Talia Beaumont's Story

Ophelia was practically having a party now. Talia and Cami were here and Nathan was on his way. To say that around other people would not be good. Especially if it caught on. "Let me check if Nathan is still coming." They might as well make this a sleepover. It would be easier on all of them. Then to go home late and then try to wake up for school the next day. Quickly, she typed out a message to her boyfriend.
[To: Nathan♥]
[MSG: If you are on your way. Lyles will let you in.]
The message sent and Lia tuned in one time to here her friend talk about the essay she had just finished. In the trio, Ophelia was glad, Cami was the one to care about school. Kept the others on track. "It's probably perfect. Much better than mine probably." It's not that Ophelia wasn't smart, she just didn't see the need to put the extra effort into stuff she didn't care about. Like English, History, Science, Gym. Stuff like that wasn't interesting to Ophelia. But she was a wiz at math. Something about numbers intrigued her. People say she is crazy, but Ophelia just calls it a passion. Like her passion for chocolate. Speaking of Chocolate, Lyles walked into the room. "Miss Landers. I believe Sir Nathan just pulled up. Will he be staying over as well?" Lyles knew Ophelia so well. "Probably. Let Nathan in please and hand him a box of snickers to bring up to the room, please?" Lyles nodded and left the room. "Is there a fifty percent chance either of you will skip school and come with me the animal shelter?" Ophelia wanted another cat, but she needed someone else to help her judge which one deserves to come home with Lia.

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Greyson just smiled at his best friend and his daughter, soon reminded by why he had chosen Remi to be the godfather. It was like as soon as he held Kelsey, he was a whole different person. It was ridiculously adorable. As they left to her room, he got up and cleaned up the child things. He placed her coloring books back on the shelf. Her box of crayons were put in the top drawer. her princess costumes were put in the toy chest. And his coffee cup was washed and put away. By that time, Remi graced the father with his presence. "I invite you over and my daughter gets a better greeting. I'm hurt." He teased. Walking around Remi, he headed back to the living room. Greyson sat down on the couch and left room for Remi. "Alright what excuse do you have to explain your tardiness this time?" Greyson had a bright smile on his face. It was always good to see Remi.

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Evangeline laid down on her bed and stared at her phone laying on the charger. Then she looked over at her window. Big enough to crawl out of and close enough to the ground to not break her dancer legs. Evie looked back at her phone and thought about her brother who was just down the steps. He would throw an absolute fit if he caught her sneaking out. And would possibly call the police if Evie was just missing. It was already late. Maybe she could have someone come and rescue her from her over protective brother. First she texted Willow.
[To: Firebird]
[MSG: Save. Me. Eric is driving me insane. x.x]
Next was Ezzie. Brother number two. She didn't even know if he was in the country. But maybe he could call Eric and calm his craziness.
[To: Ezzie]
[MSG: Bro #1 is being over protective again. Help.]

Eric stayed in the living room for a little while still trying to figure out what to do with his baby sister. She was driving him insane with her curfew thing. After turning off the tv and lights, he headed to his bedroom. He slowed down by Evie's room. He could hear her bed creaking, so he knew she was in there. He went up to his own room and shut the door. But as soon as he shut the door someone rang the doorbell. He checked the time and prayed that it was important. Eric got up and went back down to the living room. Flipping the lights back one he opened the door. There was a giant smile on his face. "Ezra!" He gave his friend a quick hug before pulling him inside. "When did you get back?"

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Matthew was strumming the strings of his guitar for his four year old sister. She had just barged into his room and pointed to the guitar. Even though she could speak, she didn't need to. It was clear what she wanted. Madeline sat as his feet and he just continued to play. He finished playing and his sister clapped. "Encore." Matthew laughed. "No one. It is like pass your bed time. So shoo." He waved his hand. She pouted, but stood up. She gave Matthew a kiss on the cheek and then scurried off to bed. Matt just shook his head. He loved his baby sister, but she was always breaking rules in the house. Matthew put the guitar down and pulled his phone out. Talia was busy with her other friends, but he was bored.
[To: Talia]
[MSG: Entertain me Talia.]
That was all he sent. Either she would or she wouldn't.

Delaney wasn’t as lucky as she had hoped. She had dozed off to the, but only to be awoken by it a few minutes later. She jumped up as she heard a woman scream. When she turned her head to the TV, she saw a video clip, obviously taken by a cell phone, of a woman running as an earthquake swayed the ground and started to bring buildings down. Delaney sighed and covered her face with her hand. Maybe the putting the news on hadn’t been her best idea.

