Megara's Story

Ashley sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Twisting her head, she snuck a peek at the clock.

"Damn, I'm late." She yawned. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she proceeded to get ready. She grabbed her bag and trudged outside to the kitchen. A slice of chocolate cake sat on the counter, mocking her with its presence. Giving in to the temptation, she snatched it up and scooped off the frosting with her finger. A voice from across the room startled her and almost made her drop the plate.

"That's not a very good breakfast Ashley." It was her mother. Bridget Florence was a sweet and caring woman, but that didn't change the fact that getting caught was the last thing Ashley wanted to do.

"I just wanted a taste." She stated, reluctantly placing the plate back on the counter.

"Mmmhm," Her mom muttered, "And your father will be so happy to know that you overslept again."

Ashley shrugged, "I can't help it. I like to sleep too much." From across the room, she could see her mom rolling her eyes. She walked over and put the cake in a Tupperware container.

"If you're gonna start eating something, at least finish it." She handed it to her, "Now get to school already!" With that, Ashley hurried off on her way. By the time she reached the school, she'd already completely devoured the cake. Placing the empty container in her bag, she walked into her classroom. The teacher gave her a vicious stare.

"That's another tardy Miss Florence. I expect you in her after school for detention." Ashley frowned, making faces at the teacher when she turned her back. She took her seat beside the class genius. Fiddling with the the garnet pendant on her necklace, she turned in her seat to face Mai Wu.

"Looks like someone's PMSing today."

Laurel looked up from her book, glancing at the clock. "Crap!" If she didn't hurry, she'd be late for school. Standing up and thrusting the book into the shelf, she raced to her room and grabbed the bag that was lying beside her bed - Thank God I packed it last night - and ran down the stairs.

It was lucky that the school was near the orphanage, otherwise Laurel might have been later than she already was; but as it was, she made it in five minutes. She burst into the classroom, gasping for breath. "I'm sorry... Miss." The teacher glared daggers at her. "That's the second one late. Sit down," she snapped. Keeping her eyes on the floor, Laurel shuffled to a seat in the back, near a girl that she recognised as Ashley, who was no doubt older than her. Laurel had made it into the senior class by skipping grades, so most - if not all - of the students here were older than her. Ashley was whispering to another student, Mai Wu.

As she sat down, Laurel gave a fleeting smile to Ashley. She quickly waved to her, wondering if she would get in trouble with the teacher.

((Thanks Chy!!))

Mai Wu

Mai looked up as a late student showed up. Suffice to say, she wasn't surprised to see who it was. Ashley Florence was consistently late and the teacher right now was a stickler for time. Mai shakes her head when the brunette made faces behind the teacher's back as she sat down next to her before saying something.

She didn't want to reply, knowing she could get into trouble herself. Soon another student arrived late and sat down. As soon as the teacher commented on that, the older woman looked at Ashley.

"Perhaps Miss Florence, you'd like 2 consecutive days of detention. I'd be more than happy to give you an extra. And besides, if you had arrived earlier you could have conversed with your fellow classmates. This is my classroom time now though, so I would greatly appreciate if your eyes and ears be working rather than your mouth."

Corwin Huntley

Corwin could help but grin at Cale's statement about facial hair. The man did have a good sense of humor, even if it was screwy at times. Wanting to get this meeting over and done with, Corwin quickly follows Cale into the throne room. He let the other man greet the queen first and waited for her to speak to Cale before approaching and bowing..

"Your majesty, I am here as requested." he replied.

Another student walked in late and Ashley did her very best not to laugh. It looked like she wouldn't be the only one in detention today. The teacher shot the girl a glare and returned to her work. No detention, no suspension, nothing. Ashley, forgetting that she'd been absent on more than one occasion, was stunned. She turned as the girl sat and noticed her smiling. Returning the gesture, she mouthed the words, "You've gotta teach me your secret." The teacher's voice caught Ashley's attention and made her turn in her seat.

"Perhaps Miss Florence, you'd like two consecutive days of detention. I'd be more than happy to give you an extra. And besides, if you had arrived earlier you could have conversed with your fellow classmates. This is my classroom time now though, so I would greatly appreciate if your eyes and ears be working rather than your mouth."

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. Ashley was pissed. However, rather than responding to the teachers comment, she gritted her teeth and tried her very best to bear through it. She ripped a scrap of paper from her notebook, purposely making as much noise as she could. Grabbing her pen, she jotted down a messy note.

'Teacher's pet'

When she was done, she folded it many times in an attempt to make it smaller. When the teacher's back was turned, she hurled it over at Mai. She watched as the girl opened her message. Ashley leaned back in her hair and waited for any sort of reaction.

