Midsummer Shadows

[jaina]

((kind of thought it would...))

 

Shira leaned back again as the boy sat up and dusted himself off. She was at a bit of a loss for words as she took in his slightly jumbled and run together reply. Out of the couple million people here in New York, this is the one that drops from a tree and lands on me Shira thought ruefully. She was tempted to do a face palm, but checked the motion. She did her best to be understanding however and smiled, showing nice, white teeth as she said, "I'm Shira, and I would like to ask, just why are you here? I'm tempted to ask if it has anything to do with why you have green hair," Shira replied. her voice was kind and sweet, if just a bit too sweet. He dropped on top of her, she was going to make him a little uncomfortable in return.

 

((not sure you would be looking for forest elves dude, unless they're another graffiti team you created))

Edited December 29, 2009 by jaina

[RheaZen]

Sen gulped, not sure what she was asking for and feeling very unsettled. Not that all of the unsettled part was from the situation - the bad feeling from yesterday hadn't really gone away. He managed to stammer out an answer. Uh, uh, I'm just here because my parents would get mad at me because of my hair color! Yeah. They don't really like it." Not that I like it much either, I didn't make myself look like this, but on the other hand it doesn't look too bad really, but then it's such a pain in the butt at home- He paused, then began to ask the girl what she was doing there. However, he instead noticed some movement in the corner of his eye. "Look! There's a guy over there! He looks scary!" Sen then proceeded to scramble up a nearby tree, not wanting to have to deal with any sketchy-looking possible murderers, nor a girl who was probably quite angry at him.

[SandMessiah]

(( ))

 

"!" Thought Clay as he ran to the nearest tree. He couldn't believe it, he avoid cops, sneak around in rival areas and had to escape pursuers. How could he have been spotted by that brat? Well, he wasn't going to allow himself to be identified. He climbed up the tree and began to jump from branch to branch.

 

But then, he slipped on one of the branches and fell down back to the ground. He tried to get up, but his right leg began to ache with pain. He then noticed it swelling up, a sign that he was in deep trouble. And it didn't help with the fact that he was somehow closer to the two. He then took out one of his spray paint can and a lighter. He pressed the nozzle and the lit the lighter, creating a custom made flamethrower. He did this for only a second, to show he was serious.

 

"I swear to god if you try to bring me to the police i burn you!" Said Clay as he held the two items in his hands, which began to sweat.

Edited December 29, 2009 by SandMessiah

[MURDERcomplexx]

"Dan...hey Dan!"

A small blond haired boy tugged at the sleeve of the older teenager Dan, who turned to face the pestering child with an annoyed face.

"What is it Ace?"

"When's Breckin getting back?"

Almost as if on cue, Breckin's figure emerged from the grand cement stairs leading to their underground haven, a sack slung over his back, lumpy from the items inside. Pulling back the hoodie to free his wild hair, Breckin let the bag slide to the floor and untied it.

"Dinner time guys." He said, earning a cheer from the other inhabitants of the subway. The quiet station was again alive with bustling chatter as the children all shared the looted goods, Breckin watching them all with the hawk eyes of a leader.

"Another good haul today boss?"

His attention wavered to the girl who'd seated next to him, one who'd been his friend since before he could remember. The two were inseparable friends and the first one he would run to.

"Of course. You know nothing can avoid my sticky fingers."

Waggling the digits in front of his face with a smile, he invoked a laugh that they both shared, though Breckin's quickly faded.

"It's getting hard. We're growing and the people around here are getting wise. Most of them know what to look out for. It took me almost hours to get what I used to be able to in minutes."

"Have you ever thought about taking on others to help? There's strength in numbers Breckin. You need to remember that. You've got a lot of pride, and that may end up hurting the good of the group. You won't be a worse leader if you just ask for a little help."

 

For hours Breckin thought about that, even long after the others had tired themselves out and lay on the dozens of pilfered blankets and old mattresses.

He'd thought so much he hardly realized when he'd fallen asleep.

He dreamed of a forest, an expanse of foliage somehow familiar, but strange all the same. He couldn't place his finger on it. That was impossible. And yet, the name was hidden.

Nevertheless he continued onward, enjoying the serene silence until a spark caught his eye. Quickly he turned, horror drenching his face. Parts of the forest had been set ablaze, smoke rising upward into the heavens and flames dancing all around him. He blinked, dumbfounded, and the flames became a figure, closing in on him. The temperature skyrocketed but surprisingly, Breckin didn't mind it.

"You wish to become a part of the flame."

"Excuse me?" Breckin watched the flame figure dance around his body and oddly enough, felt as if he wanted to join her.

"You want to be one with us. One with the spirit of summer."

"I.."

"Forest park. Tommorow morning."

