Midsummer Shadows

[Walker]

Carlie’s mind was a rushing torrent of emotion. It had all happened so quickly he was left feeling confused, dazed, and worst of all for him, helpless. The complete sense of powerlessness he felt almost made him sag and wither under its unbearable weight, but even powerless, Carlie thought himself too strong to bend even under the thing he feared the most. There was another kind of inner strength and resilience he relied upon at these sort of moments, the sort of power that never fled him like the power of his body so often did. He relied upon his strength and ability to endure. As his eyes flicked across the chaotic scene, he felt with certainty that was what set him apart from the rest of the world. In almost every circumstance he endured to survive and fight another day. There was only one real thing he knew he would never be able to survive despite the quiet inner strength he relied upon, and hopefully a relapse would never occur.

 

It seemed almost laughable how the world had suddenly decided to flip the switch on him. One moment his back was turned to them, trying to hold back the anger that was roiling in his stomach like an impending hurricane. The next, the guy with the large mouth of him was flown across the room into the back wall of stage. Carlie had seen it all because he had decided to turn his head to look at them again at the most inopportune moment, a curt and harsh reply to their previous insults waiting to escape his lips, but the only thing that had escaped his lips was a startled grunt. His fury was quickly forgotten when he saw man’s body, limp and helpless.

 

It reminded himself too much of what he had been but a few years ago, helpless and dying. It inspired within him fear, awe, and anger so great he had stood rooted to the ground while the other’s attempted to help the man. It briefly registered in his mind that he could probably leave amidst all this chaos, but the implied dare from earlier still hung in his mind and in the air. The earth seemed to be challenging him again with all of this, forcing him to watch something that made him directly confront the worst times of his life. Carlie wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, intended or otherwise. On the other hand, he also wanted to make sure that this man was fine. Carlie certainly didn’t like his attitude, but he wasn’t so heartless he wanted him to die.

 

Despite his cold demeanor, there was a little bit of morality and care for others that lurked within his heart. Although most of the time he only cared about his own welfare, events like this briefly brought out the other side of him. It didn’t force him to jump to the man’s rescue, but it did inspire a concern in him for what would happen, a concern that kept him rooted to that spot awaiting the outcome. Standing there made him feel helpless though. He could do absolutely nothing in this situation. He sure as hell wasn’t a medic and he wouldn’t even be a help in carrying the man. His eyes immediately darted down to his leg, still bleeding, and his eyes were still heavy from fatigue. He knew if he wanted to hard enough he could force himself to be of help, but for some reason, he highly doubted that the girl who seemed so concerned about the man would appreciate his help.

 

There wasn’t much he could do except watch and observe, but as a sign of his concern, he turned bback to face the assembled. He didn’t get closer and offer his help, but he didn’t leave either. It was more trying to send a well-hidden message to the woman. It was more a way of saying ‘I’m here, but still apart.’ That was how he felt, like a piece of wood drifting on a large, wide blue ocean. For some reason, he belonged here. He had collected that from the snatches of what he had heard. These other teenagers had woken up changed too, but as he looked at the passed-out girl that had sent a bolt of electricity through the man, he also felt apart. These others seemed to have a power that he couldn’t seem to find within himself. He just knew instinctively that he wasn’t going to be hurling bolts of lightning anytime soon.

 

For some reason, his eyes darted down to the ground and the mud puddle that had appeared out of nowhere. Just as he knew instinctively there would be no almighty bolts of lightning emerging from his palm, he knew that he had made that. Was that all he was going to be good for, making mud puddles? Why in the hell was he making mud puddles out of thin air anyways? His hand curled into a frustrated fist. He couldn’t think of a single thing to do at the moment that could help, certainly nothing involving mud puddles. This was where his inner strength kicked in. He was powerless to do anything, but he was strong enough to stand there and endure.

 

His eyes also flickered briefly to the new boy that had appeared and offered to carry the girl, but he didn’t pay him much mind. It seemed as if masses of random teenagers seemed to be flocking to this spot, him among them. As he noted how many there were already who seemed to have meandered here, he wasn’t too surprised another one had made their way to this particular place. It was a conundrum but something he didn’t feel like worrying about at the moment. There was already enough to worry about as it was.

 

He watched as the girl walked away until she finally made her way into the woods. He couldn’t immediately follow her. His confusion and fear was too great for that, but after a few seconds he finally managed to make his feet move. He paused for another few seconds and then blinked, finally beginning to get his bearings. He looked at where she had entered the woods and instead decided to enter from another direction. That way he could make it appear he was leaving but instead circle around and follow. He hoped he was able to follow without being noticed. After he was sure everything was taken care of, he could slip off and none would be the wiser.

 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

 

Beatrix stood attentively in the street, her large dog eyes fixed on Lakshmi’s human ones. For the briefest of moment Lakshmi felt a shiver go up her spine, an alien emotion warning her of danger, but she felt herself crack a smile. What danger could Beatrix possibly hold? The dog continued to stare at her while Lakshmi tried to push her bare feet into the pair of converse she had grabbed on her way out the door. It seemed to take an unbearably long time. Lakshmi expected Beatrix to dart away at any moment, but instead, the dog seemed to be waiting for her. Lakshmi giggled quietly to herself. That was absurd. Dogs didn’t wait for their owners to put on their shoes when they got loose. They merely ran away.

 

Eventually, she finally managed to slip on her shoes, but she didn’t even take the time to tie them. She was too nervous that Beatrix would decide to bolt at any moment. Standing up, she took a step into the crowd of people on the sidewalk, eyes locked on her target. Beatrix’s tail wagged once and then she barked, seemingly happy that Lakshmi had finally stopped lollygagging. Lakshmi smiled at this and then took another step towards the dog. Judging by her reaction, Beatrix wouldn’t be too hard to catch. If she hadn’t bolted away by now chances were she wouldn’t, but this illusion was soon shattered. The moment Lakshmi moved a step closer, Beatrix barked again and turned tail, darting between and around the groups of people on sidewalk.

 

Lakshmi immediately jumped into action. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of Beatrix or she knew the all consuming loneliness would devour her again. Beatrix was her solace and she had to capture her or be subjected to another terrible outburst that happened whenever left alone. As she chased the dog down the sidewalks, she felt her stomach warring between fear and relief. The dog seemed to be toying with her, urging her on, drawing her in. Every few seconds she would lose sight of her, the fear cloying at her stomach and nearly making her freeze, but soon the dog would emerge. Every time, Lakshmi sighed with relief and sped up just the slightest bit more to make sure she didn’t lose track of her. It was either chase after the dog or face the frightening loneliness, and another thought flickering at the very recesses of her mind, the words her father just told her and she had been trying to ignore.

 

This pattern seemed to drag on for minutes. Lakshmi chased Beatrix down crowded, unfamiliar streets into nearly empty side streets. It briefly registered in Lakshmi’s mind that she was becoming more and more lost but that seemed less important at the moment then the need to continue to chase after Beatrix. She could think about these other problems once she had her hand around Beatrix’s collar and her warm, comforting presence firmly by her side instead of darting away after every other blink of an eye. The chase continued, and continued, and continued, and continued, and it seemed like an endless cycle.

 

Lakshmi was really starting to believe that this was going to go on forever when she lost track of Beatrix again. Fear cloyed at her stomach as she twisted her head around and dashed around the corner. She yelped in surprise when she found Beatrix standing squarely in front of her path. Lakshmi took a moment to blink and catch her breath before a dazzling smile eclipsed her features. Beatrix made no move to run away again. She had finally caught her. Lakshmi took a step closer, trying to shorten the distance between herself and the comforting presence of Beatrix. Reaching out her hand, she prepared to nab Beatrix by the collar, but the moment her hand got within inches of Beatrix, the dog’s demeanor instantly changed.

 

Beatrix tensed and a thin warning growl emerged from deep within her stomach. Lakshmi paused and felt her eyes open wide in surprise. This went against all reason. Beatrix never growled, ever. She was the most even-tempered, calm dog born. Aggressive was the exact opposite word of what Lakshmi would have used to describe Beatrix. She blinked at this strange display and then laughed. Beatrix was probably just playing. After all, she had led her on this wild goose chase through New York City. Beatrix would never do anything to hurt her. Lakshmi leaned closer to finally grasp Beatrix, but she was surprised by a sudden burst of motion from Beatrix.

 

Lakshmi cried out in pain as she felt teeth dig into her arm. The initial burst of pain lasted only for a moment before the mouth that had clamped down on her arm released and returned to growling. Lakshmi blinked and looked at Beatrix, confusion written across her face. Had Beartix just done the inconceivable? She wouldn’t be able to believe it if it weren’t for the red blood she saw dripping from Beatrix’s exposed teeth. That was her blood. She shivered and drew her arm close to her body, cradling it. She didn’t even bother to look down. It was bad enough seeing Beatrix this way. She didn’t want to see her arm mutilated also. She tried to ignore the distant throbbing pain emanating from the wound and instead focused her attentions on her dog.

 

Beatrix was slowly backing away now, the growl building as she got farther away. Lakshmi tried to step closer, but the warning growls emanating from Beatrix were enough to dissuade her. Instead, she watched with horror as the dog retreated farther and farther away, until eventually, Beatrix whined once, turned tail, and fled into an alley. Lakshmi stood thunderstruck on the sidewalk. Her surprise was enough to push away the first pangs of loneliness, at least for a while. Trying to take stock of her situation, she turned her attentions to her location.

 

She was again stunned when she realized that Beatrix had managed to lead her to a place she recognized. She was only a few buildings away from Forest Park. She remembered her dream from earlier and stood there puzzling. His eyes continued to rove when… Was that…? She paused when she caught a brief reflection of herself in a shop window to her left. Something was off. She turned her head and gasped in surprise. Now she understood what her father had been speaking of.

 

Her long was down in a disheveled mess. She had been in too much of a hurry this morning to put it in her usual braid, but it wasn’t this that surprised her. Her hair wasn’t black anymore, but instead a light brown flecked with highlights of what appeared to be green and light rose pink. If her hair wasn’t disturbing enough, her eyes truly frightened her. The irises of her eyes were now a sparkling emerald green ringed by the same light rosy pink from her hair. Her mouth popped open in surprise. How had this happened? Her shock had kept her rooted there for several moments, speechless, but even the shock of the sudden change in appearance couldn’t hold back the floodgates forever.

 

In light of all this, a voice reminded her adamantly in the back of her head that she was alone. Lakshmi tore her gaze from the window and stared at the sidewalk again. Her body started shivering silently as the loneliness built up like a thunderstorm. Tears clouded her vision as she tried to concentrate and relax, to no success. Instead, she lowered herself slowly to the ground and buried her face in her hands. The tears finally released in one glorious flood burst, making her hands wet with her own sorrow. Her whole body racked with the force of her despair as she sat alone and vulnerable.

