Something in the Night (O/A)

[Skellybones]

The past 45 minutes or so passed like only a few seconds. Yet in that time Rose had got dressed, after finishing her breakfast, brushed her teeth and cycled to school. She spent the few minutes she had before school making sure she had everything she would need for the day. When the bell finally rung, Rose made her way to the door after letting out a long sigh. She walked calmly through the corridors of the school, making her way to her first lesson. English. With either Mr. Favell or Mrs. Giunta. Yep. She was looking forward to this...

Rose walking into the classroom seconds later and found herself a chair. One whole hour of english. Great.

[Mousia]

Konata saw a few people still looking at her strangely. Konata just narrowed her eyes at the offenders. That action shook them for a few seconds before they realized that she wouldn't be able to do anything. She grunted in frustration and crossed her arms. What could she do? Try to get them out in dodge ball? Perhaps. She heard someone behind her but didn't react until that person, a girl, spoke. She wanted to team up with Konata? It couldn't be true. It was! The more experienced dodge ball player wanted to team up! Konata turned promptly. "What? Oh...um...sure! You are...Sami-chan. Yes?" Konata rubbed the back of her head nervously.

There was no time for either of them to speak before Mr. Tesion rolled balls onto the court and blew his whistle. Some of the children picked up the balls and threw them with purpose and some just ran from them. Konata found it interesting, but she had to be reactive. So far, no one had thought to aim at Konata yet, so she sighed with relief.

[hazeh]

Raven remained against the back wall as the instructor explained the concept of dodgeball to one of the students. He already knew how to play, and so tuned out the voices for a little while, a thoughtful frown faintly pulling at his mouth. Though he had played dodgeball in PE class before in South Higgins, he knew he had to be careful lest other students think he was attacking them, or something equally as ridiculous. But on the other hand, he didn't really want to appear like a big dumb animal that couldn't pick up a ball and throw it.

 

When the game started, he slowly moved away from the wall, avoiding the excited movements of his peers as they wove around the court with their weapons. A ball came flying toward him from the other side of the gym and he deftly lifted a large hand and caught it between his thick fingers and wide palm. He lowered the ball a moment to look at it, and grunted as he had to quickly side-step another assault. Raven was a rather easy target just from his size alone- he might have been the tallest kid there- and was not the swiftest thing on the court. Several more shots were thrown his way, each deflected with the ball he kept in hand, before he finally reached a good position to throw the ball. He paused a moment, trying to calibrate how much power he'd put into his swing- Raven most definitely didn't want to hurt anyone, much less make it seem like he was being aggressive. He exhaled through his nose with a sigh, and aimed at a senior boy charging toward him with a ball in hand.

 

The boy stopped at the boundary line and chucked the dodgeball at Raven with surprisingly good aim. Raven shielded his face with his own ball and the other bounced harmlessly away. A split moment later, Raven tossed his ball- under hand- at the other boy. The kid turned to run, trying to arch his back to avoid the ball, but it landed squarely between his shoulders and sent him stumbling forward. Raven felt a small glimmer of satisfaction as the young man left the court, scowling.

 

Looking around, Raven noticed the Japanese girl standing beside someone else he faintly recognized. She looked a little nervous, perhaps apprehensive about being thrown into a new sport with a bit of an embarrassing start. Well at least she was on his side of the court and he wouldn't have to worry about trying to get her out; that would probably make him feel a little guilty. Instead, he moved toward her and her friend, having seen someone on the opposite side of the gym wind up a ball in preparation to attack. Just as it flew for Konata's head, Raven's dark hand plucked the ball right out from in front of her face. He hoped she wouldn't have been too alarmed by that, but there was no saying what went on with students in South Higgins. At least she was a new girl and not yet integrated into the stereotypical prejudice.

Or at least, he hoped so.

 

A small black alarm clock trembled on Cora's nightstand, beeping rapidly until she reached over and pushed it off. It tumbled to the ground, the battery compartment cracking open and sending a small brown battery scurrying across the floor. Oh well, at least it had turned off; she'd have to worry about resetting the damn thing later.

 

Cora yawned and tiredly swung her legs over the side of her bed, rubbing her eyes and twisting her neck side to side to a chorus of stiff crackles. A particular scent caught her attention and she lifted her head slightly to investigate the air. Canadian bacon, eggs, and fresh toast it smelled like. Must have been the work of her mother, since her older brothers were starting their new job today around the same time Cora started her junior year of high school. She rose appreciatively out of bed, despite it being six in the morning. Her mother didn't often make breakfast for her, given their somewhat estranged relationship since her freshman year. But Cora hoped that one of these days the woman would come around and start to accept Cora for the person that she was.

 

Quite the expert with showers, she washed her self up within a matter of seven minutes and clothed herself in a simply black tank top and a favorite pair of worn jeans. Her red hair fell in damp tendrils at her bare shoulders and she gave a half-assed attempt to pull a brush through it. Even still, it looked a little wild, as if she had just returned from playing around on the beach instead of emerging from a shower. Within a few moments, she clasped on some jewelry- a favorite chain necklace of hers, and some stud earrings- and finished with an application of make-up. Nothing too fancy, just some foundation to even out her skin, some eyeliner, mascara, and a dab of maple-brown eyeshadow to accent her blue eyes.

 

Cora's stomach rumbled eagerly as she made her way down stairs and into the kitchen. The first thing she saw was the half-empty plates of bacon and eggs on her brother's and father's plates; the next thing she saw was the banana and cup of yogurt on her place mat. Cora stopped, staring at the two items at her seat with a dark, piercing gaze. Her father flicked the newspaper in his hand to turn the page, and upon seeing his daughter's tense, angry posture, lowered it and glanced toward his wife, who didn't seem to notice Cora's entrance. "Now, Cora-" he started gently, but the fiery redhead didn't appear to hear him. Instead, she spun viciously on her heel and marched for the fridge. Sounds of non-gentle appliance handling filled the room as she gathered her supplies, not caring that she broke a couple eggs in the process or knocked over an open bag of cheese. With anger radiating from her body, she worked about the kitchen, preparing a meal of ham, eggs, toast, and whatever else she could find to make.

