I APOLOGISE FOR THE LONG WAIT!!!!!!!!!! It's just that this is a VERY important chapter and I wanted to get it right! This one isn't about Cassy etc. as much, it's more about the plot!!!! So read it my friendies! And thank you everyone who sent me lovely reviews! Especially Jelly1029, EllaJayTorsson, Fireroxmysox (creator of pie and it's bestest friend! Lol) aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Johanna Black! Thank you very muchos!

Chapter 3: Of much Plot-ness!

"Man, I though that lesson would never end!" Cassy exclaimed as she practically ran out of her English lesson.

The English teacher, Mr. Havron, had been lecturing them all on the importance of good grammar and spelling for the whole of the double lesson!

"Well at least it's break now," Tancred said as the hung their cloaks up in the cloakroom and sauntered outside into the freezing cold. The four of them huddled together in a corner, shivering.

"What is it with this cold! Tancred, could you possibly-" Cassy started.

"No." Tancred knew she was going to ask him to heat things up a little.

"Fine then, I'll just have to do it myself. Someone get me some paper and a pencil," she said, looking at Lysander and Emma, who were hesitantly started opening their bags. Emma handed her the requested items, and she sat down on the floor and began to draw.

"Right," she said, "everyone out of the way."

On the paper was a big drawing of a life-like flame. Cassy stared at it for a full minute before it started glowing a bright orange. The corners of the page disintegrated and the drawing became 3D. Suddenly, it seemed to spring to life.

"Wow!" Emma said while staring at the now real flames crackling merrily. What made it even more amazing (what could get more amazing than someone drawing fire and it coming to life?) was that Cassy was holding it in her hands, without getting burnt!

"Thank you, thank you!" she said, standing up and taking an over exaggerated bow, "my services are open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and especially Saturdays!"

"Ugh, Cass, people could take that the wrong way you know," Tancred said, looking horrified.

"What are you talking about?"

"Services…"

"EW! Not like that you pervert!"

Cassy dropped the flames and started jumping up and down screaming 'ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!' at the top of her lungs. It was only when she repeatedly started to whack Tancred on the head did someone try and change the subject.

"Hey, Tancred, shouldn't we go and find Charlie and everyone else," Emma suggested, "So Cassy can meet all the rest of our friends?"

"What," Tancred said as Cassy beat him, "oh yeah. Hang on. CASSY!" he yelled. She immediately stopped.

"WHAT!?"

"DO YOU WANT A COOKIE!?"

"YES!"

"Then sit down and be quiet. I'll go get you one."

Cassy plonked herself on the ground next to Lysander, while Tancred and Emma went off to find her a cookie and the rest of their friends. They sat in silence for a moment until:

"So, how much are you willing to bet that they're actually making out in the cloakroom instead of finding me my cookie?"

Meanwhile, in the darkest room, in the darkest part of Bloor's academy, Manfred Bloor stood with his father and great Granddad. Cobwebs clung to every corner of the room, and the floorboards creaked ominously.

"You called father, Ezekiel?" he asked, brushing a spider off his arm.

"Yes Manfred, we have a special task for you," his father, Dr. Bloor said. A wide, evil grin spread across Manfred's face. It had been a while since he had been used for much evil, and he was growing tired of doing nothing.

"Yes?" he asked, excitedly.

Ezekiel Bloor did his own little 'evil grin' and pulled an ancient looking painting out of a shabby bag. He handed it to Manfred, who took it looking puzzled.

"What is it?" he said, staring at it. Something made him want to look at it more and more. There was just something about the man in the picture that looked so captivating, so… real, that made Manfred not able to help gazing at it. Not that Manfred was gay (though the majority of the students at the academy were starting to think that, after he had been caught with Asa Pike at an ice-cream parlour, seemingly enjoying himself a bit too much), but it was just so in-drawing, for want of a better word.

Ezekiel did his 'evil grin' again.

"That, is one of your greatest ancestors, Kingsley Ain, the firstborn of the Red King's greatest son of all, Borlath," Ezekiel said.

Manfred almost dropped the picture in disbelief. His mouth was wide open in shock. Somehow, he felt as though they should practically be kneeling in just the mere presence of the painting!

