private Academy of Magic

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

(I thought dinner was finished, as well as the fight :S...)

 

Ajax awoke to find himself sleeping inside the room he had been assigned on the train. With little to no memory of the events at dinner, he felt quite stumped and a little bit irritated that everything seemed to have gone by so fast. He attempted to recall anything useful, trying to tap into his Illusion skills to make memories resurface.

"Mm... Dang, all I can remember are the guards shoving all of us into a room, Luce being disturbed oversomething, acrid smells, and a conversation with this guy named Jason."

Ajax thought a bit more. "Oh yeah... and something about a demonic fruit rolling around," he said as he got up. He tried to walk around, only to find it was painful to put weight on his right leg. When he looked at it, the shin was covered in bite marks and blood.

"Ugh, that doesn't look to good," he grumbled as he searched for a towel and some disinfectant. Luckily, he managed to find the two in a cabinet, and he at once began to apply them to the wounds, stinging him and turning the red bites into a whiteish color. Ajax wiped off any remaining blood and peroxide, and then he threw the towel into a hampster and stored the peroxide away.

"Something seems... off," he said to himself as he looked outside his window. It was as if though a phone call had beencut, everything just seemed to have ended so quickly without there being much of a beginning. Wrapping his shin with some bandages, he headed for his door. He opened it slightly, checking to make sure no one was lingering around. Empty.

"I think I'll go and... 'explore'," he said silently as he exited. "Let's just hope no one catches me, things might not end well for anyone on here if something were to get loose."

Edited October 27, 2012 by Horus

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason opened his eyes.

 

The fuzzy picture from his chemically-induced sleep distorted his vision, the room that seemed to be spinning around him. Eventually, the effects began to wear off, getting the chance to look at his surroundings. He was in his bed, lying within the soft covers as he stared up into the pearly white ceiling, a small faded stain in the corner where the acid seeped through. He had seen the waiters clean up the sleeping quarters, and the acid mark did seem to be cleaned up, but Jason didn't want to take any chances by touching it again.

 

Finding nothing else to do, Jason climbed out of his soft canvas and sat at the wooden desk. The chair was quite comfortable, so he decided to add another entry in his journal.

 

I just hopped on the train a few hours ago. Already, strange things are happening. There was an accident. Acid leaked into someone's bedroom, and seeped through my room. I burned my left hand trying to find out what it was. Wasn't fun. After that, we had a meal...

 

Jason began to think about the events at the last meal, his memory foggy from the chemicals. He couldn't recall much except for the more personal details, like his meeting with a teen with medium-length black hair.

 

My memory seems to have failed me when I try to recall the event. Only minor aspects come to my mind, but the majority of it... blank. I'll add more into this tomorrow. There's something strange going on this train... I just need to find out what...

 

The sound of a bedroom door sliding open breaks Jason from his writing as he turns. He is frozen as he stares at his door, hoping that he wouldn't be getting any unexpected visitors... It only seemed to be a room or two away, so close... Deciding to take matters in his own hands, Jason opened his door and walked out, seeing the teenager standing at a door only a room away.

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

Ajax frowned as he felt a pair of eyes land upon him. He turned around to see who it was, relieved to see it was only Jason.

"Ah, it's just you," Ajax said as he silently stepped towards him. He noticed that the other teenager had a groggy look on his face, no doubt having just woken up from his mysterious sleep.

"By the look on your face, I take it you have no idea what the heck happened earlier today?"

Ajax gestured towards the hallway and other rooms in the area, obviously implying he was going to be snooping about for more information.

"I'm going to prowl around and search for anything that will give me insight as to what occured, follow me if you want," he said as he turned around. He walked past the other dorms silently, intently hearing every sound. No footsteps, no stirring, just occasional snores and coughs.

"Good, no one seems to be around right now. I'll have to be swift though, can't take any chances of being seen as troublemaker so early on before this school even starts," he thought as he tried to focus his Illusion once again. It tired him out, but he managed to muffle his steps to the point where a stomp would be heard as a simple footstep.

