Evangeline Newman's Story

Camila cried for a little while as her and Ophelia hugged. The pyromaniac had run out of tears, but she was still a bit sad for what had happened to Talia. And she was also tired. Just physically and emotionally exhausted from today's events. A nap was definitely needed. Eric, one of the leaders, also said that everyone should get some sleep. Discussing this tomorrow was a given. Ophelia would try and find Talia tomorrow. She would have too. She needed reassurance to know that her best friend hadn't just died. Ophelia pulled away from her other best friend, but they lingered near each other for a moment. It was almost like a silent 'it's going to be okay' moment. "We will talk tomorrow." Ophelia said with a tiny smile. Then she went back over to her boyfriend. She reached and held his hand tight. When it seemed like he was ready to go, she walked with him to find some place to sleep. She was so grateful to have him here. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. Ophelia might have gone to get herself killed. "Can you sleep with me tonight?" The brunette honestly meant sleep this time. Tonight she just didn't want to be alone. Her head was resting against Nathan's shoulder as she waited for an answer. She wouldn't be upset if he said no.

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Everyone seemed in agreement with Eric's idea to get some sleep. Even his sister who was clearly annoyed with the idea of her brother in charge. He would talk to her tomorrow. Delaney was ready to get some shut eye and Eric was ready to help. They left the ballroom and immediately got lost. The entire thing was like a maze. Every hallway led to another even more confusing hallway. Delaney was just as confused. He nodded at her enormous comment. "Come on. Bedrooms have to be somewhere." Subconsciously he reached out for Delaney's hand. He held it as they continued walking around. It was something he does when he doesn't know where he is and he doesn't want to lose a person. Since he already had her hand, he didn't feel the need to let it go.

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Evangeline was tired. It was official. She was dead tired. Sleep was necessary and she was about to just get a piggy back ride from her brother. But he disappeared. Ezra was going with Cami. Greyson was no where in sight. And Willow needed to carry Lucas. Evie would get one from Damian, but she was afraid that he would take her somewhere else. Also she is still afraid of him. She would just walk. It won't be that bad. Willow collected her son and told Evie to follow. The girl complied and walked with her to find a room somewhere. If they didn't find a room soon, her legs were going to give out. "This place should have come with a map."

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Matthew and Remi stood in silence. The smaller blonde didn't know what to say to Remi. He had left during his time of need and he wasn't in the mood to be flirty. But then Matt was pulled into a tight hug. For a moment he didn't hug back almost numb to the embrace. But soon he started to break down again. As tears welled in his eyes, his body began to tremble. And before Matt knew it, he was crying in his crushes arms. He wrapped his arms around Remi and just cried. He had only ever cried in front of his family and Talia. He was so set on never crying in front of Remi and yet here he was. Being absolutely pathetic, but he couldn't stop.

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​​The further she and Eric walked, the more confused she became. After a while, Delaney thought she was starting to go delirious from lack of sleep and the never ending halls. Why was it so hard to find a bedroom? Eric said the bedroom had to be somewhere, and Delaney didn't say anything. She knew he was right, but it didn't look like they were going to find one anytime soon. He reached out for her hand and she hesitated for a second. Eric is a friend. Eric is nice. Eric is good. Calm down, it's nothing. It's nothing. She looked at his hand and slowly stretched her hand to his. Such an innocent act contaminated by a monster. She loosely interlocked her fingers with his and continued walking down the halls.

The time kept passing and Delaney could feel her eyelids starting to droop and her feet starting to drag lightly against the floor. She stopped and turned to the nearest door. "Might as well start trying every door." She opened the door and looked in. Nothing. She moved to the next door and looked in. Still nothing. She kept repeating this pattern until she opened a door a little further down the hall, and found a large quilted bed. She turned to Eric. "Well, I found one." A small smile crept onto her face. She was beyond tired.

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Ophelia rejoined Nathan and he held her hand when she grabbed his. "Can you sleep with me tonight?" Nathan smiled softly at her. There was no way she meant an act other than actually sleeping. Not after everything that happened today. There was no way she would be up to something like that right now. "Are you sure you don't want to be alone?" It could do her well to get some time to herself, but him staying with her could make a difference. Nathan didn't want to Ophelia to be alone; he wanted to comfort her.

They left the ballroom and started to wander the halls. They found a bedroom not too long after they had set out on their quest for one. It was the first door Nathan tried. He raised an eyebrow and looked at his girlfriend. He turned and ran a free hand across her cheek. "If that's what you want, I can stay with you tonight. You deserve a good night's sleep, and if it included me next to you, then I will gladly join you."

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​Willow carried Lucas, passed out, in her arms. He breathed quietly into her neck and Willow nodded at Eva's remark. "No kidding. I didn't think it got more confusing than malls, and those come with maps. Little did I know how wrong I was." This was the last thing she wanted. Walking around a mysterious mansion looking for a bedroom for her son and herself to rest for the night with no idea where she should even be looking. She continued walking around with Eva and she came to a corner door. She tried the knob. It was locked. She rolled her eyes and walked to the door across from the one she just tried. It slowly creaked open and Willow looked at Eva. "By all means." Eva could go first. Willow waited for her friend to enter and check out the room first. Maybe she could get a room next to her or in the same hall. Willow wondered if she would find a room with a bed for her and her son. That would be convenient but extremely odd, if not somewhat creepy.

6 am || Friday || School Day || Everyone should be waking up or getting ready for school

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Light was shining through the window waking up the exhausted brunette. For a while, she did everything in her power to go back to sleep. It had taken her hours to fall asleep in the first place. She just kept thinking about Talia and that made it almost impossible to sleep. Nathan did a wonderful job helping Ophelia sleep. But now it was time to wake up and she wasn't ready. A couple more hours cuddled up with Nathan is all she asks for. Wake up Opehlia.. Her eyes shot open at the voice. It wasn't her own and it sure as hell wasn't Nathan's. She wrote it off as her self conscious trying to get her to get up. Looking over her sleeping boyfriend, she smiled softly as she pressed a soft kiss on his lips. She pushed herself out of the bed and stretched a bit. Good you are up I need to talk to you. Ophelia eyes grew wide and she looked around to see what it was. But she couldn't see it. On your shoulder. Ophelia looked on her shoulder and saw a blue whisp floating on her shoulder. Miss Landers jumped and brushed her shoulders off. That's no way to treat your muse. The whisp appeared right before Ophelia. It was rather small, but it reminded Ophelia of a flame. "Look uh muse, it's too early to deal with you right now. Can you wait until I find a shower?" The muse clearly rolled her eyes and then disappeared. Ophelia ran her fingers through her hair trying to decided if she would wait for Nathan to wake up before going to find a bathroom.

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Greyson was happy to give Kelsey to go back to sleep. She was so peaceful in her sleep. It was still a bit too early to wake her up. The better question was why Greyson was awake. Being in this mansion, he didn't have to go to work. Kelsey didn't have school. He would be able to sleep in. But he couldn't go back to sleep. No matter how much he tried. A sigh escaped him and he got up out of the bed. He had managed to find a room with two beds. One for him and one for his daughter. He sat on the edge of his daughter's bed and ran his fingers through her hair. She is so precious! There was a woman with a bright smile and perfectly straight black hair. Greyson was beyond confused to how she even got here or why he was in his room. But he was more concerned for her attention towards his daughter. "Who are you?" He was trying to be as calm as possible. Sorry hunny. I should have introduced myself. I'm your muse. And babysitter. She said walking closer to the bed. The muse ran her fingers through Kelsey's hair. Greyson remembered Celeste saying something about muses. This must be them. Giving her a once over he stood up. "Oh well can you watch her. I want to go find her some food to eat." The muse nodded excitedly. Greyson hesitated for a moment, but then he left to find a kitchen.

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Eric rolled over to find that he was in the bed alone. His dream had made it seem like Delaney was with him, but how he was so wrong. He had put the blonde in a different room and left her with a kiss on the forehead. The male sighed and buried his face in the pillow. He wanted to go back to sleep and return to his dream, but he was officially awake. Eric sat up in the bed and looked around in the room. It was rather cozy and homey. But he would rather be back in his own home with his sister Eva. Speaking of Evie it was a school day. Despite their current situation, his dyslexic sibling was going to school. She needed to keep up because catching up wasn't easy. Especially for Eric. He was the one that had to help her. Rolling out of bed he left his room to find the kitchen. He wanted to make her and the others going to school breakfast. On the way he saw Greyson. They both eventually found the kitchen and agreed to make the entire house breakfast.

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Evangeline was so tired. And she was hoping to sleep in much later than she did. After staying with Willow for a little while she had dragged herself to the nearest bedroom which happened to be right next to her best friend's room. The tired child rubbed her eyes before sitting up in bed. A yawn escaped her and she looked around. It would have been nice to smell food. Her brother always made food on school mornings. But the mansion was so big that she doubted her brother even found the kitchen. Evangeline laid back down on her bed. Eventually she will be here long enough and she will just miss school all together. Well hello beautiful. Evie turned her head to see someone laying next to her. Evie screamed and the muse slapped a hand over her mouth. She glared at him and he removed his hand. "Four seconds to explain." Evangeline wasn't joking. I'm your muse. She raised an eyebrow and remembered Celeste mentioning muse in her vague speech the other day. Her eyes ran over her muse. He looked older than her. Almost like her brother's age. He had to be at least Damian's height. But he had a much gentler face. "Nice to meet you. Now get off my bed." Evangeline waved her hand, and blew him onto the floor. He fell with a thud and stood up glaring at the one he was supposed to train. But then he just smirked at her. Grabbing Evangeline he threw her over his shoulder, and left the room. "Hey! Put me down! Don't make me bite you!" Her muse chuckled. I don't mind sweetheart. Evangeline just gave up fighting. The muse proceeded to take Evie to the bathroom.

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Matthew shifted a bit in his sleep. His sleep was thankfully dreamless. The last thing he needed was a dream about Talia. Or even Remi for the matter. Those two were the only two who were consistently in his dream. But he didn't need to think about them. Not now anyway. Soon Matt's body was trying to wake him up. He had shifted a few more times, but every position was uncomfortable. He tried moving closer to the warm body next to him, but that forced his to wake up. Matthew was wondering why there was a body next to him. Quickly he looked down to see if he had clothes on and sighed in relief when he did. But that didn't explain why Remi was next to him. Sleeping quite peacefully. For a moment, Remi just watched him. He doesn't really get this with Remi. They are usually a bite farther away from each other. Matt looked down and then climbed out of bed. It was nice to be with Remi, but he wasn't really in the mood anymore. To be honest he was expecting Remi to be gone when he woke up. Stretching a bit, Matt left the room to go and find a bathroom.