[Sasstrek]

Central Park. It was always green with rays of light shinning through rustling canopies of leaves. The lake would always sparkle merrily under the sunlight. Birds always chirped while squirrels made their chittering noises. People were always about, swatting insects away from their faces. But not today. There was still a lot of greenery, but unlike on most days, the rays of pale light filtered through silent branches. The sparkle of the lake was dull, as though it was afraid to be noticed. The birds kept their beaks shut as squirrels hastily dart from tree to tree. Insects barely had anyone to annoy, except for a couple of girls.

 

“Varianne Addelane!” the blonde with short hair called at the other lean figure. “Slow down, lady!”

 

Varianne looked back and smiled innocently at Carey as though she was jogging at a reasonable pace, instead of taking off and nearly leaving her best and only friend in the dust. But she stopped anyways; Carey had came along with her, something she rarely did so it would be nice if she actually stopped making her gasp and struggle to keep just ten feet behind.

 

She knew she should not have chosen that day to come out running. For one thing, the school uniform included not only a white button up shirt, it also included a skirt. But it was knee-length so it wasn’t too much of an issue. Besides, she liked it when she was running; it kept her head clear. The only thing she despised during times like these was the heat radiating from the sun.

 

Something about the scenery of Central Park seemed different to Varianne. Not only was the white light almost sickly, the wind was quiet and the annoying birds made no sound other than the beating of their wings. It was as though the whole place was holding its breath, waiting for the moment to exhale and burst into life again. It did not worry her too much though. With global warming and whatever, these things probably happen all over the world.

 

“You really need to come out more,” Varianne told Carey. “You’re not particularly fit.”

 

“Well,” she panted. “unlike some people… I am… actually… human.” By the end of the sentence, she had already run out of breath.

 

“And what makes you think I’m not human?” Varianne started jogging slowly, feeling her high pony-tail bounce on her sweaty neck.

 

With a sigh, Carey started with her head bowed. “Your mad running.”

 

“I think easier when I’m moving.” She huffed. “Besides, some other professionals run faster and further. They’re not human?”

 

“Maybe… Okay… Stop. Stop.”

 

They ran for a while more until Carey’s stomach started to hurt. Although Varianne tried to coax her to jog more, she had refused, saying something about how Varianne had to explain to the cops about her dead body if they continued.

 

They exited the park and into the dirty streets of Manhattan. Varianne noted how it was especially more hectic recently. More toxic fumes spewed out from engines. People came in thicker crowds and seemed to have the urge to win ‘Noisiest Person’ of the year. At one point, a car actually veered onto the sidewalk, causing several pedestrians to leap away before they could be hit.

 

A few streets after Central Park, the two friends went their own separate ways.

 

Varianne started walking towards the lower part of New York, where she lived with her mother in their dingy little apartment. They may have been able to move out into something with more hygiene but then her father had left with half their fortune even before she was born. Thinking of her father leaving made her blood boil and remembering conversations she had with her mother on that subject did not change her dark mood.

 

“I’m home, mom!” With just that simple announcement, Varianne dumped her school bag in her small room before heading for the bathroom. She had to get out of the terrible school uniform. Not only was the lower half an unfashionable skirt (the nerdy green plaids were a no-no even for her), it was also a skirt.

 

When she came out from the shower, refreshed with a towel wrapped around her jet-black hair, it was already dinner. As routine, her mother set the plate of rice, vegetable and meat on the table before asking how her day went. And always, Varianne replied that it was fine, though it was more often than not a lie.

 

That night, she dreamt about her father. That had happened many times before and it was always the same one over and over. However, it strayed from the usual this time.

 

 

His face was indistinct as usual and she was just there, as though she were watching a movie. Her father was already dressed up in casual clothes and ready to leave. But then he glanced back at his wife, seemingly having second thoughts. As he left the room, he searched for paper and pen. He sat down on a crooked chair and started writing a note on the old wooden dining table. Varianne knew when he was done he would place his dood-bye somewhere none of them had ever thought of looking.

 

But he never got that far.

 

Before he could finish, there was a creak emitted from the front door. Her father’s head snapped up to see the doorknob slowly twisting. As he was frozen on the spot, the door silently opened like it actually had oiled hinges.

Two men and one woman clad in black entered on light soundless feet.

 

“Jonathan”—her father started as one of the men spoke his name in a hushed tone—“we…”

 

“There’s something you need to know.” The other man provided when the first didn’t know how to continue. “About your lineage.”

 

Something seemed to enter Jonathan’s eyes, as though he remembered something. Then his expression turned into one of resignation.

 

The woman caught the eyes of her comrades and a quiet agreement passed between them. “So you know.” Her tone softened. “You only have one day to say your good-bye. We’ll come back tomorrow.” Then she added, “I’m sorry.”

 

With that, the trio left and closed the door with a click behind them.

 

Her father slumped into the chair, a disbelieving look on his face. Then the scene changed.

 

Varianne took stock of the things materializing around her. It was night, and there was soft grass under her feet as well as waving tree branches overhead. Other than the wind, hurrying footsteps of a clumsy runner disturbed the gloom.She turned around in time to see her father, stumbling over roots and groping at the tree trunks for support. He was gasping hard and it was clear from the mud caking his boots and trousers that he had been running for a while and falling a lot. Perhaps someone or something was chasing after him.

 

Then they came: the three people who had entered their house earlier in her dream. They were dressed in black again, but this time they had weapons. While the two men had swords sheathes by their hips, the woman had an uncurled whip in her hand.

 

Varianne held her breath. Was the lady really going to use that on her father?

 

Her father stumbled once more and turned back, seemingly noticing how close his chasers were for the first time. With an exhausted sigh, he slumped against a nearby tree trunk in defeat.

 

“Forest Park. Who thought we would find you here.” But rather than gloatingly as though she had just cornered a prey, the woman said it sadly, more like she regretted finding him.

 

The two men came forward, probably to drag him away, but he tried to maintain his pride. Instead of letting them beat him up, he went between them with shaky steps, and they gave him space.The woman was just about to head off with her comrades but then she grew alert. A moment later, she looked like she just smelled something bad. She circled around on the spot, trying to look for something. Then her eyes gazed right at Varianne.

 

The woman snapped her whip and Varianne screamed.

 

 

Varianne’s eyes abruptly flew open, her steely-blue eyes wide and her heart thumping in her chest as though it was trying to hammer its way out. Then her brows knitted together in annoyance. It was just a ridiculous dream. Like her the reason for her father leaving would ever really be because some bunch of weirdoes probably from a cult came after him. Like people now were even allowed to use medieval weapons and whips against innocent people. He probably resented her and her mother so he just left them to rot. After all, he—

 

Her rambling thoughts were disrupted by a scratching sound not unlike her Maths teacher using the chalk to write on the black board. It was coming from her window. But she tried to dismiss the racket. It was probably just that dead old tree and its scraggly branches. It happened before and she had to open her window to prevent the branches from scratching the window and making all that noise.

 

Without some ease, she returned to sleep.

 

 

In the morning, she went to the bathroom in her nightwear, scratching her messy hair and yawning. She didn’t look up as she opened the cupboard with a glued-on mirror. She retrieved her toothbrush and toothpaste before closing it. As usual, the bathroom was as covered with filthy stuff as ever, even though it had only been washed recently. However, that was not what caught her attention. In the mirror was someone she had never seen before. Then she realized it was herself she was staring at.

 

Holly crows…

 

Her complexion—which always had been slightly tanned due to her regular runs—was now pale, almost like an albino’s. Her hair was still jet-black, but when the sunlight from the puny window bounced off of it, there was a dark blue sheen to it. Even her knitted eyebrows had that strange sheen. She bet that her hair would be a dark blue colour if she placed a strand under direct light. Her cheekbones were more angular now, coming out as almost harsh. The slant that gave her eyes a slightly cat-like appearance was enhanced, making it seemingly unnatural. But her eyes. They used to be blue, with a steely glint in them. Now, they were so pale, they almost looked white. She leaned forward to stare at them and got a shock. She was sure it was just patterns in her eyes like some people have or whatever but it was just peculiar. It seemed as though there was a tiny blizzard of ice daggers raging in her irises, the triangular flakes of patterns constantly moving hectically.

 

She opened the cupboard again, refusing to stare at her reflection. She took in deep breaths, gripping the basin until her knuckles turned white. Then she closed it, sure that she would look perfectly human the next time. Unfortunately for her, she still looked as she did: something bordering on inhuman.

 

She poked and probed at her face, still disbelieving. She pulled at the corner of her eyes; maybe there was some sort of weird lenses there, but then again, she never would bother changing her eyes by any means. She plucked a strand of hair and sure enough, it was deep blue under the sunlight. Then, something occurred to her.

 

What were people going to think when they saw her? More importantly, what were her mother and Carey going to say? She would probably be rushed to the hospital by her mother then locked up in some ward for a random ancient disease or something. Carey on the other hand… Her friend would definitely freak out but after she calmed, she may be able to suggest something. At the least, it would make Varianne feel much better.

 

She quickly returned to her room and changed, not bothering with so much as a rinse of her mouth. She picked up her bag; her mother would be up by now and it would be odd for her to head off to school without her bag.

 

However, her mother was already sitting by the dinning table reading the morning papers by the time Varianne came out from her room.

 

“Now honey, I want you to be careful out there,” her mother said, worry in her voice. Luckily for Varianne seemed extremely indulged with the news and did not look up. “Hundred of people apparently vanished just yesterday night.”

 

“Yeah, sure mom.” She was in such a hurry, she did not even snap. She was a grown young lady; of course she could take care of herself.

 

“I know it’s a million in one situation, but keep an eye out. These people just mysteriously go missing. And there was an incident at Forest Park.”

 

“Mm hm.” She unlocked the door.

 

“Varianne?”

 

But she was already gone, the door closing loudly behind her.

 

 

Varianne had no cash with her, as usual. That meant she could not board the bus and hide way at the back or something, where it was always so jam-packed with people barely anyone would notice her. That meant she had to walk. That meant travelling through the busy streets of New York, where there was always lots of people but never enough that she would be unnoticed. That meant pedestrians stared.

 

At first, it was mildly disturbing how their eyes would drift across the crowd only to stop at her. They would get this look on their face that said ‘that’s a strange girl’ or ‘one of those fan-girls.’ However, the more looks she started to receive, the more irritated she became.

 

Why can’t they just mind their own business? She thought, her eyebrows drawn together in annoyance, a frown on her thin lips. There were weirder things in the world. Go look at them.