 

By the time she was finished, her mother had left the room, presumably to do something 'womanly' like laundry or cleaning. Cora brought her plate to the table, angrily shoved the banana and yogurt to Mom's place mat, and shoveled the food into her mouth as ungraceful and unladylike as possible. She had also brought a carton of orange juice to the table and drank directly from the spout, ignoring her father's exclamation of disgust.

 

"Cora, is that really necessary?" He said, rubbing his temple.

"Completely," she growled, followed by a loud belch. One of her brothers that had remained at the table reached across and high-fived his little sister in approval. Their father simply sighed again and returned to his news paper.

 

After she had cleaned up her plates (and her face, to mention), Cora gathered her school items and zipped them up in her shoulder bag. It was a ratty old thing and brownish-grey in color, despite having been a deep emerald when she bought it. She left the house without saying goodbye and let the screen door smack the door frame as loudly as it could. To her satisfaction, she heard the frustrated growl of her mother follow after her. That would show her. Cora wasn't anyone's barbie doll. She wouldn't let anyone, not even her own mother, control her life.

 

Cora swung a leg over her old mountain bike and pedaled furiously down the street, not bothering to even sit. She kept up the pace until the school's building loomed into view. A rather unwelcoming image, she always thought, but she was used to it at this point. Her bike glided onto the courtyard and she hopped off as it slowed down, steering it to one of the many bike stations around the outside of the campus. She locked it up before trudging into one of the buildings. Cora didn't usually have homeroom, since she always thought it was pointless, but today she could make an exception.

 

By the time her first period class had come around, Cora had simmered down some what. She smiled at a few people she knew who returned the favor, and she meandered through the halls with much less contained fury than she had before. Even when one of her old friends- well, now adversary- sneered a harsh word in her direction, Cora proudly stuck her tongue between two fingers in a blatantly crude return gesture. They turned away in disgust and she continued out to her English class. She had just opened the door when the bell rang, and so quickly found a seat in the middle of the classroom. If there was one thing she felt good at, it was English- a big story teller Cora was, and even despite the more boring lectures that came along with it, she was grateful it turned out to be her first class.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[Shapeshifting dragon Cyrus]

Sami chuckled at the way Konata said her name. Sami-chan! Makes me sound like some sort of ninja or something. When the game started, Sami stayed next to Konata, picking up any balls that rolled her way. She didn't collect many balls that way, nor did she get many people out, but at least she could help out konata if she needed to. "yeah, I guess. You can just call me Sami though." she said during a lull in the action. "you're Konata right?"

 

Just then, Sami got a feeling in her mind like you get when you see someone's fist flying at your face. Except, she felt it for someone else, like her natural reactions were kicking in to defend... Konata? Not even thinking, she began to throw her hand up in front of Konata's face, seeing a ball out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly something blocked her way and she stopped her hand short. The ball bounced off of someone else's hand, saving konata, while Sami stood there with her hand half raised in the air. Sami looked up to see the tallest, most athletic looking black dude she had ever seen, his hand still in front of Konata's face.

 

Sami slowly lowered her hand, looking at the man with awe. Even with her improved reflexes, this man had been quicker than her. I need to improve. she thought.

[Mousia]

Konata was a bit taken aback by the sudden gestures of kindness. "Thank you. Thank you both," she erupted into thanks. A ball rolled near her and she hucked it as far she could, aiming for the idiot that had aimed at her. She hit the boy's thigh and got him out and smiled. She had played a game similar to this before. It was a game that she and her friends and Japan had invented. The goal was to make it from a starting point to and end point of a pre-determined distance while avoiding obstacles, other people and balls that were being thrown at the from the sidelines. It was a much more difficult game than dodge ball, but it was similar. Maybe if she suggested it to Mr. Tesion they would play it. She would truly love to see people trying to play as they underestimated it's difficulty.

"What may I call you, sir?" she asked the boy that had saved her before. When she noticed the color of his skin, Konata was immediately intrigued. There were not too many people who had skin that dark in her little village. It also appeared to be the same way in South Higgins. She wondered about him. Did he get made fun of? She realized that she would probably made fun of because of the way she looked, too. She hadn't seen too many Japanese people around town and worried. Would she be an outsider in town? No. Sami-chan was making an attempt to befriend her and the dark-skinned boy had too. She wouldn't be completely alone.

[ValidEmotions]

Being a fan of sports, Marcos was faintly excited for the chance to play dodgeball. Though, when it came down to it, he had a self-made rule not to hit any of the girls unless he knew they could handle it. Luckily, most could. When Mr. Tesion blew the whistle, he rushed towards a nearby ball and grabbed it as it rolled. Someone threw a ball near his ear and he jerked away, muttering a surprised curse in Spanish.

 

Once he had his bearings again, Marcos caught sight of Raven on the other side of the boundary line. He knew how quiet the kid was but also knew how much of an athlete he could be from previous years. A good challenge for a game such as this. Grinning to himself, he flicked his gaze around to check for any throws aimed at him. From the brief glance he'd made, it seemed that Raven was busy with a pair of girls. He knew Sami better than the other girl but he didn't usually socialize with her.

 

Ducking under a wild throw, he tossed his ball towards the source and smirked when the kid went out. He managed to catch another one, jumping as it passed above his head. With this one, he threw it towards Raven but purposely aimed it at the wall a foot or so to the boy's side. He intended to grab the taller boy's attention.

 

Marcos motioned slightly at his chest, an invitation to have a little one-on-one challenge. Of course, Raven didn't have to take the invite. If the kid didn't want to go for it, then so be it. Marcos could indulge in going against anyone else.

