diana noticed he was not wearing a jumper - he must have been freezing. "Have lunch with us again?"

"You don't have to ask every day, Caine," she said, exasperated. Still, he dithered next to her, obviously wanting to go inside but not wanting to leave her.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked eventually.

"Go inside, Caine. Like I said, I like my alone time." She winked at him to lessen the dismissal, and he grinned sheepishly.

"See you at lunch."

-C-

By noon, Drake had a plan. He strode over to Caine's table and pushed Morley out of the seat that was on Caine's left. The witch occupied his other side - she always seemed to be hanging around now, like a little shadow. Caine nodded at him as he took a seat.

"Drake."

Drake did not bother acknowledging anyone. Instead he leaned in and gestured for Caine to move forwards. He lowed his voice to a coarse whisper, making sure that no-one else could overhear, and he kept his eyes on Diana as he spoke. She was pretending that she wasn't trying to eavesdrop.

"So I heard Josh Masters has been asked to be class captain," he began. Drake had actually heard that days ago, and in all honesty he didn't care a bit... But it was this lame sort of thing that Caine liked to know. He made a big deal out of everything trivial.

It had the desired effect. Caine immediately sat up, poker-straight, and lowered his voice too. "Did he accept?"

"Dunno. But he will, he's a teacher's pet suck up, like - like that," he whispered, hastily correcting himself from saying 'like you'. "It'll be announced Monday."

"Shit," said Caine loudly. Everyone on the table was eyeing them now, but when he looked round no-one would meet Drake's eye. Diana was the exception, glaring at him coldly, not even bothering to shield her dislike.

"Want me to... er, have words with him?"

Caine's eyes flashed. "Beat him to a pulp."

There were times - very few and far between, but the odd occasion - when Drake almost liked Caine. He was annoying and big headed and thought he ran everything, but he had no problems with any of Drake's methods, and that was the most important thing.

"I'll find him."

"Tell him that I send my regards," Caine smirked.

Sometimes, Caine confused himself for the Godfather.

"Whatever," Drake said, standing up. He cast his eyes over Benno's crew. All of them were avoiding his eye.

"Nancy, Piers... I need you to go with Drake," said Caine lightly. "I have a little mission for you. You too, JJ, your room is next door to Masters', isn't it?"

JJ sighed heavily. "Yeah..."

"Excellent. Drake - you, me, Morley and Benno will check the grounds. If no-one sees him, we'll meet in the library in an hour. If you need me, text me, all the usual. Got it?" As usual, Caine was getting too carried away. Drake knew that his phone was currently turned off and hidden in the bottom of his suitcase, because at times like this, when it came down to the simple matter of beating up a kid, Caine got too controlling. He'd expect text updates every ten minutes, and one minute phone briefs every half an hour until the kid had got their beating.

Pathetic, Drake thought.

"Library. One hour." Caine repeated, and then he froze as if he'd remembered something. "Oh," he said stupidly, and then turned to Diana, who was sat in her chair with one eyebrow raised and a sour expression on her face. She clearly wasn't used to being ignored.

"Erm..." Caine began awkwardly, but she was already out of her seat and walking off. Drake could barely suppress his smile.

"Caine," he pressed. "Masters?"

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

As they walked off, Drake fought the urge to laugh. Bye bye, witch.

The way to get to Caine was power... and Diana was powerless.

-C-

Corridor patrols were boring. Nancy's patch was usually the dorm corridors, so she could take in who went in and out of their rooms and report it back to Caine.

Although she was in the same year as the others, she looked younger: she was small and skinny, with a thin, unremarkable face and mousey-brown hair. She was strong though, and Benno had taught her how to hit when she'd joined his gang.

"I'm so bored."

JJ was leaning against the wall outside his room, making sure that Josh Masters would not be able to get in or out without Caine knowing. Nancy had done what felt like a hundred laps of the dorm corridors already, and every time she had gone past JJ had complained.

"Take it up with the boss, JJ," she said unsympathetically. "I'm not exactly having the time of my life either, y'know."