 

Soon enough, more people were staring at her in shock or curiosity. At one point, several people had double takes when they saw her, as though she was some random fantasy animal. She started squeezing between people who blocked her way, which did not quite help to draw attention away. Soon, she was half fast-walking half jogging. It was still quite a ways from her school.

 

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. It was very likely her imagination but she thought half the people were gazing right at her. She thought of diving into the nearest convenience store, but then she spotted something better. It was a gated area with greenery behind it and she could see no-one beyond the spiked fences.

 

She jogged across the street and probably would have been run over if not for the red lights. She scaled a few fences before, either to get in or out of school without making a big round to the front gates. This was a little different and she had to maneuver her body to prevent it from hitting the sharp tips. However, her blue jeans snagged and it caused her to be imbalanced as she dropped over the other side.

 

I knew I should have went with track bottoms, she thought resentfully at the piece of shredded cloth.

 

She got up and dusted the dirt of her gray tank top and jeans. From across the street, she could see a few people staring at the place, or more specifically, her.

 

Who cares if this is some gated area? Not like there are rabid man-eating creatures here or anything. Then she heard someone telling his friend “girl... Forest Park… climbed…” She was in Forest Park then, the same place she had dreamt about her father fleeing to, and didn’t her mother mention something about it this morning? But she dismissed those thoughts from her mind. She was said to be a little paranoid sometimes and the place was probably closed because it was before hours.

 

She turned around and started walking down the forest path. The plants were clearly out of control. Not only were they growing over the path, bushes had started to look as though they were trying to devour each other. Trees had nasty vines hooked around their broad leafy branches. She was sure the weeds and grass would cover the entire path if she continued, but something caught her eye.

 

She saw two carriages and heard the whinnies of a couple of horses. It was odd how it was off the path and well covered by thick trees and bushes from the world. Well, she hadn’t travelled far from the gate. It was probably those sort they had in Central Park, where people just sit in there and let the horse go around.

 

However, she changed her mind the moment she got a closer look at the horse. They had wings.

 

Pegasi.

 

How was that possible? Those stallions had wings. The thought just kept circling around Varianne’s mind. Then again, she was probably not ordinary as well. Whoever manned those pegasi might know something about this.

 

With that thought in mind, she cautiously approached the horse-drawn vehicles. Normally, she wouldn’t come up to something new and strange, but considering the circumstances, she had to get an answer. She also had to do it quick before Carey or her mother noticed her disappearance, but she would get back by noon. Carey would think she wasn’t at school and her mother would think she was at Carey’s.

 

Varianne gave the horses a wide berth, preferring if they didn’t even notice her presence. Walking to the back of a carriage, she was satisfied to see that that at least looked normal. She rapped her knuckles against the left door of the coach.

 

Then she leaned back and waited for an answer.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Rosella Surmane

[Odio]

"What...do we do now?" Gordon heard the boy say. He glanced over when he heard his words, and caught his breath. His eyes sparkled in the light like gold. Then Gordon noticed the girl with the red hair, and he saw how she practically glowed. He tried not to stare. They were both beautiful, but something about them set him on edge in a strange way. He felt like they were equals, or something. Gordon shook the feeling off and began to walk, hoisting the girl in his arms.

 

"We need to get back there, now," murmured Emilia, her voice growing frantic with each word. "Just follow me. Please. I really don't want to deal with any arguments right now."

 

"Oh - okay." Gordon wondered what he'd gotten himself into. He didn't even know these people. He mentally kicked himself for jumping in this mess, but he'd only meant to help. He glanced down at the girl in his arms, noting the odd coloration of her hair. He shifted her again in his arms, and as he felt her sigh, the hair on his arms rose up, like static. He held his breath for a moment, but nothing else happened. It was probably some leftover electrons or something. He hoped she wouldn't have another fit, or whatever that was. He wondered where the electricity had come from. Surely she hadn't generated it? He remembered his pale skin and hair, and furrowed his brow with uncertainty.

 

Swords, electricity, glowing girls, and sparkling eyes. Gordon felt like a pawn in someone else's play. He saw the woman he was following glance around, and realized there was someone else - a girl with silver hair poking through a black cap. He gritted his teeth, trying not to be afraid. Something big was going on here. He felt like he'd lost control of his life the minute he'd heard the park gates shut behind him. As he made his way toward the trees, he sloshed through a random mud puddle, and stifled a curse. His shoes! A low growl rumbled out. He couldn't really check with the girl in his arms, and that only frustrated him more. What was a mud puddle doing here on a day like this? The rest of the forest was dry. He could tell his fresh white shoes were totally ruined. He sighed and trudged on behind the worried woman. He didn't even notice the quiet teenager that was the source of the mud. He glanced back at the mysterious silver girl near the stage. For some reason, he felt certain she would follow. It was obvious these other people had changed like him. The girl he was following, though, she seemed different. She was more human, but she had a sort of power about her. He narrowed his eyes at her back, and wondered what part she played in all this.

 

*****

 

”My name is Sophia. Do stay away from me I don’t want any of your dead skin on me."

 

Gregor blinked at Sophia with the same cold look he'd given Sen a moment before. He peeled a bit of dry skin off of his neck, just for spite. At this point he'd decided there was no use being shy or embarrassed about his skin, as they'd made fun of him for it plenty already. He shut his mouth and detached himself, ignoring Sen's muffled mutterings and ear-wiggling on the opposite end of the rickety carriage.

 

He'd heard the girl Sophia's explanation about their captors hating them for their heritage, or something like that. He also heard them mention plants talking to Sen, but Greg took it as a joke, not quite understanding what was going on still. He thought of what Mark had said about them being all connected somehow. Those words rang in his mind clearly. He felt his skin itching in the back of his mind, and he wondered when this shedding would stop. He was calming down some as he sat there quietly, and he felt his boiling blood cool. The redness was fading from his complexion. He let himself get lost in thought, only half-listening to the others around him, not that they were saying much.

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2010 by Odio

[MURDERcomplexx]

Emilia's response was half-hearted, stripped almost totally of the bravery and fighting spirit she had when Kiril was well and able.

He wondered what relation the two had. Sibling perhaps? Or something more?

Shaking the thought from his mind, Breckin took one last look at his surroundings. The last connection with normal that he had, he was sure. After that, even stranger things were to come. Stranger even than the changes he'd woken up to.

Though by looking, he could see his were much less drastic than others. A fact he was admittedly thankful for.

 

He was driven partially by the desperation in Emilia's voice, knowing they had wasted far too much time with petty arguments and strife.

Silently he began to follow the group into the woods, carefully sidestepping the puddle Carlie had made.

His mind settled on the strange electrical powers that the girl in the newcomer's arms manifested, and suddenly thought of their own strange changes.

Perhaps all of them had strange powers like that.

Breckin looked at his hand carefully, studying it as if to see if anything else had changed on him.

What powers would he have?

[Mangaholic]

Emilia saw movement in the corner of her eyes, telling her that some of the hybrids were began to react to her words, but she couldn't tell which of them were doing so and if they were heeding her desperate demand at all. She kept moving though, not bothering to speak to any of them anymore. She was pretty sure that the white-haired newcomer carrying the girl that had nearly killed Kiril was following her, but as for the others, she was totally unsure about that.

 

Desperation lending her strength, she broke into a limping run, burdened by Kiril's unconscious body. The trees seemed to go one and on forever, mocking her, telling her that she would never make it out of the forest before he died. The thought only made her angrier, and gritting her teeth, she quickened her pace even more.

 

At last, the dense forest began giving way to clearing and meadow, and Emilia could see lush, green grass peeping between the thick, dark trunks of the trees. She heaved an immense sigh of relief and leapt forward, nearly stumbling, as she had forgotten that she was dragging Kiril with her.

 

However, she was only met by surprise and a feeling of helplessness. The clearing, where Hadyn had said Rhiannon was, was completely empty. No one stood there, waiting for her and Kiril. It was more grass, trembling with each gentle touch of the breeze. A sense of despair weighed upon her already heavy heart. No! Where did they go? They couldn't have left us here, could they? She shook her head in denial. No, they wouldn't have. They probably got tired and were waiting by by the carriages.

 

Emilia set her teeth and began trudging along toward the direction of the carriages, this time with less vigor than before. To her relief, as she neared that place, she could hear the whinnying of horses. Looking up, she saw two of the winged horses - a small, black stallion and a palomino mare - trotting hastily toward her, tossing their heads in the air.

 

She smiled in gratitude, half to herself, and sank to the ground, weariness at last taking complete hold of her.

The palomino turned and galloping back toward the carriages, while the black stallion began to nose anxiously at both Emilia and his master.

 

"He's badly hurt," she murmured to the creature, her voice trembling with worry and fatigue. "Can we leave now? Otherwise, he's going to die, and we can't let that happen."

 

The horse snorted knowingly, raising its massive head to stare at whatever was behind Emilia, before tossing his head in the direction of the carriage, just as the palomino disappeared from view.

 

---

 

After shutting the new boy into the larger of the two carriages, the four Umbralatronis returned to their brooding silence, as they waited in anxiety for Emilia and Kiril. What could possibly have happened to them? The faeries were all absent, due to Midsummer's Eve, and the demons would still be hidden in the shadows until night fell. Had they been ambushed by some warlocks or werewolves or something else?

 

Their fearful thoughts were, once again, interrupted by the arrival of yet another teen, this time a short, blonde girl. Another hybrid, no doubt. She was much bolder than the other one though. Instead of fleeing, she actually walked up to them, addressing them with a question.

 

“Excuse me, but I would very much like to know; what’s going on here?”

 

They all stared at her in surprise for a moment, astonished that she could be so calm in the presence of complete strangers, not to mention armed ones.

 

"We're waiting for our missing companions," Brunor answered truthfully, after the moment's pause. "What are you doing here, in a place where people have been killed?"

 

With the arrival of this new girl, many things that had happened nearly simulataneously went unnoticed. For one, none of the four adults standing there realized that there was another girl who had also stumbled upon this spot and was knocking on the door of the smaller carriage, the one that contained both of the Dark hybrids. The second thing that escaped their attention were the two winged horses that had broken from the little group standing aloof from the small, horned horses and were galloping toward something in the distance. Thirdly, they didn't notice that the palomino was returning to them, this time, with much more urgency, as if something terrible had happened to whatever the two horses had seen.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Mangaholic

[lilyice]

While waiting for an answer from the strange people guarding the carriages, Kathy’s apprehensive eyes swept over their physiques. They lingered slightly on the weapons that these people had with them; specifically the scabbards that hung from two older men’s belts, the sword that the man with the terrible scars on his face had, and the whip that the woman held. What century is this? Kathy thought, slightly unbelieving. You’d think that they came right out of a cosplay or something… Let’s not forget those winged horsies either. What are they called? Pegasi? Her thoughts wandered to the magnificent animals that stood off to the side. They were indeed a breathtaking sight. As her attention turned to the animals, Kathy noticed two of the winged ones trotting off. The four strangers, however, gave them no notice, so the girl shrugged it off.