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​​Delaney awoke to the sun’s morning light streaming through the windows and going directly into her eyes. She rolled over on her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. She was still tired and did not feel like getting up. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Last night had wiped her out, and the lack of sleep she had gotten was not helping her case.

She could feel herself slipping back into unconsciousness when something was hurled at her. The object lightly hit her arm and she moaned softly. “Five more minutes.” She wrapped her arm under her pillow and sighed. Another object thrown at her, but this time it hit her hard in the back. “Ow! What the-” She lifted her head to see a young girl, about her age,l standing in the corner of her room, arms crossed, staring at her. The girl tapped her foot impatiently and Delaney jumped back on her bed. “Um, who are you?” The girl laughed half heartedly and flipped her hair over her shoulder. ”I’m your muse, and you have school.” Delaney looked the girl over. She faintly remembered Celeste mentioning each of them would be getting a muse. Delaney’s mind was more focused on training and potentially agreeing to be part of a death mission during Celeste’s visit rather than the muse she would get. Delaney repositioned herself and saw the objects on her bed. A pillow and an alarm clock. “If you wanted me to get up you could have turned the alarm clock on instead of throwing it at me.” She squinted her eyes at her muse and her muse shrugged. ”I didn’t think of that.” The stranger flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder and walked over to Delaney, pulling her off the bed. ”Get dressed. Clothes are in the closet on your right. I helped pick them out. I just hope you have a good fashion sense like I do. I’ll be outside your door and when you’re done we can go to the kitchen.” Delaney just stared at her muse blankly, and the muse rolled her eyes, disappearing from the room. The blond stood in the middle of the room by herself and sighed.
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Nathan was still on his stomach, arm under his pillow, half asleep, when he heard two voices not too far away. He recognized the one as Ophelia, but he didn’t recognize the other. He turned his head to see a small figure on his girlfriend’s shoulder, just to see it disappear a few seconds later. Ophelia stood a few feet away from him and Nathan rolled onto his back to look at her. He rubbed the sleep from his eye with the palm of his hand and sat up. ​”Morning, beautiful.” He smiled at her. After everything that had happened the night before, he was hoping today would be a good day. He knew some must still be torn up about Talia, but maybe she could be visited today. He could go with Ophelia if she wanted him to, or if she needed him to. The sun was streaming through the window onto the floor, and it looked to be a promising day weather wise. He hoped it would be promising in other ways, too.

Nathan got off the bed and walked over to Ophelia, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled away to look her in the eyes and grinned. ​”How are you this morning?” He could ask about who she was talking to a little bit. He wanted to see how she was doing first.

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”Mommy! Mommy! Get up! Up, up, up!” Willow felt her leg being pulled on lightly by her son as he yelled for her to get up. ​ “Where’s the fire?” Lucas giggled as he climbed on the bed, bouncing a few times before throwing himself on his mother. Willow exaggeratedly groaned in pain and Lucas crawled to his mother’s side. ”Mommy?” Willow peeked an eye open and the sat up on the bed, tickling her son. Lucas squealed in laughter and rolled from side to side. She laughed with him and slid off the bed. She stood and stretched before leaning back down and grabbing Lucas off the bed. She placed him on the floor and he ran to the door. Willow still thought it was odd there was a room for her and Lucas to sleep in. She thought they would have had to share a bed, but when she found a room it had a bed for each of them. She went to the door and they left the room, finding a bathroom rather quickly. They both went through their normal morning routines.

Willow dressed herself and her son and she pulled her wet hair up into a bun. It would dry on its own. Lucas played with the sheets on the bed as she combed through his hair. When she was done, she walked to the door and opened it. “Come on, let’s get some breakfast.” Lucas quickly jumped up from the bed and walked over to her. The two made their way around the hall, and Willow smelled something being made before she even turned the corner. They followed the scent until they found the kitchen. Willow walked closer the kitchen, and she saw Greyson, Eric, Ezra, and Remi. Willow figured Lucas saw Remi before the others from the way the child walked over to Remi and wrapped his arms around the man’s legs. Willow walked over to Remi who was in the doorway, and grinned at him a little. “Hey.” She kept her voice low. She knew he was still worried about Talia. She was too, but not to the extent that he was. She couldn’t imagine being in her best friend’s shoes right now. “How’d you sleep?”

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Damian walked around the room. He ran his fingers along the walls and sighed happily. After exploring the mansion all night, he had come across a large, empty room on the fourth floor of the mansion. It was nestled in the far right corner of the floor between a bathroom and storage closet. This would be the room he would use with Eva. It was perfect. He left the room and made his way down the steps and around the mansion. He had to find Eva. He needed to find out her answer. After everyone had cleared out of the ballroom last night, Damian had stayed behind and waited to leave. He had seen Eva and Willow in the halls looking for bedrooms, but had not seen them pick their rooms.

He walked down another flight of steps and stopped in front of a girl with white hair styled in a pixie cut. He didn’t recognize the face. She smiled at him mischievously and he stared at her. ”May I ask who you are?” She walked closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. I’m your muse. Pleasure to meet you, Damian. He lifted his chin curiously and scanned her over. She was tall, slim, clad in black. He took a step back and watched her hand fall. ”Pleasure to meet you as well, muse. Do you have a name?” She stepped away from him and folded her hands in front of her. Yes, actually. You can call me Gravity. We, muses, are named accordingly. Whichever ability you, or your peers, possess, that is what we go by. Damian nodded his head once and turned around, walking away from her. Gravity followed and Damian decided to ignore her. He had remembered the woman mentioning something about them each receiving muses, but his could just get in the way of training. If he were to train Eva and either of their muses interrupted, he would be furious. There was no need for them to be here. They would just make things difficult for him.

Ophelia was not in the mood to process her muse. She needed to get showered, dressed, visit Talia, and then argue with Nathan on the unimportance of school. If Miss Landers was to go to school it would be because Camila would need someone to be with her. Ezra couldn't be there in the building. But if Cami didn't need her, Nathan would have to be girlfriendless at school. ”Morning, beautiful.” Speak of the devil. Nathan was awake. Ophelia turned around to face her sleepy boyfriend. She liked his morning voice very much. It was husky and deep. Another benefit to waking up with him. "Hey darling." Gently she ran her fingers through her hair, before she started rocking on her heels. When he got up off the bed, they shared a loving embrace and a kiss. He always knew how to make her morning. Ophelia smiled at him when he asked how she was. "Better." There was still some anger and sadness coursing through her veins. But she would be fine for teh next couple of hours. Granted that is if she doesn't go to school. Speaking of school. "I was actually about to find a bathroom to shower. Want to join me?" She winked playfully. She didn't want Nathan to think that there was anything seriously wrong. So she let him know the only way she knew how.

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Greyson wasn't in the slightest worried about Kelsey even though he doesn't know anything about the muse. If Kelsey needed Grey, she would just do what children do best. Slip away. That thought made him chuckle. That was when Eric joined him in the kitchen. Extra help in the kitchen was always nice. Especially since this is a new kitchen and there were way more than two people to feed. Eric just took on the roll of eggs and bacon. It wouldn't take long for them and it would be easier to make a mass supply of those. Greyson was making waffles and pancakes. Kelsey liked pancakes so that was really who he was making them for. Grey and Eric were talking before Ezra joined them. Clearly hungry. "All those cooking shows I have watch were finally coming in handy." Eric joked. Greyson laughed. "That and between the both of us I actually know how to cook." Greyson was only teasing, but it was nice to have something to laugh about. Eric glared playfully at him and then looked at Ezra. "Ezra, could you find fruit some where. Evie is gonna want some." Greyson saw his best friend walk into the room. He looked like he still needed a moment. Greyson just waved at Remi with a small smile. Willow showed up and it seems like she was going to handle it.

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Evangeline's muse refused to put her down the entire way to the bathroom. Despite all her protest and kicking. It seemed no one heard her. And if they did, they didn't care. Not that it mattered. If this muse was of Celeste she was safe. But she just didn't like the fact he was carrying her into the bathroom. Finally she was put down and she adjusted her clothes. "That requires dinner and a movie." she muttered. The muse laughed. "Or I tell you my name and I don't tell the world about your dyslexia." Evangeline gasped and just looked at him. He was staring at her with a smile that unfortunately resembled Damian's. He wasn't kidding. She glared at him and then turned on the shower water. As she did that her muse got quite comfortable in the corner of the bathroom. He rested against the wall. "Aren't you going to leave?" He shook his head. "I am progressing our relationship. My name is Air." Evangeline just looked over him. He was just going to sit there. Evie just stepped into the shower and closed the curtain. She threw her clothes out of the shower and then bathed herself. Peaking her head from behind the curtain, Air was still there smiling. "Towel." He threw her one. She dried off, but remained behind the curtain. "Seriously Air get out. I will be fine without you for three seconds!" Air sighed. "Your clothes are folded on the second shelf." He clapped two times and disappeared. When Evangeline thought it was safe, she got out and got dressed.

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Matthew was in and out of the bathroom. He had clothes and things waiting for him when he was in there. If he cared, he would have questioned it. But he didn't. Right now he was trying to think of a way to try and get to Talia without having anyone follow him. It was quite selfish, but he wanted alone time with his best friend. Matt walked back to his room and silently hoped that it was empty. He didn't feel like engaging in conversation. Walking inside he saw a small child sitting on his bed. Her smile was bright and her hair was bright red. But when she saw Matt's frown, she frowned as well. "What's the matter, Matty?" Matthew doesn't know this girl. How does she know him. The girl picked up on his confusion. "I'm Poison! A muse from Celeste!" She was very proud of that. Matthew nodded and didn't ask any more question. "I just miss my best friend." Poison seemed to understand. Pushing herself off the bed, she walked over to him. "Well I know where the infirmary is. I can take you, but first..." The girl took Matt's hand and dragged him out of his bedroom. "Find out what smells so good!" Then she just disappeared. Guess that meant Matthew had to find the kitchen. With a sigh, he started to follow the smell of food.