Delaney sat up and accepted that she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with how alert she was right now. She scrolled through her contacts and tried to figure out who would still be up. Cami was an obvious choice, but with school the next day she could be doing homework still. She kept scrolling until she landed on the next choice. She found Eva’s name and figured she would still be up. At least she hoped so.

She stood from her bed and didn’t bother to change from her bed shorts and oversized sweatshirt. She went downstairs, grabbed her keys, and texted Eva quickly before leaving.

To: Eva
I’m coming to get you and we’re going to Willow’s, granted she’s not asleep. I can’t fall asleep and I’m bored. See you in a bit! (-:

Delaney slipped on a pair of slippers and went outside, shutting the door behind her quietly. She got her bike from the garage and leisurely peddled to Eva’s house.

About ten minutes into the bike ride she quickened her pace. She had started to feel unease peddling late at night by herself, something which normally didn’t bother her. She squirmed on the seat of the bike and reached Eva’s house a few minutes later. When she got there she leaned her bike against the side of the house and approached the front door, quietly sliding her feet against the ground as she did so. When she reached the door she saw it was opened a crack, and she peeked her head in to see Eric and Ezra in the middle of what she assumed to be reunion. Ezra must have gotten back. She smiled a little as she watched them, and stepped quietly in the room and shut the door after the hug was broken up. She cleared her throat and smiled shyly at Eric and then at Ezra. ”Uh, I hope I’m not intruding. I came for Eva.” She made a quick hand gesture to the stairs and her eyes drifted from where she was pointing to Eric’s eyes. She could feel her stomach knot the slightest bit.

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Nathan pulled up to Ophelia’s and walked up to the door. Before he could even knock, Lyles opened the door and he smiled at the man. ”Thank you, Lyles. It’s nice to see you again.” Lyles nodded while he handed Nathan a box of snickers. Nathan grabbed them and shook his head slightly. He didn’t know how Ophelia liked snickers. He thought they were gross. Nathan accepted the box of candy and mouthed another “thank you” to Lyles.

He went upstairs to Ophelia’s room and knocked once and entered, not waiting for a reply. He smiled when he saw Ophelia, Cami, and Talia. He never really talked to Talia before, but she saw friends with Ophelia and Cami so she couldn’t be bad. “Hey guys.” He turned to his girlfriend and smirked slightly as he held up the snickers. “You need new tastebuds.” He set the box on the bed as he sat next to her, watching as Marbles plopped into his lap happily. He ran his hand across the kitten’s back. The kitten purred and Nathan grinned. “So what’s on tonight’s agenda? Anything exciting happening?”

Damian left the house dressed in the first outfit he could put together, which happened to be one of his favorites. He stepped outside and took out a cigarette, placing it between his lips. He lit in and inhaled, allowing the smoke to burn his throat. He dropped his hand to his side and walked down the street, keeping to the back alleyways and mazes that led to the darkest part of town.

He walked down the dimly lit street, his footsteps inaudible, and finished his cigarette. He let the cigarette butt fall and smushed it under his foot. He continued walking until he came across the abandoned warehouse he had seen in his dream. He usually practiced here at night, and it was of no surprise to see a recall of memories in his dreams. He remembered that boy. What was his name, Sid? Kyle? Whatever it was, Damian didn’t care much. Another human life that no one would miss. As useless as he may have been, at Damian got some fun out of it. As he rounded the corner leading to the warehouse, he saw a streak of blond rush past in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to get a better look. He saw Delaney riding on her bike, accelerating her pace the further away she became. What was the hurry? Couldn’t she stick around for some fun? He thought of pursuing her, but remembered he had better things to do.

Damian entered the warehouse and went over the the faint stain of blood on the ground. He should have probably cleaned that up when it happened. He smiled at the reminder and knelt down next to the spot, running his fingers across the floor. He walked to the supply closet he kept and took the bleach out, pouring it across the floor and smiled as the scent burned his nostrils. As soon as he was done here he would find Eva. Maybe that’s where Delaney. Two for one, he thought briefly, flashing his teeth as he did so.