Dawn Trudy

Dawn had barely made it into her first class. She always sat in the back and was already daydreaming when she heard the door open and someone entered. It was Emily Evens. The girl was a bit eccentric, but Dawn thought she and the other girl had a lot in common in the sense that both girls tended to have active imaginations. She merely remained silent though as the class went on, looking outside at the clouds.

"Miss Trudy! Are you alive back there?" asked the teacher.

Dawn sharply turned her head and smiled.

"Sorry Mr. Derby."

"Do you know what the topic of the day was?" the teacher asked.

"Yes, we're covering German literature from the 1800s, more specifically the Brothers Grimm and how fairytales impact modern society." she explained.

Majority of the class looked amazed. Dawn never seemed to pay attention in class, so how was it she always seemed to know the material? This was simply because while her head was distracted, her ears were still working. The teacher sighed.

"Well, that's good, but try to look like your paying attention besides looking outside." he said.

"Yes sir." she replied out of habit.

Of course, no sooner had the teacher start lecturing again, Dawn when back to her 'Lala land'.

((FYI, Dawn and Emily are in another class than Mai, Ashley, and the others))

Mai Wu

Mai didn't like the note at all. It wasn't like it was her fault that Ashley was late. She didn't reply or show any facial reaction but concentrated on what the teacher was talking about. She heard giggles in another part of the room and knew it was Tatyanna and her crew. Of course the teacher soon had them silenced. She couldn't blame some of the girls for not paying attention. The class itself was dull. At least her next class was a bit more interesting, Mai thought.

"Now I need all of you to turn in your assignments now so pass it up to the front and I'll collect them." the teacher said.

Mail pulled her homework out and passed it towards the front. Of course, she was only a couple seats behind the front row.

Richard Locksley

After Altair left, Richard finally got to the stables and retrieved his horse, Little John. Of course the horse was a big stallion, but when he was born smaller than most horses. He was his favorite horse too and totally reliable, even though he was a bit of a trickster at times. Taking him out of the stables, Richard mounted him and went to the gate. After waiting forever for it to open, he finally left the palace.

Corwin Huntley

The throne room was becoming crowded and Corwin wanted to get his 'job' done. He always dreaded doing the Queen's bidding and this was always one of the worse parts. Killing an innocent always filled himself with rage and right now, he had to do all that he could not to let his anger control him. Once in his other form, he virtually had no control over it and only changed back when he ran out of energy. Once he woke up half naked surrounded by bodies. It had terrified him. Corwin was about to exit when he saw Eric Taylor come in and turned a sad face to him. The man was always the executioner whenever the punishment was beheading. Sighing, Corwin bowed to the queen once more and left her chambers.

((Now is he suppose to give the orders for execution and be there? Or just give the orders?))

Ashley sighed in annoyance when Mai completely disregarded her note. She had been expecting at least a frown from the girl. Regardless, she'd have to think up a better one next time. Maybe she'd write something like, "fried rice" just to piss her off.

"Now I need all of you to turn in your assignments now so pass it up to the front and I'll collect them."

Ashley reached into her bag and cursed too loudly when she noticed what had happened. She hadn't closed Tupperware container all the way, and now, chocolate crumbs completely flooded her backpack. Ashley pulled out the homework she'd spent so long on last night. Sure enough, there was a huge glob of brown frosting on it. Damn perfect.

Unsure of what else to do, she gave it to the boy sitting in front of her. He gave her a strange look before passing it forward. Praying that the teacher wouldn't notice, she folded her arms on her desk and used them to hide her face.

Today just wasn't her day.

Mai Wu

Now Ashley looked really upset. Mai had a feeling she was going to be the target of that anger too. It wouldn't be the first time girls tried to get at her. It was an ironic situation. There were days she wished she wasn't who she was. That way she wouldn't have all this responsibility. Now that she was going through this identity crisis, that weight was becoming heavier. Right now she was praying for a miracle to happen so she could find her own place and time. Wanting to take a brake, she raised her hand.

The teacher arched a brow in curiosity and asked, "Yes Ms. Wu?"

Mai rarely raised her hand for anything.

"Ma'am, I need to use the restroom please." she said.

"Very well, but don't be long. Don't forget the hallway pass." the teacher said.

Sighing in relief, Mai got up and took the hallway pass before leaving the classroom. With classes going on the hallways seemed like ghost towns. Not wanting to waste her precious free time. Mai headed to the restroom, went into a stall, and silently let a few tears fall. Holding in all this hurt was starting to become too much for her.

Corwin Huntley

Corwin waited for Eric and gave him a sad smile after they exit the throne room. Soon after them came Altair and he walked off somewhere. It was at that moment that another man passed by them and Corwin saw it was the 'other' Richard of the palace. Only it was the official 'bookworm' of the queen.

"Well Sir Eric, let's get this dreadful business done and over with. At least there seem to be less executions now." Corwin said, trying not to make the assignment as terrible as it already was.