"good, time to act like James Bond," he laughed as he continued to walk towards the dining car. Upon entering, he at once began to inspect the floor and table, looking for any notes or clues of any kind. He noticed that a chair lied broken in a corner, as well as burns similar to a chemical burn along the table and floor under it.

"Well, whatever we got served certainly wasn't happy," he joked. "But seriously, I remember nothing at all."

Bits and pieces faded in and out of his memory, but none satisfying enough to give him an idea of the events.

[Mephala 2,632]

The door suddenly opened and Luce stood there, arms crossed, wearing a short lacy white nightgown.

"You're not supposed to be in here," she said quietly, not her usual rude self.

She looked at the burn almost sadly for a moment, and then back at them.

"You should probably go back to your rooms," she added. "Ms. Frey isn't going to be happy if you'e hanging out here." Glancing around, she chewed her lip a little, nervously.

Luce knew what had happened-as hard as Ms. Frey had tried, something was stopping her from getting in there, and she had eventually given up and just let Luce go, though after a severe warning.

There was a slight scrabbling noise from above and Luce glanced up sharply. She hadn't noticed a small door in the ceiling earlier, though it wasn't exactly the type of place would one be. It slowly creaked open and a dark shape dropped to the floor, the door slamming shut as it straightened.

Luce's eyes widened and she slowly back up, but the figure just tilted his head back and you could see the faint glimmer of a smile from beneath the hood as her began to draw it back.

"Luce," he said with a polite dip of his head.

A young man stood in front of them, his black hair short and neat and his yellow eyes shining with amusement. Luce swallowed nervously and bowed to him.

"Sir," she just said stiffly.

[Apollo 297]

*Sasha stood up from her bed with an upset sigh. She couldn't sleep. It just was not coming to her.*

"No real point in staying in here then."

*She reached down into the pocket of her jacket that was laying on the floor and took out the box her puzzle was in. She then walked over to the door and slowly opened it, making as little noise as possible. She exited the room and closed the door quietly behind her before walking through the hallway and into the sitting room. She sat down on a couch and crossed her legs after switching on a lamp. She opened the box and examined the pieces closely. There were six in total. Three of them gold, and three of them silver. Each one had a different gem or stone embedded into it. One of them had a ruby, another had a sapphire, one had an emerald, there was one with a diamond, one with an opal, and the last one had a polished shard of obsidian. Looking at the pieces made one think that the puzzle would not be too difficult, but when actually attempting to put the pieces together, they seemed to resist seemingly obvious matches.*

"What is your secret?"

*She said quietly to the puzzle.*

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason returned with a small smile, glad that it was only Ajax. "And you're not a guard." He replied. When Ajax asked him about the meal, he thought for a second, rubbing the spot on his neck where the shot hit him. "No, I don't. It's still foggy." He didn't have Ajax's illusion skill, so he barely remembered a thing about the meal. It was a miracle in itself that he could recall Ajax.

 

When Ajax told Jason that no one seemed to be around, he didn't take much time to think about it. He simply believed that he was using his eyes to scout out, and didn't know about his power that he was currently using. However, it was a bit strange that Ajax could walk so quietly, so soft, that he could barely pick up the sound over his own breathing. "Those are some crazy quiet footsteps you got there Ajax..."

 

"More like Sherlock Homes, Detective." Jason chuckled back. However, he only managed to find a few imprints on the carpet where tables used to be, and a dark scorch along the bottom of one of the windows before he heard a door open, and a female standing right in front of her door.

 

Jason let out a small sigh of displeasure as the girl stared at the two, his plan to search the train was foiled. But she seemed very shy and hesitant, her voice only a quiet whisper. She seemed... different, from back at the train station. He didn't realize his left hand was out of his pocket, the bandages covering up the nasty burn, until she looked down at it. Jason then quickly stuffed the hand in his pocket, embarrassed of his injury.