"W-wait!" Breckin shouted, running after the figure. She quickly dissolved into formless flames, and Breckin awoke, panting to the dingy concrete ceiling.

"What..a weird dream."

Getting to his feet and careful not to disturb the other sleeping children, Breckin got to his feet and poured himself water from a container.

scritch scritch

A particularly irritating noise filled the silence, echoing off the subway walls in a manner that Breckin could not identify the source. At first he considered going after the mysterious noise, but quickly wrote it off as a rat and something not worth his time.

Ignoring it as best he could, Breckin warily laid his head back down and fell into a surprisingly dreamless sleep.

 

When he awoke, sunlight filtered in from the metal grates above them, causing him to raise a hand to block out the offending rays. Sitting up and glancing around, he was among only a handful the group who'd awakened, one of which stared at him with a dumbfounded stare.

"What? I got something on my face?"

"Breckin you look different.."

"That's crazy. Gimmie a mirror.

The onlooker obliged and handed Breckin a cracked mirror, which as soon as he glanced at, he grew slack-jawed with amazement.

His cheeks had gotten a particularly odd marking, triangular, almost resembling tears. And his eyes, while always a particular shade of yellow, almost seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. He suddenly remembered the dream...that fire figure. Her eyes had been the same kind.

"I'm going out. You're in charge till I get back."

"But what about breakfast?"

"I said you're in charge! You figure it out!"

Throwing off the blanket that covered him and taking off, Breckin had only one thing on his mind: Forest park.

Edited December 29, 2009 by MurderMayhemxx

[Kanaia]

“Niall! Bedtime!”

 

The strained voice penetrated even the thick wood of a closed door, behind which Niall paused, blue eyes lightening momentarily with anger, his brush suspended halfway to the canvas. Briefly, he contemplated his chances if he were to ignore his mother. They weren’t good. He didn’t have to calculate the exact odds to know that much. With a sigh, he set his brush down on the newspaper lying there for just that purpose, its bristles adding a blue stain to the other splotches already on their way to obscuring the article on last week’s off-Broadway revue. He would regret it in the morning, but he didn’t feel like cleaning the bloody thing tonight. All of a sudden, he felt weariness overtake him like an ether. He barely made it to his bed, only meters away, and the last thing he saw before drifting into an uneasy slumber was the canvas he had been working on.

 

It was a curious scene the canvas depicted. He wasn’t sure where it had come from, if he were completely honest with himself. It was done in his style, right enough: rapid brush strokes, almost totally abstract except for the barest of nods towards recognizable shapes; but without the carousel far in the left corner, he never would have guessed where it was meant to be. The dog was even stranger. Black, without a trace of any other colors, it loomed large in the foreground, its eyes two points of flame. It seemed to Niall that the fire in those eyes was dancing, undulating to a rhythm now echoing in the corners of his mind. But that wasn’t possible, that just wasn’t...

 

He was in that forest now, the branches of oaks and dogwoods spread out above him, slicing the sunlight of a warm summer’s day so that it landed on the loam in a seemingly random pattern. The dog was nowhere to be seen, but there was a scuffling sound somewhere just ahead. Unable to quell his curiosity, Niall went to investigate, coming upon a clearing with a pond. The water didn’t interest him in the slightest, but along its edge was something else entirely. A small fox— what was it doing in the city?— sat on its haunches, watching him from across the pond, the white tip of its tail mesmerizing in its intensity. As he was watching it, without breaking its gaze, the eerie fox began to dig. Even at this distance he could hear it. Scritch. Scritch. Scritch. Its claws scraped against the rocky sand at the water’s edge, the noise it made unfortunately reminiscent of fingernails against a blackboard. Suppressing a shudder, Niall moved closer. Somehow, he felt the animal had a message for him.

 

“Who are you?” he demanded of it, growing impatient. It merely shook its head, though it ceased its digging.

 

“That is unimportant. You must join with your kin, here... The earth is calling to you. Can't you hear its voice?” The canine seemed quite insistent, but Niall shrugged it off. He didn’t take orders from anyone, let alone a fox. Besides, things seemed to be fading away now. Or was he the one disappearing, and all this was real?

 

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. No more dreams, no more noises at the window.

 

At precisely eight o’clock, his eyes snapped open. He hadn’t needed an alarm in years. Swinging his body out of bed, he slipped on the same pair of shoes he’d worn the day before, then headed for the bathroom to perform his customary ablutions. They weren’t exactly involved; a quick splash of icy water on the face, rub a bit of it on the hair to help the comb along, and that was usually the extent of it. Today, however, he happened to glance in the mirror above the sink, and what he saw caused him to look again, something he almost never did. Then again, it wasn’t every day one’s eyes changed color, either.

