There goes our beer money, Maria said with a regrettable sigh.

"Okay, okay!" the salesman said lazily, but when Cory reached out with the dollars in his hand, the salesman turned toward Maria and with a smile--vanished in a cloud of smoke and dark rings of powder.

Right before Maria's eyes. No trap door or figment of her imagination. He simply wasn't there anymore.

Squeals and gasps sprung up in the wake of his disappearance. The crowd fled--but the girl with the purple streaked hair burrowed into Cory's arms like a frightened rabbit.

No others remained. The table itself lay abandoned, its items gone as well.

Maria's own terror crackled over her skin, causing goose flesh in defiance to the roasting heat. Weak with fear, she steadied herself by grabbing the table closest to her.

The distraught student shouldn't be in Cory's arms...

But Maria couldn't finish the thought as to why Cory couldn't get a little affection from a frightened student. Her brain brought it up again and finished the thought she so longed to hide from herself.

Because I'm a frightened student. He should be over here, hugging me. Chasing the chill from my skin.

Maria squashed that line of thought mercilessly. Cory was her friend. Nothing more. She didn't even like him. White guys just didn't do it for her.

But if a white guy could crank out her cravings, it would be Cory.

"Stop it!" Maria snapped aloud, to herself. "Ridiculous!"

Regardless, she glared at him and the girl anyway. She watched angrily as he stroked the student's arms and cooed that everything would be all right. It was just an act. Maria told herself she was angry because she was hot and wanted to get to the student center to cool off.

It wasn't until Cory turned and patted the girl on the shoulder that she saw something glisten from his waist--a slightly curved dagger.