Delaney rummaged through the closet, grimacing slightly as she did so. Many of the clothes weren’t her style. In fact, a few of the dresses hanging to the side scared her. She didn’t want to think about why or for what event her muse had put them in there for her. She didn’t feel like getting ready or going to school. She plucked a pair of jean shorts and a tanktop out of the closet and quickly dressed. She brushed through her hair and met her muse outside. Delaney watched her muse asses her outfit and frown. ”Well someone needs a lesson in fashion. We can do that after school.” Delaney rolled her eyes and asked her muse where the bathroom was. Her muse pointed to a door on her left and Delaney went in to use it before heading to the kitchen.

On the way to the kitchen, Delaney turned to her muse. “So, do you have a name? Or do I have to call you muse?” The muse grinned. “We’re named according to what powers you have, so I’m Plant, which is really unfortunate. Wish you could just manipulate vines. How sick would the name Vine be?” Delaney glared at her muse. “Well sorry for the inconvenience.” Plant laughed and skipped in front of her happily. ”Don’t sweat it. Come on, Eric’s waiting for you.” Her muse turned and wiggled her eyebrows at Delaney before disappearing around the corner. Delaney could feel her cheeks heat up and she looked down at the ground as she kept walking. She thought back to last night when Eric had left her at the door of her room with a kiss on the forehead. She had almost wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, pulled him close to her. Instead she froze and just let him go. Her stomach twisted as she stepped into the kitchen and looked at how many people were already there. The first person she saw in the kitchen was Eric. She ducked her head slightly and heard him ask Ezra to go find fruit. She looked at the two and spoke quickly. ”I can help you find fruit, Ezra. It should be easy enough.” She smiled to herself. She could already feel where the plants in the house were and in such a big house, she didn’t know how Ezra would go about finding fruit. She could tell there were a bunch of fruit trees in the backyard. She knotted her fingers together as she waited.

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Nathan was relieved a little when Ophelia said she was better. He knew she must still be upset or angry or both, but her being better than last night was good for him and everyone else. She most likely wouldn’t do or say anything rash regarding the death of the Kain guy, or at least not this early in the morning. He could rest easy for now. Ophelia mentioned a shower and he chuckled. He ran a hand through her hair when it started to fall in front of her face. He remembered they had school and he almost sighed. He would rather stay home with his girlfriend and cuddle and watch movies. He was too mentally exhausted to go about his normal routine and sit in a building with a bunch of people he barely cared about. He would rather stay in the mansion, even though it was still foreign to him. “I’d love to, but with the others around we wouldn’t want to disturb them if they’re sleeping. How about I go to find us something to eat while you get ready? I’ll help you find a bathroom.” He winked when he mentioned disturbing the others and took hold of her hand, walking towards the door. He was glad Ophelia was able to joke with him. Her joking around made him instantly feel better. She must not be as bad as he had thought, but he knew she was still hurt. At least she was trying to lighten the mood. He was grateful for it. As they reached the hallway, he turned to look at her. “Who were you talking to this morning? I woke up to you and another voice, unless that was a dream.” He didn’t think he had dreamt it, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Maybe he had imagined it.

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Remi scooped Lucas up in his arms and the child wrapped his arms around the man’s neck. Willow nodded when Remi said he slept, but didn’t elaborate on it. She was glad he had slept. If he had stayed up night pacing the floor or trying to get to his sister, she wouldn’t know how to go about that. Of course he needed to see Talia and check on her, but it was a long night and after the show he had put on before Willow slapped him, her friend deserved a goodnights sleep. He must have been exhausted. She could relate to his comment. A long, dreamless night for her and her son, she assumed. Lucas usually went to her when he had a dream.

Remi asked how her and Lucas slept and she shrugged. “The same, I guess. Nothing special about it.” Remi played with Lucas’ hand and Lucas smiled as he spoke, lifting his other arm up in the air. “Great! I had my own bed and...and mommy and I had a tickle fight this morning!” Lucas leaned closer to Remi and whispered in his ear, even though Willow could still hear. “Don’t tell mommy, but I won.” He pulled back and smiled triumphantly, and Willow smiled at the two. If anyone could put a smile on a person’s face, it was Lucas. Then again, she assumed any kid could do the same. Kelsey probably could too. Willow looked at Greyson cooking with Eric and she looked back to Remi. She could see Matthew a few feet away from them out of the corner of her eye and Willow just watched him approached. She thought it was weird to see everyone coming together under one roof and interacting. She wasn’t sure of the relationships between everyone, but maybe she’d find out sooner or later.

Gravity kept bothering Damian as he wandered the halls in search of Eva. He could smell something being made, but he could eat later. It wasn’t like he had anywhere to go during the day. Gravity brought up him being rude again for about the sixth time, and Damian abruptly turned around. ”Excuse me when I say this, but I don’t need you. If I wish to converse with you ever, I will turn to you. However, if you really want assist me right now, could you please direct me to Eva’s room?” Gravity came up short and she nodded her head quickly. Damian could tell he got to her and he straightened up, waiting. Gravity passed him and continued forward. Follow me.

Damian walked right behind her. His muse led him down several halls until they came across a door. The girl cleared her throat before Damian could knock. She’s not in her room right now, she’s in the bathroom. So you will wait outside the bathroom until she emerges.” Damian sighed softly and nodded his head. He was starting to become agitated, but he had to remain calm for his conversation with Eva. If she said no and he lost his cool, then there was no way she would willingly say yes. He would just frighten her more, in which case he could threaten and force her to train with him. That wouldn’t be too bad after all. Damian leaned against the wall connecting to the door and turned his head to his muse. “If you do not mind, I would like to speak to her alone. You may reappear after. Is that understood?” Gravity hesitated before nodding her head. Yes, I understand. She disappeared and left Damian by himself. He waited against the wall until he saw Eva come out of the bathroom. She seemed to be by herself, and Damian flashed his usual smile at her.

Ophelia great despite what happened yesterday night. It was just nice to have someone to help her take her mind off of her best friend. Even if only for a brief moment. He rejected her bathroom proposal, but for a good reason. The wink was assurance that they were thinking on the same level. It was for reasons like that, that she adored Nathan. He flirted with her no problem. Even if it was reasonable flirting. "I will be quite this time. I promise." her voice practically in a purr. Opehlia doesn't know what the word quiet means. But she was only teasing. He had already made up his mind. Which meant they weren't doing anything. They started heading towards the bathroom since he agreed to at least walk her there. As they walked he mentioned the second voice that he woke up too. For a moment Ophelia had to think about it. "Oh. I sort of met my muse this morning. But I sent it away because I didn't want to be bothered so early." Leave it to Ophelia to forced her muse to leave before they were even properly introduced. They got closer to the bathroom and she turned to him. Leaning up on her tip toes she placed a kiss on his lips. "Make sure they have bagels in the kitchen." She whispered between the small gap she left between them. Leaving Nathan, she walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

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Matthew walked into the kitchen, not expecting the group of people. He first noticed Remi. For a moment it seemed that he had seen him as well, but Remi just went back to talking to Willow. Matt just kept walking to where the bar stool was. It was quite isolated. It was to make sure that no one felt like they had to talk to him. He would be perfectly fine humming to himself. He hummed quietly. Waiting for food to be done. He wanted to go and talk to Remi. To explain why he didn't wait for the older male to wake up before saying anything. But he was surrounded by others. They could talk later. Maybe.

Greyson was practically finished with his part of the breakfast. There were more than enough pancakes and waffles for everyone. When he looked around to see who else had joined them, his face lit up slightly. Camila had joined them. Greyson smiled softly at Cami before she ducked away toward her cousin. He just looked down with a smile still on his face. He wasn't going to confton her right now. He wanted to go deal with his best friend. Greyson washed his hands and walked over to Remi and Willow. He smiled at Lucus. "Hey little man! he said, giving Lucas a high five. Then he looked at Remi. "Hey little man." It was less enthusiastic, but it was just to tease. Then he looked at Willow. "Hope you slept well knowing you smacked my precious Remi." Greyson was truly just trying to lighten the mood. He wanted everyone to be happy.

Eric was making the last of the bacon and he was hoping Erza would just hop to the job without question. But he was distracted by Camila. Not that it was a problem. Eric was a tad bit distracted by Delaney. She had joined them in the kitchen and immediately offered to help find fruit. That was the best job for her after all. He smiled at his blonde crush. Eric thought that he should give a verbal hi or a hug, but he stayed put. He needed to finish his food before his sister came down and complained. Speaking of siblings he looked around. "Has anyone seen Eva?"

---

---

Evangeline took her time getting ready for school. It's not like she wanted to go. Being forced to try and understand something she clearly didn't understand. On top of that she didn't want to be bombarded by brother 1, brother 2, Air, and Damian. They were all annoying. Evie really just wanted to see Delaney, Willow, and Lucas before heading out. But she knew that wouldn't be the case. Especially because Air can just pop in and out whenever he felt like it. Damian always seemed to find Eva. And her brother tag team seemed to have implanted her with a tracking device. Running the fingers through her now straight her, she sighed. Time to embrace another terrible school day. She walked out of the bathroom, she saw Air waiting for her. Smiling. She walked a bit closer and quickly realized that it wasn't Air. It was Damian. Why her muse looked like the scariest person alive was beyond her. But the better question was why Damian was waiting for her. Evangeline kept walking by him hoping that he wouldn't want to say anything to her.

Ezra agreed to go with Delaney and she smiled. She saw Nathan out of the corner of her eyes and she smile faltered slightly. She didn’t want to deal with him right now, in front of all these people. She turned her attention back to Ezra and saw him approach her with a large bowl. She shrugged. She didn’t know how much fruit they wanted or who liked what or exactly what fruit was in the backyard right now. She was too far to tell just yet. Ezra met her at the doorway and he added that they would try to find Eva too. Delaney grinned a little. She had barely seen Eva last night since she was with Eric. The two could head off to school together and talk about everything going on. Neither were terribly close to Talia, so it could be easily to relate to each other on the topic.

Delaney and Ezra walked down the halls. “The backyard's three halls over and straight back.” Delaney hadn’t really talked to Ezra alone much. She had been over the Newman’s when he was there and she’s comfortable around him at least. She volunteered to help him find fruit because she knew if she hadn’t he would have gotten lost. Many of them probably would have. As they kept walking and getting closer, Delaney could tell more and more what fruit was in the backyard. She smiled to herself and hoped the bowl was big enough.