 

Like so many babies, he had been born with blue eyes. Unlike many babies, his eyes had retained their bright hue, up until today, when they had suddenly turned a muddy shade of dark brown. As he turned his head, he thought he saw flecks of some other color, but the light in the bathroom was so poor he couldn’t be sure. Well, that was certainly an interesting development. Niall frowned at the mirror, as though it might be shamed into telling its secrets, but it remained as silent as it ever was. Rolling his newly-transmogrified eyes at his own stupidity, he turned away from the silvered glass and trudged back to his room to finish off his preparations. The bowler hat was waiting where it always did, crouched on the windowsill like a black felt turtle.

 

Jamming it onto his hastily combed hair, Niall left the building with a brief word to his father, something vague about “going out for a walk.” They trusted him, his parents, for which he was grateful; it left him the freedom he needed. Today seemed as good a day as any for a stroll, and if it took him to a certain park in Queens, well, that wasn’t a crime, was it? Just so long as he kept that fox to himself— no one else needed to know he was going off the advice of an animal he’d met in a dream.

[Skarx]

As time passed Sophia lost her awareness about what happened around her. This place was so calming, she could not help not caring about anything around. She had already finished her apple and her bottle of water. While she was still thirsty she just needed to drink from that pond the water was clean enough, how she knew that was way beyond her and she didn't want to think about anything else than the fishes swimming. A good thing about this park was that it was quiet. Since she had arrived she had yet to hear anyone. She removed her shoes and socks to put her feet in the water. Seeing her bluish skin going all the way to her feet, which should not have surprised her, she felt a bit depressed. If any adult found see her they would probably throw a fit saying things like "Don't do that!" or "What the hell are you thinking". Just because they would not do it they seems to think no one should. As she slowing put her feet in the water she was surprised on how good it felt.

 

When she suddenly heard a yell somewhere around her first reflex was to jump in the water just like she had done in her dream. Lucky for her, she stopped just before jumping. What was she doing!? When she heard the yelling again she understood what it meant. Someone was calling another, which meant people were around. She quickly grabbed her hooded sweatshirt wondering if she should put it on. With a weird skin like that she probably should, but it was so hot outside. While she was still questioning herself she heard another sound. Getting curious about all of it. She stood putting the hoody around her hip and attaching it with the shelves. She had decided not to put it for she would not hide all of her color skin anyway. She slowly walked to the source of the sound ready to run back to her precious pond at the second she was in any danger. After a couple of minute of walking she wondered what was making that sound.

 

Hidden behind a tree she looked at the strange situation, they all had weird colored hairs. She herself had her hair green with a blue hue in it. She remained in the shadow a bit and when that shady looking guy threatened them she decided she was not supposed to be there and ran back for the entrance were she found someone else. What was it with all these people!? She stopped running just as fast and got angry.

 

"WHY!? What's with all of you guys suddenly showing up in the park!!"

 

She was yelling and angry because she was confuse and scared, but... that probably was not the way the others would see it. She then just sat there folded her arms around her knees and put her head on them. Why wouldn't she wake up from this bad joke of a dream!? She wanted her normal skin, her normal hairs and to be back in her bed to wake up from her brothers bad jokes!

[Key2Universe]

Sadie sighed, still unsure of what she wanted to do. She shrugged to herself and decided that if the gate was open, she was going through it. She gently pushed against the metal and it swung open. Sadie raised one eyebrow in surprise. She had been betting that it would be locked. As she stepped through the gate, Sadie felt odd. She remembered someone mentioning that this was a site of many disappearances. Her parents would freak if they knew that she was here. Sadine pushed back her shoulders and began walking down the path. She found that it was constantly dipping and rising again. It felt so eerie to be in such a large expanse without seeing another soul. It was like a whole knew world compared to the rest of the city. Sadie soon came upon a mass of benches in front of a large stage. She walked up the center isle to the stage and looked at its large, bubble like background and top.

 

Sadie vaguely remembered the stage from when they had first moved to the city. Her parents had brought her here and they had wondered for hours. It was a fond memory. Sadie smiled at the thought of it. Then, her attention drifted back to the stage. She climbed onto it and stood, facing the benches. She was overcome with the urge to dance. Sadie looked around, feeling silly. What would someone think, seeing a girl dancing in this park which was closed. Sadie sighed. No one else would come to this park. She was alone, so why shouldn't she take advantage of having such a large, beautiful stage to herself. She closed her eyes, and let herself begin dancing. Her movements her were graceful and wild, but perfect. It seemed natural for her to be dancing, as if she were a part of the park herself.

[MURDERcomplexx]

Breckin arrived out of breath and exhausted, leaning against the metal border to the entrance in a feeble attempt to get his energy back. Manhattan was, after all, a far cry from Queens.

"New York is too damn big."

Noticing others seemingly his age collect around the park entrance, he raised an eyebrow rather curiously. He must have not been the only one to have a strange dream that night.

