The Equinox **DISCONTINUED**

That Would Be My Fault

Adam leaned against the wall inside Leo's office. There was a large, mahogany desk in the middle of the room. On top of it was a bronze globe and a stack of papers. Bookshelves lined the walls. Adam let his eyes skim over the titles. "You read a lot?" he asked.

Leo glanced up from the paper his was studying. "I used to," he mumbled, dipping his pen in an ink tank. "I have other priorities, now." He signed the paper and rolled his office chair back. "How about you? You read?"

Adam shrugged. "For school..." he paused, hesitant to talk about himself. But Leo's gaze seemed to compel him to speak. "If I have free time, I'm usually playing." His mouth felt dry. No one really understood how truly important music was to him. Of course, he enjoyed other things, but nothing made him feel quite as surreal as music did.

Leo nodded slowly. "Well, that's certainly a starting point." He turned around, got up, and started digging through one of the drawers in his desk. Soon, he slammed the drawer and stood up. "I guess we begin, then."

Adam just stood there, waiting for Leo's next instructions. It didn't take long.

Leo glanced at Adam's torn jacket. "Do you remember following me out of the school?" he asked.

Adam shook his head; in the frenzy of recent events, he had forgotten almost everything except the giant bird and waking up.

"That would be my fault. Taylor told you that you would be learning all of our tricks. Charm is mine." Leo waited patiently for Adam to process the information.

"You mean, you made me forget a whole day?"

"No. I just used a little mind control to get you to come here, the forgetting was only a side effect."

"Mind control??" Adam let himself sink to the floor against the wall. He stared hard at the wooden floorboards. "You controlled me?" he said, anger building within his voice.

"I wouldn't call it controlling," Leo started. "It's a form of persuasion. It makes you want to do something you wouldn't normally do."

"Like following a stranger to a taxi while being chased by a monster?" Adam scoffed. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at the floor.

"Look, I'm sorry, but you weren't going to leave any other way, and we need you."

"Need or want?"

"What?" Leo looked at Adam intensely.

"Did you need me," Adam started quietly, "or did you want me because I was your first choice?"

"Need," Leo stated. He approached Adam and held out his hand. Adam ignored it and stood up on his own.

Leo grabbed Adam's wrist when he attempted to leave. "Wait," he said. "Do you want to learn?"

Adam hesitated, but after a while, he finally gave in. "Yes." He wanted to know. He wanted to learn.

Leo's eyes flashed neon green. "Listen to me," he commanded. His voice was distracting, mesmerizing. "I want you to go out into that hallway and yell your name as loud as you can. Okay?"

Adam didn't want to. How stupid would he have to be to listen to that? But when Leo's eyes glowed again, he suddenly thought differently. Why shouldn't he yell his name? People should know who he was. Adam reached for the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway. It was colder there, but Adam couldn't feel the difference- he had a task in mind.

That task was about to be completed.

Adam started yelling. He started quietly, with only his first name, but soon, his voice grew until he was practically screaming. The words felt weird on his tongue, like someone else was forming them. A few doors cracked open with curious eyes behind them.