---

 

He hated P.E. but he hated dodgeball more. Dax ducked, covering his head with his arms as a ball was thrown his direction. When Aura had replied to his question, he was prepared for her to return the question back to him. What he wasn't prepared for was Mr. Tesion's decision to start a game of dodgeball at that same moment. He hardly had time to shrug and make some remark about being bored before he was forced to stumble backwards or be hit by a quickly thrown ball. Now, he scrambled after a stray ball that rolled along the gym floor.

 

His attention was focused on his target and so he didn't see the sneering boy until the kid roughly bumped into his shoulder. "Move, puny!" The kid took the ball Dax had been after and shoved past him. Dax reeled backwards a few steps and almost stepped on a girl's foot. She laughed a bit harshly at him and pushed him forward. With a yelp, he stumbled and caught himself before he fell.

 

Scowling, he straightened out his shirt and raked his fingers through his hair. For a moment, he stood there, looking around for another ball or for any that were being thrown at him. A faint huff of air escaped his lungs and his shoulders slumped. It seemed kids were ignoring him now and he was relieved by that knowledge.

 

Until he felt a sharp pain strike the top of his temple.

 

The force of the ball's momentum knocked him sideways and he twisted in his fall to catch himself on his hands. He stayed crouched on the floor briefly, letting the world stop spinning before he got back on his feet. "You're out Mr. Triton." Right. As if he didn't know and as if the small throb in his temple didn't remind him of that fact. Dusting himself off, he trudged over to where the 'jail' was. At least he didn't have to play anymore.

---

 

Jason was intimidated by English. He could hardly keep his mind focused on the assignment for more than a few minutes and he was often lost during lectures. Today would be no different, most likely. He sat down as the bell rang and sighed in relief. He'd been fearful that he would be late to first period as well when Mrs. Danvar asked to see him after Homeroom. She was usually grouchy and reminded him of the dwarf, Grumpy, or Oscar Grouch from the Muppets. The thought made him smile and he started running impersonation scripts in his mind where the aged woman lived in a trash can or was shorter than the average child.

 

The sound of students brought back his attention and he noticed Cora stepping into class. So they had the same English teacher this year. He couldn't recall if they had shared any classes in the last three years or not. Oh well, at any rate, he had no qualms with the girl. Recognizing Cora made him question who else he shared the class with and so he decided to glance around at the different students. Some he remembered from previous years while others were strangers. Spying Rose, he tried to recall what he knew of her but Mrs. Giunta's voice distracted him.

[Shur'turgal]

'Oh.' was all rose could say to Dax's nonchalant response about his summer before the game began. Aura was always a little athletic but saw dodgeball more about being fun, however, some people took it much too seriously. With that thought she spied Marco, who it seemed, always took sports a little seriously. Following his gaze he saw Raven. She didn't know much about him, but she rather liked his quiet nature, and didn't really take to the rumors other people spread.

 

She had been so caught up in watching at how the other kids were treating Dax that she let out a surprised squeal when a ball came hurtling at her. With a scowl on her face she picked up the ball and threw it at her attacker. She wasn't surprised when it missed, as she had never had very good hand-eye coordination, but she was surprised when Dax was struck in the temple. A little fury welled in her stomach as she picked up the ball that rolled away from Dax. Seeing the laughing boy who had thrown it Aura took aim and chucked the ball. She hadn't realized how much force she had thrown it with until the ball landed on the boy's stomach and he crouched over for a moment. Her guilt soon faded to triumph as she heard 'Mr. Valenso, you're out.' and she shuffled behind a group of kids that seemed to be just standing around. Seeing Dax in the "jail" she shot him a wink before quickly dodging another ball. The game was fun, but she really wanted PE to be over.

[Skellybones]

Rose twiddled her thumbs a bit during the wait. But it wasn't long before Mrs. Giunta entered the room and brought them all to attention. In the few minutes that had elapsed since she had entered the classroom and this moment, Rose had had time to examine her fellow classmates. She only recognised a few, some of them weren't even in the same class last year, when she was a sophomore. She smiled faintly, remembering her life before high-school, before America, before her parents split up. She remembered their old house; a big building unlike the modern houses here in this place. Rose could think of the many days she spent reading a book in the garden, normally up the maple tree.

 

But now she was here. In America. She didn't hate the place, but of what she remembered of England, she would have preffered to stay where she was. She blinked suddenly, as if waking from a trance, and looked around her again. She saw Cora not too far away, anyone could tell her appart becuase of her flaming red hair. Rose twiddled her own affectionatly, the red strand curling tightly around her finger. She glanced around a bit more, and noticed another boy that looked faintly familiar. What was his name? Jason. That was it. Rose nodded to herself and looked up to see the teacher standing up at the front.

[ValidEmotions]

Dax kept his gaze focused on the ground as he waited for the game to end. Glancing up, he looked around without any interest but paused when he caught Aura winking at him. He furrowed his brow in confusion before shrugging it off and returning his gaze to the floor. The boy constantly kept his eyes down and focused on his feet for 1) the fear of tripping and 2) the possibility that someone would want to pick a fight with him just because he glanced around the room and looked at them for hardly a second.

 

Jason quickly drummed the eraser end of his pencil against the edge of his desk, accidentally distracting himself from reading the teacher's notes. Something about reading a book in class? No. That couldn't be it. Was it? Roughly bitting his lower lip, he stopped twitching and turned his attention back to the board.

 

Mrs. Giunta was more on the shorter end, perhaps a little over five feet tall, with long brown hair and brown eyes. She wasn't very thin but she wasn't fat either. More average pertaining to her build. There was a small tattoo of a Chinese symbol on the back of her neck, usually hidden by her hair, but sometimes revealed when she tied her hair up. As distracted as Jason could get in English, he would take her lectures over Mrs. Danvar's any day.

[ValidEmotions]

((Bump))

[ValidEmotions]

((*kicks*))

[ValidEmotions]

((No. I've worked hard on this. I'm not letting another one of my RPs die >_<))

[Skellybones]

((Someone else needs to post, I'm not sure what to put for now...))