 

Sighing, he replied, "Fine." He then hesitated, and then snapped back, "But we're not going back to our rooms." He then spun around and stormed off, when he heard the dark figure drop down from the ceiling above them. Not paying any attention, he walked off, stopping at the relaxation cart when he saw another girl, looking down at what seemed to be rich metals studded with expensive gems. The girl was staring intently at the six pieces, as if she was having a staring contest with them.

 

"Wow." He whispered, unaware that the words slipped off his tongue.

[Apollo 297]

*Sasha picked up a couple of the pieces and began examining them and placing them side by side in an attempt to fit them together. Not surprisingly, they just slipped by each other without even a simple clink. Her expression took on a bit of frustration, she thought for sure that those two pieces would fit together.*

 

"Wow."

 

*Sasha looked up upon hearing this, just missing the slight sparkle that came off of the ruby encrested in one of the silver pieces. She then slightly blushed, seeing Jason standing in the doorway to the dining room of the train.*

"Um, hi."

*Sasha said, immediately regretting it.*

{"Um, Hi?" Seriously Sasha? You couldn't come up with anything better to say to this guy? Nice first impression. So fukkin pathetic.}

*Sasha scratched her head, her blush fading a bit, but still kinda obviously there.*

"So that was an interesting day, wasn't it?"

{Duh that was an interesting day, don't ask stupid questions girl, you won't get anywhere with stupid questions. You want this boy to like you, don't you? Geezus.}

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Sasha. He wasn't exactly the most charismatic guy, but he tried his best, even if it did lead to him making a fool of himself. But, it seemed like he wasn't alone, the warm red blush fading into her cheeks. It was an adorable sight, causing him to give a small smile and a laugh as he looked away a second time, unable to keep eye contact with her beauty.

 

A slight tinge of color in his cheeks, Jason responded to her question, saying, "Yeah... Too bad I can't remember most of it..." He rubbed his neck again, his fingers passing over the shot's entry point. Looking down at the puzzle, Jason asked, "So... Mind if I ask you what is this?" He bent over a little, taking a closer look at the pieces.

 

The strange shapes and colors didn't mean much to Jason. They all seemed to be random, none of them corresponding to the other. Half of them were lined in gold, and the other half in silver. However, the diamonds, the sapphire, the shard of obsidian... all alien to him.

 

However, there was one that seemed to stand out from the other. The ruby, encased in a lining of gold, seemed to have a strange sparkle to it...

[Apollo 297]

*Sasha seemed surprised by his words.*

"You too? Thats strange, I'm missing a chunk of memory from the day also. All I remember after entering the dining room is everyone introducing themselves, then blank. Woke up in my room."

*She placed one of the pieces back into the box.*

{So its not just me that cannot remember the rest of this evening? Strange.}

*Thats when Jason asked about the puzzle.*

"Oh, this? This was a gift from my senior year art teacher. He told me that it had been passed down his family line for generations, but he was old and had no children, so he gave it to me. The gems are supposed to represent something, but he wouldn't tell me what. Said that that was something I had to discover on my own, once the time presented itself. He told me, that once the puzzle was complete, it would form a pendant, told me that it would give its wearer great luck an fortune. I have been working on it all summer with no success."

*She picked up another piece, she was now holding the obsidian piece and the ruby piece. She also noticed that the ruby seemed a bit brighter than usual, as if it was resonating with something.*

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason began to think... What was the possibility of three people all losing their memories of the exact same time?

 

"I'm not sure If I'm liking this train." He said, now questioning his choice of leaving his home that was so far away now, lost in the many miles back at that train station. His life in his dark corner of his room, the old antique building where he lived, the small group of friends he had, all gone. Maybe... maybe he made a mistake of packing up and leaving. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten on the train which sent him this far...

 

Maybe all he wanted was hope. A chance of having a normal life. Without his firebending, without the rage and destruction it brings... Just something stable. But just like a shot in the dark, or a leap of faith...

 

He was doomed from the start.

 

Unaware that his disheartened mood was showing on his face, he snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Sasha as she explained her story. "That's quite special." Jason commented, looking down at the pieces again. "You're pretty lucky to have someone who cares about you so much." He chuckled, trying to remember the last time that someone treated him like that.

