"Short stacks. Come here." Jason said in a demanding way. I frowned and didn't move from my position.

"Did you forget that you're my slave? And a slave never disobeys her Master." He reminded. I grunted and walked over to him.

"What is it? Are you gonna make me do some-?" I was cut off as Jason pulled me into a hug. My eyes widened. His one hand held my waist while the other was on my head, lost in my blonde locks.

"Don't leave me. Stay with me. Always." He whispered in my ear. "I'll never leave you. I'll always stay with you. By your side." I surprised myself by saying. I hugged him back.

He pulled back a bit and then leaned in. I closed my eyes and waited in anticipation. His warm lips on mine. How will it feel? How does a kiss feel? I'll know soon. A centimetre away and finall-

BAM! "Ow! That hurt!" I said as I rubbed the spot where I got hurt when I rolled out of the bed and fell on the floor. I slowly got up and stretched. I blushed remembering what I had dreamt of. It was so real. It felt so real! No Lucy! You can't have these thoughts! It will distract you!

"I think I should go and take a shower to clear my thoughts. We don't have any classes today so I guess I can take my time." I said to no one and proceeded to the bathroom.

Half an hour later I was out and was getting ready. I decided on a full sleeved red top with black strips and back jeans. I tied my hair in two low ponytails today. I wore black sneakers and went down for breakfast. It was 8:45 am already.

"Morning guys! Lisa, what's for break- the hell! What are you guys doing here?!" I saw all the guys of Crimson Dragons sitting in the living room of our house. Jason was there too. And as usual his precious earphones too. He should really socialise more rather than hearing songs.

"Morning Lucy!" Everyone including the guys greeted (except Jason).

"And to answer your question we're here because Lisa invited us for breakfast today. And we guys were bored of James cooking too." Ben said. I nodded saying I understood.

"Lucy, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for awhile. I am not done making breakfast since I needed to make for 5 more people." Lisa apologised. "That's fine. Take your time." I said as I came and sat down beside Jason. Do I have any other choice?!

If I went and sat somewhere else the others - especially Kelly - would get suspicious. Jason had his eyes closed as he listened to music. He slowly put his arm around my shoulder. But I didn't blush this time. I leaned onto him resting my head on his shoulder. Thanks for all the training Charlie. I owe you big time.

"Don't get all lovey dovey in the morning. It makes me want to puke." Fred complained. I was about to say something when Jason said, "Stop being jealous and if you have so much problem then find yourself a girl." At that if you were as sharp as me or Jason you would've seen that Lisa frowned for a bit but then quickly put on a bright smile.

"Whatever." Fred said and then shut his mouth.

"Breakfast is ready!" Lisa said and we all moved to the dining room. It's a good thing our dining room is huge and the table can take mor than 12 people.

"We have pancakes with maple syrup, toast with butter and jam, sausages and salad. We even have fruits." She said. It all looked delicious. I smiled wide and took my seat. Jason came and sat down beside me.

"You didn't have to come and sit here you know." I whispered really low so that he was the only one who could hear me. "We have to make them believe that we're dating. So its right to sit beside each other." He said. Why is he always right? I just ignored him and ate my breakfast. We made small talk while eating.

"Hey, do you'll want to do something together today since we don't have any classes today?" James asked.

"We all can but not Jason and Lucy." Kelly said.

"But why Kelly?" I asked. "You said you and Jason will go on a date today." She said.

"A date?!" The guys shouted except Jason who turned to me. I blushed. I twiddled my thumbs.

"Well....Kelly said that we should go on a date since we are dating. She told me a few spots too." I said.

"We can. But we can do that whenever. We won't get a chance to all go together. So I think we should spend time together. What say?" Jason said. I understood that he wasn't interested in going on a date. The guys nodded. The girls looked a bit irritated since they wanted us to go on a date.

"How about we all go on a group date?" I suggested so that everybody will be happy.

"That's not a bad idea. We could do that. Oh oh, how about we all go to Central Square? We can even shop then. What do you'll think?" Levy asked.