[hazeh]

The red rubber ball was still clutched in his large hand as he lowered it from in front of the girl's face. The other girl beside Konata was staring up at him and he slowly glanced over at her, his dark eyes meeting her's evenly. When the Japanese student spoke, his gaze slipped down to her and he slightly inclined his head at her in response to her gratitude. He would have answered with a quiet "You're welcome", but stopped short when he caught himself studying Konata's face with a feeling of sadness. In her expression he saw the same gentle sweetness that often had radiated from his sister. The painful reminder caused him to blink and look away, though he disguised this by scanning the court to search for possible assailants.

 

Konata's voice brought his attention back just as quickly, however. He gazed at her from the corner of his eye, trying to balance focusing on her and the game at the same time. Quite a headache, but Raven was not a novice when it came to multitasking. "I am Raven," came the soft, oddly guarded and distant voice of the young man. It was deep and rich, with an accent not readily recognizable in the United States. His voice was another reason he kept to himself; several times, others harped on the strange dialect and used it to accuse his ancestry as a lie, when in reality, Raven had picked it up from an Uncle that had taught him how to speak as a child.

 

Raven gripped the ball in his hand a little firmer, realizing that sinking into thought was not the best of ideas when in the middle of an intense game of dodgeball. He lifted a foot to avoid getting hit on the ankle, and the ball bounced away down the court before it was picked up by someone else. A split moment later, another ball slammed into the wall behind him, missing him by only a few feet. He swerved to the side to avoid it instinctively, grabbing Konata as he nearly knocked her over. "My apologies," he uttered, letting go of her once he was sure she wasn't about to tumble over. He looked up in the direction the ball had been thrown, and spied a boy- Marcos, was it?- inviting him to a one-on-one with a sort of mischievous motion with his hands. Raven glanced back at the girls, as if weighing the consequences of leaving them unattended. Of course, he knew he shouldn't have been acting as their guardian- Lord knows they could handle themselves- but the brotherly part of him resisted the challenge.

 

Raven inhaled deeply before stepping off to the side, the ball still in hand. A different girl nearby was struck in the shoulder and the ball went flying off into the air as she stumbled forward. Raven leaned to the side and snatched the ball before it fell to the ground, though it bounced around in his arms before he could get a good grip on it. Now, with one ball in each hand, he stood straight and faced Marcos again with a blank look. Lifting one hand- and consequently one ball- in the air, he gestured at the other boy as if saying, your turn.

 

Cora had flipped open her binder and was skimming absentmindedly through the empty pages when her wandering gaze landed on a tall figure toward the front of the classroom. Long, flowing dark hair and a graceful frame. When the girl turned her head, Cora felt her heart fluttering slightly at the attractive profile view. She's pretty, the redhead thought, gazing wide-eyed at the girl. However, a moment after she turned her gaze directly down at her notebook; she didn't want the girl to catch her staring, or anyone else for that matter. Cora didn't want to be a creep.

 

With a small sigh, she lifted her chin again but this time avoided looking in the direction of the girl. She rested her jaw in her hand with boredom and glanced around. There were a few faces she recognized, either from around the halls, through other friends, or from previous classes. She smiled at the few that caught her gaze, and even at those that she didn't know. Cora always tried to be friendly, despite her easily offended nature. It was better than making enemies at least. When she spotted Jason, she sent a thumbs-up and wink his way before grinning and returning to studying the nearby students.

 

"Oy, ginger," Cora whispered, noticing another redheaded girl sitting only a few seats away. The desk between them was empty, so Cora had a good view of her. She gestured at the instructor, who was scrawling something in chalk on the blackboard. Reclining a few inches in her chair, she said, "Have you found that book yet? I know we were supposed to have it by the first day, but I couldn't find any bookstore that still had it in stock."

[ValidEmotions]

It appeared that Raven was taking Marcos up on his challenge. Dodging aside to catch a ball thrown in his direction, the boy idly bounced it in his hand before pitching it towards Raven. As he did so, the coach's whistle pierced through the gym and the man shouted for the students to get cleaned up. The timing sucked but, in order to keep from being late to his next class, Marcos headed towards the locker room. Glancing at Raven again, he waved slightly at the other boy and hoped for a later chance to have a one-on-one.

 

The school day ended up going quicker than he would have thought. As it was only the beginning of a new school year, he didn't have much in the way of homework and was able to finish it within a couple of hours once he'd gotten home. Now, as the autumn sun began to set shortly after 6, Marcos opened his bedroom window and peered outside. His hands gripped the frame gently, the mark on his right forearm glowing faintly as his stretched his power outward.

 

He picked up on individual locations: small children heading to bed, couples sitting in their living rooms, or dogs coming in for the night. His focus didn't linger on them though. Marcos was searching for the others; Dax and Jason. He generally didn't leave home unless one or both were on their way out. He located Dax, slipping out the backdoor, about a block away. Releasing his ability, his mark stopped glowing (which still brought up questions as to how it did glow) and he glanced over his shoulder towards his door. No one was coming. His parents were relaxing in the front room and his sister was asleep.

 

Arranging his bedsheets and pillows to fake his sleeping form, Marcos quietly slipped out through his window and closed it behind him. "About time you came outside." Marcos jumped slightly, turning to face Dax as the boy emerged from around the corner. "Damn it, Dax. How long have you been waiting?"

 

Dax shrugged, starting to walk away from Marcos' house and towards the small park that rested a few streets away from the high school. It was the usual gathering grounds for their nightly 'hobby'. "I'd say, about as long as it's been since you stopped scoping for me and Jason. Honestly, you may as well use it the whole night through." He glanced at the Salvadorian, pointing towards the sun-like symbol on Marcos' arm. "Though, the glowing would give you away. Me?" Dax shrugged again, smirking lightly. "Me, on the other hand, I think I can hide it pretty well..."