 

As the ruby piece began glowing, a strange feeling swelled up in Jason's chest. Realizing that the ruby piece ignited with an eerie crimson flare, he raised his right hand to the piece, watching the piece shining brighter as he moved closer. "What the...?" He then touched the piece with his fingers...

 

((David: Go ahead and god-mod JaaaaYSooon if ya need to for the resulting action.))

[Apollo 297]

"Whats going on?"

*Sasha said as the ruby piece started glowing brighter and brighter. The obsidian piece began to glow as well, but with a dark aura compared to the ruby piece's fiery aura. The glowing got brighter and brighter until neither Sasha nor Jason could see the pieces. A snap was heard and the light died down. When the light was gone and the light's effect on Sasha and Jason's vision subsided, they saw that Jason was holding the ruby piece and Sasha was holding the obsidian piece as before, but the pieces had been united into one nearly seamlessly. Sasha and Jason looked at each other in shock.*

"That..... was incredibly unexpected."

*Sasha said as she looked into Jason's eyes. Sasha's eyes were glowing black, and she noticed Jason's eyes glowing red. Sasha looked shocked.*

{Oh god I don't believe in.... This must be a dream, this is a dream right? There is no way this could be happening. Or is there? Geez, there must be some explanation for what just happened!}

"Any idea what that was just now? Because Im kinda drawing a blank."

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

When Jason's fingers made contact with the ruby, he felt a hot sensation at the tips of his fingers, the aurora like a long flame around the puzzle piece. The two pieces felt like magnets, each wanting to connect with each other with a powerful force. When the pieces welded together, there was a bright flash, a combination of both red and black.

 

When he finally regained his vision, he realized that the two pieces were welded together, his fingers now touching Sasha's. Her eyes were as night as the sky, like a pitch black fog was rolling through her retinas. His eyes were also glowing, but instead, a vivid crimson red.

 

Once the blue and orange image faded, the color in their eyes did too, as he exhaled a breath. "Yeah... That was one hell of a light show..." He chuckled, smiling as he looked at Sasha.

 

"Only thing I can think of..." Jason thought, staring at the two welded pieces in their hands. "... It's an Element Talisman... But that must mean..." He then looked up at Sasha, soon coming to a breath-taking realization. "You have powers..."

Edited October 29, 2012 by Toothless the Night Fury

[Apollo 297]

"You too?"

*The glowing of the talisman shards (What they will now be referred to as) continued to recede until it was gone completely. The glowing in Sasha and Jason's eyes also began to fade until they were back to normal. Sasha took the fused shard and went to place it back into the box, noticing that the slots that the shards fit into had changed as well, to fir the newly formed and differently shaped shard. Sasha sat back down on the couch, inviting Jason to sit down next to her.*

"So, Im guessing that my previous assumptions were correct, and there really is more to this school than meets the eye. Don't you think? Haven't you wondered exactly why we were invited to this school we had never heard about, and could not find any information about it anywhere?"

*Sasha thought a moment more.*

"Perhaps this school is gathering people like us, why? That I still need to figure out, but haven't you noticed? Strange things going on that had no real explanation, namely the fact that we all seem to have the same memory gap from the same point in time."

*Sasha said, her perceptivity on its highest possible level at the moment.*

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

Ajax stood still as the dark figure dropped from the ceiling. It strangely reminded him of something he had experienced before. Again, he entered into a state of flashback as he remembered something.

"What drives you to wait so patiently next to this pitiful shrine, waiting for my presence as if I were a god?" a voice hissed in his memory. A creature rose from the shadows in front of the statue of a demon-like being. It bubbled up amorphously at first before it assumed a full physical shape. It was rather terrifying to behold, a creature with razor sharp teeth and claws, six tendrils coming from its back and glowing red eyes. On top of that, it was accompanied by a large scorpion and locust, both seemingly guarding him.

