• The Cab driver stared at his passenger through the rear view mirror, the girl in the back seat unnerved him, although he could not admit it, not even to himself. It wasn't the way she looked, on the outside she looked like any other normal high school girl, but when you looked into her eyes, there was absolutely nothing there. Her eyes were cold, dark and as empty as a black hole. She had introduced herself as Alexandra Moore, the Cab Driver was unaware that he sat in the presence of the most dangerous Pandora in not only North America, but also South America. He glanced back at the road, although he could not help notice the strange pendant around her neck. It was a silver pentagram, the Cab Driver swore he had seen it before somewhere, but then again, he reasoned with himself, he was sure that almost any store would sell them. He was glade when he saw the outline of Saint Catherine's Academy, he could not wait to get his silent passenger off his hands.
    Normally he would not have driven a client this far out of New York City, but she had offered him six hundred dollars flat fee on top of the gas money and a hefty tip, he could hardly refuse. He had had no reason to refuse, although now he was beginning to wish that he had made up an excuse. All he wanted to do now was go home, kiss his wife, have dinner and a beer and get a few hours of shut eye. “We'll be there in a few minutes,” He announced, “I hope you had a decent ride back there, Mrs. Moore.”
    After a pause Alexandra answered in a quite voice, “I prefer to be called Alex. The ride was fine, thank you very much.”
    “I don't mean to be rude, But I was -”
    “I'll pay you the agreed price once we arrive at the Academy,” Alex interrupted him, “I have the envelope with your payment in my pocket.”
    “It's not that I don't trust you,” The Cab Driver rushed, “But I've had several instances where clients have run off with out paying me.”
    “It's quite alright,” Alex spoke, “I understand your concern, after all I did just drag you on a three hour drive.”
    “So what, if you don't mind me asking, made you decide to go to Saint Catherine's Academy? I've heard all the stories of it being haunted by ghosts and demons,” The cab driver asked nervously.
    “Family reason's,” Alex scoffed, “My grandmother is the headmistress of the school, I get free tuition.”
    “Oh, Mrs. Allen is your grandmother?” He sounded surprised, “She never told me that she had a granddaughter.”
    “That doesn't surprise me, my Grandmother does not approve of me, We haven't spoken since I was twelve.”
    “How old are you now?”
    “I'm seventeen,” Alex smiled for the first time, “I know, I'm young, I never know what could happen in the next few years,” She laughed a little. What Alex failed to tell the Cab Driver was that she had been seventeen for the past ten years.
    “I wasn't going to say that,” He defended himself, “I just think that your a little young to be out of sorts with your family, that's all.”
    “Well, my Grandmother could never forgive my mother for cheating on my father, which is where I come from,” She sounded bitter, “It always felt like she blamed me for her son's, my father's unhappiness. As a child I didn't understand the concept of cheating, all I knew was that my mother ad father loved each other, it wasn't until later that I realized it had all been an act.”
    “It's not your fault you know,” The cab driver sounded sincere, “You shouldn't blame yourself.”
    “I know, I don't blame myself for my mother's infidelity, I wasn't even born when it happened, but I was the result of it, which is what my Grandmother can't stand.”
    The Cab Driver drove through the gates and up the the Academy doors, “Here we are,” The Cab
    Driver announced as Alex opened the door and got out. She pulled out the money from her pocket and handed it to the driver. “It's all there,” she told him, “It come up to about eight hundred.” She pulled out her black suitcase from the back seat and set it down besides her. She unzipped the outer pocket and reached inside to pull out another envelope. “Thank you so much,” She told the driver before picking up the suitcase and walking up the Academy steps. The Cab Driver watched her open the doors, they looked pretty heavy, and walk inside. The doors slammed behind her with a sudden final shudder that sent him back on his way home to his wife and dinner with a beer. Alex stepped into the dimly lighted hallway of the school and looked around. The headmistress should have been there to greet her.
    She wasn't sure if she should look for the headmistress herself or wait for her in the entrance hall. Alex had been expecting the place to look like a public school, yet it resembled an old castle or mansion rather than a school. She couldn't make out many details in the dim light, but it had the feeling of on of the many medieval castles in Europe. It was fairly cold, which was expected after all it was the beginning of October. Alex set her suitcase down at her feet, and sat down on it.
    “So they sent you, did they?” A voice spoke from the shadows, “I heard that you were coming, but I didn't want to believe it. What do they call you now? The Raven, or something like that. Your reputation precedes you Alexandra Moore.”
    Alex jumped up and turned around, “Hello, Grandmother,” She replied coldly, “I don't like to be called Alexandra, Grandmother, Alex is just fine. I'm surprised that you know about me, what have you heard?”
    The headmistress, Alex's Grandmother stepped out of the shadows, “Only that you have become famous for being a cold blooded killer although no one knows your real identity, and I see that you have not aged a day since ten years ago. You know I'm not surprised that you sold your soul to a demon, although I can't grasp at why you did it.”
    Alex smiled bitterly, “Do you really not know Grandmother? I though you would have realized that by now.”