 

Rolling his wrist and partially curling his fingers, a stream of darkness slithered up his forearm and wrapped around it. The darkness covered Dax's mark entirely, hiding the glow to an extent. It could still be seen but very faintly and only if one were actually paying attention. "Dax. Cut it out. You know better than to fool around with that. You know what it does to your head." Dax frowned slightly, snapping his fingers once and motioning with his hand as if to brush something away. "Fine. Let's just catch up with Jason. He should already be there considering he lives closest."

 

"Do you think the others will be there?"

 

"Someone will be. There always is."

[Shur'turgal]

School had gone by quickly and Aura escaped without any homework. Naturally, after school she ate something quick, than changed and hopped back into her jeep to head for the barn. She had just finished her ride and was allowing Lumen to graze on one of the large hills as she watched the beginning of the sunset. Sighing she stroked Lumen's flaxen mane and stood up. 'Well buddy, I believe it is time for me to go.' Lumen's ears twitched slightly toward Aura's voice but he continued to eat until she tugged on his lead chank. Grudgingly he moved toward the barn with her, and was in his stall in no time. Holding out her hand she fed Lumen one last apple as she whispered, 'I love you, see you tomorrow.' Aura made her way to her jeep and took a detour home, passing by a few people's houses that went to her school. As she was to make a left turn to get back to her house she saw Dax and..Marco? She watched them curiously for a moment and shrugged, making her turn. Once she arrived home she let herself in, finding it odd that her parents weren't home. She trudged up the stairs into her room and looked out the window, over some houses into the park that lie in an open field. Dax and Marco flashed through her mind and she remembered seeing them and Jason at the park once or twice before. Throwing off her riding clothes she slipped on a pair of dark blue jeans and an old gray sweater to fight off the crisp autumn air. Throwing her trusted vans on she locked he door and began to walk to the park. She pulled her hood over her telltale hair and sat on a bench waiting to see if any of the boys would make an appearance.

[Skellybones]

As soon as Rose had returned home, she had changed. Being the first day, she hadn't had any homework. Just as well... She thought. Wandering into her bedroom, she noticed someone had been in it. Certain things were moved. Releasing a sigh, Rose slumped onto her bed. Monday. Cleaning day. Her head sank into her hands.

 

Outside, the wind rattled against her window, She glanced at her clock. Around 8:50. Rose stood up, stretching her arms sleepily. She glanced at the road beneath her window. The park was opposite her house. She could see two figures approaching. In the near distance, she could see one last figure, a young woman by the looks of it. All of them seemed to be heading for the park. Raising an eyebrow, Rose crossed her room. She opened her bedroom door quietly, cursing the creak of the hinges. She shut the door and walked towards the stairs, her mark beginning to glow. She walked down the stairs soundlessly, focusing on the task ahead. She watched her mother through the sliver of light filtering through the door to the living room, a faint smile forming on her face. She fixed her eyes on the back door, her focus returning to remaining undetected, and slipped out of the house.

[hazeh]

(eek, sorry for the wall of text...)

 

The thick muscles in Raven's shoulders and neck had tightened when Marcos wound up to throw the ball. He was ready, watching the other boy silently, and had taken a step to the side just as the whistle pierced the air. Instead of flinching, Raven merely blinked, and let the ball smack harmlessly against his large forearm before it bounced away down the gym. As the other kids gathered in a large mass and waded through the locker room doors, Raven let himself be swept into the sea of bodies and disappeared without saying goodbye to either of the two girls he had met on the court.

 

Raven was fortunate enough to shower quickly; a quick wipe down and he no longer smelled like a sweaty boy. He didn't have much hair to comb and so just pulled on his daily clothes and continued on to his next classes, a few stray beads of water clinging to the back of his neck and jaw. The rest of the day went as he expected- No one else said much to him, except the few that sent acknowledging smiles his way that he returned with a nod of his head. His teachers only eyed him at the beginning because of his size, but when he relocated to the back of the classroom and remained quiet, he was quickly forgotten. There was, of course, the odd teacher and often glanced his way with suspicious eyes, as if trying to catch Raven participating in bad behavior. After all, when no one really took the time to study his features, Raven did look to be a big trouble maker. But he supposed that was just due to the many stereotypes that floated around the high school halls.

 

When he returned home, he tossed his bag onto his bed and immediately changed into his work clothes. A pair of tattered, sun-bleached jeans and a ragged white shirt that had several grey or tan stains along the front side and back hem. The horses were glad to see him, for they snorted and nickered eagerly from their stalls as he hefted bales of hay from the shed and divvied portions into the feed mangers. Raven patted the neck of his gelding- brother to the mare in the next stall- and spoke softly to the horse about his day. About school and the things he learned. The gelding flicked an ear at Raven occasionally, but didn't seem to care all that much when Raven launched into a story about his US Government class.

 

Raven spent most of the day outside, either working with the horses and Jasmin's pony or making sure the others animals were properly cared for. As dusk began to fall, he locked them up securely and double-checked the stables to ensure the safety of the animals. He didn't want any of those...creatures getting in and harming the only friends he had left. With a sigh, he lifted his left arm and opened his hand wide, the last rays of sunlight pouring through his large fingers. The pink fern-like pattern over his skin grew warm and radiated a soft glow as his hand curled into a fist, and a moment later a rippling plane of white light blossomed from the top of his wrist. He turned his hand, studying the circular shield as the sunset glinted on the shimmering surface. When he moved it, the shield resonated with a faint humming sound.

 

The marking on his arm faded back to its normal pink color when he released the energy that had built up to form the shield. He exhaled noisily through his nose and made for his house, though his thoughts had already fixated on Jasmin and his expression became even more somber and wary. Perhaps tonight, after dinner, he would attempt to search for his little sister again.

 

Raven had been finishing with the dishes when his mother shuffled quietly into the kitchen and enclosed her thin arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his broad back. He paused, feeling a sense of security from his mother's embrace, but also guilt at the pain he knew she was feeling. It welled in him, too, in the pit of his stomach, and ached. "You are a good boy, Raven," the woman sighed against him. He did not answer, save for a reassuring squeeze to her hand. She drifted out of the kitchen after that to leave Raven alone to think. He knew he was definitely not the only one still reeling from Jasmin's disappearance and possible death, and it was very obvious in the grave tone his house had taken within the weeks of the discovery. It felt like a heavy weight on his shoulders every day, forcing to keep up the liveliness in the household by busying himself with chores and making sure things got done. Though his father worked and his mother was usually out, either shopping or doing whatever it was she did during the day, Raven could see how bland and lifeless they had become.