"Just talk to me for a bit," JJ begged. "I've been waiting here for nearly an hour... he's obviously not in his room."

Nancy rolled her eyes, but nevertheless crossed over and leant against the wall next to him. "It's pretty pointless," she eventually admitted.

"Yeah." There was a pause. "So what do you think of Diana?"

Nancy rolled her eyes again. Everyone had asked her that same question at least a million times. "Dunno," she said in a bored tone. "She's a bit... blunt."

"Yeah."

"Kinda bitchy."

"Yeah."

Nancy looked at him curiously. "You know you say 'yeah' a lot?"

"I'm just an agreeable person," JJ shrugged, before continuing with the conversation. "She's driving Drake crazy. Did you seem them at lunch?"

"Anyone who can get Drake wound up that much can't be that bad, right?"

"Exactly," said JJ. "If you think about it, all that is kind of why we're here now."

Nancy turned to him, forehead furrowed into a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well," said JJ thoughtfully, "Drake hates her."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"So he's trying to phase her out."

Nancy thought about it for a second. "It's the Caine Competition. Winner gets to hang around."

JJ smiled. "That's elementary, my dear Watson."

"Oh shut up." He laughed. "So Diana's out..."

"And that means we're stuck with Drake," concluded JJ bitterly.

"Rather hang around with a bitch than a psycho."

"Yeah."

Both of their phones beeped simultaneously. Nancy didn't even have to pull it out of her blazer pocket to know who it was.

"The hour's up," said JJ, kicking himself away from the wall.

"Right again, Mr Holmes." Nancy began leading the way to the library, glad to be seeing some different sights. "No sight of Masters. What d'you reckon the boss'll do now?"

"Cause trouble."

Nancy wondered whether Captain Obvious might be a more suitable nickname.

-C-

"Let me go through this one more time."

Caine was pacing up and down again, hands tucked behind his back and head bowed down in thought. Drake had heard the same thing three times, and he was starting to get pissed off.

Caine span around and pointed at JJ. "You're sure he's not in his room?"

JJ did not miss a beat. "Yeah."

"And he's not hanging around the boy's dorms?"

"Definitely not," Nancy piped up.

"And he's not been in the courtyard or on the front, Morley?"

"Nope."

"And the classrooms?"

"Checked 'em all, Caine. Checked the canteen too."

Caine shot a look at Piers' slightly pudgy stomach. "I'm sure you did. Benno, where were you?"

"Grounds and sports stadium, man... Nowhere."

Caine threw up his hands in exasperation. "Then where the hell is he?!"

"Actually... He was with me."

Drake snapped his head around as quick as a flash. Diana Ladris was leaning against a bookcase, arms crossed and looking extraordinarily smug - she could not have adopted a more Caine-like expression if she'd tried.

It took every ounce of Drake's self-control not to scream.

"What the hell do you want?" he spat, springing up.

"Ah ah, temper temper," she said in a sing-song voice, shoving away from the bookcase and fanning herself with some papers she had clutched in her slender hand. "I have a little present for your fearless leader."

"Don't bother," snapped Drake, but she had already waltzed up to Caine, and not breaking eye contact with Drake, she handed them over. Drake decided that snapping her neck was maybe justified right about now.

From behind him he heard JJ whisper "the game's afoot" to Nancy, so he delivered him a swift kick to the shin, hard enough to leave a nasty bruise. Drake had no idea what JJ was talking about, but the wince of pain made him feel a little bit better.

Drake was still not over the hit list fiasco. When Drake put someone at number one, they stayed at number one until they got what was coming to them. And for Caine to interrupt it, to make him look like a fool...

Caine was an idiot. Caine was a nuisance. And Caine was going to pay for it, and at some time soon, but right now Caine was the lesser of two evils, and he was going to ensure that Caine stayed useful until the time when he would be able to get him back properly.

"So..." said Diana, winding behind Caine's chair so she could read over his shoulder, "what do you think, O Fearless Leader?"

Caine looked at her as if she'd just told him that Christmas had come early. "I think you're a genius, Diana Ladris."

