Mark walked down the street, his heart heavy, the satchel feeling like it was full of lead. All of his belongings bundled into one bag thrown up on to his shoulder. He overreacted with Julie. She said she didn’t cheat. She assured him she didn’t cheat. Why would he believe then, that she had cheated? It was the other evidence that had really sent him over the edge, or rather, out the door. The haunting note was the worst. That someone had the audacity to slip a note like that on her. She also had been reeking of Mack-smell, and though she had made her hatred towards him rather apparent, there was still a feeling in the back of his mind that Mack would do something like this.

He kept his head down as he walked the streets not knowing where to go. Go to James's and be told how she wasn't worth it. How no girl was worth it. Go home, and Mum would assume that her son's marriage was in the toilet (though it really somewhat was.). Go to work, and Lexus would try to comfort him. He didn't want to be comforted. He just wanted to be left alone.

Mark realized he was probably going to stay in a hotel, and though he was reluctant with shelling out money like that, it was an emergency. He walked in the general vicinity of a shabby hotel, when he bumped into a smaller witch with dark brown hair and about the same height as Julie. "Ju-" He called out, before realizing this wasn't Julie. There was no little it in this lady's stomach. "Sorry," He said. "Thought you were someone else."

Everything was falling into place for one Miss Victoria Andrews. Over the past few days, she'd adopted several different disguises and hid out in the corner of the bakery underneath the Hunter's apartment. She'd waited for days, wondering if Mark would find the note she'd slipped into the pocket of Julie's dress, wondering if he'd realize that the cologne was the same kind his arch-nemesis wore.

She'd left the moment she heard trouble, and apparated back to the small apartment that she was staying in. With a quick charm, she'd curled her hair into the soft, loose curls that Julie preferred. And of course the girl had done her research, so she had the same feminine pink-tinted lip gloss gracing her lips. She was so disgusted by the pure amount of 'Julie' that she was radiating. How were they even related?

She almost gagged as she slipped into the light pink cotton dress, and the rest of her Julie-mimicking persona. Airy, bouncy, cute. Fun, flighty, beautiful. She just had to hurt Mark, and then Julie would be in pain too. That was Victoria's end game, that was the only thing she wanted.

Luckily, within a few minutes of slipping out of her apartment, she'd found where Mark was walking and she casually bumped into him. She smiled brightly as he apologized and laid a gentle hand on his arm, "It's fine, are you okay? I'm so sorry I just ran into you... hey, are you alright? You look a little down." She said with a pout, her fake brown eyes catching his dark chocolate ones.

As he looked down at the lady who he bumped into, he felt a sense of kindness  radiating off of her. She reminded him so much of Julie from her soft hair to her lovely smile, all the way to the light pink dress. It felt so comfortable and so inviting. She was very apologetic. It was sweet of her to be concerned about him. "Yeah, I'm okay. A little trouble at home but completely fine." He replied attempting to smile. Why should he be grumpy around her when she's not even involved?

"Sorry about bumping into you. I wasn't really watching where I was walking." he added. "Have a nice day." He said, passing the woman by and trying not to think about Julie and how heart broken she may be. He just wanted to get a drink and then crash in a  hotel room for the night. It seemed like a good plan.

Victoria smiled, but was thinking rather ugly thoughts. It took a bit of willpower to keep herself from wondering out loud.... what did Julie see in Mark? And what did Mark see in Julie? Maybe it was the twisted sociopath side of her, but Victoria saw nothing good in either person. At least, nothing that would attract the other. "It's perfectly alright, have a good night yourself." She said, letting go of his arm as he walked away. She waited a moment and then turned around as if she'd suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Wait up!" She said, bouncing over to Mark's side. "Listen, I don't know if ya'd be interested.. but my friend cancelled on me for drinks and it's no fun to drink alone..." Victoria put on her best damsel-in-distress face and struggled to keep her Scottish accent under wraps. "Name's Kenzie, by the way." She said, holding a hand out in greeting before smiling radiantly back at Mark again.

"Don't be scared, come have a drink with me and relax! I don't bite, I promise." She remarked casually. Victoria waited patiently, she'd dropped the bait, now she just had to see if Mark would take it.

"Don't be scared, come have a drink with me and relax! I don't bite, I promise."

Mark considered the lady's offer. What she said was true. Drinking alone was never as fun as drinking with others, and Kenzie seemed nice enough. She seemed lonely, and lonely was never a good feeling to feel. He thought about it for a minute. He was lonely too. And he was taking a break. Breaks meant that drinks were okay. And it was only one drink. It was completely harmless! Wasn't like he was signing up to marry her or to do something else. It was a drink. Drinks were harmless. And when both parties were lonely, drinks were even more encouraged.

 "Why not? What's the worst that could happen?" He asked, with a smile, and a shrug of his shoulders, not yet realizing just who he was talking to. Not realizing what she wanted to do to him. Not realizing what her end goal was. As much as he knew, the waitress who poisoned him and the lady inviting him for drinks were two totally different people.