"What's Central Square?" I asked. "Oh yeah we didn't tell you about it. I'll tell you first only it's another good place to go on a date. It's like a market place you could say, with many shops along with cafes and movie theatres too. It was created by Alice Academy so that we students could enjoy and do the same things normal people without Alices do. There's even a huge playground there. Whatever events we have take place there. And all the shopkeepers have Alices too. So you might even find some weird shops." Kelly said. I was curious to see this place.

"Let's go there then!" I said. "No." Jason said.

"What? But why?" I asked. "I have my own reasons." He said.

"At least you can tell me them." I said. He just looked the other side.

"Jason!" I yelled. "Lucy calm down. Jason has a valid reason. It's because of a past experience." James said trying to calm me down.

"And what's this 'past experience' may I know?" I said my anger not subsiding at all. "I would like to know this too." Levy said, interested.

"You don't know about this Levy? Elly, Kelly and I already know about this too." Lisa said. "I'm not sure. I don't remember." She said.

"You haven't met this girl but she's in rank A too. Her name is Gabrielle Lockser. She has the Soul Sucking Alice. She's actually the....Umm.....The president of JHFC." James started.

"JHFC? What's that?" I asked. "You don't know? It's the Jason Hooke Fan Club. She's the president of that club." James explained.

"Jason has his own fan club?! What the hell?! When did that happen?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah he has. Since 5 years." Ben said. "How can he have a fan club?" I asked stressing on 'he'. Jason turned to me.

"Well Lucy, Jason IS handsome, so, you know, him having a fan club is quite normal." Kelly said.

"That's no reason." I said not accepting the fact that Jason can have a fan club.

"Don't you find Jason handsome Lucy?" Levy asked. "What?!" I said.

"Do you?" The girls all said ganging up on me.

"I - I.....I d - do...but...I..umm..." I stuttered with a slight tint of pink on my cheeks. The girls and guys grinned. Jason looked at me and gave me a small smirk. I puffed my cheeks and looked down.

"S - So tell me about that past experience." I said.

"Yeah. So it was 3 years back the day Jason had turned 14 years. It was his birthday. November 14. We had dragged him to Central Square to celebrate his birthday. We were quite sharp even back then so we sensed Gabrielle and few of her followers following us. We at first didn't give any thought to it and enjoyed ourselves. But then, we weren't as strong as we are now. Well Jason of that time can't be compared to present Jason. Jason used to loose against Griffin at that time."

"What?! Are you serious? I can't believe that! It's like impossible!" I said.

"I know I know. But it was indeed like that. It had only been a few months since Gabrielle had joined Alice Academy. She had taken a interest in Jason from when she first saw him. She always tried getting close to Jason. Of course Jason took no interest in her and always ignored her. He kept his distance from her so she started stalking him. That day was the worst day for him. She used her Alice on him when he was a bit distracted. She made him ask her out in front of all the people in Central Square. She made him date her. At first we didn't know what's going on and thought that Jason actually started liking her but then we saw a mark on Jason's neck which we had never seen before."

"The mark that shows his soul has been sucked out and he's being controlled." I said.

"Right. We realised this a week after they had started dating. We went to the teachers and told them everything but they didn't believe us and didn't bother to know any further. All except one Sir. Sir Stephenson. Lee Stephenson. He believed us and came with us to talk to Gabrielle. She claimed to know nothing about what we were saying and said that Jason loved her. We felt like puking at that."

"Why didn't you'll go to Master then?" I asked.

"Well at that time, Master wasn't as friendly as he is now and during that time he was extremely busy with some Council work so he wasn't ready to listen to any of the student's complaints. Sir Lee told us he had a plan. He took us to Master's office. And to our shock we got to know that Mr Lee was Master's younger sister's son. He welcomed us in and heard our story. He wasted no time and threatened Gabrielle that if she doesn't stop using her Alice she'll be given a terrifying punishment. She then finally removed the mark from him in fear. But that didn't stop her from clinging to Jason. When we told Jason what all had happened he didn't say anything in response. But we knew that he was boiling inside. That incident made Jason vow to become the strongest student in the entire school. Even stronger than all the teachers and also Master." James ended his story. I thought for awhile.