---

Ophelia explained the other voice he had heard this morning and he laughed. The woman that had appeared to them last night, Celeste, he thought her name was, had mentioned something about them getting muses. He thought it was cool. The muses could be their personal little buddies, or something like that. Of course Ophelia would shake her muse off and tell it to leave her alone for now. It didn’t surprise him. They got to the bathroom door and she leaned up and kissed him before sending him off to get her usual breakfast. ”Make sure they have bagels in the kitchen.” Nathan smiled at her. “Okay, your highness.” She entered the bathroom and he followed the mouthwatering scent that was drifting through the halls.

He reached the kitchen a few minutes later and was surprised how many of them were already gathered. He knew many of them had school, but if he didn’t have school he wouldn’t be up right now. He wondered why Greyson, Remi, Ezra, and Eric were up. He could guess, but that wasn’t really any of his business. Remi, Willow, Lucas, and Greyson were by the doorway. He slipped by them quietly and continued into the huge kitchen. He saw his cousin alone and glared at her before walking around her. His eyes next landed on Cami looking for something in the cabinets. He smiled at Cami. He hoped she was feeling better. She still looked worn out, but not nearly as bad as last night. He went over to Eric and stole a piece of bacon off the plate. ”Hey man. Are you the next Julia Child or something?” He teased with a short laugh and Eric asked about Eva. Nathan shook his head slightly. He hadn’t seen her. Ezra went off with Delaney and Nathan went over to the cabinets, He looked for the bread, and then when he found the bagels he plucked one out of the bag. He popped it in the toaster and went to the fridge. He took looked around for the strawberry cream cheese and then took it out and made his girlfriend’s breakfast. He looked at the piles of food around him and laughed quietly. All this food Ophelia could pick from and she wanted her bagel and cream cheese.

---

Willow watched as Lucas did all the talking with Remi and even caused Remi to laugh. She was glad her son was able to do such a thing, even though it was short and weak. Willow wasn’t the best at comforting people, so she usually tried to make up for it but directing their attention away from the matter at hand. Lucas was stealing the spotlight right now with Remi, and she wasn’t about to stop him. Just then, Greyson approached Willow, Lucas, and Remi and high fived her son. Lucas smiled and greeted Greyson happily. Greyson greeted Remi the same way he greeted Lucas and Willow laughed softly when Remi proceeded to flirt with Greyson. She couldn’t believe him sometimes, but it was good what he was doing. Willow turned her head to Greyson and smiled at him, answering his prior comment. “Why, of course. it really helps a girl sleep at night.”

Kelsey was brought up in the conversation and Willow looked around. Kelsey wasn’t in the kitchen with her father. Maybe she was sleeping. There was no way Greyson would leave her alone. At the mention of Kelsey, Lucas squirmed in Remi’s arms to look at Willow. “Mommy, can I play with her after I eat?” Willow raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t thought he had seen her, but maybe he had last night at some point. Willow looked at Greyson. She figured it would be fine, but if they did Lucas could play with Kelsey while Willow did her school work. “It’s fine by me, if it is with you.”

---

Eva finally exited the bathroom, but when she saw him she kept walking. Damian chuckled and followed quickly behind her. He had just waited for her, the least she could do is acknowledge him. However, he could have sworn he saw her smile at him. It fell a few seconds later, but it still happened. Lovely, he thought.

”Hello, Evangeline.” She seemed to be scared like yesterday, but maybe she was just always like that around him. He just wanted to talk to her for a few seconds, how terrifying could that be? He would be out of her hair soon enough. He quickened his pace so he passed her by a foot or so, and then turned around to face her. “If it’s alright, I would just like a few minutes of your time.” He smiled and stepped closer to her. He knew how she froze when he was close. He saw it yesterday. That’s what he needed. There was more than enough room for her to turn around a run. They were the only two in this large hallway in the large mansion. if she ran, he wouldn’t chase her. That would be that. He would just close in on her in a more secluded area. The little space between them right now was helping him. He just needed her answer. “I apologize if this visit is unpleasant for you, but I just need something from you.” He smiled and took another step towards her. “I need your answer.”

Ophelia saw that she had clothes and things in the bathroom already. Her muse must be looking out for her. Stripping down to her birthday suit, she turned on the shower water. It needs to be scolding hot for her to be able to feel it. A side effect to her element being fire. She sat there waiting for the steam to clog up the room. Once she could no longer see herself in the mirror, she took a long necessary shower. She took the time to think about her best friend. And then think about her boyfriend. And then she thought about whether or not she take the extra time to wash her hair as well. That decision was made rather quickly. By the end her hair smelled like strawberries. Miss Landers turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. She wiped the steam off the mirror and saw the reflection of a tiny blue wisp. Rolling her eyes, she moved it so that it was in front of her. "By later I meant, when I was dressed." "You were taking too long." The pyromaniac went back to drying her hair. "Well you have until I get dressed to explain what and who you are." Ophelia walked away from the mirror to grab her undergarments. The wisps just stayed by the mirror annoyed by the time limit. "I am your muse. Fire. We are named by your ability. I wish you had a nice ability though. Like Nathan. Having the name Time is better than Fire." Ophelia glared at the wisp.

"Is that it?" Ophelia slipped on a skirt and brushed her hair out. She didn't want water dripping down the back of shirt. The wisp did not appreciate the attitude. "That's no way to talk to your muse." The tiny, helpless looking blue flame claimed. Ophelia giggled. "You are not intimidating. Damian doesn't scare me. You definitely don't scare me." The wisp knew Damian and just backed off. "Well fine. You are free I guess." Ophelia put the shirt on and smiled. Without another word she left the bathroom in search of her boyfriend and her bagel. It wasn't long before she strolled into the kitchen which was surprisingly full of people.

---

---

Greyson chuckled and winked at Remi. At least he was trying to flirt, which was a semi good sign. Luckily, they didn't have to go to school. The last thing they needed was to have class. Willow seemed to be doing alright too. She was in a semi-dangerous state the last time he saw her. Lucas clearly had no idea what was going. All three of them were curious to know about Kelsey. "I didn't know my princess was so popular. She is with my muse. But I am about to go get her so that she can eat breakfast." He said so nonchalantly. He trusted Celeste so he trusted the muse. "And as soon as she comes down of course you can play with her Lucas." Kelsey would like having someone to color and stuff with. Then he looked at Remi. "But does my other princess want breakfast? Eric made eggs and bacon. And I made waffles and pancakes." He would get Willow food too if she really wanted some, but he was just really concerned for his best friend.

Eric wash his hands and slightly glared at Ezra when he nudged him. Way to be subtle. The two also agreed to look for his younger sibling and he was quite grateful for that. He was going to force her to go to school whether she wanted to go or not. Not that he really cared if she didn't want to go. School would be good for her and her dyslexia. Delaney and Ezra left for fruit. Nathan appeared and complimented his cooking. Eric just laughed. "I'm more Rachel Ray." They were only messing around of course. Eric doesn't really cook. He usually just buys food. Evie doesn't seem to mind.

Matthew smiled softly at Cami as she went to set the table. He was just trying to be polite. But he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Remi. He wanted to go up and talk to him, but he was frozen to his seat. It didn't help that Remi was openly flirting with Greyson. There was some jealousy of curse, but he wasn't going to give Remi the satisfaction. He was waiting for the two people on the mission for fruits to come back. He was hoping they would return with apples. That was all he ever ate for breakfast. Especially before school. The quicker he ate, the faster his muse would take him to Talia.

---

---

Evangeline just wanted Damian to leave her alone. He seemed to always want to ambush her when she was alone. God forbid another person showed up it would be like Damian and her didn't even know each other. He ended up catching up with her and blocking her path. She took a few steps backward thinking about bolting in the other direction. But when he spoke, she froze up. Like always. Any thought of running fled her mind. It was annoying what power he held over her. Now she was wondering her Damian look alike was at a time like this. Of all the times she could ask for a muse he wasn't around. Damian seemed to be waiting for an answer. The answer to the question that he asked her before they fell through the floor. She just stared at her, searching for the words. But it seemed that her vocabulary that she learned in elementary school left her. 'Say something!' she scolded herself. "N-no. M-my muse will train me." Evie managed to choke up while taking a few steps backward.

Delaney led them to the backyard and Ezra commented on being homesick. Delaney looked at him and frowned slightly. She couldn’t imagine what it was like coming from another part of the world and then whisked away after arriving. She didn’t know how long he had been back, but it couldn’t have been long if she barely saw him. She eyed all the plants and couldn’t help control the smile that overtook her face. It was like she had a connection with each of them. She could tell which were ripe without seeing them, or which already had been touched by insects. She eyed the bowl around the same time Ezra did. Definitely not enough room. She scanned the trees and bushes and bundles of fruit and vegetables around her. Where to start? Ezra came back with two large, woven baskets with handles and she laughed. There was no way this was a coincidence.

She walked over to the apple tree first and looked up, then at Ezra. “Do you want to get the bushes while I get the trees? Or vice versa, or does it not matter?” She didn’t really plan on getting the bushes. She could easily lift herself into the tree and pick the fruit while he picked the berries. If he wanted to get the trees, she could bend the branches for him. Either way, they were being productive.

---

Nathan finished spreading the cream cheese on the bagel and laughed at Eric’s comment. “Not bad, but I’d love to see you on dessert.” Eric barely cooked in the first place, so doing something like desserts must be a spectacle and a half. He would definitely have to see that some day. His friend bought food and that was about it. At least he could make non-burnt bacon.

When Nathan finished with his girlfriend’s breakfast, he looked around at all the food options. There were waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit was on the way. He turned to Eric. “So who’s going to be the first to dig in?’ Nathan turned his attention back to the food in front of him. There was so much and looking at it made his stomach grumble. He never really liked being the first for things, unless it was something important. That was about the only time he took the lead. He really wanted some fruit to go with the eggs and bacon he would eat, but he hated having to wait on Delaney to bring back his food. Luckily it was for everyone, so at least nothing could happen to it on the way to him. He turned his head to look at the door way. he wondered how long it would be for his girlfriend to reappear. A few seconds later, the redhead appeared and he smiled at her. He stole a plate off the table and put her breakfast on it, walking it over to her after. Cami had set the table, so he knew there were enough plates for them all. “A bagel with strawberry cream cheese, just how you like it.” He kept his voice low. He didn’t want to be disturbed by others right now.