That was all Ajax saw before he snapped back into reality to the present matter. Luce had interrupted his and Jason's sneaking, making Jason wander off. Ajax was left alone with Luce, but that was broken when a strange figure dropped from nowhere and called Luce by name. Confused, Ajax silently observed the two of them, but then sensed a strong burst of energy coming from a nearby room. He didn't know whether to leave her alone with the stranger and go investigate or to stay. In the end he chose to stay, curious and cautious to see what would unfold.

From the corner of his eye though, he caught sight of two glowing red eyes.

[Parties like Pinkie 385]

Daniel's eyes shot open, and he quickly raised his head, hitting in on the slightly lower than normal ceiling in the process. He switched to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, rubbing his head. As the pain from the resulting smack faded, it was replaced with curiosity. <How did I end up back here?> He thought, trying to remember anything from the dinner, with no luck. After sitting still for a couple minutes, with no memory of the preceding events, and no desire to go back to sleep, he decided to get up and walk around.

 

He stood up, and immediately felt a throbbing pain in his head. Grimacing and grabbing his head again, he stumbled forward, leaning on the door for support. When the pain had dispersed, he gathered himself together and opened the door, heading towards the sitting room. He was about to open the partition and walk inside when he saw people standing inside. Not wanting to bump into them, he started to turn and head in the opposite direction, when he heard one call out a name. It was muffled through the partition door, but Daniel could still make it out. "Luce" it had said.

 

Catching his attention, he went back up to the door, cracking it as slowly and quietly as he could, and put his hear up to the crack, hoping to hear something valuable. As he leaned down, his head began to throb again, but not as severely. <I better be careful. One quick move and I could wind up unconscious.>

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

Ajax heard a door creak open, but he ignored it for the time being. He silently shuffled over to where the set of eyes had been, only to find nothing there anymore. He then began to feel something wrap around him, horrified to see they were a set of claws when he looked down at his stomach. He was suddenly pulled backwards into the most shadowy corner of the car, seemingly dragged into a different dimension. After Ajax's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see that he was in a type of throne room, but more twisted and evil looking. Around him he could see some people frozen from their waist down in ice, begging for mercy.

"Sh*t," he said sharply as he saw them. "Am I in hell? Did I die or something?!"

A voice echoed in the dim lighting. "No, although this might as well be Hell. It's more of a place of torture for those I've deemed unworthy to walk the earth and spread their repulsive influence."

Ajax looked for the source and found a throne made of sharp bones and midnight black metal. The same creature from his vision sat in it, again appearing with a scorpion and locust at both its sides.

"It's been a long time Ajax," the creature growled.

Ajax stood in fear at the fact the strange being knew his name, and the oppressive aura it emited wasn't helping.

"What..."

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason reluctantly nodded, feeling ashamed of his element. He wasn't exactly proud of it, but it was the truth, no matter how much he tried to evade it. Seeing the box mold to the new shape confirmed Jason's suspicions. He didn't actually think that the legend could be true, that there were other Elementists, and that the Talisman existed. If it was true, if the six talisman shards were charged and welded together into the Talisman, the one who wore it would be able to bend the six elements to their will.

 

If Jason had that type of power, he could do so much with that power... He could fix everything in his life that went wrong... He could live a perfect life... To rid himself of the curse... To be normal...

 

It would crush Sasha... but it would all be worth it... Oh yes it would...

 

Jason then made up his mind. After the 4 other elements were charged, he would steal the Talisman...

 

He accepted the invitation, sitting next to Sasha as she spoke, feeling a little more insecure knowing that he would have to trick her in the end. He tried to ignore it, and responded to her theory about the school. "I agree. It explains the acid accident in the sleeping car earlier. It's the only reason why they brought us all here. Because of our powers..."

 

As she brought up the memory gap, Jason thought about the little evidence he collected in the sitting room. "There was some moved tables in the back, and I found some charred scars along some of the walls. There were also some possible chemical burns..." He tried to piece them together, but had little luck.

[Apollo 297]

*Sasha thought for a moment and then yawned sounding tired, her eyes felt heavy.*

"Geez, im tired? Thats rare."

*She smiled at Jason.*

"Guess Ill go get some sleep. Im sure more of this will be revealed as we get closer to the school."