"But… how!? How on earth did you even find this!?" Manfred exclaimed.

This seemed to make Ezekiel's grin grow even wider (if possible).

"Let me tell you about Kingsley first," he said, "when Borlath was murdered-"

"MURDERED!?"

"Yes murdered. Anyway, when Borlath was murdered, Kingsley made it his soul ambition to hunt down the person that had done it and kill him himself. Now, Kingsley was an amazing artist, and he could bring all of his painting's to life. One day, while painting his wife, Meredith Ain, he accidentally brought it to life. Now he'd never brought a human to life before, but when he did, he found they could actually talk like normal people too. The painting wife was exactly like his real wife; she liked the same things, spoke the same, dressed the same, everything! So he figured, 'Maybe my father saw who killed him…If I paint my father and bring him to life, then maybe I can find out who murdered him,' and thus, that is what he did. So, once he had finished the magnificent painting of his father, he called upon him to find out who had killed him. It worked. Painting Borlath came to life and told him everything."

Ezekiel paused.

"Who!? Who killed him!?" Manfred said, eagerly.

"We don't know. This is where you come in."

"What, you want me to find out? How on earth am I supposed to do that? And how do you know that Borlath really DID come back and tell him who killed him?"

"Not you necessarily. We'll come to that in a minute. Firstly, you're right for asking how we know Borlath really did come to life from the painting and tell him. Well, we have Meredith Ain for that."

Ezekiel put his hand back in the bag and produced a shabby, old looking book. He handed that to Manfred to.

"Now, when painting Borlath saw his son brutally murdered, he went immediately to Meredith and told her, before fleeing the house. Meredith wrote it down in her diary, which she kept extremely close to her all the time, especially after Kingsley's death. Your father managed to get hold of her diary, the very book you're holding in you hands right now."

Manfred gasped again and started flicking through the book.

"But… it's all in… French?"

"Yes, Meredith was French, but spoke English the same language as Kingsley. Now, we were very excited when we got hold of this book, but our dreams were crushed when we found out that a page had been ripped out. This page was very important, as it contained the name of the person who killed Borlath and Kingsley. On the next page however, it says that the person- who's name was only mentioned on the ripped out page- who did kill them, is a magician and also immortal. He's still alive. And even better, he can bring back the dead for real."

There was a long pause until Manfred said: "Well, what's the plan?"

"You will slip the painting into the new girl Cassy's bag. We've managed to place an enchantment on it so that she can't resist painting it. That's why you couldn't take your eyes off of it. She hasn't learnt to control her powers perfectly yet, so we're hoping that she'll make the painting of Kingsley come to life. Then we can-"

"Wait, who's Cassy?"

"New endowed girl. She's also a descendant of Kingsley and is also related to Tancred Torsson somehow, can't remember the exact connection. But anyway, she'll hopefully make the painting come to life, so we can therefore find the killer of him and Borlath, and better yet, Borlath can return from the dead!"

"But what if the man who killed them doesn't talk? What if he refuses to bring them back to life? What if she doesn't make the painting come to life?"

"Ahh, it also says in Meredith's diary that the murderer has a wife, however she is not immortal, yet still alive. He has been giving her potions to keep her alive and healthy every day. If she misses her potions, say we kidnap her so she misses them, then she will become mortal again within exactly three days. If we keep her for that long, then he will come looking for her, or we can bring him to us. We can threaten to kill her, give him an ultimatum; Bring Borlath back or we kill his wife. And if that Cassy girl doesn't bring it to life, then we'll just have to force her."

"That's great… but what about painting Borlath? Where did he go? Is he still around?"

"Like every painting, he's worn away. I highly doubt he's still around."

They all sat in a blissful silence for a moment, until they all broke out into random maniacal laughter. The laughter echoed through the halls, and sent shivers down all the spines that heard it.

That's it for now folks! Hope you enjoyed as it was a very important chapter. If you're confused though (which I bet most of you are, as I probably mucked everything up and didn't write it very well) then don't be afraid to come and ask me what the heckle is happening :D:D Don't worry, I don't bite! I've had my rabies shots!!!!!! Hehe, don't forget to rate and review my lovelies!

x-Mel