Perhaps it meant something?

Breckin was never a believer in suspicion or fantasy, but the situation seemed too unorthodox to be normal. It just made little sense.

They were all equally as unusual looking as well. Breckin touched the marks on his cheeks, almost as if wondering if he'd imagined them. Sure enough, a faint hardness on his skin the exact shape defined the markings underneath his fingertips.

He felt the urge to venture inside, and his sensibility would play no part in stopping him. Tentatively he pushed the wrought iron gates aside and stepped through the cobblestone pathway, brushing his fingertips across the expanse of plants and flowers that lay out before him. He didn't know what was in store, but at that point the future meant little to him.

It wasn't often Breckin ventured out to the other boroughs. Having no money to travel by anything other than walking, he and his group were usually limited to the island they called home.

 

Closing his eyes peacefully, Breckin exhaled once before something caught his attention. A flurry of movement on the stage nearby. A girl dancing, just like the one in his dream. She looked so much like the fire girl it was almost odd.

He wanted to ask her, but something in him didn't want to disturb her dance. Instead he stood where he had been and watched her with interest.

 

[jaina]

At Sen's remark about a "scary person", Shira abruptly turned around. This time however, she didn't checked the motion of reaching for her knife. Within a moment she had the large folding knife that her father had given her out and in her hand, ready for use. What she saw though, was a boy around her age, scrambling up a tree in an obvious hurry since he'd been spotted. When she turned to look for Sen again, he was gone. A quick look around though revealed him to have simply gone up another tree, getting out of the area. She turned her attention back to the boy her age and stood up before running towards him. Her knife out and ready.

Edited December 30, 2009 by jaina

[SandMessiah]

Once Clay saw the knife, he knew he had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. But once the girl turned her attention to the small boy, he knew that was his chance to get ready for an assault. He quickly got up onto his feet, ignoring the tension and slight pain of his right leg. Once he saw her charging at him, he re-aligned his lighter and spray paint and began to spray. He aimed the custom-made flamethrower in the general direction of the girl, making sure he didn't create an opening.

 

Once the flamethrower began to falter, he chucked the near-empty spray can at the girl. Once he had throw it, he charge directly at the girl. Once he was closer he kicked twice into the air before using bringing his other leg up in a circle fashion, twisting his body along with the kick. He was aiming for the arm which held the knife, since if he didn't get rid of the weapon he was in danger.

[jaina]

Shira kept her distance as the boy used a spray can as an impromptu flame thrower. When it finally seemed to run out of spray, the flame disappeared and the boy threw the can at her. Immediately with the can flying at her, Shira's training kicked in. She knocked the can aside with left hand, expecting a follow up attack behind the first one. The boy didn't disappoint her. He came in with a sloppy round house kick towards Shira's left side. As the kick came at her, Shira leapt into a back handspring to avoid the blow. As soon as she was back on her feet, she leapt forward, putting all her weight behind a punch at the boy's chin.

[SandMessiah]

"Damn, looks like she has some training...if only i didn't injure my leg!" Thought Clay as his kick missed the girl. Was he starting to lose his skills? How could he have been detected by a small boy, misjudge an acrobatic step and missed a nice kick? Once he saw the girl did a back handspring, he quickly regained his posture, ready to react when she attacked. And sure enough she did, only this time she meant him harm. Judging from her movement, she was placing all of her power in her punch. He decided to use that to his advantage. He crouched down, allowing the punch to miss his head by inches. He quickly grabbed the arm and began to flip her over in hopes of getting rid of the knife.

[RheaZen]

Sen winced inwardly as he watched the fight below. Part of him felt bad for leaving the girl with the guy, part of him didn't care much - hey, he didn't really know her, and better her than him, right? - and another, smaller, very tiny voice at the back of his head was worried that the flame from the strange guy's flamethrower would hurt some plants. He shook his head; now was not the time to be worried about plants, of all things. He needed to get out of the area, and maybe find some help... but then he'd have to admit to being in the area, and to being a witness, and there'd be all this fuss... He sighed. Why did it all have to be so complicated?

 

Looking down, he saw that the girl seemed to be faring quite well, holding her ground against the new guy. He again winced inwardly, this time in recalling his rather childish mannerism. I called him "scary," for chrissakes! I know that playing the "little kid" card works well for me, but c'mon... that's just stupid. Dad's right, I really do need to grow up. But for now, there are other, more present concerns, like my changing hair color and the fight below... He looked around, searching for other trees that were close enough for him to escape through. Seeing a safe-looking path, he scurried as fast as he could through the treetops.