*She began to stand up, but before she did, she leaned over and kissed Jason on his cheek.*

"Thanks by the way. I cant wait to hang out with you some more."

*Sasha shut the box with the talisman shards in it and stood up with it in her hand. She turned towards the spot on the train where the bedrooms were and walked off. As she arrived at her room, she began to think again.*

{I wonder what they could want with a bunch of superpowered kids? Is this some kind of superhero academy or something?}

*She chuckled.*

(Two years later, superhero rp. xD)

*Sasha wlked over to the bed and laid down, crawling under the covers. She reached down to her suitcase and opened it up, taking out a stuffed animal of a black cat.*

{Well, mysteries will have to wait. Time to get some sleep!}

"Woo."

*Sasha said tiredly raising her fist in the air for a moment. She let it fall back down as she fell fast asleep, her arm wrapped around her favorite stuffed animal and her thoughts filled with her new favorite person.*

 

(Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.)

 

*Damian Scott was about to take a drink from his glass of scotch when his eyes suddenly glowed golden and he felt a small surge of energy. He set the glass down and smiled.*

"So, she finally found another Elementist, eh? Did it faster than the last one. Of course that was hundreds of years ago."

*Damien rubbed his beard with a laugh. His immortal mind toned to things like this. He had been guiding Elementists down their paths for centuries, and Sasha was by far his favorite. he picked up his glass of scotch again and raised it into the air.*

"For Sasha. Good luck girl."

*He downed the entire glass with a smile on his face as the golden glow in his eyes receded back to their normal orange.*

 

(This guy is the one who gave the talisman shrds to Sasha. He has lived for centuries creating talismans and guiding youths with elemental powers to their futures. He is neither good, nor evil, but true neutral.)

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

The entity did nothing to relieve Ajax of his fear and simply sat there on his black throne. He opened his razor-lined mouth and snarled at his "guest".

"Quit quivering like a mewling child! The only reason I brought you here is to let you in on some things."

Ajax breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. When he finally mustered up the courage to respond, his voice still had a faint tremble in it.

"Ok, what would that be then... who and whatever you are?"

The creature spoke once again, "Plague is all you need to know for now, you will remember everything sooner or later. Now onto business, you'll find that you're not so different than the rest of your colleagues up in that train. Be careful how you use what you've asked for, or I will drag you back in here as a permanent guest. Now get out, oh and, be careful the next time you think about snakes." And with that, no sooner than he had entered the realm did Ajax find himself falling onto the floor of the train. He landed with a thud in the hallway, hoping no one had seen his "entrance". Brushing himself off, he wondered why that thing had wanted to speak to him. He had no memory of ever knowing it personally or even summoning it.

"But I think... No, wait," he muttered as he tried to remember any previous encounters. He was still worried about what it had said.

"If he drags people he thinks are bad into that infernal place then.... then does that mean I've done something?"

He headed back to his room, wondering anxiously if he had commited any atrocities before.

[Flicker Sweet 3,391]

Red continued down the hallway towards the car containing his room. He was extremely angry, but he couldn't remember why........this only fueled new rage within him. He looked around behind him, nobody was following him. Red wasn't sure, but it was probably for the best that nobody followed him. He might hurt someone right now..........as he passed by a servant he politely requested that some green tea be sent to his room, tea always helped calm him down. He stepped into a bathroom and washed his face off. As he looked into the mirror, he saw another person.......the person who strangled his younger brother.....the person who punched one of his subordinates and got himself fired, demoted, and nearly kicked out of the JROTC..........the one person Red actually hated in the world.......himself, angry. Suddenly the mirror and lights exploded; glass flew everywhere, slicing into Red's face and arms. "AAAAAHHH!!!!! SON OF A BITCH!!!!!!" he screamed, he opened the door to the bathroom bleeding profusely, "Hey! I need so me help over here! I'm hurt bad!"

[Toothless the Night Fury 260]

Jason chuckled. The only thing that kept him going was sleep. Nothing like a few hours of sleep to get you through a long day. It was also a good source for his imagination, as many of his writing and poetry were based of his dreams. Not always the pleasant dreams, but dreams nonetheless.