"Give me that," Drake hissed, snatching the papers out of Caine's hands. He scowled as he looked at them. Blurred pictures, obviously taken on a mobile phone, took up each page, blown up but quite obviously displaying Josh Masters and some girl in the year below.

"So?" Drake said, unimpressed.

"Oh Drakey, if only you were a normal human being," said Diana, sticking her bottom lip out in a sign of mock sadness. "Then maybe you'd understand normal human emotions." She picked up one of the photos and waved it in front of his face; Drake knocked her hand away with venom. "Josh Masters is dating Kate Spence. This right here... and here... and here... is not Kate Spence. This is her sister Louise." She smiled sweetly over at Caine, as if this twist of fate had been created solely for the two of them to exploit. "They look rather cosy, don't they? And if Kate Spence finds out, he can say bye bye to her - and if he just about survives that little scandal, then he can say bye bye to Coates as well. His dad doesn't let him date. He'd rather have him at an all boys' school instead."

Nancy was staring at Diana as if she'd grown another head. "How the hell do you know all that?"

"I'm very good at reading people."

Caine was practically rocking back and forwards with barely-contained glee.

"Who gives a shit?" Drake burst out angrily. "We're beating him up! Who cares about anything else?"

Someone shushed him from another aisle. The library was potentially not the perfect place for a confrontation.

Diana shook her head sweetly. The sweeter she acted, the more Drake found himself aching to hit her, right in her perfect little face. "Oh, we're not beating anyone up," she said slowly, savouring his crestfallen expression.

Drake's heart sank like a stone.

Diana perched herself on the arm of Caine's chair, crossing her legs and leaning into the chair's back. "Me and Josh had a little chat while you were all playing hide and seek. I showed him the photos, and we decided that instead of me causing a lot of unnecessary drama, he'd take my advice."

"He's not going to be the class captain?" Caine jumped in eagerly.

Diana looked at him as if he was mad. "Oh, he's still going to be the captain, wear the stupid badge. That's a no-brainer."

"But -"

"But we agreed that anything of importance, or anything that might need to be brought to attention... Well, I told him he answers to one person for all that stuff."

For a moment Drake thought Caine was going to faint from happiness. He, on the other hand, was furious.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

(From another aisle, Drake was shushed once more.)

In one clever move, Diana had rendered him completely and utterly useless.

To twist the knife in just that little bit further, Diana leant in and stage-whispered to Caine, a smirk curling the corners of her full lips: "I told him that you sent you regards. I heard that you might like that."

That was the last straw for Drake. He stood up and kicked his chair to the side, storming off without looking back once.

He knew where he was going, and it was the first time he had ever been in there willingly.

Doctor Hyde was writing something down when Drake burst into his office, jumping as the door slammed against the wall.

"Drake!" he said, surprised, bouncing out of his seat. Drake started pacing, unconsciously mimicking Caine's earlier laps of the library, and he could see the doctor wavering out of the corner of his eye.

"I fucking hate her," he started without preamble, not giving Hyde the chance to catch up with him. "You asked me why I felt like beating her up and I didn't say anything but it's because I hate her, I hate her."

Drake noticed Hyde had dropped back into his chair and was scribbling furiously on the back of an old Post-It note. He realised that this was not only the first time he'd ever willingly visited the doctor, but the first time he'd ever properly divulged real, true emotion.

"I hate her more than my parents or the kids in my old school or Holden or Caine or Dekka or any of the kids here. I hate her more than I've ever hated anyone in my whole entire life. I hate her more than I hate you."

"Why is that Drake?" asked Doctor Hyde. His glasses were slipping down his nose, and a lock of hair had escaped the swept back style he normally accommodated. The Post-It note was already filled up with messy scribbled words - he was now writing on his own arm. Drake Merwin's words were far too precious to be lost when rootling around for paper.

"Because she's not scared!" he spat. "Because she thinks she's beating me, and she thinks she's so clever, but she's just some stupid girl and I want her to bleed!"

"Drake, you need to calm down. You're getting worked up."