Victoria could practically hear the gears whirling in Mark's head as he weighed his options. She crossed her fingers behind her back, an old childish gesture that reminded her of when her mother was still around and when her father hadn't been such a... psycho. She waited patiently as he began to smile, and she grinned. The bait went down; hook, line, and sinker.

"Sounds like a plan, there's a bar down the way that isn't too loud. We should be there in a few minutes if we keep walking in this direction. But before we go there, I think you should tell me your name. It's not everyday I take random nameless strangers out drinking with me." She said with a flirty smile. He had no idea what was going on. What's the worst that could happen?

Well, Victoria could make a list. She could kidnap him or even kill him, and nobody would know where he went. Nobody would know who he was with, and they wouldn't connect the dots. And by the time they started getting somewhere, Victoria could be in Scotland, running barefoot through the woods like always.

Now she knew why Julie was so enamored with him. He was trusting, and she knew Julie craved for people to trust her and to love her. Too bad she didn't know what was about to happen to her dear little Mark...

It had been about a half an hour since they had arrived at the bar, and Mark was starting to relax. He had had a few butterbeers in his system that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It made him smile to know that he was doing alright without Julie. Sure, the sound of her name still made him feel regretful. Sure, the thought of being on a ate with another woman somewhat nauseated him. Sure, he still hadn't sorted out living space. But it was all okay. He was okay.

"So, I tell him, I tell him, James! Gillyweed won't make you attract girls who like to swim!" he said, letting out a happy then of laughter. There was enough alcohol to make him feel giddy and happy. To make him think back to funny memories and not feel guilty about his time management.

"This is fun, Kenzie. You're fun to be with. We should do this more often." he remarked. That was only allotting that him and Julie NEver got back together. There was a part of him that hoped the relationship would mend, but at the same time, he felt like Kenzie was a suitable person to spend time with.

Mark was on his way to being very relaxed, and very drunk. It had only been twenty minutes or so, maybe longer, but Victoria really wasn't keeping score or time here. This wasn't a race, it was just a mind game. She had only gone through half of her drink, a heavy ale that sat happily in her stomach. She was somewhat surprised that Mark hadn't realized that she'd only gone through half a drink so far, whereas he'd already had at least three... maybe four. But then again, she got the feeling that Mark was not the sort of person who went out drinking to improve on his ability to drink. And hold it down.

She laughed at his stupid story about his friend and the girls he had tried to attract. James Lotusorder. She hadn't even originally thought of pinning a target to his back like she'd done with Mark and Julie, but he was an essential piece in her sister's life as well. Maybe he could play into this game somewhere. If Victoria could play her hand right, she could hurt everyone Julie loved all at once.

She smiled, a wicked huge grin that was bubbly and flirty and fun all at the same time. "Thanks! You're fun to be around, more fun than my friend would have been. We definitely should do this again. At least one more time." She said, leaning dangerously close to Mark. Victoria was in his personal space bubble, and she knew it. But his words were flowing just as fast as his alcohol, which meant his brain was probably off target and he didn't have a single though of Julie in his mind at the moment. She hummed happily, "I think we should ditch this place and go have more fun somewhere else..." There, she'd waited long enough to push the offer, now she just had to get him to accept.

Kenzie was getting closer to him, and not that it was unwelcome, he was just not used to it. It was different with Julie. She gave him his space and he gave her hers. At the same time, they both happily coexisted and floated around each others bubbles occasionally stopping by for a visit. Kenzie was close, and the way she spoke made Mark almost putty  in her hands.

His conscious piped up warning him of what Julie woulf think  It was only fair, that Julie got to get close to someone they Mark got close to someone as well. Mark wanted to spend more time with Kenzie and now was the perfect time to take advantage of.

"Then let's go!" he said interlocking his hand with hers. It was a comfortable position. It made him feel young and free which was something he hadn't felt in a bit of time. He welcomed all advances as he left the bar stool, and followed the brunette.

If there was something Victoria couldn't stand, it was when people held hands. Not just stupid hand-holding, but interlocking of the fingers and the whole idea of holding hands. Oh lord. She felt so stupid. But the smile on "Kenzie's" face didn't betray what she was really thinking. She plopped down money for their drinks and led him out of the bar, throwing back glances to make sure he was still stable and standing upright. No wobbling.

Once they were outside, she pressed herself close to him, "We'll get there faster if we apparate." She said, fluttering her eyelashes. The air cracked with the noise of the apparation, and she hoped Mark's stomach was suitably strong enough to handle the side-by-side travel. He probably apparated all the time, what with his job and all. Or, when he still was a criminal, she wasn't sure if he did that anymore.

They showed up at her doorstep and she pushed open the door clumsily, giggling as she went, and tugged on Mark's hand as she went for the stairs. The hallway was small, and the old doors connecting to the apartments downstairs looked dusty, as if no one had used them in a while. Which was true, Victoria was the only one in the building for now.

She pulled her key out of a pocket sewn into her dress and pretended to fumble with it, one hand still entwined in Mark's. "This is my place," she said softly. "If I could just get the damn key to work," she growled, momentarily frustrated before she swung the door open. A devious grin on her face, she turned to Mark and pulled him inside by the collar of his shirt, kicking off her shoes as she stumbled in with him. The door swung shut behind them as she kicked it, and Victoria knew that she had Mark wrapped around her little finger.