 

Turning her head back to observe this group, Kathy did not fail to notice their surprised looks, assumingly at her outspoken personality. She rolled her eyes. What was it with them? So what if she wasn’t surprised by the items they carried? So what if there were horned and winged horses? So what if they were strangers? She hated it when others just assumed something; that they just put other people in a ‘stereotypical’ group. Granted, these people didn’t know her, but still… it annoyed her. Did they expect her to be all shy and run away or something? As if…

 

"We're waiting for our missing companions," one of the black-haired man, the shorter one, suddenly replied to Kathy’s question. Huh. So there are more of them, the blonde mused, her interest growing. But her mood suddenly dimmed at the man’s next words.

 

"What are you doing here, in a place where people have been killed?"

 

Killings? Jason did mention something about deaths earlier on, didn’t he? Kathy’s thoughts wandered back to the events of this morning. Before her little brother had commented about her appearance, she’d remembered hearing him talking about the recent killings to Jonathan. Her body involuntarily shuddered, as memories of her mother’s death came back to her. No. Not now. Kathy tried to divert her attention by focusing on the man’s question. She gave her head a slight shake, as if trying to clear her thoughts. Kathy decided to be truthful in her answer, seeing as how maybe these people could potentially explain the changes that have occurred to her. They were pretty strange themselves, after all.

 

”Well you see, this morning, some strange things had been happening. For one, my hair-“ here, she took off her cap and pointed to her spiked hair, “-has turned really, really light – it used to be strawberry blonde – and spiky, for whatever reason. And my eyes are now amber. Those used to be auburn. Also my skin, can you see it? It’s all rough and dry and… ick. Like hide or scales or something.” Kathy rolled up the sleeves of her zip-up sweater and extended her right arm, to prove her point. ”Since I had a dream last night about Forest Park, I’d decided to come here to vent… and found you guys.” She shrugged, now looking expectantly at the strangers, as if boldly daring them to give her the answers she needed.

Edited March 1, 2010 by lilyice

[Odio]

"Whoa, hey wait up!" Gordon called out to the blonde lady, but she ignored him. She looked panicky. Her friend was really hurt. He imagined the man didn't appreciate being dragged over roots and stumps, but you gotta do what you gotta do. He set his teeth and picked up pace, trying to break into a run to keep up with the two ahead. After a few moments, he slowed down and gently laid the girl down on the ground. It wasn't going to work like that. She was too cumbersome, and Gordon couldn't even see where he was putting his feet. He would trip. He picked her up again and shrugged her over his shoulders, like a fireman. He grinned to himself. This was much better.

 

He started off running, much more easily this time. He had to be careful, so as not to trip and accidentally throw the girl. He ran and ran and ran, following the brief glimpses he caught of the girl ahead, and the sounds of her crashing through the forest. Finally he saw the trees thinning out, and he could see her laying in front of a couple of horses. By this time, Gordon was sweating from exertion. His white cheeks were pink, and his breath was ragged. She was a fast runner! He paused at the edge of the forest, and dropped the girl to the ground, a bit less gently than before - but he was tired. He doubled over, with his hands on his knees, breathing hard. His old coach told him that was a bad way to catch your breath, though, so he stood up straight with his hands on his hips, taking deep breaths.

 

In, and out.

In, and out.

 

He felt his body temperature cooling with every breath he took. After a few more breaths, he'd gotten his wind back, and he didn't even feel hot at all anymore. He felt a little on the cool side, actually. Unperturbed, he bent down to pick up the girl again, but he noticed his hands. The veins were standing out a bright steely blue. He touched the girl, to lift her, and she shivered, goosebumps showing on her skin where he touched her. He lifted an eyebrow. What was this...? He heard a sound, and turned his head, still crouched over the unconscious girl. One of the others from the stage had followed, and entered a clearing. They met eyes, and Gordon nodded greeting. Then he looked forward, toward where the woman lay, and his eyes grew wide at the sight that met his eyes. A black pegasus stood over the fallen woman, his mane flowing as he tossed his head. It was a beautiful sight, and it shocked him. He fell back on his butt, stunned.

[MURDERcomplexx]

Slowing his pace to a casual trotting, Breckin stood behind Emilia as she walked and watched the golden leaves flutter gently to the ground. The air around them was silent as no one spoke. leaving the sound of foliage crunching under their feet deafening. Still, Breckin couldn't help but admire the plumage of color. It was unlike what you'd normally see in the city.

He wandered toward where the strange woman led the group, almost afraid of the sudden personality change she had. So many questions. He was just so impatient.

 

Emilia then stopped, and Breckin followed suit a few steps away. Eagerly, he looked around, but found nothing out of the ordinary in a park. She appeared crestfallen, but still clamored ahead.

Soon he heard the whinnying of horses, and much to his surprise, the equine creatures trotted to her.

But...not just any horses.

"They have wings.."

He spoke breathlessly, almost with awe. The newcomer beside him dropped to his backside, but Breckin stood his ground, catching his breath.

Winged horses? Electrical powers?

Things just....continued to escalate.

[Kira1]

Danni followed Emilia who was carrying Kiril when she began to head off. She had said before that she would go along, so she might as well live up to it. Besides, the moment that Kiril was shocked by the other girl, Danni knew something strange was going. The changes she noticed in herself made it seem like whatever this was, she might be a part of it too. Especially since Kiril and the others with him wanted her to come along with them for some reason. Hopefully she'd find out soon.

 

When Emilia started to run, Danni quickly picked up the pace to keep up with her, wondering if she should offer her help, but Emilia didn't seem like the type to take help from strangers. So, Danni let her be. Soon they came to a clearing, but whatever Emilia was expecting didn't seem to be there, judging by her reaction, as she then headed off again. Danni kept up with her, not planning on falling behind and just hoped that they would get to where ever they were going soon.

 

Next when Emilia stopped, Danni saw two winged horses that trotted over to her. Emilia fell to the ground, too tired to carry Kiril's weight anymore, and seemed to be talking to the horses. One trotted off while the other stayed by Emilia's side. It glanced back at those following Emilia before it looked to the other horse who had walked away. And both horses were beautiful. At first, Danni was shocked, but now it was more of a stunned silence, since at least it seemed like the horses weren't dangerous to them. She wondered what other surprises awaited her, and she hoped that more were like these winged horses.

 

Danni looked to the one who carried the girl that shocked Kiril, as he fell onto his backside in awe at the horse before him. The others seemed just as stunned when they saw the horse, one speaking breathlessly about the wings. Danni glanced around at anyone else who had followed before setting her eyes back on the winged horse before her.

[Mangaholic]

By the shudder that ran through the girl’s body at the mention of the murders in the park, Belinos guessed that she hadn’t given a thought about the occurrences in the park, or she hadn’t even heard the news earlier. It was probably one of those two reasons; otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have been so bold in addressing them. Still, she didn’t relent in her attempt to find answers.

 

“Well you see, this morning, some strange things had been happening. For one, my hair - has turned really, really light – it used to be strawberry blonde – and spiky, for whatever reason. And my eyes are now amber. Those used to be auburn. Also my skin, can you see it? It’s all rough and dry and… ick. Like hide or scales or something. Since I had a dream last night about Forest Park, I’d decided to come here to vent… and found you guys.”

 

The four Umbralatronis adults studied her as she watched them expectantly. From what she said, she was, with no doubt, one of the hybrids that they were searching for.

 

“So you think that either we have the answers to your sudden change,” Brunor stated calmly. “Or you think we’re the cause of your change. We’re not the cause of it, but we certainly do know what’s going on. Not anything wonderful, in terms of what’s about to happen in the world.”

 

It wasn’t a proper answer at all, but it probably would do some good in raising the girl’s curiosity. Or it would raise the girl’s annoyance toward them. As they waited for a reply from her, the palomino horse slowed to a trot as she reached the carriages and walked over to the group, before proceeding to nudge impatiently at Belinos with its nose. She snorted, tossing her head in the direction of Emilia, which at the moment was unbeknownst to Belinos.

 

Belinos glanced briefly at the blonde girl, saying, “You’re not the only one this has happened to, if you’re wondering that as well. So you’re not the only one with questions and the only one not getting the answers.”

 

He then followed the palomino as it sped off again. It was there, to his surprise and relief, that he found Emilia and Kiril, as well as a couple teens that they had found along the way. His relief was short-lived though, at the sight of the young man, lying unconscious on the grass, with dried blood caked at the corners of his mouth and severe burns on his torso. Emilia looked up at him, and he could see all of the fear and anxiety swimming in her sea-blue eyes.

 

He whistled lowly, and was answered by another whinny and the sound of hooves stamping into the ground. Stooping, he threw Kiril’s limp body onto his shoulder just as another winged horse, a tall, black one, came to his side. He laid Kiril onto the horse’s back, before getting on himself, murmuring, “Let’s go Emilia. I’d ask what happened, but it doesn’t seem like the best time to do so.”

 

Emilia nodded, still not speaking, and mounted the palomino. As the pair of horses prepared to dash off again, Kiril’s steed neighed indignantly, narrowing his eyes at them. “You’re staying here with them for now,” Belinos ordered sternly. “Make yourself useful and lead those kids back to where the rest of them are.”

 

With that done and so, the two winged steeds broke into a gallop, before taking flight into the air, their immense wings stretched out against the sky.

Kiril’s horse snorted again, this time with irritation, and turned to stare at the teens that had followed Emilia. He flicked his tail in the direction of the carriages, willing them to walk over there.

[SandMessiah]

Clay was awaken by the sudden movement of the cart. Suddenly, the treetops began to disappear, and the sky began clearer and clearer. Clay rubbed his eyes and sat up, Besides the unconscious girl, he was alone. He didn't pay any attention to that detail as he got up and pulled out a spray can. He also pulled out a blackbook, which was the ultimate symbol of his pride and his record. He began to flip through the book, and despite the little to no light he was able to see perfectly.

 

He flipped through the book until he reached a small drawing of a cross with eagle wings. "Hehe, I'm going to show them that I'm still soaring." Said Clay as he got up and began to tag the wall behind the bench. He didn't care he might get beaten for it, as graffiti was the purest form of art. There was no censorship, no cries of decency, people can paint what they truly feel. As the picture began to take form, he felt more relaxed and more focused.