"But you don't need to worry now since now you have a girlfriend. They won't stick to you and you won't go through any of that because you're the strongest person in Clastill." Kelly said.

"Actually Jason and I had decided keep it a secret. Us dating I mean. We would act normally in front of everyone else. We just told you'll since we are good friends." I said.

"And I still won't go. It gives bad memories." Jason said.

"Jason please. I'll even keep my Nullification Alice active the whole time so nothing like that can happen again. So please." I pleaded.

"I don't need you to protect me. I can protect me myself. And still no." Jason said. I gave him my puppy dog eyes which are irresistible. I could see him trying his best to not give in. Come on.

"Bunny girl, maybe if you give him a kiss he might agree." Griffin said. I blushed. I still blush when it comes to kissing.

"W - W - What?" I said. Jason smirked. "I might you know. If your kiss is satisfying." He said.

"I'm not doing that!" I yelled. "Why not? Haven't you'll kissed before?" Elly asked.

"W - we have but I can't kiss him in front of all of you'll!" I lied. "Then go up to your room. You'll will have lot of privacy there." Kelly smirked. I blushed.

"I don't mind. Let's go." Jason said dragging me up. What the heck?! Is he out of his mind?! We went to the upper floor.

"So where's your room?" He asked. I stopped him from going any further. "What's wrong with you?! You actually had to say that and drag me up all the way to my room. What are you even planning?!" I asked him in a hushed voice.

"Are you such an idiot? Just let's go to your room first. This is it right?" He asked.

"Yeah. Bu-" I was cut off when he pulled me inside and shut the door behind me. This brought back memories of last night. Good thing it was dark so he won't be able to see my blushing face. I looked up at him. His eyes were shining brightly. My eyes sparkled when I thought of something.

"You really resemble a cat! Your eyes are just like that of a cat!" I said.

"Shut your crap." He said.

"Why should I shut up? This is my room. I can go on forever." I said.

"You shutting up or do you want me to kiss you so you shut up?" He asked. I blushed.

"Y - you wouldn't dare!" I said.

"Wanna try me?" He said and leaned in so close to me. I could feel his warm breath on my lips. I then remembered my dream. I blushed so hard someone would mistake me for a tomato.

"Stop teasing me, Jas!" I yelled. "Jas?" He repeated. Oh shit! I didn't realise I said that. I scratched the back of my neck nervously.

"Haha...I...uh..umm..can I call you that? If you don't mind." I asked. He moved back and shrugged.

"Don't care. But.." He started. "You're the first one who called me by a nickname. So thanks." He said and smiled. Smiled. For the first time. It was dark but I could clearly see it. He looked so handsome when he smiled. I...I want to always see this smile. I haven't seen such a smile ever. But it disappeared quickly.

"So as I was saying, I brought you up because I wanted to talk. Not because I wanted to make out with you." I blushed at the last part. Gosh how many times have I blushed today?! I should really work on not blushing so much on every little thing Jason says.

"Whatever. So what is it?" I asked.

"You saw how Matchmaker frowned when I told Fred to get his own girl?" I nodded.

"That tells us a lot. Either she has a crush on Fred or they both are already dating. Fred already has a crush on her, that I know." He said.

"That's why I made the plan of all of us going out together. There would be something related to couples in that Central Square so we can force Lisa and Fred and Levy and Griffin into them but then you had to be stubborn and say no to going there." I said. I felt him pat me on my head. Like a person petting a dog.

"What the hell, Jas?" I asked.

"Never thought you could come up with something like that. Good job. And there is a couple thing there till how far I know. So we should be the first to say that we want to try it and then force everybody to enter as couples." Jason said.

"Great! So can we go down now? And tell everyone that you agreed to go there?" I asked. "Yeah but you need to do something. Make an Alice stone. Of your Nullification Alice." He said. I just stood there staring at him.

"What's an Alice stone?" I asked. "You don't even know that much?! What are you?!" He said in shock.

"Just tell me." I said. "An Alice stone is a stone which is made of your Alice. Like take your Nullification Alice for example. You put your hand close to one another and concentrate your magic. And slowly you get a stone. That stone will have the powers similar to your Nullification Alice. But you can't infuse it in a person or anything. You need to hold it in your hand if someone else wants to use it. Now I told you, so make one quick and give it to me." He explained. I pouted.