 

The dark boy shook his head and rubbed at his temple with his fingertips. The more he thought about the situation in his house, the more depressed he became. He didn't want to end up like his parents and feel like he was dragging his feet every day. He placed the dishes on the drying rack and patted his hands on the towel. Though he was still in his work clothes, he smelled like freshly cut grass and dust and leather cleaner and dish soap. With one glance over his shoulder at the dark figures of his parents curled up in their arm chairs, Raven ducked out through the back door and trudged quietly through the evening darkness as he made his way down the street.

 

Cora's classes went smoothly- or as smoothly as they could have gone, since she technically didn't have all of her supplies yet and had to win over a few of her reluctant teachers with her charm. But, in the end, she was pardoned from most repercussions and got off with a scolding or two. She was lucky to not have much trouble in the halls, either, as she didn't run into many of the "popular-by-intimidation" jerks she might have once considered her friends. There were several people that stopped to make friendly conversation with her, which Cora happily obliged, and she'd even spoken to some new people in her classes that she never really talked to before. The pretty dark-haired girl from her English class was also in her math class and appeared to be a mathematics whiz, and so Cora secretly plotted to make her a study partner when the time came. Not to mention all of the other rather attractive females in her other classes!

 

Cora hummed cheerfully on her ride home, the bike gliding like a bullet through the street with a trail of dust clouds spurting from the wheels. It was dumped on the side of the house, behind their gate, and when she marched inside she was greeted by a sweaty, dirty version of one of her older brothers. He looked up at her with a grin as she walked in, and offered her a piece of chocolate from the bar he had just unwrapped. She eyed his hands, and upon determining that he had washed them before eating, broke off a chunk and stuffed it in her mouth before reaching up on her tip toes and smacking a loud kiss against his dirty cheek.

 

"How was the first day of school?" He asked, nibbling on the corner of his chocolate bar and leaning his back against the counter. Cora opened the fridge and took a swig of milk, after a quick glance in the neighboring rooms for any sign of her mother.

 

"Like any other day at school. Boring and lame," she answered with a small burp, wiping the milk-stache from her top lip with with the back of her hand. "Teachers are okay. I got your old math teacher, Mr. Savage. Poor guy really lives up to his name. And you were right, he really could use a face lift; I felt like we were being lectured by a bulldog."

 

Her brother laughed and handed her another piece of his chocolate, which she happily accepted. They continued their conversation for a few minutes, going back and forth about teachers and her brother's new job. When her other brother got home, she greeted him in similar terms before escaping up to her room and flopping onto her bed with the intention of taking a nap. That was short lived, however, when the firm patter of her mother's footsteps suddenly halted outside her door. Cora rolled over on her side, opened one eye, and peered out from under the mess of tangled red hair at the woman standing on the threshold of her door. She knew it would be unwise to make a snide remark after what happened that morning, and so bit her tongue to keep herself from firing off any comments she might regret later.

 

"Do you have homework?" Came the terse, controlled voice of her mom. Cora felt herself instantly bristle, and had to fight back the biting tone that threatened to respond.

 

Instead, she answered in a tight voice, "No, it's the first day. We won't have homework for a couple days." She sat up and on the edge of her bed, slowly moving the hair out from her face to look at her mother more clearly.

 

Her mom was a petite woman, with dainty proportions and a lithe figure. Cora was certainly thicker and curvier than her mom, but they shared the same height and deep red hair. Dana's hair, however, was pulled back in a neat bun, and Cora was sure that if she had noticed the few strands by her ear that had gone astray during her housework, the woman would have certainly had a fit. Dana Avery was the most anal person Cora had ever met.

 

Dana peered around her daughter's room with disinterest before pursing her lips, as if she didn't believe Cora, and remarked, "Well then, with your free time you could certainly do something about this room. It's a pigsty." She promptly turned and left without waiting for a reply, leaving Cora fuming on her bed.

 

I'll do whatever the hell I want with my room, thank you very much, Cora growled inwardly, grinding her teeth together in frustration. Just to spite her mother and relieve some of her stress, Cora swept and arm over her bedside table and watched with mild satisfaction as an array of objects tumbled to the floor. Screw off.

 

Dinner tonight was a make-it-yourself night, so once her stomach began complaining, she trotted down to the kitchen and browsed the pantries and fridge for a meal. She went through everything at least twice, as if expecting something new to appear or to find something she hadn't seen the first time. Finally, she settled with a TV dinner and sat sandwiched between her brothers as they watched reruns of Friends. They had gone through three episodes when their father demanded to watch a sports game, to which Cora promptly fled- as much as she liked participating in sports, watching it on the TV was the most boring thing next to school.

 

It was almost 9 o'clock and Cora was hunched over on her window seat, forehead pressed to the window as she watched the night take over. She was hoping to catch of a glimpse of one of those things, despite it being a rule to keep all windows covered at night. Well screw that, Cora did what she wanted. Especially when she had that neat-o animal print marking on her arm that let her do all sorts of cool things in the secret of the night. She had yet to tell anyone, even her brothers, what she was capable of. After all, she didn't want to lose the last few people in her family that still cared about her. Cora wouldn't be able to handle losing her brothers if they found out she was some sort of a freak.