Edited March 4, 2010 by SandMessiah

[lilyice]

“So you think that either we have the answers to your sudden change, or you think we’re the cause of your change. We’re not the cause of it, but we certainly do know what’s going on. Not anything wonderful, in terms of what’s about to happen in the world.” The same man who had answered Kathy last time gave her a reply; but it could hardly be called a reply, for it held no meaning for Kathy and explained nothing of her current situation.

 

Kathy’s eyes – still growing more amber by the second – narrowed into two slits. A perk of annoyance was nudging its way through her curiosity. She wanted an answer; these people provided none. That in itself was irritable enough, but they had to go and talk about the ‘big picture’, about the world, for God’s sake. What was going to happen that’s worse off than genocide? Than poor African children starving? Than global warming? Were these people one of those crazy lunatic organizations that supposedly brought devastating ‘prophecies’ to the world? Kathy clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She couldn’t stand those idiotic blasphemies.

 

Just as she was about to throw a sharp retort at the group of four, one of the winged steeds that she saw trotting off earlier – the brownish tan mare – came galloping back and started whinnying. She kept on nudging the taller black-haired man and tossing her head in a certain direction, as if wanting him to go that way.

 

Before following the mare, the man turned to Kathy and said, “You’re not the only one this has happened to, if you’re wondering that as well. So you’re not the only one with questions and the only one not getting the answers.” With that, he turned and walked away.

 

”Well isn’t that useful to know,” Kathy muttered darkly and rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to know about others; I want to know how I can become normal again, and go on with my f***ing normal life.” This time, she raised her volume and glared hatefully at the three remaining adults.

 

”I don’t suppose you could provide more information?” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ”It’d also be good to know who you are, why you have weapons, what these carriages are for, and why the hell you’re here. Though I suppose you can’t be the killers that you spoke of, since I’m not dead yet.” The girl crossed her arms across her chest and stood waiting for an answer – one that would actually satisfy her this time.

Edited March 3, 2010 by lilyice

[Odio]

Gordon watched from the groundfloor in awe. His mouth was agape while he followed the horses' take-off with amazement. He heard a snort, and turned his gaze back to the new dark pegasus before him. He scrambled to his feet hastily, seeing its eyes turned directly toward their small group. His mind was racing.

 

Why would she just leave like that? This girl needed help too! Perhaps the girl was the attacker, and the young man the victim at no fault? But I saw him stab her... Whatever the reason, she'd deserted them, and that man had apparently been talking to the pegasus. With all the strange happenings today, Gordon wouldn't put it past the black winged horse to understand human talk. He turned his head to the other boy and the silver-haired girl.

 

"Should we follow the horse then?" He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what to do, and looked down at the girl unconscious on the ground. He could see her clearly breathing. "She seems okay but she I still say she needs to see a doctor." He looked back at them. "I'm Gordon, by the way."

[Sasstrek]

No answer came.

 

Varianne raised her hand again, prepared to pound the door until someone answered. Through the barred windows, she could see the top of people’s heads though she could hear nothing from within. She found them to be considerably rude to ignore her. However, just as her hand was about to make contact with the polished wood, a feeble sound caught her attention.

 

She could hear the shuffling of feet in tune with a dragging sound, as if something huge was stalking low amongst the undergrowth not far from where she stood. A couple of horses whinnied.

 

Letting her hand drop, she slowly leaned back and walked a few steps to her left in order to get a clearer look of what was beyond the other side of the carriage, where the sounds were coming from. Two of the pegasi were trotting over to trees, their manes waving in the air as they shook their heads. As Varianne focused her attention on what lay beyond the thick trunks, she saw what she thought was a female figure not too far off. Before the horses had reached her, she toppled to the ground, hopefully from no more than weariness. Varianne took note of a body lying on the ground near the girl. At first, Varianne thought the boy was as tired as the girl, if not more so, but then she realized he was either unconscious or dead.

 

Her mind started to reel at that thought. Didn’t her mother mention a murder case in this area jus that morning? Perhaps this was their murderer, or rather, murderess. It was unlikely, since she was only a teenager probably around Varianne’s age. But from where Varianne stood, it seemed as though the boy was barely breathing, if at all. And she swore it was not red paint that marked the corners of his mouth and clothes.

 

Calm down Varianne, she told herself sternly. You’re jumping to the worst possible conclusion as usual. He’s far off you and he’s flat on the ground; maybe that’s why you don’t quite notice his breathing.

 

To distract herself, she shifted her eyes to the horses. She was just beginning to notice how they seemed much more beautiful than those at Central Park. They were well groomed, their coats shining under what little amount of late morning sunlight that penetrated the thick leaves. Their masculine figures indicated regular exercise and their eyes shone with intelligence. The palomino horse turned around and went back the way it came. It was only then that Varianne spotted something she so stupidly failed to notice before.

 

Just behind the other larger coach, there were a few people, partially blocked from view by the vehicle. However, it wasn’t their presence that bothered her, but the presence of their weapons. Out of the two people she could see most clearly, one of them had a sword. Although she could only see the upper half of the sword, the scarred man’s weapon struck a bell in her mind, though she did not entertain it. The woman had a whip in hand and it was only when Varianne saw it that she remembered where she had seen it from.

 

In her latest dream, a couple of men armed with similar sword hilts had accompanied a woman in possession of a whip to her house. They had been after her father, something to do with his heritage or whatever. But the more she tried to recall her dream, the more it evaded her, dodging and ducking behind the depths of her memories. It was as though it was purposefully avoiding her. In the end she gave up, but not without a resolve.

 

Whatever happened that day, she had to speak to those people. It may have been just a dream, but she had heard of people receiving prophecies and visions of the past through just that. It was also far too accurate to be pure coincidence alone.

 

Maybe they were from some sort of a cult. There were actually far more of those these days than some people may think, especially with the chaotic state the world was in, which only supported the 2012 madness. If her father was involved before, perhaps she could shed some light on more than just the reason of her father’s departure. She had no idea why she bothered, but something told her that it was more relevant than she may think.

 

There was rustling nearby, which broke her from her reverie. Her head snapped up to see a couple more teenagers who had probably been following the possible murderess since they stopped near her. One of the boys had a limp body slung over his shoulders, and Varianne’s blood curdled more at the thought that they may all be involved in murder. The two of them were clearly in shock to see the pegasi though, one seemingly breathless while the other all but fell flat on the ground. One of the teenagers glanced around and Varianne had the urge to duck behind the carriage, where she would not be spotted for sure, but at that distance, they may not be able to notice her in that position.

 

Varianne was so occupied, she had almost completely forgotten about the palomino Pegasus until it came back to the teenagers, with a man in tow. When he reached them, the man picked up the body Varianne saw the boy lugging. He then placed the hopefully (not that she had much hope) unconscious boy on the tall black pegasi and mounted a stallion himself. When he spoke to the girl, she nodded and got onto the back of the mare. The man faced the tall horse that carried the body of the boy and seemed to be giving it instructions. Like the horse even understood the human language. He was probably telling it to be good or whatever, but then again, these weren’t regular equine animals.

 

With that, the couple of pegasi turned and galloped some ways, their wings loosening up in preparation for flight. They spread their magnificent wings, and although Varianne could no longer see them however hard she squinted, she was sure the gorgeous animals had already took off.

 

She looked back at the teenagers, but it seemed as though they were occupied. This was her chance. The teenagers were probably coming this way, and if she wanted to confront the adults now would be best, right where she had their undivided attention.

 

She stepped out from behind the carriage, now probably in clear view of both parties. As quietly and quickly as she could, she made her way toward the other coach. As she made her way towards the adults, she counted a total of three of them, but then she noticed the one who was hidden behind the vehicle was a teenager. The girl had her arms crossed over her chest, looking expectant, as though she were waiting for a reply from one of the strange people.

 

For several, Varianne was too surprised to speak though only a flicker of that expression came across her face. The teenage girl was very strange, almost as if she might have went through a transformation of sorts. Her porcupine-like hair was an extremely light colour, and though it may be considered remarkable on some, it was nothing compared with her eyes, which seemed to be making its way closer to an amber shade every moment. But what caught her attention most was her skin, which seemed to be infected with disease or something. They resembled scales, hard and rough.

 

Then, “What happened to you?” Varianne blurted out unthinkingly. She did not feel sorry though; not like it was her fault the girl provoked such a reaction from her mouth with such an appearance.

 

Then she had second thoughts about that, since they could be asking the same about her. Her jet-black hair—which was now possibly actually a shade of blue so deep it looked like black—shone an odd shade of blue under the light. However, that could be explained with the excuse of a type of hair dye, unlike the way her eyes slant at a sot of angle, making it look almost predatory. She was sure her scowl didn’t particularly hamper the effect as well. But naturally, her eyes would win. What with their former steely-blue sheen now almost white as snow. Not only that, they also get a special blizzard show if they look closely at my eyes. Don’t I just look wonderful, she thought sarcastically.

[Mangaholic]

At the sound of more whinnying, Brunor glanced at the sky, in time to see a pair of pegasi gliding gracefully through the air, their pitch-black wings flapping rhythmically. With his sharp eyes, he could make out the tiny figures of Belinos, Emilia, and… Kiril. His brow furrowed with worry for the young man. How bad could his condition be if Belinos and Emilia had left in such a rush, without even giving the remainder of them a word of notice?

 

Just before the pair of winged horses disappeared from view, he saw Belinos turn his head to glance at him, and he guessed that in his anxiety, Belinos had completely forgotten to tell him anything before leaving. Oh well, he knew now, and if Kiril’s injuries, assuming that the young Umbralatronis was injured, were that critical, Brunor would rather that there wasn’t any delay that could possibly risk his life. Though he wondered, had Emilia and Kiril found any more of the hybrid teens or had they encountered some other trouble? He didn’t get a chance to give the last question any more thought, as the blonde girl spoke up once again.

 

”I don’t suppose you could provide more information? It’d also be good to know who you are, why you have weapons, what these carriages are for, and why the hell you’re here. Though I suppose you can’t be the killers that you spoke of, since I’m not dead yet.”

 

The girl’s voice revealed nothing but irritation and sarcasm, but it didn’t exactly faze the Umbralatronis, what with her attitude and all. In fact, it annoyed them just as much as they had annoyed her. They could do one of two things: continuing beating around the bush with their answers, or simply give her the veracious truth and watch her reaction. Of these, Brunor chose the latter, deeming it a better approach at things.