    Her Grandmother sighed, “There are better was to go around doing something than making a contract with a monster, Besides, didn't you hear what happened to the last person who made a contract with the Black Raven?”
    “Grandmother, let's not talk about Pandora's right now, or the reason why I chose to become one. I'm here because you contacted the Organization about a girl who went missing, can we go some where that is private to discuss it?” Alex changed the subject, it had been one that they had discussed once before, and she did not want a repeat of the same argument.
    “Yes of course,” Her grandmother suddenly looked worn and tired, “Come with me, We'll talk in my office.”
    Alex grabbed her suitcase and followed her Grandmother down the hall, but her mind wandered. Ten years ago Alex had walked in on her parent's mangled bodies. She could not even recognize them at first, but even she new that their murder had not been the work of a normal human. It could only be the work of a Pandora, someone who had made a contract with a Demon. Pandora's could use special abilities, what power they had depended on Pandora to Pandora and what ever Demon they had created a Contract with. The police could do nothing about it, even they were powerless when it came to the Pandora. It was then that Alex had sought out to make a contract with a Demon, it took her a months of searching before she was able to contact any demons. It was a cold and rainy night when The Black Raven had found her and offered to make a contract with her on one condition, that not only would he get her soul, but her boy as well.
    “Here we are,” Her Grandmother's voice cut through her thoughts, “This is my office, we should be able to talk with out worrying about eavesdroppers. Alexandra, I want you to understand something before we begin, I don't want any of my student to find out that you're a -”
    “Monster?” Alex finished her sentence, “It's all right, Grandmother, no one will find out. I'll act normal, no one will suspect a thing.”
    “Very well,” She unlocked the office door and stepped inside, “As long as you understand that, I don't want any of my student's to get any silly idea's in their heads.”
    “Mama Bear is on the prowl I see,” Alex Joked, “You have nothing to worry about, like I said, no one will suspect a thing. I may not be able to feel like a normal human anymore, but I can act.”
    “Well I hope your acting is good enough,” Mrs. Allen shut the door behind them, “Now down to business. What do you need to know?”
    “Everything,” Alex replied, “My superiors did not tell me much. All they said was that my next assignment was three hours outside of New York City at Saint Catherine's Academy.”
    “Well, this Academy has always been known for being haunted. Everyone who ever went here will tell you that. It's always been the usual voices in the night, things disappearing and reappearing somewhere else, and the cold spots. But about a month ago things began to get weird, one of the girls said she got pushed down the stairs when no one else was around,” she took a breath before continuing, “There have been a few instances of hair pulling, and a few girls have woken up with bruises on their arms and legs and no explanation of how it happened. There was even an instance of sabotage on the boy's sports teams. Finally a week ago a girl went missing, her name was Catherine Woods. She was a straight A student, she was popular with both the boys and girls. She was well liked, but she vanished in the middle of the night. There was no blood, no nothing.”
    Alex took a minute before answering, “Could all of this been the work of someone human?” She asked, “Any one I am sure could have sabotaged the sports teams, I am assuming it was their equipment, and I'm sure there is a human culprit behind the hair pulling.”
    “That's where it all gets a little weird, The hair pulling happened in empty hallways, and the sport's teams equipment was locked in a storage closet, and it was still locked when the Boy's discovered it the next afternoon,” She sounded even more exhausted, “And before you ask me if Catherine Woods ran away, that isn't like her. Catherine is a star student, she's the Student counsel president, she's in various other clubs and activities, as far as I know she was not having issues at home either.”
    Alex frowned, “It does sound a little weird, I'll give you that, Grandmother, but I'm not sure that this has anything to do with ghosts, or demons, or Pandora or the like. I'll stick around for a while and see what happens. My guess is is that Catherine is going ro show back up sooner or later. I'm sure she is alive and well.”
    “I hope that you are right, Alexandra,” The headmistress replied, “It's my duty to keep my student's safe, and I failed to keep Catherine safe. All I can do now is pray for her safe return.”
    “Grandmother, you need to sleep, as so do I, Show me to my room and then go to bed. You're not going to help Catherine by being sleep deprived,” Alex scolded her gently, “Believe me, you're only hurting yourself by worrying so much.”
    “Although I hate to admit it, you're right Alexandra, I can't do my duty if I'm not at my best. Follow me, I'll show you to dorm. We have to go outside again, but it's a short walk. Grab your suitcase, and I might have failed to mention it, but you are required to wear a school uniform.” She stood up and walked to the office door, “I hope that you are as good as your word. Because if any of my student's find out that you're a Pandora, I'm sending you packing.”
    Alex picked up her suitcase off of the floor, “You don't have anything to worry about Grandmother, I won't let my guard down. Besides,” Alex walked out of the office, “even if anyone finds out there are easy ways to make them forget.”
    Her grandmother shut and locked the door behind her, “I won't let you lay a hand on any of my students, you're here to do a job, and once that job is over you're going out the door.”
    “I won't touch any of your precious students, Grandmother,” Alex snaps, “I don't intend to harm any of them unless they get in my way.”