 

Slowly, Cora pushed the window up and slipped out onto the small portion of roof that jutted out from under her room. She crouched against the pale stucco of their house and gripped the tiles with her fingers, muscles tense as she concentrated. The marking on her left forearm brightened in color before giving off a pale, faint light, as if she had painted herself with glow-stick juice. In the same moment, Cora's physique shifted. Her thighs shortened and her ankle lengthened, with her feet narrowing into oddly-shaped paws with little white claws poking out from the toes. Her back grew long and willowy, arching with grace as she maneuvered down the side of the roof. The tips of her ears pointed upwards and out, twitching as they grew accustomed to the new sounds, and short whiskers sprouted from the sides of her cheeks. From the shadow that was cast by her house, her once-blue eyes glinted a yellow-green. As she started to cross the roof edge, aiming for her neighbor's, she teetered for a moment and paused; a second later, a long, black-and-white tail whipped out from the small hole in the seat of her sweatpants and waved in the air to help her catch her balance. Once satisfied with the new traits she expressed, Cora continued across the roof tops, jumping nimbly from roof to roof and softly running over the crests.

 

She stopped on top of one house after realizing she was several streets away from her own home. Below her, however, she heard hushed voices, and so peered over the edge of the roof to look down at the figures below. When she recognized the two boys, a large grin split Cora's face, and the feline characteristics melted back into her usual appearance.

 

"Howdy boys. You're still lagging behind, eh?" She snickered, jumping down from the roof and landing in a crouched position. When she stood, Cora reached up and brushed away some of her wild hair that had escaped its messy ponytail. The other hand was cocked onto her hip, which was partially bare due to the shirt she was wearing- it was an old Hot Wheelz tee that she had since she was nine, with the sleeves cut off once the armpits had gotten too small. It showed part of her lower abdomen, but Cora seemed to appreciate the breeze.

Edited September 19, 2012 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[Silver_Voices]

Carlie strolled past the school, breathing deeply of the chilling night air. The wind rustled through her short black hair, drying out her auburn eyes and causing her to blink rapidly. She shoved her hands in her pockets, glancing around as she walked, briefly shivering before ducking her head. Her hood rested around her neck, the dark purple jacket almost blending into the grey sweats in the darkness of night. Black sneakers brushed over the grass of the field, leaving almost unnoticeable footprints.

 

She glanced around as she neared the building. The high school. She had skipped today's classes, she would be able to make up for it tomorrow. She could care less for her education... She attended because it was what her parents would have wanted. The neighbors had checked in on her that morning, and easily claimed her sick, and that she was. With a fever of one-hundred and three and constant coughing, she hadn't been in any condition to go to her classes. But, in her estimation, the sickness had worn off a bit, and she deemed herself able to join the other guys on their hunting spree for the night.

 

Finally marching through the park across the way, Carlie covered her mouth with a hand, muffling the hoarse coughing. She spotted a lone figure on the swing, so she sidled over to them. "Hey, Jason." Quickly, she cleared her throat to rid her voice of the gravel-y sound. "What's up? Anyone else around yet?"

[ValidEmotions]

Dax looked up when Cora spoke, frowning slightly and watching as she dropped to the ground. "I just came to get Marcos. Jason's already at the park no doubt." Glancing at Marcos, the other boy nodded and Dax motioned towards their location. "Shall we get going?" The question was rhetorical and, at least, Marcos knew that. He trusted that Cora would pick up on the fact as well but left expectations aside. Besides, he didn't care if she chose to answer or not.

 

Starting to walk, Dax stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and hunched his shoulders against the wind as it picked up. "Any preferences on where we should hunt tonight?" Dax looked over towards Marcos, shrugging.

"Why do you always call it hunting? We're not poachers or anything."

"True, but we are killing these creatures with weapons." Dax watched in the growing darkness as Marcos created air quotes for the term 'weapons'. "You agree with me, right Cora? I mean, just because we don't have actual guns doesn't mean we're not scoping out these things and hunting them down."

 

Now Marcos had a point. Dax stopped at the edge of the park, one foot placed on the small concrete boarder that kept the sawdust contained to a general area. "Alright, we're hunting. Look, we can figure out where in a moment. Jason!" Turning his attention over to the boy in the swing, he took note of the kid with him.

 

Jason had been swinging his legs slightly as he had waited for the others, startling when Carlie appeared. "Oh, hey. No one's here just yet. Though, Dax and Marcos should be arriving any moment now. Speak of the devil. He heard faint voices and turned his gaze in the direction they came from. When Dax shouted his name, he stood up from the swing and glanced at Carlie. "Come on. Look's like Cora's here too." Walking over to the others, he waved in greeting to Cora and flicked his gaze between the other two boys. "So, what's the game plan?"

 

"We're working on figuring that out actually. Hi Carlie. It's been awhile since I saw you. Were you at school today?" Marcos shook his head, motioning the question away. "Ah, never mind. You can answer that later. The Nightmares are starting to wake..."

 

Looking at Marcos' arm, Jason caught the telltale glow of his marking and knew that Marcos wasn't lying. "Where are the first ones at?"

 

"Over by Mr. Whicket's farm. Think we should say good morning?"

 

"That's up to everyone to decide. I personally don't mind but, if that's the case, we better start running."

 

((Just a little push into the action and maybe a chance to run into the others.))

[Silver_Voices]

Carlie nodded slowly as Jason spoke. Voices fluttered over to where they were, and she glanced over to see three figures walking in their direction. Dax's distinct voice called out Jason's name as he rose, and she quickly followed as he led the way to meet them. Quickly, she threw her hood over her head then thrust her hands into her pockets. Reluctant to pull them out of the fuzzy warmth when they reached the trio, she simply gave a nod of greeting to each person; quiet "Hey" added to Marcos' verbal acknowledgement. She flashed a quick smile at Cora before turning to Dax. "I'm--" Cough. "-- good with doing whatever everyone else wants to do." She peered through the darkness, in the direction of the aforementioned farm. "Running sounds good though. I'm all up for running."