 

“I suppose I could,” he answered slowly, as if to exasperate the girl just a bit more. He paused, making the girl’s wait for answer slightly longer. “Why are we here? Why, we’re here to find your kind. The carriages are for containing all of you, and these weapons –“

 

He broke off, as a voice interrupted his words. It was yet another girl, a hybrid no doubt, by her strange, exotic appearance. Her features were even more peculiar than the highly annoyed blonde, with her dark blue hair and slanted eyes, and they gave her a rather menacing appearance. The scowl that pulled at the corners of her mouth only added to the effect. Based on a first impression, the girl’s looks matched perfectly with her current disposition – rude and cold – though most teens these days were like that, anyway. None of the Umbratronis said anything to her, as if they were all thinking the same exact thing, and that was to see how the hot-tempered blonde would react to the insult – which it technically was- that the newcomer had just blurted out.

[lilyice]

Out of the corner of her eyes, while waiting for an answer, Kathy saw an amazing sight. She let out a tiny gasp as two of the winged horses, the pegasi, were now up in the sky, their majestic wings flapping elegantly, taking them and their riders off to who-knows-where. Very reluctantly, the blonde took her eyes off of the disappearing creatures and back to the ground.

 

“I suppose I could,” the man started to answer Kathy’s question. He drawled it out though, making Kathy think that he was deliberately trying to make her react. Her normally wide and innocent-looking eyes narrowed further, but she made no comments. “Why are we here? Why, we’re here to find your kind. The carriages are for containing all of you, and these weapons –“

 

”What happened to you?”

 

A sudden female voice interrupted the talking adult. Kathy’s head snapped to the direction of the new arrival, just a little behind the group of three with the weapons. It was another girl, presumably her age, with features as strange as her own, if not more so. The first thing Kathy noticed were her eyes. Not to mention the fact that they were slanted to a point that was abnormal, the girl’s irises were almost completely white. Added to her dark blue hair – which Kathy was sure was not caused by hair dye, what with the events that have happened today, – and that awful scowl placed on her face, she certainly didn’t look like an angel.

 

The girl’s words, undoubtedly directed at Kathy, only fueled her irritation. She knew she looked like a freak, but it was downright rude to comment on it like that. And anyway, who was she to say anything? Didn’t she know how she looked herself? Unnoticed by herself, Kathy’s hair began to bristle, much like how an animal’s fur would when the animal is agitated or angered.

 

”You don’t look so spectacular yourself, darlin’. Have you looked in a mirror recently? Oh wait, you couldn’t have. It’d have shattered before you get the chance,” the blonde snarled, her hands clenched at her side once again, her knuckles white. She felt propelled to just throw a good punch at this stranger, but restrained herself. She didn’t want to get into a fight now, when she still had so many unanswered questions. Kathy’s thoughts momentarily flickered back to the man’s words, from before he was interrupted. He and that man from before both said that there were more people like me. And the carriages are for… containing us? Her blood chilled from the sudden understanding that they meant to take her… somewhere. In one of those carriages. With the winged horses.

 

Kathy’s brows furrowed as she faced the new girl once again, but this time appearing unfocused and unsure. So, the girl had insulted her. But faced with the possibility of being taken to some random place by weird people, this girl could be a potential ally. Nonetheless, she’d spoken her words and there was no taking them back. Kathy could only wait for the other girl’s reaction.

Edited March 5, 2010 by lilyice

[Sasstrek]

For a short moment, the group of four was silent. The female teenager was clearly further annoyed by Varianne’s question and her blonde hair was standing on end. She guessed that the sign was like those she saw on alley cats, where their back fur just bristle with annoyance and they start hissing and spitting.

 

“You don’t look so spectacular yourself, darlin’,” Alley-Cat-Girl (as Varianne decided to name her) said bitterly. “Have you looked in a mirror recently? Oh wait, you couldn’t have. It’d have shattered before you get the chance.”

 

Varianne noted how the amber-eyed girl’s mouth was twisted into a snarl, her hands tense against her body. Varianne’s eyes flickered to her hand, which was balled into a fist so tight the knuckles were whitening. She seen enough loud arguments turning to fights in school to understand that it was not far too long before the girl may lash out. Varianne shifted and tensed, ready to dodge or return a punch if there need be, even though she had ever only been in one fight which was interrupted by a teacher.

 

“As a matter of fact,” the offended teenager replied coldly, piercing eyes trained levelly on Alley-Cat-Girl. “I did that just this morning. I admit my looks are somewhat off by a degree today, but at least I’m not the reptilian porcupine.”

 

She had not meant offense at first. She was merely questioning the girl about her appearance in a slightly impolite but unintentional manner. However, the girl was impudent enough to be oblivious to that fact, and had insulted her instead. As if Varianne’s day had not been bad enough, she had another troublesome girl to deal with. And she was certainly not going to back down as she thought it was a sign of weakness.

 

When Alley-Cat-Girl’s attention refocused on Varianne, she thought the girl may have a retort of her own, but then Varianne noticed how her eyebrows dipped down to her unsure eyes, as though she was thinking hard. Perhaps she was making up a better reply or was considering her situation. Amongst the normal-looking adults—aside from their weapons—she did seemed out of place. Like Varianne was.

 

Her mind impulsively flashed back to the time that she decided to enter Forest Park then to her stalking before venturing to the part where she observed the potential murderers further off in the forest. She then recalled her decision to have a chat with the armed adults just about a moment ago. And could her father be possibly involved? Didn’t she also think all the carriages, pegasi and people could be a cult?

 

Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. The previous murder in the park, how the people just so happened to be hiding their activities—whatever they currently were—in this gated area, their weird equipment. Her eyebrows crept down in a frown as she thought harder. There was the pegasi to explain but then she soon got her next explanation.

 

“You guys are in a cult!” she exclaimed with a snap of her fingers, whirling to look at the nearest man. If the Alley-Cat-Girl had spoken again, Varianne was too immersed in her thoughts to notice. She was also sure she might have cut the girl off mid-sentence, possibly angering her furthermore. “You guys made a sacrifice to your deity or whatever. That was why there was that murder in the news concerning Forest Park. Now, you guys are dragging more people in for sacrifices! Like those other teenagers with the bodies.” Then she recalled seeing the pegasi flying off, but immediately dismissed it, now on too much of a roll to be concerned.

 

“I bet those swords and that whip have your cult symbol or signature on them.” She started shooting her theories and guesses, her pale eyes flickering to different adults now and then. “And those pegasi: the wings are illusions, aren’t they? You hypnotized us into interpreting those horses as winged ones As for the carriages, you guys just keep with to the program and work old-fashion, huh? Oh, wait. One of the people in there is working the hypnosis on our brains cells or something, not one of you since you need more concentration completing the next sacrificial ritual. If I looked around more, I’m sure there’s a hidden pentagram in preparation somewhere. It all makes so much sense now!”

 

By the end of her explanations, she was looking at them individually with a triumphant light in her eyes, as though she had just solved the world’s most complicated puzzle. She was also feeling immensively proud of herself, her mouth curled up in a smug smile. It was not every day that her mind managed to link things together to form such a sensible conclusion.

 

She knew it was not very smart to spurt out all she knew at her enemies. But confident as she was in her speculation, she had to see their reactions to confirm her suspicions. If they tried to gag her and load her onto one of the carriages, she would fight with all her might to escape, maybe even try to garner support from the rude teenager. Then if she made it out, perhaps she could blackmail them by threatening to reveal their cult to the cops. To avoid that, they would have to give her all the information they had on her father. They could do it through notes or mail or something.

Edited March 6, 2010 by Rosella Surmane

[Mangaholic]

The livid expression that had been apparent upon the blonde’s pale face was now mirrored upon that of the second teenager. She tensed, shifting her position as if she expected that a catfight was about to ensue between the two hotheaded teens. Then came the reply that had been awaited for.

 

“As a matter of fact,” the pale-eyed female retorted icily. “I did that just this morning. I admit my looks are somewhat off by a degree today, but at least I’m not the reptilian porcupine.”

 

However, the blonde, as fiery as she had been earlier, suddenly seemed unsure of herself, for whatever reason. In fact, she seemed almost lost in thought, as if she had just been struck by some realization. The other dark-haired teen seemed to notice this as well, and her expression changed slightly as she paused to think, too.

 

Suddenly, she snapped her fingers, whirling around as she switched her attention to the three Umbralatronis standing on the side. The words came tumbling from her mouth like a torrent of water, and her pale eyes flickered back and forth between the three adults as if she was daring them to prove her wrong.

 

“You guys are in a cult! You guys made a sacrifice to your deity or whatever. That was why there was that murder in the news concerning Forest Park. Now, you guys are dragging more people in for sacrifices! Like those other teenagers with the bodies. I bet those swords and that whip have your cult symbol or signature on them. And those pegasi: the wings are illusions, aren’t they? You hypnotized us into interpreting those horses as winged ones As for the carriages, you guys just keep with to the program and work old-fashion, huh? Oh, wait. One of the people in there is working the hypnosis on our brains cells or something, not one of you since you need more concentration completing the next sacrificial ritual. If I looked around more, I’m sure there’s a hidden pentagram in preparation somewhere. It all makes so much sense now!”

 

The three Umbralatronis froze, taken completely by surprise and bewilderment at the girl’s wild accusation, and how confident she seemed about drawing the right conclusion. Then they relaxed.

 

Brunor wasn’t exactly sure what it was that they all found so amusing - whether it was the outrageous assumption that the girl seemed to have pulled from thin air or the triumphant light that shone brilliantly in her strange eyes – but in an instant, the three adults burst out laughing. Their amusement would undoubtedly irritate the girl even more, if not confuse her greatly, but they couldn’t hold it back.

 

“Oh wow, you guessed it. We’re part of a cult,” spoke Miranda, being the first to recover, though her shoulders continued to tremble a bit from laughter. “That’s exactly why we’re here to capture freaky-looking teenagers, and you’re right about the hypnosis too. That’s exactly how we managed to get you to think that our horses flew away just now, with several people on their backs. After all, horses shouldn’t have wings, and they shouldn’t be able to fly now, should they?”[/i]

 

She paused, waiting for the mocking words to sink in a bit, before continuing again: “I wouldn’t have thought that you would be able to figure it out, but it makes sense now. You look like the type that’s capable of coming up with such an accurate conclusion.”

 

Brunor wondered if the pale-eyed girl recognized the insults that were thinly veiled within Miranda’s words. She’d probably be embarrassed first, and then royally pissed. Who knew what would come of an even more enraged teen? Whatever it was, Brunor hoped that they would be able to leave soon. He was getting anxious about Kiril. He was pretty sure that the young man was in safe hands, but he still wanted to know what had happened.

 

Miranda opened her mouth again, preparing to say more, but Malduk interrupted her before any words could form on her lips.

 

“Look girl,” he scowled, the frown replacing itself upon his scarred face once more. “If sacrificing someone was all it took to get what we wanted, everyone would do it. But it’s not that easy. There are no deities up there, and even if there were, they don’t care about us. They’re probably having fun watching us water the Earth with our tears.”