 

Eventually he'd made his way into a large oak, one of the taller ones in the park. He had a good vantage point of a lot of the park from where he was sitting, plus it had the added bonus of being largely inaccessible to others... hopefully. He scanned the area, wondering where to go next and what he should do about the situation... then notices movement in other areas of the park. He squinted, trying to get a better look, but only saw a few flashes, as the foliage got in the way. There were more people here...?

[Mangaholic]

The park inspired a strange calmness and tranquility within Alina, probably because she had always had a love for wildlife and nature. The sweet, beautiful song of birds echoed throughout the park, and Alina found it hard to believe that so many terrible murders had taken place in such a peaceful place. Still, there were things that only caused Alina to feel even more nervous than before. The park had only been closed down for no more than a couple of weeks, but it had already fallen into a wild state of disrepair. The buildings sported long and terrible gouges upon the sides, and many of the plants had grown wildly, stretching out onto the pavement.

 

Alina continued walking. She was already in the park; there was no use turning back now. Who knew? Maybe the answer to what had happened to her would be found. She searched the skies and the trees for any sign of ravens, but saw nothing of the large, black corvids, only jays, sparrows, and other birds of the sort. She sighed in frustration. She felt like an idiot being at Forest Park, following the instructions of some dream.

 

A loud, outraged voice suddenly broke the forest tranquility.

 

"WHY!? What's with all of you guys suddenly showing up in the park!!"

 

Alina peered warily through the trees. She was startled to see another girl, about her age, staring at her lividly. Alina couldn’t exactly see the girl’s face clearly, as it was hidden by her hood, but she could feel the girl’s anger and annoyance crackling the air about her. What was she doing there? Forest Park was supposed to be closed! Why would anyone go to a place where people were murdered only recently? Obviously, the girl was wondering the same thing about her. A stray thought entered Alina’s mind.

 

What if she’s that murderer that everyone’s talking about? She seems pretty angry that I’m here. Maybe she walks the place all to herself. I would have thought that it was some mental middle-aged guy, but a lot of weird things are happening lately, so I guess it would be possible. Oh well, if this strange girl really is in charge of the deaths, I won't let her get me that easily.

 

”I dare you to come near me!” Alina hissed loudly, backing away into the trees. If it came to hand-to-hand combat, she was sure that she could last longer…just as long as the other girl didn’t know some sort of martial arts. Alina kept the girl in her view as she searched the forest floor for anything that could be used as a weapon, continuing to withdraw. Then, her foot caught on the bulging root of an old oak tree, and in spite of herself, she let out a shocked cry as she fell backward. Her head smashed severely against the trunk of another tree and she landed in a heap on the forest floor. The pain from her head was tremendous, but it quickly dissolved as everything went black.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Mangaholic

[Key2Universe]

Sadine's dance continued. Her motions were swift and direct, but graceful and flowing. She felt so at peace, so calm while her body was in the constant motion. No music was binding her, no trainer critiquing her. This dance was all her own. It was something wild, something that seemed to come from deep within her. Sadie's motions slowed and came to a halt as she noticed someone watching.

 

It didn't surprise or frighten her. It just seemed fitting for him to be there. Everything about the night before and this day was weird. While she felt oddly serene in this park, while she still felt the foreboding from the day before. It seemed even seemed stronger this morning.

 

Sadie stepped towards the boy. His hair was so bright, it reminded her of the beings in her dream. Everything except for his clothes and the two marks underneath his eyes seemed the same. Sadie slowly walked to the edge and hopped off the stage with ease and grace. Her movements lacked the awkwardness of teenagers, and humans in general. Sadine herself didn't notice. Her full attention was on the boy.

 

"Were you watching me long?" Sadie asked in a soft voice. This whole day had seemed surreal, Sadie didn't want to disturb anything with speech. She wondered how he would react, what his voice would sound like. She had no idea what to expect, that seemed to be the lesson she was supposed to learn. Don't assume you know anything.

[MURDERcomplexx]

Surprised that she would notice him so quickly, Breckin felt himself almost instantly recoil. He took a step back instinctively, before stopping himself mid-motion. He was entirely too cautious. Perhaps this girl wouldn't be like other strangers who approached him, treated him like garbage.

He never needed their help to survive.

"Not very long I assume. You look like you were really into it. It was a very nice dance."

Breckin took a closer look at the girl as she stepped foward, his eyes widening. Those eyes. Those same ochre eyes. Just like the fire woman.

"Do you want to dance with the fire?"

He could almost swear he heard it again, turning his head to feel a warm breeze caress his skin like perfection. Closing his eyes to feel its warmth, he caught himself giving off a noise similar to a cat, a soft purring, and an instinctive contentment he could not understand.

 

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

Too frustrated to care about thinking, Breckin stared down at his hands with frustration. He was confused, worried, and above all upset.

"First this stupid dream and now I wake up with all this. I want some answers!