---

Greyson explained how Kelsey was with his muse and Willow just looked at him. She wondered when she would get hers. She hadn’t received hers yet and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what her muse would be like. Remi voiced what she had been thinking, about not getting one, and Willow nodded in agreement. “Yeah, neither have I.” Greyson and Remi continued to talk, and Lucas was handed back over to her. She took him in her arms and he clapped when Greyson said he could play with Kelsey when she came down. Willow was glad Greyson was as up to it as she was. They were the only two kids in the house, so it made sense for them to play together. She just hoped they played well together. Nothing was worse than two children who didn’t get along with one another.

Lucas turned to his mother and puffed his lips out. “Mommy, is breakfast ready?” Willow looked at him and then around the kitchen. She could see the pile of food on the counters and she nodded her head. There was the food Greyson had mentioned: eggs, bacon, waffles, and pancakes. Remi parted from them, and Willow followed him into the kitchen. She turned to her son. “What does my little man want to eat this morning?” Lucas put a finger up to his lips as he thought and looked around at the food. He pointed at the waffles with his finger. “Again?!” It seemed waffles were the only food Lucas ever ate. Willow grabbed two plates that Cami had put on the table, one for her, and a smaller one for Lucas, and began putting food onto the plates. She wasn’t going to wait around to see who would eat first. Lucas was hungry, and so was she.

---

Eva stuttered through her words, and Damian almost smiled. Almost. She declined his offer and explained that her muse would be the one to train her. Damian stared down at her disapprovingly. If she was going to run, she would have done it by now. He was free to speak to her as much as he liked, until someone came and interrupted them. He didn’t enjoy the questions that often followed when he was seen conversing or interacting with people. Many people needed to mind their own business, and it really set him off. He never did anything openly. He enjoyed to act with as little witnesses as possible around, that way there was less of an opportunity to be disturbed. Damian continued to stare at Eva. “Your muse? What a shame.” He shook his head slightly and paused. The thought that she would train with someone else was amusing, but slightly annoying. He needed someone to be his new experiment, and who better than a young, lively, gifted individual? Out of everyone in the house, Talia, Eva, and Delaney were the youngest known users. Delaney was an obvious choice, but her particular gifts didn’t appeal to Damian. Plants were fragile and didn’t take much to be destroyed. Delaney was out. After last night, Talia had been brutally beaten and left for dead. She would have been an option prior to the incident, as her abilities were fascinating, but she was too...strong willed for his taste. He could have dealt with her, but why put in more effort than necessary to control a person? Talia was out. That left Eva. Her gift was lethal, she was strong physically, but she was so terrified of him which left an edge, a weaknesses so obvious that he could easily manipulate it. She was perfect. He needed to have her. He wouldn’t accept anyone else.

“If you really believe your muse will train you properly, better than I could, then by all means. However, I ask just one more thing of you. God forbid, if what happened to Talia were to happen again, but to someone else, someone you love, do you believe you would be ready for it? If it were Delaney or Ezra dying, would you be strong enough? If it was Willow bleeding out in front of you and about to leave poor little Lucas, could you bare it? If it was Eric, his body tattered and torn, would you be ready to lose him? He paused and leaned his head in slightly, lowering his voice to a low, rough whisper. “If you were the one in Talia’s position, are you positive your muse would have prepared you to fight?” He pulled his head back and smiled sweetly at her. “Oh, how I hope no harm comes to you or your friends.” His smiled disappeared and his face returned to its normal, emotionless state. It was an empty threat, but still a threat. He took a small step back. Enough to leave some more space between them, but enough to hopefully keep her still paralyzed with fear. Just one more comment in his little speech. Just one more. “Evangeline, you should know I do not come as a second option.”

Currently, half of the people that she could see in the room did not have anywhere to be this early in the morning. Those people just happen to be the ones making breakfast for the people in the house. That was awfully kind of them. Ophelia could never cook for other people. Because of two reasons. One. People cook for her all the time whenever she needs food. Two. The effort to make food for others was a waste of energy unless she really cared about them. Cami, Talia, and Nathan could get food anytime they wanted. But everyone else would need to beg, plead, and be completely malnourished before she even thought about it. She ran her hands through her hair and saw Nathan approach her with a smile. Adjusting her skirt, she smiled back. Ophelia saw that he had her bagel with strawberry cream cheese. She kissed his cheek and then took her plate. "You are the best." But he already knew that. She picked up one of the halves of the bagel and took a bite from it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of her close friends sitting alone. Cami clearly needed Ophelia to cheer her up. Her attention went back to her boyfriend as she swallowed the food in her mouth. "I'm going to go talk to Cami." She saw that he didn't have food in his hands for himself. "And you are going to get yourself breakfast." It sounded like a command, but Ophelia could never really tell Nathan what to do. She never could. He was almost immune. With that she walked around him and semi skipped over to Cami. She took another giant bite from her bagel. "What's up buttercup? Not hungry?" She sat in the stool next to her. "You know if your man candy made the food, it has to taste good." Her voice was low. She didn't want to let the whole world know that Cami had a crush on Greyson.

---

---

Remi politely turned down Greyson's offer to get him food, which was completely fine with Grey. He just want to let his best friend that he would be here for him whenever he called. For a moment he lingered with his two friends before deciding it was time to go and get his daughter for breakfast. Willow took her son further into the kitchen to get food. Remi just sat down. Greyson just hoped that Talia was okay to get him out of this funk he was in. It was surely depressing to see Remi less than himself. A sigh escaped him and he started jogging back to his room. Nearing the room he could hear his little girl counting. He raised an eyebrow. "Ready or not here I come!" Her and the muse must have been playing hide and seek. A low chuckle escaped him and he opened the door. "Daddy!" He heard the moment he opened the door. The little girl took her attention away from the door and jumped on her father. Greyson picked up and kissed all over her face. She started giggling and squirming in his arms. "Hey baby girl. Were you having fun?" She nodded her head enthusiastically. Then she turned too see her babysitter smiling wide, while sitting on the bed. "Just shout Water, whenever you need me Grey." With that she faded. Kelsey gasped with admiration. "Daddy! Is she magic!" Greyson laughed and nodded his head. "Yes she is. Now come on. I made breakfast." She clapped her hands in approval and he walked with his baby girl back down to the kitchen to feed her breakfast.

---

---

Eric leaned up against the kitchen counter, waiting for Delaney to come back. He just wanted to talk to her. Or just look at her. Which ever he thought would be a bit less awkward. But right now he was waiting. Looking around no one was really eating anything. Willow and Lucas were the first to grab food. Nathan grabbed bagels for Ophelia no less. Everyone else was either too scared to eat first or waiting on the fruit. Eric heard his stomach growl and he decided that he wasn't going to wait for a dinner bell. He grabbed a fresh clean plate and started at the pancakes. He grabbed three of those. Then he threw two big helpings of eggs and five pieces of bacon on the plate as well. He walked over to the table that Camila had set and settled down. Hesitating for a moment, he thought he should at least wait for Eva. But she was taking way to long. Drenching his pancakes in syrup, he grabbed his fork and dug in.

Matthew just watched Camila set the table. There wasn't much else to look at. Well besides Remi. But Remi was too busy flirting with Greyson and chatting with Willow. Matty was trying so hard not to jealous. All the two did last night was sleep in the same room. But when Remi and him made eye contact for a brief second it was like Matthew was invisible. It just made his regret ever having a crush on the man. But Matt couldn't stop his heart from doing what it wanted. He sighed a bit and smiled softly at Camila when she took a seat all by her lonesome. He thought that maybe she was also waiting on the fruit. People were starting to eat the food that had just been made. Matt stayed in his seat and watched Remi join the table. They were sitting close to each other, but Remi didn't say a word. That slightly irritated Matthew, but he pushed that away. He decided that he should at least talk to Remi. Or just say hi. They were supposed to be at least friends. "Hi Remi." Matthew got a genuine smile on his face as he ran his fingers through his own bleach blonde hair.

---

---

Damian did not look pleased with her answer. But Evangeline could never really read his emotions on a good day. All she knew is that he was out to get her about one hundred percent of the time. Willow didn't believe her and Eric thought she just needed to be indoors more often. But Evie knew that being inside didn't make her safe. It just gave the tall, dark, and mysterious boy a challenge. For a moment they were silent and Evangeline thought that she was going to be freed. But instead she was given a lecture. The scariest and most thought provoking lecture she had ever heard. And unfortunately Eva was right about her muse. Air never said that he was hear to train her. Celeste never mentioned the muses being helpful in the elemental department. The people that were in charge might have been just as confused as she was with her powers. Damian seemed to have the most control and power in the group. At least from what she could tell. And he was practically offering her power. To actually be able to protect herself and those she cares about. Kickboxing could only take her so far. If she was confronted by Kain she would be absolutely hopeless. “Evangeline, you should know I do not come as a second option.” Her eyes grew a bit wider. Her decision needed to be made now and this would be it. No going back. A shaky sigh escaped her. Eric would not be pleased with what she was about to say. "O-okay." Her voice barely above a whisper. She was practically ashamed that she had said yes.

Ezra told her it didn’t matter and he suggested that they both picked them off the trees together. Delaney nodded and walked closer to the apple tree, running her hand against the rough bark. That was a good idea. They could both work on the trees and have them picked twice as fast rather than having one work on the trees and one work on the bushes. There were so many trees and so many bushes. It reminded her of a fruit orchard.

”How did you find this place so fast? If you don’t mind me asking I mean. ” Delaney smiled at him and then turned her back on the tree so she could face him. ”Watch.” She looked at the ground and then at the branches above her. The lowest ones were maybe five or ten feet above her head, but they were long. She held her hands above her head so each hand was under a branch. She moved her hands slowly out to the sides of her. The branches moved down around her and bended behind her like a swing. She sat on the two branches and slowly retracted them to their original position. As she did this, she moved from the two branches onto the thicker branch entirely and wrapped her legs around the wood. When the branches were back and she was sturdy, she moved the leaves of the tree so a small opening was made. She peered down at Ezra and smiled. ”I have a feeling you can guess, but I can manipulate, and form of plant life. I can sense and locate any type of plant when it’s nearby. So, like Eva can manipulate air, I can manipulate plants. Exciting, isn’t it?” She let sarcasm touch in her question, but she really did like her gift. It suited her and she liked being able to communicate with plants. Maybe it bored others, but not her. She looked at Ezra and wondered what he could do.“I told you mine, now tell me yours.” She smiled at him and swung her legs leisurely. He was easy to talk too. She was glad he was Eric’s friend. Maybe they could become close.