 

Brunor’s mind flashed back to the memory of his niece, locking herself up and crying. She hadn’t been the only one crying. The whole house had been in terrible agony and grief, though it was Rhiannon who took it the worst. Her father had barely shed a tear in the beginning - he had been too numbed from shock to be able to properly react – but later, he joined in with the despair and lamenting. They certainly had been flooding the Earth with brine water, withering every plant that came in contact with it. He immediately grew somber at the thought, and any trace of his previous amusement at the girl’s absurd words evaporated, as did Miranda’s and Malduk’s. Silent again, they waited grimly for a reply from either of the girls.

[Odio]

Greg heard raised voices on the other side of the door. It sounded like there were more.... More what?, he thought. More of us? He started to feel scared again, dreading whatever it was that was going to happen to all of them. He'd been trying to ignore his itching skin, which seemed to be growing more and more green, and harder and harder, with each new layer exposed. His long legs fit uncomfortably on the too-short bench, and with all the people in the little space he felt cramped. He felt extremely uncomfortably just sitting captive, especially with a bunch of strangers, and such strange strangers too! The itching of his back had been growing exceptionally compared to the rest of his body, and it felt very cramped. It felt like the bones were taut, like knuckles that needed to be cracked. He could feel his blood growing hot with impatience, but, alternately, his skin seemed surprisingly cool in temperature. After a while he couldn't take it, and sighed loudly and exasperatedly.

 

I'm stepping outside, I don't think they'll mind. We've been sitting here forever. I just need to stretch. He pushed the door open, and stepped outside, looking around to see where their guards were. They were very close by, but he noticed two new girls who seemed to be arguing. It felt great stepping into open air, and he shook his legs, and then his arms.

 

He stretched his shoulders, and felt something funny. His back popped audibly, and then there was a slight tearing sound - he felt the dead skin across his shoulders rip off. Something was poking out from his back, sticking out funnily under his shirt. What in the world?? Greg pulled his shirt up, and felt something burst free from underneath. He looked back over his shoulder, and his eyes widened with shock.

 

Sticking out from his shoulder blades were two bony protrusions, with long tattery skin hanging from them. It took him a moment for the realization to sink in. They were wings. His mouth was agape, and he stared at them in shock, as he unconsciously flexed them. They were moving back and forth very stiffly, and weakly. They were mostly bone, the skin that hung from them was thin and there were patches of skin missing. What good were wings with holes in them? He practiced retracting them, and then his sense of shock grew as they melted back into his skin. They were gone, and so was the hunch that had been present all morning. He noticed belatedly that the itching was gone from his back, and the shedding seemed to have stopped. His skin now had a noticable green tinge, but at least it wasn't dried and falling off anymore.

 

Greg suddenly realized he was standing out in the open with his shirt up on his shoulders. Blushing, he pulled his shirt down hastily, glancing up at the Umbralatronis. He mumbled an apology and his excuse about needing a stretch, and tumbled back into the crowded carriage. He left the door wide open, because he felt a bit less trapped that way. He didn't say anything to the others. He was confused, and unsure of what to think. On the one hand, he was elated. He had wings! Albeit useless ones. On the other hand, he was dreadfully terrified and woefully ignorant of the situation he'd somehow landed himself in. What's happening to us? he was wondering desperately.

[lilyice]

Kathy was too deep in thought, thinking of possible escape plans and mentally reviewing the little she knew about hand-on-hand combat, to have noticed any response from the dark-haired girl – though she could have sworn she heard something about a ‘reptilian porcupine’. However, after a moment of silence, the other girl suddenly snapped her fingers and turned her attention to the group of adults.

 

The blonde listened as she spewed out her accusations. It made a little sense, as Kathy had thought that they were some organization or something of the sort; a cult would do these kind of things. The hypnosis part though… well it wasn’t impossible – just improbable. The reasoning side of her brain argued that no illusions could explain the flying horses, but she was desperate enough to believe anything right now. Thus Kathy ignored all reason and clung to the explanation the other girl provided; after all, she had none herself. And if it was true and that they were a cult, well, they’d picked the wrong person to mess with, that was for sure.

 

Feeling a little smug herself, now that she’s finally come to a conclusion, Kathy could also see the triumph shining in the other teen’s eyes. The smugness didn’t last long though, as all three adults burst out laughing. The blonde teen frowned. So… they’re not a cult? But… Her confusion only increased as she tried to puzzle this out.

 

When the woman of the group finally stopped her laughter, she supposedly ‘confirmed’ the theory. Kathy didn’t fail to notice the sarcasm and perhaps a bit of haughtiness laced within her words. She had the unsettling feeling that these adults, for some reason, looked down upon them. The man with the scarred face then spoke, his voice rough and impatient. Well isn’t he a friendly bloke, Kathy rolled her eyes. However, the man’s words did invoke her interest yet again. So they want something. They have a goal in mind, and they need me – or us – to achieve that. They’re having trouble with this, whatever it is, for all the mentioning of ‘tears’, she speculated, believing that her theory this time was sound. Sure enough, the other adults grew noticeably somber.

 

”So, you need us,” she finally spoke up, her voice strong and decisive. It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. Just as she was about to speak again, perhaps garnering a ‘trade’ of some sort with these people – for her manipulative side was taking over, – she heard a creaking sound.

 

Instinctively turning her head to investigate, Kathy saw that the door of the bigger carriage had opened, a boy stepping out. She thought that nobody could appear more strange than her, or the white-eyed girl, but she was proven wrong. Her mouth unconsciously opened as she gawked at this new appearance.

 

The boy was tall and lean, with long dark brown hair. His size looked rather… awkward. But what really caught Kathy’s attention was his peeling skin. Peeling. It was flaking off of his body, and what was left appeared even more rough and hide-looking than her own skin. There was also the noticeable hunch on his back, which just looked plain weird. The boy was obviously out for a stretch, but as he did so with his shoulders, an audible pop resounded through the air. The boy turned his head and lifted his shirt up to check, and to Kathy’s absolute amazement, she saw two… what? Wings? They were bony protrusions from the boy’s shoulder blades, with pieces of skin as the membrane. This just won the award for the most bizarre thing that happened today, the blonde chuckled humorlessly. She watched with interest as the ‘wings’ disappeared, seemingly retracted by the boy.

 

As if just noticing that there were actually people watching, the boy quickly pulled down his shirt and mumbled something about stretching and some apology. Normally, this kind of behavior would have annoyed Kathy, but this really wasn’t the time to think about it. As the boy had scurried back into the carriage, he had left the door open. From where she stood, Kathy could identify the forms of at least three other people in the carriage along with the boy. Despite their varying physiques – not that she could see well enough to confirm this – they all appeared around her age. Kathy’s slender eyebrows raised in half-amusement, half-alarm, as she waited to see if the others would say anything.

Edited March 6, 2010 by lilyice

[RheaZen]

Sen's eyes opened astonishingly wide when he saw Greg had... things, coming out of his back. He scooted further into his corner, a little more carefully this time so as to prevent splinters, then shuddered when they disappeared. At least he's not shedding anymore... But now the other boy's skin had turned green, just a tnint, but green nevertheless... Just like my hair. Green, green... Though disgusting, Greg's transformation - mutation? - sudden growth was at the very least a distraction from the ever-growing noise that came from everywhere. It was practically seething now. Then Greg pulled his shirt down and came back inside, leaving the door open. There was someone new outside, Sen could make her out. The distraction wasn't enough, though.

 

SHASHASHASHASHASHASSSSCHICHICCHIICHI

 

"Shut up." Sen mumbled under his breath as he curled up tightly. Bringing his hands over his ears, he grasped them tightly, even though it did only a little to block out the noise. Why do I have to be stuck with these, these "powers" that suck? I'm pulled underground, the plants won't shut up... can I do anything cool or useful at all? I mean, at least Greg has wing things, maybe he can fly. I can... grow stuff. Woopee, end of starvation and all that jazz. But unless I get out of here, that's moot. And besides, I'm not interested in farming. Oh, there was that Batman villain, Poison Ivy... maybe I could become a supervillain, or a superhero. ... naw, my powers aren't strong enough. I'm lame, lame... Sen began rocking back and forth.

[Odio]

Greg felt very weird after having such a strange thing happen to him in front of all those people. He heard Sen mutter something and saw him rocking back and forth. He could appreciate the feeling. He wished someone would say something to Sen to calm him down, or just say something at all. The silence in the carriage was stretching out awkwardly, and it made him feel even more uncomfortable.

[Sasstrek]

Varianne’s smug smile spread further up the sides of her face as she noted the adults’ reactions. Not only did they stand stalk still, they wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

 

So she had been right after all. At that thought, she puffed up her chest and placed her hands on her hips. But just before her hands touched her side, the men and woman relaxed. And in the very next moment, all three of them broke into a fit of laughter.

 

Varianne was confused, a flicker of doubt revealing itself on her face as she wondered why would they be laughing so madly. Maybe they were just going hysterical at her revelations. Then a small blaze of anger lit up within her as she realized they weren’t having a nervous breakdown but were in fact mocking her. Just as she was about to open her mouth to tell them off, the woman spoke.

 

“Oh wow, you guessed it. We’re part of a cult,” said the adult, looking as though she were trying to stifle laughter. “That’s exactly why we’re here to capture freaky-looking teenagers, and you’re right about the hypnosis too. That’s exactly how we managed to get you to think that our horses flew away just now, with several people on their backs. After all, horses shouldn’t have wings, and they shouldn’t be able to fly now, should they?”

 

Well, that’s what people generally say unless they want to get locked up in a rubber room wearing a straightjacket. Varianne thought resentfully at the woman. However, she was, at the moment, too embarrassed to speak up her opinion. She was blushing crimson and her ears would have been redder if it were possible. She was staring at her muddy sports shoes, angrily scolding herself for being so idiotic. But then the meaning of the woman’s words sunk in. The way she said it…[/i] She was too indulged in the woman’s last few words to bother with the bit about the teenagers. The way she retorted about the horses meant that… They are real pegasi.

 

“I wouldn’t have thought that you would be able to figure it out, but it makes sense now,” the woman continued. “You look like the type that’s capable of coming up with such an accurate conclusion.”

 

She opened her mouth and was probably going to say something more about Varianne’s foolish speculations, but just then, the scarred man interrupted her.

 

“Look girl,” he practically growled, no longer so mirthful. “If sacrificing someone was all it took to get what we wanted, everyone would do it. But it’s not that easy. There are no deities up there, and even if there were, they don’t care about us. They’re probably having fun watching us water the Earth with our tears.”

 

Varianne barely had any idea what he meant by that, but all of a sudden, the three of them seem to return to their somber selves again. And just like that, the previously joyous lot turned their now grim expressions at her, as though waiting for some sort of a reaction.