 

"I'm sure we'll find out in time." Jason watched the girl as she hopped back onto her feet, but when she bent over and kissed him on the cheek, he couldn't help but blush. Her warm lips felt so amazing, so wonderful against his cheek, that he almost wanted to ask for another one.

 

Still flushed with color, Jason stammered, trying to find his words that refused to come off his tongue. "U-uh... You're welcome..." Even though he was embarrassed to hell and back, it was still a pain to watch her walk away. Still, he didn't disagree with the view he caught as she left to go take a nap.

 

Chuckling quietly to himself, he went into his own room, pulled out his brown leather journal, and wrote a short note inside of it.

 

Today was just... wow. I met someone. A girl who happens to be on the same deathtrip I am on. Even more so, she's an Elementist. Like me. It looks like she can control the element of Darkness, but that may not be all to her powers.

 

But when she blushes, or flashes her smile, she looks so adorable that it puts puppies and kittens to shame. I know I've only known this girl for less than an hour. Heck, I don't even know her name. But when you meet someone like her, and she gives you a kiss on the cheek, you just know...

 

Ah... it's a terrible thing it wouldn't last forever. At any other circumstances, I would absolutely love to be with her my entire life. But she has the Shards of the Talisman. Most of them are still separated, but the girl and I have connected Fire and Darkness. Just 4 more elements to go, and it would be complete.

 

With it, I can change everything that went wrong in my life. It would make up for all the pain and hurt I've gone through to bear with the Curse. It would make everything right again, so I can finally live a normal life.

 

- Jason

When Jason was finished, he tucked the book away in his backpack, and pulled out his second notebook. Flipping through his various drawings to find the next blank page, he began sketching, outlining a cute young girl with black hair, split with white down the middle...

[Mephala 2,632]

Luce stared at the man, frozen. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears as he looked around at the room with slight distaste, his golden eyes burning as he focused back on her.

"So, my dear, it's been a long time. Too long, I daresay," he said in a cocky voice, crossing his arms.

Luce managed to find her voice. "What are YOU doing here?" she rasped, and, conscious of his gaze, she drew her arms around her to try to cover herself even more.

He leaned in close, touching her hair. Luce flinched away and he just closed hs fist with a sadly mocking smile. "Do you really despise me that much?"

She shook her head. "That doesn't answer my question, Julian."

Julian titled his head to one side and rolled his eyes. "You never were one for fun, now, were you? Never mind that, though. All shall be revealed in due time."

He then ruffled her hair as though she was a dog and gave a cruel chuckle at the way she stepped away from him, then disappeared into thin air.

Luce was breathing heavily and she made a small choking noise as she tried to stop herself from crying. She was cold all of a sudden and she squeezed her arms around her tighter as she collapsed into a chair in the fetal position.

 

Thalia popped another almond in her mouth.

"Thanks for the food, I was starving," emphasized Olivia as she lay sprawled on the plush carpet of her car.

"No problem," said Thalia with a smile. The two girls had met only shortly before when Thalia, still half asleep, pushed into her room and nearly peed on the chair, thinking it was the washroom. Olivia barely managed to stop her, and, feeling foolish, Thalia got her some nicked food from the kitchens.

Olivia sat up. "So, what do you think of the people?" she asked curiously.

Shrugging, Thalia threw a grape into the air and caught it neatly in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Most of guys seem pretty cool, but that one who you were talking to looks a bit whack," she mused. "The other girls are okay, I guess, but that blonde one gives me the creeps."

Olivia nodded empathetically. "Luce. What the hell was up with her earlier?"

Thalia shrugged. "I have no idea, but letting a psycho bitch attend a school on an island is a bad horror story waiting to happen."

Olivia laughed and sipped her water. "I pity whoever has to room with her." She then shuddered and lifted her glass for a mock toast. "Here's hoping someone else gets that honour."

Thalia grinned wickedly and clinked their glasses together. "I'll drink to that."