[Key2Universe]

Sadine nodded to his statement. She felt a little embarrassed that someone she had never met had witnessed such a private moment. When their eyes met, she could see his widen in surprise. Then he closed his eyes and seemed to purr. Sadie cocked her head to the side, curious as to what he was doing. Then, he got angry. This time, Sadine's eyes widened and she leaned away from him. As she noticed that he just seemed intensely conflicted, she started to reach for him, as if to comfort him. Then, his words hit her. A dream, waking up different. Sadie's hand stopped reaching for him, and instead, she grabbed a lock of her hair to look at. It seemed much brighter, almost unnaturally so. And that dance, that was like nothing Sadie had ever done. She looked up at the boy.

 

"A dream? You had a dream? With people who look like us and fire and dancing and this park?" Sadie said, and with each word she got quicker and more intense. She took another step towards him, studying him again. It was like his words had broken her out of whatever trance she had been in. As she looked at him, the memories of the dream came back to her. Long white gloves, crows flying at her from everywhere, the flames with dancers. Then, Sadine felt a smaller version of the rush of heat that she had felt the night before. Sadie looked at the boy.

 

"We shouldn't be here. There have been murders in this park, and I don't have a good feeling." Sadie said. She glance around and it seemed as though the plants had gotten even more over grown and not at all kept since she had entered the park. This place was too surreal. It was starting to freak her out.

[jaina]

Shira felt the boy grab her wrist and pull in the same direction she was moving in a effort to throw her. She felt fear fora briefmoment before training took over. She let him pull her through and nearly throw her. Half way through however, she twisted and grabbed his wrist with both her hands. She had barely made contact with the ground before she was pulling him along behind her. With slight grunt of exertion she wretched him in her direction and tossed the boy. When he landed on his back she was breathing heavily from the exertion. She silently cursed her relatively small size that constantly limited the amount of force she could exert.

 

((hope I didn't over play there Sand))

Edited December 30, 2009 by jaina

[Skarx]

While she was getting really depressed that girl just shouted back at her.

 

"I dare you to come near me!"

 

As if she would! She wanted some peace and quiet, she wanted to wake up!! What was with that weird girl anyway! She had such strange hairs, like things were stuck in them. Black as night too, though that was not so strange. Who was she to think that anyway! She looked at her hands and hold her knees more. She hated this place now, she just wanted to go back to the pond. While she stood decided and with a destination in mind. She was about to go when she heard that girl cry somewhere in the forest. While she didn't knew that person she still felt like she needed to know what had happened. She ran toward the source of the sound and almost walked on the black haired girl. When the said person had no reaction to her being so close after she had told her not to get close.

 

She crouched over the girl and took a closer look. She was surprised by the black feathers in her hairs! What was that!? Was she... was she human? Was she like her, a person who had changed into... what she was? Another though came as she wondered if perhaps she was a monster, like those who killed people. She quickly put that idea aside since she had not attacked her on sight and even ran from her for some reason? She gently tried to wake up the girl while moving her into a more comfortable position.

 

Hey. Wake up. A little push on the side of the head to hopefully help her wake up.Come on, wake up.

 

She was worried the girl may have hurt herself more than she though. Maybe she could need a doctor, though she doubted so since it was just a bump on the head. After having sit her next to the tree. She removed her hood as it was getting really hot in there and she didn't need to suffocated out of fear of showing her hairs and skin.

[RheaZen]

Sen heard a shout from directly below. His chest seemed to feel tight; nervousness, making it hard to breathe. And yet more people? Who could they possibly be? He spent all of three seconds pondering his next course of action before curiosity got the better of him. Cautiously, Sen swung from branch to branch, trying his hardest to not rustle many leaves or break and branches. Eventually, the foliage below him lessened, and he proceeded to a level in the treetop where his view of those below was unobscured.

 

A chill ran through him when he saw the strange... people? Beings? Below. What in the nine levels of hell... that girl's hair has, like, feathers in it! And that girl has funky colored hair. And skin. Hm. I've got pretty funky hair at the moment... maybe they're experiencing the same sorta problems as me? Wanting to see what else would happen, he stayed where he was, trying to remain as still and silent as possible.

[SandMessiah]

Clay felt pain in his wrist as he continued his throw. When he realized that she was using his own throw it was too late. He soon landed on his back, and the extra spray cans didn't help cushion the fall. He managed to get up with a bit of difficultly. But he was very surprised that she could hold her own. But when he returned into his fighting position, he noticed that she was breathing heavily. He relaxed his body out of the fighting position and began to clap.

 

"Impressive, for a girl with a freakin knife and martial art training." Said Clay as he continued to clap. After a few seconds he stopped clapping and walked over to the girl. Once he was close he said "I would love to continue our little fight, but i gotta find a group of people. Hopefully you didn't notice any recognizable features." He then walked past her and headed into a nearby group of trees. But the swelling in his right leg caught up with him, he dropped to the ground and began to curse under his breath.