Majority of the executions were females and it was rumored it was because the queen did this because she simply felt that the young lady was fairer than her and claimed no one could be more beautiful than she. As it was, there were more males in the kingdom now than females and the females were starting to hide in fear and rarely came out. Even most of the servants now were male. Corwin wondered just who old the queen was and why she never married. It was probably a good thing though. She probably loved herself so much she didn't want to share any of it. Corwin didn't know about Eric and some of the others who directly served the queen, but he knew he was banned from marrying someone. It was one thing he did agree with the queen. Who would ever marry him if they knew of his other nature? Besides, the queen would have another way of controlling him.

Reaching where the girl was held prisoner, Corwin tells the guards, "We're here reign judgement upon the prisoner."

((Um do we have to act out the execution?))

Laurel frowned at Ashley. She hadn't perfected the art of lip-reading, and couldn't understand what she was saying - or mouthing. However, it was plain that Ashley was mad at something, most likely Laurel herself.

The teacher asked for the homework and Laurel pulled it out, startling slightly at Ashley's outburst. Looking up, she saw a stain on the front of the worksheet. After passing up her worksheet, Laurel quickly tore a sheet of paper out of her notebook. 'Ever feel like you're a fire hydrant and every dog in the neighborhood is stopping by to visit you? Cheer up, it will get better.' After Mai Wu had left, Laurel quickly folded the paper neatly and threw it in the direction of Ashley's table. It sailed over her shoulder and landed on her pencil case. Luckily, the teacher's back was turned. Oh well. Close enough.

When Ashley finished her sulking, she noticed that there was a scrap of notebook paper folded up on top of her pencil case. Quickly, so as not to be seen by the teacher, she snatched it up and read it.

'Ever feel like you're a fire hydrant and every dog in the neighborhood is stopping by to visit you? Cheer up, it will get better.'

Ashley tried her best to stifle her laughter. It was one hell of an analogy, that was for sure. Turning, she tried to find the sender. Looking across the crowded classroom, she wasn't exactly sure who'd sent it, but she had a pretty clear idea of who to rule out. Let's face it, a lot of the kids in her class were idiots.

Laurel watched as Ashley picked up the note and read it. Ashley started to giggle lightly, and Laurel grinned to herself. Personally, it was a line Laurel liked to use to cheer people up - she didn't see what was so funny about it, but as long as it made them happy, she didn't mind. Perhaps it was the fact that she'd been brought up by nuns, who never cursed, but Laurel's metaphors always made others laugh.

Ashley turned around and scanned the classroom. Not sure if Ashley was looking at her, Laurel raised a hand and waved it a little.

Ashley noticed a girl waving from across the room. They'd been in the same class for a while, yet she had a difficult time remembering her name. She stopped and thought for a moment. The name Laurel flashed through her mind. That was her name. Turning, she smiled and mouthed the word "Thanks." It was nice to know that there was somebody that she could see eye-to-eye with.

Out of nowhere, Ashley felt her vision go fuzzy. The small pendant around her neck grew warmer to the point that she was afraid it would burn her skin. Taking it between two fingers, she cringed as a massive pain surged through her head. She began to see strange things.

The entire setting that followed was quintessentially Greek. She saw a king, wearing garments spun with golden thread. Beside him was was a woman. She was stunning, even without the gems that adorned her arms and neck. Ashley had never seen anything so beautiful. Cradled in her arms was a tiny baby, only a few days old. She peered down at the child, looking down at it with a grin that made the sun seem dim in compare.

"Little Megara," she cooed, "When you grow up, even the very gods will be stunned by your beauty." The scene faded, leaving only a blank frame in its place.

No longer was Ashley in control of her own mind. Within a few moments, the dizziness was too much for her too handle. It was even becoming difficult to stay sitting up straight. Soon, it proved to be too much for her and she keeled over and hit the tile floor, right there in the middle of the class room.

Laurel gasped and stood up as Ashley hit the floor. "Ashley!" she cried, hurrying over to her. "What the - " the teacher started, before directing another student to go to the sick bay. Laurel stood over Ashley's still body, wondering what had happened? All she had done was smile at Laurel, then she'd zoned out and fainted.

Laurel blinked and decided that she couldn't leave Ashley there on the floor. Shaking her hair back, Laurel leaned down and grasped Ashley's arms firmly. She carefully pulled Ashley into a sitting position on her chair.

Standing there watching Ashley, Laurel suddenly started to shiver. She closed her eyes and gripped Ashley's shoulder. Images ran through her mind's eye...

Laurel saw a couple dressed as a king and queen. They were cradling a baby, smiling down at her as though she was the most precious thing they ever owned. "Strong ad courageous Eilonwy, you will do good some day," the king said seriously. Eilonwy? Laurel thought, her mind a blur. Wasn't that the name of the princess?