Suddenly she stiffened when she saw a faint man standing behind Olivia. He had gold eyes and messy black hair and seemed to be laughing at them.

Noticing that Thalia was staring behind her intently, Olivia turned, and, seeing nothing, gave her a worried glace. "Uh, Thai? You okay?"

Shaking her head, Thalia looked again. There was nothing there.

"Sorry, I thought I saw something," she mumbled, and tried to ignore the suspicious glance she then got from Olivia.

There was a sudden ringing as a bell went off, and Ms. Frey cam over the loudspeaker.

"Due to complications last night, there will now be a meeting in the sitting room before breakfast and our arrival at Casterly Rock. Please head there now. I repeat, there is a meeting being held in the sitting room five minutes hence. Proceed there now." A crackle came over as she put down the microphone.

Thalia sprung up easily and stuck out a hand to get Olivia. "Let's go," she said, relieved she didn't have to explain what had happened.

Edited October 28, 2012 by Raindancer

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

Ajax heard Ms. Frey's voice over the train's intercom and exited his room. As he headed towards the room, he was stopped short when a voice hissed in his head.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Ajax sighed when he recognized the origin's of the question. "Oh great, it's you. And what would that be?"

The "creature's voice answered his question, explaining Luce's current status. Ajax grumbled, saying, "Ugh, that annoying girl? How about this, you drag her into that circle of Hell you made. I dunno, give her the same punishment of the greedy and prideful from Dante's Inferno."

Plague snarled back in Ajax's mind. "Does it sound like I want to be questioned? Go and check on it, now, and be wary of any strangers around."

Ajax didn't know why, but he felt as if he should folow through with the orders of the creature. As he headed to the dining room, he thought he recalled meeting Plague before back home, but under different circumstances. He kept wondering how he had access to his mind. Putting aside his concerns, he entered he dining room.

"In case you didn't already hear, we're all needed in the sitting room...."

[Mephala 2,632]

Luce looked at him, her face tearstained. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting to seem weak, and jumped to her feet.

She then looked down at herself and frowned, still dressed in her nightgown, and then up at Ajax, flushing slightly. This was an awkward position for her-first caught crying, and now looking like a total mess.

"Uhm, all right," she said. "I guess I didn't hear the announcement." She coughed a little, and then straightened up.

She then recalled that he had been in the room with her when Julian had come, and panic gripped her.

"You didn't see anything earlier, right? In here, when you were here? Right? You didn't see anything?" Luce babbled, obviously scared of something.

If this boy had seen anything, Luce could be in big trouble. She knew all of the consequences, and Luce couldn't afford to lose anything now. Julian had cost her far too much already.

She felt lightheaded and she grabbed the corner of the table, which was suspiciously new, and vomited all over the floor.

Luce was absolutely mortified at this point, and she tried and failed to regain her composure.

I am such an IDIOT, what was I thinking staying out here? she thought angrily to herself.

"I'm sorry for that rather...poor display on my part," she said, embarrassed, to Ajax.

[THE WILD HUNT 213]

"Uh, it's quite alright," Ajax said as he watched her act strangely. Clearly she was afraid of something, Ajax didn't even need his Illusion skills to tell. He did in fact see what and whomever it is she was talking about, but seeing the way she was acting he preferred not to say anything for the moment.

"Who exactly was that that could entirely cripple her prideful character?" he thought as he tossed her a towel so she could wipe off her vomit.

"You're not feeling ill by any chance are you?" asked Ajax. He then placed a chair next to her so she could either sit in it or help herself up, preferring not to take any chances of being shrieked at for touching or even approaching her.

"Right then, so to the sitting room, though you might want to get dressed before you go there," he said as he passed her a long coat. "However... why exactly were you here in the first place? I doubt it was for a late night snack."

Ajax could hear the other teenagers shuffling along the hallway to the sitting room, and he caught sight of a couple of attendants hurrying them along.

"We should best speed it up now, they look pretty concerned. I expect them to give us an explanation of... our little misfortunes. Keep wary of any strangers," he said as he waoted for Luce.