Edited December 30, 2009 by SandMessiah

[Mangaholic]

OoC// Sand and jaina, it'd be a good idea for you guys to read the OoC thread first, if you haven't already.

 

 

IC// Rhiannon silently weaved through the hickories, pines, and other trees that grew in Forest Park. She had completely lost Hadyn in the woods, and she couldn’t keep away the feeling of anxiety and worry. Normally, she didn’t mind splitting up to corner the demon, but after losing her brother only two days ago, she had very nearly lost her nerve. There was no way she wanted to lose her best friend either, and definitely not to another wretched demon. She gritted her teeth and resisted to urge to call out Hadyn’s name. It wasn’t that she was afraid of alerting the demon of their presence, since the demon had to keep hidden during the day, but she didn’t feel like giving her friend a reason to tease her.

 

Rhiannon paused. She could hear scuffling just a few meters in front of her, and she cautiously made her way forward, holding her longbow close to her and careful not to disturb any of the foliage about her. She peered through the leaves of maple tree, and the sight that met her nearly-black eyes rather astonished her.

 

There were two people, a boy and a girl, and they looked as if they had just had a major fight. The boy was sprawled amid the trees, closest to Rhiannon, his face seemingly contorted in pain as he clenched at his leg, while the girl stood panting a little ways off, most likely out of exhaustion from the fight. What, in the royal name of Aileach, are they doing here? Isn’t this place still closed down because of that stupid demon?

 

She froze as a realization hit her. She peered more closely at the odd pair. The girl’s pale silver hair did bother her much, considering how much crazier her hair color could have been, considering where they were, but it was the boy’s eyes that made her catch her breath. His coal-black eyes. Suddenly, hatred and anger began to boil within her as old memories arose, and without warning, Rhiannon burst through the cover of the trees, her eyes wild with anger and ferocity. She made no attempt to hide her longbow or the elegant rapier that hung in a scabbard at her side, instead even notching a deadly arrow to her bow.

 

”What do you two think you’re doing here?” she snarled, her hands shaking with uncontrollable rage. She kept both in her sight, but her glares and the venom in her voice were meant for the boy with the coal-black eyes. She would have let fly an arrow in his throat, but sense kept her from doing so. She knew well what the prophecy had foretold, and she did not wish to mar any chance of the salvation of both humanity and the Downworld.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Alina was dreaming again. After the numbing darkness had faded away, Alina found herself perched on the cold branch of a spruce. The dream held the same foreboding sense as the first one did, if not stronger. Yet, Alina felt perfectly comfortable there, in the branch, as she stared at the clearing below her. It was dusted with a light coat of snow, glowing faintly in the silvery moonlight. Nothing marred the blanket of frost and snow, not a leaf nor a footstep. All was perfectly still in that eerily beautiful forest. However, Alina’s coal-black eyes were not drawn to the pale moon that hung silently above, nor the sheet of snow upon the forest floor, nor anything else; they were drawn to what lie in the center of the icy expanse: a throne.

 

The throne had been carved of ice, and it glittered in the moonlight as if a thousand diamonds were embedded in its surface. It was intricately designed, and Alina’s keen eyes could just make out what was carved upon it. Images of creatures, their terrible beauty and cruelty sending chills up Alina’s spine. A pile of bones and human flesh. Men impaled upon bloody stakes, their mouths gaped wide in silent screams of agony.

 

Alina wrenched her eyes from the throne, and instead, gazed at the young woman who sat in it. She possessed inhuman beauty, enough to charm even a fey into following her every command. Her golden-brown hair fell past her shoulders, the curls covered in her frost. Her lips were blue, and her eyes were shut. Her arms were shackled to the arms of the throne, and despite her immense beauty, she looked as if she would never open her eyes again. No sooner had the thought entered Alina’s mind did the girl’s eyes fly open. She stared at Alina with her golden eyes, sadness etched in her every feature. She opened her mouth, intending to say something, but then, her eyes grew wild with panic and fear at something unseen. She looked up at Alina once more, desperate and urgent, but Alina never had the chance to hear the young woman’s words.

 

Alina’s eyes flew open, and the first thing that greeted her was the sight of a girl with sea green hair and skin the shade of a light blue hue. Alina stared at her in confusion, wondering who she was and where she herself was. She squinted at the girl, trying to remember what had happened to her, and when her memory returned, so did panic. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the girl - she could feel the girl’s worry and concern thick in the air – but of what the girl would think of her. Alina’s wings had escaped once more from their tattoo, and though her jacket covered most of them, the tips still peeked out from the bottom. As long as she kept her back from the blue-hued girl, she would be fine. She still needed to get away.