    The pair walked in silence as they made their way out of the Academy, and towards the dorms. Alex was already memorizing the nighttime landscape. The darkness cloaked everything around them in an eerie atmosphere. Every tree, every bush looked like a monster about to attack them. A deafening silence pressed around them, as if it was trying to smother them. There were no sounds of any night life. Alex would have expected at least a few crickets, and maybe an owl, but there was none of that. Alex did not expect the students to be awake, it was a Monday night after all. They walked for about ten minutes before they stopped at a stone building.
    “This is your Dorm, Alexandra,” The headmistress told her, “Its the Eastern Dorms, if you can't remember how to get here tomorrow, ask one of the girls. I'm sure they will be willing to help.”
    Alex's laughter froze the air around her, “Grandmother, I'm not a helpless little girl, I'll find my way around the Academy in no time at all.”
    “Very well then, but don't complain to me when get lost. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, you have a room mate as well,” The headmistress opened the Dorm doors and walked in, “I must warn you though, she is an excessively cheerful girl, her name is Jasmine Carter. I expect that she'll greet you with a hug.”
    Alex entered the dorms with caution, they were just as dark as the school. The entrance hall was lined with picture frames, although it was much to dark to tell what was in them. A few chairs leaned up against the walls. The staircase looked like it could have belonged in an old great house. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, Alex could only imagine how it would look when lit. A thick red carpet covered the stairs. The pair of women hurried up the steps, it was late, and both of them felt the exhaustion crushing them. All they wanted to do was sleep, although Alex wanted to get a look at the perimeter, she knew that she was to tired. The Dorm had two floors, the first floor was filled, and the second floor was only partly filled. They made their way to the second floor, Alex's room as all the way in the back.
    “Here we are,” The headmistress said in a hushed voice, “Room 25. I told Jasmine that she could wait up until you get here, but I want both of you in bed by three, I've already informed your teachers that you'll be excused from classes tomorrow.” The headmistress reached for the door, but before she could open it, it was flung open. A girl of about seventeen stood in the door way.
    “Uh, Hello Headmistress,” She glanced at the older women, “You're finally here!” She squealed as she looked at Alex, “When I first heard you were coming, I was so excited. I finally have a room mate!”
    “Well, Alexandra, It looks like I can leave you in capable hands, I'll be taking my leave,” The headmistress smiled a little, “Remember that after tomorrow both of you are expected to be in classes.”
    “Alright, Grandmother,” Alex walked into her room, “Go get some sleep, I'll be fine. You need to stop worrying so much.”
    The headmistress laughed, “When you get to my age you can tell me that, Alexandra, But as of right now, you're too young to be telling me not to worry.”
    Alex shut the door behind her and walked over to her bed. She dropped her suitcase on the floor and turned around to look at her roommate. Jasmine Carter was one of those girls who had the potential to be a super model. She was tall and willowy. Alex could see that her muscles were well toned even under the girl's pajamas. Alex assumed that one of Jasmine's parent was dark skinned because she had beautiful creamy caramel skin. Her black hair was wild and frizzy and barely touched her shoulder blades. She could already tell that Jasmine could do some pretty convincing puppy dog eyes. “So you're Jasmine, right?” Alex asked her, “Has anyone told you that you could be a model?”
    Jasmine laughed, “I hear that all the time, but it's not something I really want to do. You know you could pass as a model too, Alexandra.”
    “Alex,” Alex corrected her, “Alexandra is to formal, and no I don't want to be a model either,” She sat down on her bed, “So have you figured out what you want to do?”
    “Doctor,” Jasmine hopped up on her own bed, “Oncology, actually.”
    “Oncology?” Alex asked, her brows furrowed, “Isn't that cancer?”
    “Yep,” She smiled, “I always wanted to be a Doctor. Ever since I was little I wanted to help people, But it wasn't until recently that I figured out what type of Doctor.”
    “What made you decide on Cancer?” Alex sat crossed legged.
    “My mother died of cancer this past year,” Jasmine smiled sadly, “So I wanted to make sure that it doesn't happen to someone else. How about your parents?”
    Alex pursed her lips, “I don't see them that often, they move around a lot,” Alex felt bad for lieing, but she was not yet ready to tell anyone that they were dead.
    “What do they do?” Jasmine asked.
    “FBI,” Alex answered quickly, “They don't talk about it, so I don't know that much about it...Do you have a bathroom?”
    “Yes, we have a bathroom. It on your side of the room, the first door on the right,” Jasmine laughed lightly, “You it's also your bathroom too.”
    Alex hopped off her bed and rummaged through her bag. She pulled out her shampoo, soap and towel and headed into the bathroom. The bathroom was large, there was both a shower and a bathtub. The floor was covered in marble. The window was covered in black curtains. Alex turned the water on hot and stripped. She walked over to the sink to brush her teeth and realized that she forgot her tooth brush. Sighing, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. A cold, calculated gaze looked back at her. Her dark blue black eyes were empty, they were a bottomless black pit. She pinched her cheeks to get some color in them, although she was naturally pale. Dark copper red hair framed her face.