She gestured to the tree closest to him. ”Do you need a lift?” She could do what she had done to herself to him, or she could bend the branches down towards him so he didn’t have to go up into the trees. He could be scared of heights for all she knew. Fortunately, bringing herself up into the tree didn’t take as much energy as she had thought. The branches were lighter and more malleable than she imagined. She was glad. It took less concentration and energy out of her. She still hadn’t eaten yet.

---

Nathan watched as Ophelia took a bite of the bagel and then announced she was going over to Cami. She then turned to him and ordered him to get food. He laughed and kissed her on the cheek before letting her go. ”Yes, ma’am.” As if on cue, his stomach grumbled again and he let her walk off. He wasn’t going to get food bcause she told him to, but because he was starving, plain and simple. He hadn’t eaten since dinner the previous day so his stomach felt like it was about to start eating itself if it didn’t get anything soon. He walked back over to where the food was, stopping at the table first to pick up a plate. Willow had just helped herself and Lucas, Eric was finishing serving his food and heading towards the table Cami had set, and the others that he could see were on stools. He went to the food and helped himself to a large portion of eggs and bacon, skipping on the waffles and pancakes. He had never been a big fan of them, plus he liked his protein. He didn’t doubt Greyson had made them well, he just didn’t want any. He would definitely have to wait for fruit. He needed his daily fruit salad. Hopefully there was enough fruit for him to make it and everyone else to help themselves. He got himself a glass of water after his food and made his way back to the table. He sat in the spot he had taken his plate from and started eating.

Willow sat at the table, eating her eggs, bacon, and waffles. She cut up Lucas’ waffles and gave them to him, putting a little bit of syrup on them. He grabbed his fork and then looked at her.
“Mommy, can I have some strawberries? Please?” Willow looked at his plate and nodded her head. He usually always had strawberries with his breakfast, unless it was blueberries, grapes, or apple slices. At least one type of fruit to eat in the morning. He asked for them on his own after a while. She hadn’t known how much he liked them until he started bugging her about them. ”Yeah, we just have to wait for a little bit. Delaney and Ezra are getting them right now.” At the mention of Ezra’s name, Lucas looked at her excitedly. ”Is he still going to play with me today?” Willow laughed and assured him he was. She didn’t know why he wanted to play with Ezra so badly. Maybe Ezra just had that special touch with kids.

Lucas started eating and Eric sat down at the table. She smiled at him politely and then Nathan soon followed him in taking a place at the table. Lucas saw Nathan and immediately jumped up from his seat and ran over to him. Willow moved to retrieve her son and tell him to keep eating his food, but Lucas was already in Nathan’s lap and laughing. Lucas threw his arms around Nathan and hugged him tightly. ”Uncle Nate!” Willow shook her head and slid her son’s plate across the table towards Nathan. She knew her son well enough that he wouldn’t return to her if Nathan was nearby. He was his godfather after all and Lucas loved him. Nathan took it and nudged Lucas lightly after hugging him back. ”What’s up, buddy? Come on, eat your waffles. You need to get big and strong if you want to be like me.” Willow rolled her eyes but kept eating, and Lucas pouted before picking up his fork again. ”I am strong, I just need to get big.” Nathan laughed and returned to his food. When he had had enough to silence his stomach somewhat, he looked at his best friend across the table. ”I need to talk to you.” Willow paused and looked at him curiously. For as long as she had known Nathan, he never used that line on her. It was odd to hear it coming from him. ”About what?” It hadn’t been long since they both talked, so what did he possibly have to say to her? ”It’s not life or death, we just need to catch up.” Catch up?They had just talked the night before then ended up in this place with all these people. The only thing that had happened since they had last seen each other was what happened to Talia, and pretty much everyone knew the same information on that. Willow just shrugged and returned to her food. They could talk when he got back from school.

---

It was easier than Damian had expected. All he had to do was talk and she caved in. Maybe it was the threat, maybe it was the image of her loved ones being hurt, or maybe it was the fact that she did need his help that made her accept his offer. All he knew was she had accepted and she was now his to play with. Just him and her. He grinned at her, obviously pleased, and refolded his hands in front of him. "Excellent.” It really was excellent. Everything was going smoothly so far. He hoped it would stay that way.

“I've already found a room for us to use. We start tonight. Meet me here at 8:30 and I will lead you to the room. Do not be late and do not forget." He turned his back on her and started walking away from her. He got about 5 feet when he turned his head to the side and called over his shoulder to her. "I trust that you will lie in the event anyone asks where you're going or why you're missing around 8:30 for a few nights. Perhaps to practice your dancing?" He knew enough about Eva to know she took kickboxing and dance lessons. She might not even be good at them. He just knew she did them. He also knew that the training wouldn’t only be a few nights. They would be often, but he would go into detail with her later in the day. He had to prepare her so she knew what she was really getting into, but he wouldn’t let her go back on her word, not easily. If she left at any point, he would have wasted his time. He would have to start all over. She was the one.

Ophelia giggled when Camila's face turned a bright red color. It was amusing to see how embarrassed she could get just from mentioning anything about Greyson. As much as it would please Ophelia, to continue to make her friend it would eventually get annoying. Cami was already embarrassed enough. She took another bite of her bagel and watched Nathan get his food. She never understood his breakfast choices. Bagel and strawberry cream cheese was the way to go. Had everything she needed for a 'healthy' breakfast. Turning back to her friend Cami, she tried to remember what she was really wanted to talk about. She quickly remembered about needing to go to school. "So. I was wondering. Do I have to be at school today?" The pyromaniac was asking as if, Cami was her mother. That wasn't the case at all. But she just wanted to know that if her best friend didn't need or want support at school, Ophelia would then have to convince Nathan to skip school as well. Ophelia finished her bagel and sat the plate down. She needed something to drink, but she was too lazy to get up and get it herself. Maybe when Greyson walked by, she would ask him. She would ask Nathan, but he already sat down to eat. She was not going to bother him again. Also, Willow was with him. Ophelia tried to avoid her at all cost.

---

---

Greyson waltzed into the kitchen with his daughter in his arms. She smelled the food and smiled the Cheshire cat. "Are there pancakes, daddy?" The father nodded and she squealed, wiggling around in his arms. She insisted on being put down so that she could run to get the food. Grey laughed and set his daughter onto the floor. She grabbed a small plate and attempted to reach for everything. Once she realized that she was two short, Greyson prepared the plate for her. "Thanks daddy." She said taking her plate in hand. He nodded and held his own plate of food in his hand. Kelsey ran straight to where the other child was sitting. Willow and Nathan were there as well enjoying breakfast. Greyson helped Kelsey into her chair and then sat next to her. "Hope you all don't mind, Kelsey and I joining you." Not that they really had a choice, the duo had already sat down. Greyson looked over to his best friend to see that he was talking with Matthew. Then he saw Camila was clearly red faced, but busy with Ophelia. He thought the seating choice he made was a rather good one. "Dig in princess." Kelsey didn't have to be told twice. She started to eat her food as well as her father.

---

---

Matthew didn't think Remi would say anything to him. Not only did he respond, he was being a bit playful. That lifted up his spirits. There was nothing better than having your crush want to be around you. But it made him feel even more guilty for leaving the older blonde before he had woken up. Matt didn't know whether or not to be sorry for that or brush off the comment. "Sorry. I uh need a moment to myself." He stated, running his fingers through his hair. "But next time we sleep together I will be sure to be there for you in the morning." Matt said, in attempt to be flirtatious. It was just for the sake of Remi. Anyone else and he would have just stopped at the sorry. He saw that Remi didn't have any food and that concerned him a little. "Not hungry?"

---

---

Evangeline knew that she shouldn't have accepted his offer. She knew that she should have high tailed it the moment he caught her in the hallway. But she sat there and listened to him like she always did. She always let him do whatever he wanted. She just let him get into her head and she couldn't do anything about it. Evangeline never told anyone about the times she has seen Damian. She was too afraid to say anything. She would rather just forget that they ever met. But she had walked right into the lions den with no escape. Damian's idea of training could mean anything. She would find out exactly what he meant at eight thirty tonight. Evie would show up on time for fear of what would happen if she showed up late. She just nodded, still not being able to use her words. Finally, some space was put between them when he walked away. He didn't fail to look back and prompt Eva on lying about the training. Evangeline thought she would be allowed to tell someone, but she could. The dancer nodded and then took some steps back. She couldn't tell anyone about her dangerous meet ups. If something bad happened no one would know where to look. Before he could say anything else or come up with more terms, Eva turn and ran. She ran down the hall as far away as she could. She was trying to find the kitchen. That is where everyone should be. And it would be her temporary safe haven.

Delaney couldn’t help but smile as Ezra clapped for her. She bowed her head politely as he did so, and then he soon made a comment about him being around plant life a lot and her eyes widened in surprise and delight. Not many willingly went out of their way to go outside and garden or take care of plants. In her eyes, the only time people, mainly teens, were around trees was when they were lounging around or making out under them. She was glad some appreciated nature and it’s fruit like her. She was glad one of those people was Ezra. They could definitely be friends now.

He went on to explain about his gifts and mentioned being shy about them. She wondered why, but he quickly followed his statement with Willow insulting him with Twilight. Delaney rolled her eyes. Leave it to Willow to insult someone about the coolest and best thing about them. Delaney didn’t understand her pink haired friend sometimes, but she always had a laugh with her. He closed his eyes and she stared at him. Before she could really guess what he was going to do, Ezra started glowing and Delaney covered her hand with her mouth. She certainly knew what Willow meant with her reference. He continued to glow and then the sky started changing. She watched the colors changed through the leaves in awe. A soft light blue, a deeper blue, a reddish purple, and a deep navy blue flashed across the sky before her eyes within seconds. Stars twinkled and Delaney glanced quickly to check that Ezra was doing this and the sky wasn’t actually going to collapse on them. He made it look effortless. She shook her head slightly as the sky returned to its original state and just smiled. She didn’t even know what to say. She was glad he spoke first. “Cosmic bodies send cosmic energy.” Delaney laughed slightly, remembering the Twilight comment. “That was amazing! Willow’s right, you are the real life Edward Cullen. How did you discover you could do that?” She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. She looked at him for a few seconds before standing up on the branch and then starting to pick the ripest apples and placing them gently in her basket.