"Fine. Let me try." I brought my hands close to each other and concentrated on my Nullification Alice. Slowly a bright light binded my eyes and when I opened them again I found a white stone in my hand. It was of average size.

"So this is an Alice stone? Wow! It's pretty. My first Alice stone." I said.

"Yeah. Not bad for your first time. But remember one never keeps the Alice stone they made with themselves. They always give to someone else. And you're giving this to me." Jason said and snatched the stone out of my hands.

"Hey! Well then you make one Alice stone and give it to me." I said.

"Why should I?" He asked. "Dumbass. I made one for you and gave it to you. So you make one and give it to me in return." I said. He sighed.

"Fine." He said and made one for me.

It was orangish red in colour. And wow! His was bigger than mine. He kept it in my hands. So warm.... "It's so warm." I said and brought it up to my cheek.

"Duh. I have the Fire Dragon Slaying Alice. Of course it will be warm." He said and rolled his eyes. I glared at him but then smiled.

"It's quite big so I won't be able to always hold it without anyone knowing. So I think I can make it into a chain. Yeah I can do that!" I said and went over to one of my drawers and searched in it for a bit. Aha! I found a golden chain which wasn't spoilt at all and looked as good as new. The good thing was that it had a locket in which I could easily fit something big. I opened the locket and put the stone inside it and it fit perfectly! I put the chain around my neck and locked it. I turned to Jason. "So what do you think Jas?" I asked.

"Yeah. Whatever." He said and turned to leave. I sighed in disappointment. Oh who cares what he thinks! But...My chest feels warm. The part right above my heart. I ran out my room behind Jason. I found him not far enough and ran beside him and started walking with him in the same pace.

Before we descended the stairs Jason said, "Don't loose that stone. It's not the first one I made but the first one I gave to someone else. So make sure you take care of it." I was the first one he gave his Alice stone to. He was the first one I gave my Alice stone to. It's like an exchange of our love. What the hell am I thinking? I shook my head a bit to get rid of the thoughts.

We reached down and saw everybody chatting in the living room. Lisa saw us.

"Hey Lucy, Jason!" She said. Everybody turned to look at us.

"You'll sure did take your time." Griffin teased us. "Shut up." Jason and I said together.

"Lucy? I've never seen you wear that locket before. Where did you get it from?" Kelly asked as she came towards me to take a closer look. She opened the locket and saw what was inside.

"This is.." She started. I smiled. "An Alice stone right? Jas gave it to me." I said.

"Jas?" Ben asked. "My nickname for him." I said.

"And he allowed you?!" Fred asked. I nodded.

"Jason gave you an Alice stone?" Elly asked.

"Yup and I gave him mine too." I said.

"It's cute that you already did the exchange of love even though it's been only few days since you'll started dating." Lisa said. "Exchange of love?" Jason and I asked together.

"Didn't you'll know? When a girl and boy exchange Alice stones it's considered as an exchange of love saying that you'll be my only one forever. How romantic! And you'll already did it!" Lisa said jumping in joy. I turned to Jason. And smiled at him. But only he knows the true meaning behind my smile. He looked at me and we had a conversation with our eyes.

'You knew about this?!'

'I didn't know anything about this, I swear.'

'Are you telling the truth?'

'Of course I am.'

'So what do we do now?!'

'It's just a dumb old saying. There's no meaning to it. Don't bother.'

'Fine. Let's just start with our plan.'

'Yeah.'

I turned to everyone and said, "Guys Jason has agreed to go to Central Square. So let's get moving." I said. The girls cheered.

"Jason agreed to go to Central Square. Jason agreed to be called Jas. What else is gonna happen? Pigs will fly?" James said.

"I agreed to go to Central Square only because I have short stacks' Nullification Alice stone. And only short stacks is allowed to call me that. Let's go now." Jason said and got up. We all left the house and started walking.

"So how are we gonna go there?" I asked. I wanted to know more about this place. There's so much I don't know.