[Shur'turgal]

Aura was lost in thought, as usual, when she heard someone shout Jason's name. Her gaze shot to the let and she saw that Dax and Marco had arrived, along with Cora. She saw Jason, and a girl, whose name she couldn't put her finger on walk up to the group. It seemed like everyone was anxious to get going, and she decided to join them. A smile pulled at the corners of her lips as her vans brushed across the grass. She pushed back her hood and smiled brightly as she came to stand beside Marcos. Laughing a little she said, 'You guys were thinking of leaving without me!?' She looked over, realizing the girl was Carlie. She smiled a little brighter at her, not really recalling ever being formally introduced and stood, a little awkwardly in the group. She almost felt like she was interrupting, as she hadn't always gone on the "hunts", but she decided that it was a bit of a duty, though she worried her parents would wonder where she was.

Edited October 2, 2012 by Shur'turgal

[hazeh]

The redhead grinned at the boys, stretching one arm behind her head as they moved together to walk down the street. She ended up on Marco's other side, her arms now folded tightly together in a similar manner to Dax as the wind pushed against them. The thrill of the night's event was finally dawning on her and filled her with an indescribable energy. It welled in her stomach and spread warmth through each limb.

Cora shrugged. "Sounds like a hunt to me. Tracking down and killing stuff pretty much fits the definition," she said in response to Dax's statement. "Or we could just call it Extreme Cops and Robbers."

 

When they reached the park, Cora let her arms fall to her sides- now that the chill had left the surface of her skin numb- and flashed a smile and thumbs-up to Jason when the two groups met up. She saw Carlie and smiled again, adding a wink to finish her greeting. "Hey guys- Hey Aura! Game plan sounds like Whicket's farm," Cora said, turning to face the other girl when she heard her approach. She entwined her fingers firmly before bending them outwards, pleased to hear a symphony of crackles as the knuckles popped. Afterward she slung an arm over Aura's shoulder and said in a lower voice, "I bet you and I can down more of those suckers than Marcos and Dax." She grinned again and released her, impatiently awaiting the cue to start for the farm. Being on a farm would be beneficial, too- Though Cora had already seen a good majority, if not all, of the animals that resided there, she was still drawn to the idea that perhaps there was another animal she could use to transform that she hadn't used yet. She'd already perfected house cats, dogs, and horses. Steers were difficult but she liked using their horns, while trying to fuse with a bird was just about as useless as an idea could get. This time around she was hoping to see a coyote, or, if she was especially lucky, something like a mountain lion or bobcat.

 

 

The night was still, save for the gusts of wind that blew against him every once in a while, but the crickets were chirping so lightly he barely heard them and nothing else moved in the shadows. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of one of those beasts yet and he'd already walked down two streets. Raven contemplated on whether or not he was going to visit the old abandoned house again, but later decided against it- He'd already scoured the premises several times to no avail, and didn't really hope to find much else if he attempted it again. But that also left him with no leads, since Jasmin's disappearance could have really happened anywhere.

 

Raven blended nicely into the darkness besides his grubby white shirt; for once he could almost be thankful for how dark his skin was. It could definitely give him the upper hand if those demon-beasts came across him. Though he was large and likewise not very stealthy, he was glad to have his bulk and even the bizarre shield-power that he had developed some time after investigating the abandoned house.

 

He turned down another street, glancing at each quiet house and down the black spaces between them. He listened hard for any sign of movement or activity and focused as much as he could on being silent himself. After a few moments, he noticed something moving across the tops of the houses, and stopped to watch it disappear onto the next street. For a moment his heart clenched at the prospect of finding a beast, but it was quickly replaced by a fierce resolve to track it down and get rid of it. After all, he had a great suspicion that those creatures were connected to his little sister's disappearance.

 

Raven followed around the sides of the houses, trying to mentally map out where he thought the creature might have gone. When he turned the corner of the street, he kept close against the side of one of the houses and carefully peered down the road. It seemed quiet, but a split moment later he heard faint voices. Raven gazed across the porches of the adjacent houses, and saw with surprise a human-like figure dropping down from a roof top to mingle with two others. Raven withdrew from the side of the house and sighed; he couldn't tell who they were, but they certainly weren't demon-beasts.

 

After gathering himself again, Raven turned back toward the street he had been on before. He really had no interest exposing himself to those kids, since he had no idea what they were up to. Maybe they were trying to do the same as he was, or maybe they had some gang or something. Raven didn't know, but he was sure it wasn't going to be anything beneficial to his search. With another sigh, he continued his walk down the street, thinking that perhaps the farms on the other side of town might hold better clues.

[Shur'turgal]

She looked toward Cora when she said they'd be going the Whicket's farm. Aura contemplated for a moment and then shook her head chiding, 'Sounds like a plan to me.' Aura chuckled, deep in her throat, as Cora snaked an arm around her shoulders. She adored Cora, and didn't care how she "rolled" she saw her as a good friend and enjoyed her company. She leaned in to hear what she said and giggled a little. She squeezed Cora's hand and quietly replied, 'I would bet the same thing. Perhaps we should make this an official wager?' She was very confident in her and Cora's abilities and loved to make bets with her friends anyways. She wondered momentarily what the bet would be. Then she pulled away from Cora, arching an eyebrow at her and turning her head. Tapping Marcos on the shoulder she dramatically spoke, 'Marcos and Dax, Cora and I challenge you to a duel!'

[Silver_Voices]

Carlie turned in surprise at the new voice that had suddenly chimed in. The glance and suddenly bright smile was a nice gesture, but Carlie paid it no mind. A small nod was all she was obliged to offer at this moment. She knew Aura, or knew of her. In any case, she was not so interested in getting to know this girl better rather than going and killing these Nightmares. Having sat around the house all day, bottling her energy, she was eager to attack something and rip it to shreds.

 

Cora, on the other hand, was someone she knew well. Always in the same crowds, it would have been hard /not/ to have met her. The smile and wink caused a playful smile to lift Carlie's dry chapped lips, raising an eyebrow as well. She overheard Cora's claim to Aura easily, then withdrew her hands from her pockets and crossed her arms over her chest, smirking. She sidled up to Cora's side as Aura approached Marcos with flair. "How much do you bet? I'll keep a count for both of you."

Edited October 2, 2012 by Silver_Voices