---

Nathan and Willow conversed and joked quietly until they heard someone approaching them. Nathan was just about finished his food when Greyson and Kelsey joined them. “Hope you all don’t mind, Kelsey and I joining you.” Nathan shook his head. “The more the merrier!” Nathan’s eyes flickered to Kelsey and he grinned. She was very cute. He had never seen her before, but he guessed that was something Greyson preferred to keep quiet. Lucas shifted himself in Nathan’s lap so he was closer to Kelsey. Nathan let him do so and adjusted himself so he was now sharing the seat with his godchild. The three year old smiled at the other child politely when she ran over. She started eating and he stopped shortly to watch her, then greeted her enthusiastically, “Hi, Kelsey!” Willow could tell he was happy to be around Kelsey, especially since she was the only other child in the house. Willow finished chewing the food in her mouth and swallowed before greeting Greyson. “Not at all. It seems we didn’t have a choice in the matter, though.” She smirked at him and took a sip of her drink. It was easy to joke around with Greyson. She didn’t have any reason to not like him, and he and Remi were close so it made it easier for her to become comfortable around him. Just then, the light through the window started to become brighter, the sky a deeper blue, and then that faded, becoming a light purple, only to fade into a deep black color. Willow and Nathan watched as the stars shone in the sky through the window and Nathan looked around slightly. Lucas was staring out the window, happily chewing some pancakes, but staring wide eyed. Willow had a blank face as she watched the sky. Nathan turned his head to look at his girlfriend. Ophelia was still with Cami and not too far away. If something was coming and about to hurt all of them, he hoped he would be able to get to the two on time to protect them both. Willow stared as the sky changed. When the stars came out she couldn’t help but smile. The nighttime was her favorite time of day. Whatever was happening with the sky, she liked it and was grateful. It was a beautiful thing, to go to bed at night with the stars and wake up and eat with the stars.

---

He heard the frantic footsteps as he turned the corner of the hall. Damian stopped and listened as they faded and eventually ended. Eva had run out of there and he just grinned. He had a feeling the running would never end. Her fear would never stop, even if weakened, but that may not even happen. He couldn’t go to the kitchen, not yet. He could smell the food coming from there, and where there was food this early in the morning, there was people. Frankly, he didn’t want to. Being in a roomful of people he didn’t like wasn’t ideal to him. If Evangeline had gone there to be protected or calm herself down with the distance, he wouldn’t follow her. He wanted to watch her, see what she does and assure nothing happened to her. He was feeling famished, but he would make himself wait. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before. He walked throughout the maze of a mansion, finding his way around fairly well. Some halls blended together and it was easy to lose track of oneself, but he was managing. He let his feet carry him where they wanted, only allowing him to stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see his muse, Gravity. She obviously did not care much about his prior warning and restrictions with her. He turned to face her, giving her a rather irritated look. She brushed it off quickly and stared him in the eyes, taking her hand off him. What exactly do you plan to do with that girl? Damian couldn’t resist the small smile and dark chuckle that escaped him. “I’m going to do exactly as I told her I would, train her. I will test her and see if she can handle it, but of course I’m going to be getting something out of it as well.” Gravity angrily furrowed her eyebrows at him. She opened her mouth to say something about him hurting her, but he raised a hand and cut her off. “When you teach a child how to ride a bike, they will get a few injuries, will they not? When you train someone, they will also get a few injuries.” He grinned and turned his back on her, leaving her in the middle of the hallway. He already knew his muse was going to be a nuisance. If she didn’t like him having a conversation with Evangeline, Damian knew Gravity would never approve of the training sessions. He didn’t care, though. He would try to deal with her if the time came to do so.

Ophelia never meant to embarrass Camila as much as she clearly has. The pyromaniac would not mention Greyson Latier for the next couple hours. Just to keep her best friend sane. But after school, Ophelia was probably going to ring it up several different times around other people that weren't Grey. Just to bother her. It would be great. Nathan would probably help. Or he would ceased the teasing. Moving on from Cami's crush, she allowed Ophelia to skip school. She would have jumped for joy if Camila didn't suggest that she skipped school. Ophelia almost looked dumbfounded. Camila? Missing school? Granted their best friend was severely injured, but Camila never missed school. And Ophelia may tease her about it, but in the triangle one of them must get a decent education. "No. You are going to school." And Ophelia cringed at her next words. "And I am going with you. Only I am skipping all my classes and following you around." That way she technically wasn't going to school. She was just going to trail her best friend to make sure that she is okay. Just then the sun that was once high in the sky, dipped low. The moon and stars were out. Ophelia was ready to attack, as usual. Whoever did that could be a threat. Her eyes ventured over to Nathan. She couldn't lose him either. And she was close enough to Cami to protect her. Just then it was like someone turned the lights back on. Ophelia didn't address what was happening. "Deal?"

---

---

Greyson and his daughter ate their breakfast quite peacefully. Well Greyson ate, and Kelsey destroyed. It's like she hasn't eaten in days. His food was good, but now that good. Willow teased about him and his daughter sitting here and he glared playfully. Messing with Willow was pretty easy considering she was close with Remi. Anyone close with Remi was good for teasing. Since Remi either teases or flirts. That pretty much how he gets by in life. Kelsey to a break from stuffing her face to sip some of the water. “Hi, Kelsey!” She looked over at Lucas with a smile. Greyson leaned down and whispered his name to her daughter. Setting her water down she waved. "Hi Lucas." Now Kelsey was going to have a friend to play with. That was good. The father can't entertain his daughter 24/7. He sipped his orange juice as the lights dimmed and it became night time. He held his daughter close to him, concerned for the change. It soon returned to day and he looked less worried. Elemental glitch? He didn't want to address it really. "Daddy who turned off the lights?" Greyson chuckled. "I don't know sweet heart."

---

---

Evangeline kept running. Getting lost a couple times as she was trying to find the kitchen. After a while she stopped running to catch her breath. Looking behind her, she didn't see a single trace of Damian. It made her feel better. Just a little. He was still in the house. The young girl held her hands out and saw that she was shaking. She was still terrified. Running her shakey hands through her hair, she started actually looking for the kitchen. Walking in, she saw almost the entire house gathered. Well all except Ezzie and Delaney. She spotted her brother quite easily. Jogging over to him, she slid in the chair next to him and rested against him. Eric could feel her shaking and he looked at her with great concern. "What's wrong?" He whispered. Evie just shook her head. She wasn't allowed to say anything. Something bad could happen to Eric. He stared at his baby sister for a moment and then just decided not to push it.

---

---

Matthew for some reason was expecting a small flirty comment back like Remi had done with Greyson, but instead he just got a confused look. That kind of hurt so he was glad that the conversation was dropped. Remi said that he couldn't eat because his stomach was in knots. Matty could understand the feeling. That was why he was only eating fruits. Remi asked about him and his eating. Matthew shrugged a little. "I was waiting for the fruits, but I am losing my appetite again." He said.

Ezra looked at Delaney like a confused little animal after she mentioned Edward Cullen and she brushed him not knowing who he was off. It was her favorite books series but she wouldn’t let it get to her. Most guys didn’t know Twilight anyways. Ezra went on to tell her about him watching the stars with his sisters. ”They were so upset that they couldn’t see them that I told them to imagine they were simply turned off, to cheer them up, and we were going to turn them on. Delaney turned her attention from the fruit she was putting in her basket to look at him. He had turned his own attention to his basket and she imagined Ezra outside stargazing with a few siblings, lighting up the sky when it was dim for his siblings. She grinned and started picking apples again, then when she had enough apples swung herself from the apple to tree to the banana tree not far by and continued picking. Ezra finished his story and she laughed along with him. His experience reminded her of her own, even though they weren’t too similar. She didn’t have siblings or anyone to share her experiences with. She used to have Nathan, but that was a thing of the past. Her attention was turned from her thoughts back to Ezra turned the original question back to her. They locked eyes briefly and she swung from the banana tree to the orange tree. Her mind immediately went back to one of the darker days of her past but she smiled. She didn’t want to raise any suspicion. “I was 14 going on 15, and I used to go to this meadow a few miles from my house. I always went alone. I would spend hours just laying in the tall grass and staring at the sky. I always waited until the sunset to head back home, so I would be there for hours each day. One day after it rained, the ground was still a little damp so instead of laying down I started running.” She ran her thumb over the plump, bright orange in her hand and examined it closely. ”I just kept running but I felt like I was flying over the grass, and I didn’t know it then, at least right away, but I actually was. I was just casually grass surfing, like every normal person.” She looked at him and smiled, and then dropped down from the orange tree. She was glad she could share her story with someone else who understood. She had with others but it was still nice to think back to her days in the meadow. It was her only means of escape back then. She glanced down at the basket in Ezra’s hand, and then at her own. Their baskets were practically overflowing, and she was glad they still had the big plastic bowl left for berries.

---

Willow glanced at Greyson to see him pulling his daughter closer to him. Willow glanced at Lucas, who was still next to Nathan and chomping on his waffles. Lucas and his mother made eye contact and he swallowed the food in his mouth. “Mommy, why doesn’t that happen every morning? I like the stars.” Willow tried to help the smile spreading on her face but ended up laughing, which caused Lucas to giggle and Nathan to ruffle the three year old’s hair. Something could have just happened to the sky and killed them all and her son was enthralled the stars were out. She didn’t know she had made such an impression on her son with her own fascination. Nathan was about to answer the question when the sky returned to its normal morning blue. Lucas seemed saddened by the returning and went back to his food, which was almost gone.