 

Despite their silence, Varianne was boiling within now that the embarrassment lowered itself a tad. Her chastised red face soon had an angered look on it. Her hands fell from her jeans and turned into fists. They actually had the nerve to be so freakishly rude, to just laugh in her face and throw away her dignity. So what if she was wrong? So what if she were just some kid? That gave them absolutely no right to toss their manners aside. The more she thought about how they ridiculed her, the more furious she became. Her eyebrows were so near to each other, they practically made contact and the frown was as unhappy as her previous smile had been smug. Her icy eyes flashed dangerously, almost as though they were reflective for that moment. And although she did not notice it, the air surrounding her grew cooler by a fraction.

 

She had been so occupied with her anger, she failed to hear the other girl’s statement. Varianne opened her mouth, ready to start spurting a whole string of accusation followed by a lesson on proper manners. However, a loud audible pop! resonated through her head, causing her to cast her glare at the source of the noise.

 

It was a tall boy, probably around the same age as her, if not near. He reminded her of a malting snake, pieces of his scaly skin hanging off of him, ready to fall off with some provocation. But the oddest thing was the thing sticking out from under his shirt. He pulled it up and immediately, something snapped up. Varianne saw that it was a pair of holey wings protruding from his shoulder blades. They were probably too small to provide flight, but large enough that they could get some lift. When he turned and realized what just happened, his eyes went round from shock. With his mouth big enough to allow entry for a goldfish, he moved his wing feebly for a while. Then the wings melted into his back, like a cat retracting its claws.

 

Then he seemed to just notice that he had a crowd and was pretty much bare chested. He pulled his shirt back down embarrassedly, glancing at them before mumbling something about having a stretch while he returned to the carriage.

 

After the peculiar incident, Varianne’s anger was only slightly dampened by intrigue. For the moment, she was still too mad to be bothered about the brown-haired boy. She returned her gaze to the adults, noting the partially amused and alarmed facial expression of Alley-Cat-Girl from the corner of her eye. Despite Varianne's furious ranting, her glare was no longer as intense as before.

 

“What is the matter with the leachy lot of you?” Varianne demanded. “Haven’t you heard a little something called giving some respect? The least you imbeciles could do was apologize after that stupid hyena laughing fit. But no, you have to continue insulting me of course.” By then, she was so wound up, she was gesturing, bending back to get a better view of them while pointing her hand at them in turn as though she expected an answer. Not that she could get one at the rate she was going at. “How was it, huh? Found it fun assaulting little Varianne Addelane? You know what? I bet none of you could care in the least bit--” At this point, she was pinching her thumb and finger together whilst eyeing the woman, signing how little they could care—“but whatever. I’m out!”

 

And on that happy note, she whirled around, her dark hair spanning out as she started to walk away.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Rosella Surmane

[MURDERcomplexx]

Breckin watched while another mysterious character followed the winged Palomino, appearing just as concerned as Emilia with Kiril's state of health. Were all of them that important? Nevertheless, he felt himself instinctively drawn to the situation, but his mind flashed to his group. They'd begin to wonder what happened to him after a while. They were perfectly capable of surviving, but without their leader..

He shook his head. They weren't children. Age wise, perhaps, but they'd given up all claims to childhood in exchange for survival. As far as he was concerned, they were all adults there.

It helped to cease his worry just a bit.

 

The two soon left, leaving the humans with a rather unfriendly looking horse. Breckin raised his eyebrow curiously. They'd fought so hard to keep all of them rounded together, and yet they left them in the care of a horse?

But Emilia's demeanor had changed the moment Kiril was injured, and the other girl was hurt as well.

Perhaps urgency overrode the nitpick of the situation.

Still, Breckin cracked his knuckles and sighed, starting off in the direction the horse motioned.

Two carriages came into view, one massive and one tiny. Another set of dialogue filled the silence of the forest, and he turned to see two girls arguing, and another set of strange beings standing by.

Was argument the only form of communication around here?

 

As a figure stepped out of the carriage, Breckin clamped his mouth shut to keep himself from gasping. The boy who'd stepped out possibly trumped everything he'd seen all day. Peeling skin? And what was emerging underneath gave the blond a slight uneasy feeling, causing him to shudder.

Two wings burst forth from his back, adding to his already strange appearance. He admired the thin, translucent material before it retracted into the boy's back.

"Okay, what is seriously going on here?"

Breckin could feel the exasperation coming up, his feet fidgeting impatiently. Running his hands through the sunny blond locks, he stepped out of the shade of trees into sunlight...

And felt magnificent. The rays of the sun washed warmly over his body, giving him peace in a way he'd never felt it before. Breckin had all but forgotten his impatient question, but still he faced the group he'd just intruded on.

[Mangaholic]

At the scornful reaction of the three adults, the two girls appeared to be completely engulfed by bewilderment, confusion, and a bit of indignation, especially from the dark-haired girl. The blonde girl was more contained, though it wasn't much of a surprise, considering the fact that she hadn't been the one to blurt out her obviously false assumptions. The dark-haired girl had turned a beet red, a significant difference from her previously pale skin, and her hands worked themselves into fists as she struggled to hold in her anger.

 

”So, you need us,” spoke the blonde, the one to reach the right conclusion. Her mouth opened again, as if she had been planning to say more, but before she could, a loud, racous creaking sound interrupted her.

 

Brunor glanced toward the direction of the sound, surprised to see that the door of the larger carriage had opened, and that one of the teens, the last boy that had been stuffed in there, had made his way out. A loud popping sound took the silence that had found its way into the argument between the two hybrid girls and the three Umbralatronis, and strangely enough, as the boy lifted his shirt to inspect the irigin of the sound, he revealed a large pair of bony wings. He flapped them several times, still gaping like an idiot, and suddenly, they sank back into his skin, as mysteriously as they had come.

 

The realization that people were watching, the boy hastily replaced his shirt, before scrambling back into the carriage. He didn't bother to close the door again. Tristen forgot to lock the doors, Brunor noted with slight irritation.

 

He didn't have time to say anything - either to answer the implied question in the blonde girl's statement or to tell someone to shut the doot - because the dark-haired teen, seemingly unfazed by that strange spectacle, exploded at them yet again.

 

“What is the matter with the leachy lot of you?” she demanded. “Haven’t you heard a little something called giving some respect? The least you imbeciles could do was apologize after that stupid hyena laughing fit. But no, you have to continue insulting me of course. How was it, huh? Found it fun assaulting little Varianne Addelane? You know what? I bet none of you could care in the least bit--” At this point, she was pinching her thumb and finger together whilst eyeing the woman, signing how little they could care—“but whatever. I’m out!”

 

She jabbed fingers in their direction, her glare mainly for Miranda, who had been the one to insult her the most. With most of her rage vented out in those angry words, she spun on her heel and began storming off, away from them.

 

Varianne didn't take more than five steps though, but Miranda's whip sliced the air, in the direction of the girl. She was careful not to hit Varianne, though she made sure that the fearsome cracking of the whip would at least stop the girl in her tracks for a while.

 

"Miranda," Brunor warned softly.

 

"That's quite hypocritical of you, isn't it?" Miranda pointed out, ignoring her comrade. "Who was the one who came and insulted this girl" -she nodded her head toward the blonde- "in the first place? Who came and started throwing crazy accusations at us, and then expect us to take it respectfully?" Here, she drawled out the word 'respectfully,' just to rub it in. "Maybe if you had bothered to wipe that lousy smirk off your face before you went about voicing your own thoughts, you might have received a more respectful audience."

 

As Miranda focused her attention on Varianne, Brunor turned his own back to the blonde girl. "Yes, you're right, we do need you," he said slowly, though this time, the slowness of his words was caused by him being slightly lost in thought and not by him trying to irritate the young girl. "But we're not entirely selfish. We wouldn't drag you into this if it only affected us." He paused, chuckling a bit bitterly. "Along those terms, I suppose you could call us a cult, sacrificing the normal lives of a couple prophesized teens in an attempt to stop the destruction of the world. But we’ve risked our own lives long enough to protect your kind, so I suppose it’s only right if we have to fall to our knees and beg for help from the most oblivious of the races.” His voice remained monotonous throughout the entire speech, revealing neither scorn, nor sarcasm, nor desperation. It was just flat, plain flat.

 

“And don’t go thinking we’re one of those old geezers who come along, bring news of crazy prophecies that are complete nonsense, because we’re not.” Malduk added.

 

Bruor heaved a little sigh, partly from exasperation, partly from weariness, before talking again: “You’re thinking, ‘that’s what they all say. Prophecies are just rumors people spread in hopes of getting people to repent for their sins and whatnot. After all, prophecies go against what science says.‘ But then again, you’ve seen a lot of things just now that go against science. Winged horses go against mundane science. The changes you both underwent go against mundane science. That boy with those wings goes against mundane science. The fact that if a normal pedestrian were to stumble upon this place, they would only see two girls talking to thin air goes against mundane science, too. A lot of things do. I suppose that makes us more qualified than those crazy ‘old geezers’ that you probably tying us with. I know what I’m talking about; I just don’t know how this will all end. But what is certain is that we’re not going to leave you two alone unless you come with us, so you might as well make it easy for us. I don’t want to be here either,” he murmured truthfully. “There are people back home that I need to check on.”

 

He stopped, taking a deep breath. He was anxious to leave, but he wasn’t sure if his words would be able to persuade either of the girls to listen to them, or if the words would just freak them out even more. He felt sure that if the blonde girl didn’t take the words well, neither would Varianne, since the blonde seemed so much calmer, despite the fact that she wasn’t calm in the very least, than Varianne was.

 

"Okay, what is seriously going on here?"

 

A new voice, a masculine voice, cut into the conversation this time, and Brunor automatically turned his head in that direction, to see a boy of average height, with brilliant golden hair and red triangle marks upon his cheeks. Behind him were several other teens, one of them hauling an unconscious girl, as well as Kiril’s black stallion. Brunor’s attention flickered from the glowing Summer boy, guessing that his heritage was the origin of his brilliance in the sunlight, to the girl hanging limp in the arms of another white-haired boy.

 

“I’m assuming you came with Emilia,” Brunor guessed, directly the question at the Summer boy, as he seemed to be the most laidback of the group, though his eyes remained on the unconscious blonde girl. His mind flickering back to the image of Kiril, just as unconscious, Brunor proceeded to guess what the cause of Kiril’s life-threatening injury was. “Did that girl get in a fight with Kiril?”

 

The last question voiced all of the man’s concern and anxiety, and he could feel the impatience welling up inside him. His eyes flickered back to the blonde girl and Varianne as he waited for their reply.