As much fun as it was to travel around with Kenzie, something didn't feel right. She wanted something. Something more. Something that Mark didn't like to do with people except Julie. Drinks was one thing. Holding hands another. But this? This was serious business. This was something James was good at. Mark want good at this! And Julie knew that. And Julie loved him anyway even though he was no good.

He felt his collar tugged as Kenzie lead him in, and started to feel guilty. This was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. Mark tumbled on to the bed behind him, his pulse starting to race. Oh god. What was happening? He barely knew this girl! The shaft of his wand stuck out of the back of his pocket, as he sat up. "I dont know about this..." Mark stated. " I have a girlfriend."

Oh boo hoo. Mark Hunter wasn't so drunk after all. It didn't matter anymore, Victoria wasn't actually going to go through with what Mark was thinking she wanted. She was going to mess with his head, and then probably hex him. Or knock him out. She had thought that she could decide when the time came. Victoria sighed as she pulled off the necklace, ripping the clasp in the back. Not like it mattered anyways, she wasn't planning on wearing it again.

She ran her hand through her hair, tugging through the curls to mess them up, feel more like herself as she got ready to do what she did best. Scare people. Her look was frightening, wicked teeth glared and a glint in her eye that sparked a feeling of danger, rather than fun. She turned around to face a small mirror behind her. "You'll never learn, Mark." She said, knowing he would be frozen in place. A cursory glance let her know that the contacts were still in place. She considered taking them out, but that would be telling her most guarded secret. And she couldn't have that, now could she?

She spun back around, looking utterly bored with herself now. "What, Julie?" That was it, he'd never said Julie's name, so if the genius could put two and two together, maybe he'd recognize the speech patterns, the quirks. Screw the fake accent, Victoria was feeling fuckingwild. All bets were off now that she was too impatient to even try to reel Mark back in.

"I thought she was, how did ya' friend put it? Messin' around?" She shrugged carelessly, "Still thinkin' she's faithful? Bloody idiot you are, Mark."

"Don't look so scared. I'm only your worst nightmare."

Mark stood up as Kenzie began transforming into something. Something that wasn't happy and bubbly. Someone that Mark did not want to spend time with. She frightened him more than he wanted.  She was wild like an animal. Nothing like Julie. Nothing like he wanted. He wobbled a little from side to side the room spinning a bit. He shouldn't have drank that much.  He shouldn't have.

He took a few steps towards her and the door, as he took out his wand that had almost slipped out. Good thing it hadn't, or else he would be really in over his head. "Whatever is going on, I don't want to be a part of it. I bet you're a real life girl and all, but I think I'm not ready for this."

 he kept his wand out, as he tried to walk to the door. Worst come to worst, he could fire something at her. Though that seemed hard when there were two Kenzies dancing in his vision.

Victoria watched as Mark stumbled through the room, and she followed him out to the main part of the apartment where he was reaching hopelessly for the door. She picked up her wand on the table beside her and twirled it around, the door was locked. Simply enough that he could get out of here sober, but complex enough that it would take him a couple of minutes.

As he kept walking towwards the door, complaining that he wanted no part in this, her lips formed a simple spell. "Accido." The spell was invisible but instantaneous. She looked on, still bored, as Mark tumbled to the floor, helpless to the spell. "Now Mark, I can't let you leave just yet." She said, the words in her mouth falling fluidly but harshly. Victoria was making a statement and he would be wise to realize that.

She didn't want him using his wand against her without diffuculty, so she hexed him again. "Ustulo," she muttered, flicking her wand towards Mark's wand hand. Her wand emitted a flash of light and then left a red glow on Mark's hand, where it probably felt like his skin was on fire.

"I think," she said as she retrieved her shoes and pulled them back on, "That I'm goin' ta pay your girlfriend a visit. I have the right, after all she is my darling little sister, I think I'm entitled to checking up on her." Victoria pulled her coat off the wall and shrugged it on as Mark lay on the floor still. "Not even going to try and stop me? I knew this would be too easy," she said as she headed for her door, stepping over Mark to get to the door. A good criminal would stop and make sure he was still incapable of doing anything, Victoria was too charged at the moment to stop, she wanted to keep going; but that left her vulnerable to attack.

As Victoria fired off the tripping spell, Mark fell to the ground with a thud. He smacked his chin. He groaned, pulling himself up on all fours, getting to stand up when the second spell hit his hand. Mark let out a yell, and dropped his wand, holding his hand that had erupted into a burning sensation.

She was going after Julie. This was Julie's evil sister. She had been the one that poisoned him. He didn't want her to leave and go terrorize his fiancé. "No!" he shouted, grabbing her leg and pulling her to the ground. "You can mess with me, but not Julie!" he said. Mark was drunk, so his logic wasnt sound. When he should have snatched at his wand, he tried to wrestle her for hers. Sure, his was within reach, but he didn't know if he'd remember a single spell.