Some time passed and Eva finally showed up at the table. Willow watched as she walked over to her brother and sat down, immediately leaning on him. She could see the younger girls hand tremble slightly. Eric asked his sister what was wrong and Eva didn’t answer. Willow waited for Eric to follow up with another question, but it never came. She guessed he didn’t want to push it, and it didn’t surprise her. Eric was like that, she knew him well enough to understand that. He was respecting her space and privacy. Willow didn’t really respect personal space too much, or especially privacy. There was no such thing as privacy with her. Willow was pretty relaxed right now, so it was easier than usual for her to open up her mind and find Eva’s thoughts. She tried to ignore them as she opened up a line to communicate to her with, but they were hard. Once she was in her mind, she could feel every emotion running through her body and every thought seemed to surface at once. That was the one part of dipping into people’s minds she hated. She had almost full access to their brain and everything jumped out at her. Luckily, it was getting easier for her to access what part she wanted quickly and try to avoid the unnecessary information. Willow shook her hand under the table lightly as if to shake off the emotions from Eva. It was mainly fear, but she didn’t know why. She finally pushed a message through her friends head a few seconds after entering. “I’d apologize for not respecting your privacy, but something’s wrong and I want to know if you’re actually okay. What happened? I can basically hear your knees knocking from over here.” If Willow had said this outloud, she would have smirked at her friend to lighten the mood, but she tried to be as discreet as possible when communicating with others mentally. She hoped Eva heard the joking tone in her comment. She was trying to get to the bottom of what happened without making her friend worse.

---

Ophelia did not mind following Camila around school if it meant that she would be okay. Sacrificing her strong desire to stay home to be with her other best friend was not a problem. But Cami insisted that she went to school and that Ophelia stayed home. She said that she would be fine, but Ophelia semi didn't believe her. But Cami was strong. "Alright. But if you need someone to break you out of prison I will go and get you." Ezra would probably have a better time getting his cousin, but Ophelia bends tons of rules at school anyway. Breaking Cami out of school was just another rule that she knows how to break. But now that she could stay home from school, she pulled out her phone to text Nathan. Although he was close by he was with Willow. Ophelia and Willow aren't friends. And possibly never will be. So it was safer just to text him.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG] Can we stay home from school today?

When the message sent she rested her head on Camila's shoulder. She wanted to make her friend feel better. Ophelia had Nathan to make her feel better and Ezra wasn't here to help. She would mention Greyson again, but the point wasn't to make her red. "Hey, did you get your muse?" Nathan said he didn't get his and she was curious about Camila's.

---

---

When the sky returned to normal, so did Kelsey's eating. No more than a minute later her plate was empty. She drank the water that was in front of her and then watched her father eat. Greyson looked at his little girl and put another forkful of waffle into his mouth. Kelsey groaned as he chewed slowly. "Daddy you eat slow!" she said with a giggle. Greyson chuckled and handed her a fork. "Then help me eat it." Kelsey smiled and started eating the rest of the waffles with her father. Then there was a mini showdown for the bacon. Greyson took it and shoved it into his mouth. Kelsey laughed and so did he. Greyson got up, leaving his daughter at the table to put the dishes in the sink. Kelsey watched Lucas, Nathan, and Willow. She didn't really know any of them so she got up from the table and ran over to where her dad was.

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Eric tried offering Evangeline some food, but she wasn't hungry. She just wanted comfort even if he doesn't know what he comforting her about. "Fruit?" Eric shook his head. "Ezra and Delaney went to get some, but they are taking their sweet time getting back." Eric shoveled some more eggs into his mouth and Evangeline just rested and waited. Just then a familiar voice rang into her head. She knew right away that it was Willow. She was the only person that could get into her head and be no where in site. It was best not to turn and look at Willow. Having people figure out they were communicating like this just caused unnecessary attention. Now Evangeline was never one to lie to Willow since she could really figure it out if she wanted, but Damian said not to tell anyone. It's nothing big. I met my muse and he kind of freaked me out That was semi true, but her muse was completely harmless. How are you and Lucas doing?

---

---

Matthew rested his head in his hand as Remi spoke to him about being too skinny not to eat. Although him and Remi were about the same size, Remi was taller. The smaller blonde was trying to actually listen to Remi as he told him that he needed to eat something. It was as if he was his parents. Then a deal was made. Remi would eat if Matt ate. Running his fingers through his blonde hair, he nodded in agreement. "Deal." He said, adjusting so that he was resting his chin in both hands.

Ezra claimed Delaney’s story was better and she shook her head. There was no way her story was better. She would have loved to share her experience with siblings or any loved ones, but she was alone like usual back then. But whose story was better was just a matter of opinion. They picked the berry bushes together for a few minutes, and when the plastic bowl was full, Ezra took it and carried it along with his basket. They both examined their work and Delaney nodded her head in satisfaction. They definitely had gathered a lot of fruit, enough for weeks, according to Ezra. If only that were the case. “I don’t know. There are like 20 of us in the house. We’ll see how long it lasts.” Delaney adjusted the basket on her arm so it was more comfortable and easy to carry, and she looked at Ezra, and then around the backyard. She saw vegetables hidden on the opposite side of where they were and she smirked. They would probably be out here again later for dinner, but she wouldn’t mention that to him, not yet. They had just finished with the fruit. Delaney headed towards the door they had come out through, and wondered how long they had been out there for. They must have been gone for a decent amount of time. She hoped the others weren’t annoyed with them. Mostly, she hoped Eric wouldn’t be annoyed. Thinking of Eric, she thought back to the night before when she was trapped in a room with him. She thought about how they couldn’t move the walls, so they just ended up sitting down next to each other. Then, her mind traveled to when Eric spoke a few moments before they fell, and how he wanted to tell her something. She still hadn’t figured out what it was, and she thought briefly about asking Ezra, but she didn’t know if he would know. He was friends with her crush, but how could he know? She chewed on her bottom lip softly. She would just have to get Eric alone and ask him. After school maybe.

---

Nathan finished his food off and chugged the rest of his water. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh and stretched his arms above his head. Greyson got up from the table, followed soon by Kelsey, and Lucas frowned watching the other child run away. Nathan saw him frown and he picked the boy up, putting him in his lap and wrapping an arm around him. ”Come on, finish your food little man.” Lucas finished his food off with that and then Nathan felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He glanced at Willow briefly, who was absent mindedly pushing her food around with her fork with very little effort. He went to tap her hand, but then she moved and took a sip of her water so he left her be. She didn’t like being touched very much, and he knew that from growing up with her. She liked her space. He dug his phone out of his pocket and read the name that popped up. He immediately smiled and unlocked his phone, typing out a quick response.

To: Ophelia
I’d love to, but don’t you think we should go to keep Cami company? She might get lonely at lunch.

He hit ‘send’ and put his chin in his hand. He didn’t want to leave Cami or Ophelia alone, but Cami was still shaken up over Talia. He knew Cami never missed school, and Ophelia must have talked to her about the whole school situation, but he still didn’t want to leave her. What if she broke down at school? Who would be there for her then? Ezra didn’t go to school with them and if Ophelia and Nathan stayed back, then what happened? He wasn’t sure he was ready to leave one for the other.

---

Willow played with her food as she waited for Eva to answer. She glanced up and saw Nathan hesitating around her, so she quickly took a sip of water to wave him off. It worked. She wasn’t hiding anything from him, she just didn’t want to share a story while in the middle of it. Communicating with Eva wasn't much of a story, but if questioned, it was still something to share. Nathan was easy to fool at times, especially by those he loved. E was a sucker and Willow loved it. He was the little brother to push around. She watched as he was occupied by his phone and then Eva's voice rang in her head. She brought up her muse scaring her, and Willow shoved her last bite of food in her mouth to keep from raising her eyebrows. She hadn't gotten her muse yet. She wondered how bad Eva's muse really was. She could just be soft around guys, then she turned the conversation around to Willow and Lucas. Lucas and I are fine, but don't make this about us. Tell me about your muse. What's he like and do I have to teach him a lesson? Of course she was joking, but she was partially serious. If the muse was really posing a problem to her friend, Willow might have to have a word or two with him. If that was even possible.

---

Ophelia was thinking about her muse when Camila cooed about hers. ”His name is Sound, and he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” She raised an eyebrow at her best friend. The only person she thought Camila found cute was Mr. Latier. Now she really wanted to meet this muse. Of course Ophelia only had eyes for Nathan, but just to see who she was talking about would have been interesting. "He’s a bunny” That made way more sense. Ophelia smiled. "Aww! I wish mine was a bunny." Ophelia had a thing for small cuddly animals. Before her adorable kitten she has had bunnies, gerbils, hamsters, and a chinchilla. They have all either died, ran away, or given away by her dictators. They were reluctant enough to allow her the cat. Her phone buzzed and she checked it before responding to Cami's other question.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG]Yeah that's what I tried to tell her. But she insisted I stay here. Do you want to go to school?
Ophelia would go if Nathan went. But if he was staying home, so would she. Placing the phone on the table she directed her attention back to her best friend. "My muse is like this blue little flame. Not as cute as the bunny." She added.

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Greyson washed his dishes and his daughters dishes before he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down to see his daughter smiling at him. She was missing a tooth so it just added to the cuteness. "Need anything, Princess?" He asked, leaning against the counter. "Strawberries!" Ezra and Delaney still weren't back with fruit. "Soon." Just as he said that Remi showed up and tickled Kelsey. She started laughing and then hugged Remi. "Hi Uncle Remi!" She said. Pulling away she looked at him with concern. "Are you better now?" She asked, referring to how she saw him the other day. Greyson crossed his arms. "Go ahead and reassure the lady." Kelsey was extremely worried about Remi and wouldn't stop talking about him before she went to asleep.

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Evangeline was happy to hear that her and Lucas were okay. Willow was the one she was really worried about. She had pretty much gotten angry, but then covered up how she was feeling. Lucas luckily had no idea what was really going on. Then her friend turned the question back to her. Eva wanted this to end so that she wouldn't have to lie about her confrontation with Damian. [color=20D4D4]His name is Air. And he just shows up out of no where freaking me out. He like appeared while I was taking a shower. I almost had a heart attack.[/color] She rested her head in her hand, in attempt to look like she was just waiting for the fruit and not having a mental conversation. Eric was done his food and he was bit worried that Ezra and Delaney hadn't shown up yet. He was just hoping that nothing awful happened to them. Because the last time people were separated, Talia got injured.

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Remi and Matthew were silent for a moment. He was finally getting time with his crush, but Matt couldn't say anything. Today was just not his day. He had attempted to flirt earlier, but was shut down. Matty eventually shrugged that off. But the quiet was slowly killing him. He was hoping that Remi would say something. Anything. ”Ah, look there’s Kelsey. I’m going to- I’ll… be back in a minute” Except that. Matthew just watched him get up and leave. A sigh escaped him and he pulled out his phone. Scrolling through the contacts he called for his mother. "Hi Mom. Is Maddie awake?" Once his sister got on the phone he just started talking to her.