 

”I’m so sorry! I thought you were someone else,” Alina apologized humbly, though she avoided the girl’s eyes. She didn’t want the girl to see her jet black eyes. After all, that would raise too many questions that Alina herself couldn’t answer. ”Thanks for worrying about me. I appreciate it, but I’m okay now. I’ll leave. No need to be anymore of a bother to you.”

 

She quickly got to her feet, struggling to steady herself. However, her head still throbbed painfully, and the world seemed to spin around her. Horribly dizzy, she swooned and collapsed once more against the trunk of the tree. Luckily, her head didn’t bang against it again. Crud, this is really bad. Idiot Alina. Next time, stop jumping to conclusions. She had gotten herself in a ton of trouble now, especially with the strange girl, and she was pretty sure that the back of her head was bruised black. She needed to make the girl go away.

 

Alina slipped her hand into her pocket, feeling a sense of relief that Fane’s pocket watch and her cellphone hadn’t fallen out. However, she forced an expression of terror and desperation on her face.

 

”Omigod, my pocketwatch. It’s gone!” She made sure her voice matched the lie. “I must have dropped it somewhere. Please! You have to help me find it.”

 

Her voice sounded believable, at least to her. In fact, she sounded almost heartbroken. Let’s hope the girl just falls for it. Alina prayed that she would.

Edited January 3, 2010 by Mangaholic

[jaina]

Shira was prepared to go after the boy who had thrown cans at her and tried to fry her with a flame thrower when something else happened. A girl with long black hair and a bow in one hand burst through the brush and yelled at them. Already on edge from having the boy named Sen fall on her and the other one with the spray can/flame thrower, Shira reacted purely on instinct. With one smooth motion she drew a second knife and threw it at the girl. The knife wasn't completely on target however and instead of hitting her in the throat, the knife flew over her shoulder, cutting a very thin section of the girl's waist length black hair before continuing on to embed itself in a tree with a solid thud. Shira's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise as what the girl had said finally registered in her mind and she realized that she'd nearly killed her. She struggled to get out a reply, losing her voice twice before succeeding in stammering out, "I-I'm sorry, you just, well, scared the c*** out of me, I was already on edge." The girl already looked plenty angry and now Shira had just nearly killed her, she didn't need anything else to go wrong now.

[SandMessiah]

Clay's eyes were dead locked on the woman who had just suddenly appeared. He quickly noticed the stunning, almost goddess like features of the woman. Her long black hair and brown eyes seemed to add to the beauty. But then, he noticed the bow and arrow aimed directly at him. He was not showing fear, but rather anticipation of what she was going to do.

 

"Great, now i gotta deal with her as well...Bloody " Thought Clay as he continued to look at the woman. His eyes began to change, they almost seemed to challenge the woman, almost daring her to act.

 

"Well, since you asked nicely...I came here to meet a group of associates. But then i noticed two other people, the girl over there and a small boy. The boy saw me and i tried to flee. But i slipped, and injured my leg. I'm quite notorious with the law so i threaten them only because of instinct. But then she decides to attack me with a large knife. Sure enough we began to fight, and i barely managed to save my own ass." Explained Clay as he struggle to get up. He leaned his body against the tree and barely managed to get up. Once he did he looked at the woman and gave a smug smile.

 

But by then, the girl he had already thought had just thrown another knife at the women, which convinced Clay that he needed to get ready for a fight. "Now I gotta deal with an angry, almost insane woman with a bow and sword." Said Clay as he altered his body into a fighting stance. He raised one hand and motioned her to attack him. He shouted to the girl behind him "You acted out of instinct, either run or fight!"

Edited December 31, 2009 by SandMessiah

[Kira1]

Danni wandered through the park, looking around at the plant life and small animals that scampered around. It would have been a very peaceful place if it wasn't for the voices that she heard. At first it seemed like there was two people, but the another voice joined them and then she heard some more people talking. She couldn't keep track of how many there were, she just knew there were many. The question was, what should she do? The voices sounded very young, as if they were all teenagers, but what would they all be doing in this park. What was she doing in this park? There was something odd going on, that was for sure, and Danni felt like finding out. Everyone that she heard seemed to be spread out a bit in the park and most were talking to someone else, otherwise they wouldn't be speaking. Unless they were crazy.

Focusing on not being noticed, Danni continued onwards, walking lightly so she would not make much noise. What if the people that she heard were gang members or something? That would be a problem. Hopefully none would notice her and she could get her answers and then leave this place. It was nice being in the peaceful looking park, but the other people here ruined it somewhat. Besides, if she was out too long her parents would worry and might call her cell. If her cell rang, that would alert others to where she was. Best to silence her cell then. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the cell, quickly putting it on silent before slipping it back into her pocket. Now to see what those other people were doing.