But Drake could never be calm, and inside he was a tornado of rage. "I'd make her bleed, I'd -"

"Drake-!"

"- and break her bones in half -"

"- Calm down!"

"- and she'd scream -"

It took Doctor Hyde and two others to restrain Drake. He barely noticed.

-C-

Diana hadn't thought that Drake would have the brains in him to try and push her out of Caine's little gang, but he had surprised her. Of course, he hadn't banked on the fact that she was sneakier than he was. Diana was very well-versed in the art of blackmail.

There were three common rooms in Coates Academy: one which was reserved for the prefects, one which was more of a games room (complete with gaming facilities and a pool table), and one that was filled with plush armchairs, which was where she was currently sat, along with Benno and Caine. It was a big room, scattered with comfortable, squishy chairs and a few low coffee tables. A large ornate fireplace occupied one of the walls, but there was no merry fire crackling away inside of it. The walls were bare, with the exception of several collages that students had made over the previous years. They did not brighten up the place, but rather seemed to point out the complete lack of any other kind of comforting or homely decoration within the room.

Josh Masters was sat in the corner, watching the three of them instead of reading the book he had in his hands. Every now and then Diana would glance over at him, just to remind him that he hadn't been forgotten, and he would duck behind his long side fringe and go back to reading.

Benno had noticed. "You're making enemies already."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Come on, Benno, don't tell me you're scared of some emo kid?"

"Course not," he scoffed.

"I thought you were meant to be some tough guy?"

Benno did not bother answering back. Drake was much easier and more satisfying to bait, but it still amused Diana.

It didn't need to be said but it was obvious - Diana's blackmailing show had well and truly cemented her as part of Caine's gang, and she wasn't about to let that slip out of her clutches.

"I'm going to bed now," she announced, startling Caine out of his reverie.

"Night," said Benno, not bothering to take his eyes off a group of girls who were playing a rather loud game of cards.

"Night Caine," she said.

"Oh... d'you want me to... walk you to your room?"

She couldn't resist. "My room's down the corridor. I think - and correct me if I'm wrong - but I think I'll be able to find it. I can always ask for directions."

"Oh shut up."

She smirked and left them to it.

Even though it was only nine o'clock (curfew on weekends was ten), it was dark in the corridors, and Diana felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She wasn't scared of the dark, but Coates was so old, and the Gothic architecture made her feel uneasy.

Maybe having Caine walk her wouldn't have been so bad after all.

When she reached her door, Diana noticed there was an envelope sellotaped just underneath the number '8'. She pulled it off, stuffed it in her pocket and unlocked the door, locking it again as soon as she was inside.

Her room was a mess, clothes scattered over the floor, and she picked her way to the bed, making a promise to herself that she would clean up in the morning. Diana sat down, leaning her head against the wall, and opened the envelope carefully.

Inside there was one piece of paper, and written in the scrawled writing of Drake Merwin:

Watch your back, bitch. You're dead.

The next morning, Drake found his envelope had been re-sellotaped to his door. There had been a message added on to his.

Thanks for the love letter. xoxo

He crumpled it up and threw it at the wall.

-C-

Author's Note: Caine is such a drama queen...

I'm posting earlier than planned because the sun is shining and I'm in a really good mood. I actually have a plan laid out for the antics that go on in each chapter, but this one got so long that I couldn't actually include everything I wanted. The next chapter is supposed to be the lead up to the story's first plot arc... but I'm either going to have to stuff what didn't make Chapter 3 into one big chapter, or split everything into two separate chapters.

Once again a big shout out to my lovely reviewers, you are all so wonderful and supportive: dawnosaurs, Royalty Over Reality, gaia-ladris-soren, MitsyL, Evie19200, ShootingStar02, and FAYZpsycho.

In the mean time though - hope you enjoyed this chapter. It headed in a different direction to what I was expecting (had planned on more Caine/Diana interaction, for all you Caina shippers, and completely hadn't planned on ending where I did) but there you have it. Let me know what you think in a review if you can, and as always thank you for reading.