Blinking, Laurel returned to the present. Looking down, she realized that she had been gripping Ashley's shoulder so tightly that her nails had left marks in Ashley's skin.

Ashley sat up straight and noticed she was sitting at her desk. Her head was still spinning and her shoulders hurt A LOT. "What the hell happened?" She grumbled in a groggy voice. Laurel was standing behind her. She had a distant look, almost as though she had been sent to a parallel universe. Frowning, Ashley pushed herself up shakily from the desk and stood. Grabbing Laurel's arm, she began to drag her out of the classroom.

Upon seeing the teacher's furious expression, Ashley groaned, "We're really not feeling well. Since I'm sure you really don't want your floor covered in my breakfast, we're gonna go to the nurse." The teacher made a face, but did nothing to stop them from leaving the class, despite the fact that they hadn't been the only ones feeling ill. A couple of the other girls had been feeling awful too.

Ashley had no intentions of heading towards the clinic. Rather, she made her way towards the front of the school. Plopping down at one of the picnic tables, she threw her head back. "My damn head is killing me!" She turned to Laurel, "Please tell me I wasn't the only one that had some sort of freaky vision. Maybe someone spiked my cake or something." She laughed humorlessly, "No, that's damn stupid, only some serious crap can make a person see things like that." Ashley continued her conversation with herself, forgetting to wait for Laurel's reply. Maybe it was genetics, but she wasn't exactly the "quiet" type.

Laurel stared at Ashley. "I don't think it's just you. I - I saw something, too." What was going on? Laurel was surprised to learn that she wasn't the only one to have seen something. Could she have been hallucinating?

"It could have been a hallucination," she suggested to Ashley. "You know, a mass hallucination? Perhaps it was something in the air - toxin, or haze, or something." Laurel was determined to find a logical explanation for this. Such things didn't just happen.

"And I'm sorry about your shoulder, by the way," Laurel murmured.

Ashley turned to Laurel with a dumbstruck look on her face. "You mean to tell me that you think something in the air made everyone go insane? Last I checked, we were the only ones with the weird dreams." She shook her head. "Look, I don't know what happened, but that was pretty f-" Ashley stopped mid-sentence. "Your sorry about my what?" Twisting her neck the best she could, she tried her best to see what Laurel was talking about. Sure enough, there were a few thin lines etched into the back of her shoulders. Raising an eyebrow, Ashley gazed at Laurel.

"Do I even want to know?"

Laurel backtracked. "I don't mean everyone, but I think that if it's really the air, it can't just be the two of us. Chemicals are a possibility, but I haven't smelled anything weird - burning perhaps."

While Laurel rambled on, Ashley twisted around to look at her shoulder. She gave Laurel a look. "Do I even want to know?" Laurel turned red under her gaze. "Uh, probably not. It wasn't on purpose!"

Ashley laughed. "It's fine," She said, "But chemicals? You mean to say that you think both of us managed to breathe in something weird, but everyone else in the room didn't" She shook her head, "That doesn't seem very possible." She sighed. Her head felt better, but she couldn't help but wonder what the entire scene had meant. Ashley stood, stretching her arms as she did.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think that this is too weird." She slowly took a few steps in the direction of the school building. "I'm gonna go inside. Maybe the AC will help me to relax." She turned to see if Laurel would follow.

Laurel chuckled nervously. "Well, I never was very good at Science." She stepped back as Ashley stood up. Her eyes glazed over, as they always did when she thought hard. "It is not required that you complete a task, but neither are you exempt from beginning it," she murmured to herself. Without replying to Ashley, she started to walk dreamily towards the school building, wondering if what she had seen was real. It had seemed all too real...

Ashley stayed standing, even as Tatyanna- a girl from her class- approached. When she got closer, there wasn't a doubt in her mine. Their necklaces were identical except for the fact that each had a different type of stone pendant.

"You not lookin so hot, Cheré" Tatyana said with a concerned voice. She even put her hands on Ashley's shoulders, as if to steady the her.

Ashley took a deep breath, taking her pendant in her hand and twirling it around anxiously. She wasn't usually the type to be shocked by anything, but in this situation, she didn't know how else to react. "Nice necklace," A bit of the color returned to her face, "Where did you get it?" She asked, getting straight to the point. Today was just too weird, she wouldn't take the time to subtly bring up the subject.

Dawn Trudy

Dawn watched as Tatyanna and several other girls converse before seeing the girl she ran into that morning come over. With all these girls around, she was starting to feel a little overwhelmed. Determined get up, she slowly stands up and manages to stay up.

"Does anyone besides me think this isn't a mere coincidence?" she asked the other girls.

Her gut feeling was telling her it wasn't. At this point, Dawn was wondering what else could happen and if anymore girls would show up.