Ophelia really didn't believe that Camilla would skip school for anything. Despite how close they were, she doesn't skip school. Tali on the other hand would love to skip school. The brunette feels the same way. It's not like she was completely failing that she needed to be at school all day and all the time. "Good. I need someone to help me find a friend for Marbles." Then Nathan happily walked in with Ophelia's favorite chocolate. She was tad bit more happy to see the bag of snickers than she was to see her own boyfriend. But she was happy her boyfriend was here. "Don't disrespect my snickers Nate." She said jokingly after taking her bag. She opened it and pulled out one of the mini sized snickers. Ophelia could never get enough of these. She would end up eating the whole bag. "Well I was thinking we turn this into a sleepover. And Talia and I are skipping school to buy my another kitty." That was pretty much the gist of the conversation. Leaving out the parts about Camilla going to school. No one had to say it to know that she was going to school. Ophelia pulled out another mini snickers to eat. She shifted a bit so that she was resting against Nathan. "But would you all like dinner. I don't know if you have eaten."

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Remi gave Greyson the greeting he should have deserved. They mess around like this all the time. Just for the fact that they are best friends and now everything about each other. He could tell that Remi was only playing around. But Greyson liked to bother him about stuff like this anyway. It was funny and started up sometimes silly arguments. Remi seemed to be waiting for some kind of approval and Greyson just looked over him. "I will accept that for now. But you are now being forced to cuddle cause the greeting was above and beyond." Greyson laughed a little and shifted. He rested his head in Remi's lap. Greyson then thought about tomorrow. He needed to work, but he wanted Kelsey to stay here and play around. "Will Talia baby sit for me tomorrow?". They weren't the best of friends, but Greyson knew how Talia was when it came to school. Anything else was better.

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Eric was so happy to Ezra. He missed his best friend. He knows that Eva missed him as well, but Eric missed him more. Of course this wasn't a competition. "I understand you missed me and all. But you could have gone home first. It's not like I was going anywhere." Eric laughed a little as Ezra put his stuff down. Ezra seemed to have gifts for him and Eva. "Aww you shouldn't have. Eva! Erza has gifts!" Just then a little blonde walked into the house. He smiled at her. Delaney was younger than Eric by a couple years, but she still made his heart soar. But he was a bit upset with the fact that Eva was leaving late. But it was Delaney. He trusted her with Eva.

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Evangeline wasn't hearing back from Willow or Ezra. This was just great. Trapped in her room. Her over protective brother barring the windows and calling any body withing a five mile radius that Eva was off limits. Well Eric wasn't doing any of that, but that is how Eva felt. Then a savior texted her. It was Delaney taking her to Willow's. It was perfect. She needed this. Evangeline stood up and ran to the bathroom to clean up a little. But then she heard her brother called to her. Ezra was in the house! Everything seemed to be going her way. She skipped down the steps and wrapped her arms around her second brother. "Hey Ezzie. Thanks for the gift. Talk to you later." She smiled took the box. "I will be with Delaney the whole time. Don't wait up. I will be fine. Call me if you get worried." She practically pushed Delaney out the house. The longer she was there, the more she would hear about Eric's protective rules. "Delaney thank you. I love you." She was so grateful.

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Matthew relaxed on his bed and read the message from Talia. She was absolutely useless as a best friend at the moment. But Matty wasn't going to blow up her phone to get entertainment. Maybe he could text Remi. But if he got rejected by him too then he was going to be really upset about being bored. So he decided to text Remi.
[To: Remi]
[MSG: Talia is busy. Entertain me.]
After the message was sent he grabbed a book and started to read.

Delaney saw Eva and smiled. Before Delaney could even say hi, her friend was pushing her out the door and Delaney laughed slightly. “Jeez, I didn’t know it was that urgent. Love you too, though.” Delaney shook her head slightly at Eva and gestured to the side of the house. “I left my bike on the side of the house. I’ll get it and you can ride on the pegs or something.” Delaney walked to the side of the house, leaving Eva by herself.

When she reached the side, she didn’t see her bike right away. She craned her neck and squinted until she saw her bike closer to the backyard. Odd, she thought. She walked and got her bike, kicking the kickstand back and rolling it alongside her as she went back for her friend.

She walked back around the house and took a step back when Eva wasn’t there. She looked around frantically. She had just been there a minute ago. Where could she have gone? “Eva?” She dropped her bike but never heard it hit the ground. She waited for the sound but it never came. She turned around. If she knew one thing, she wasn’t in the Newman’s front yard anymore. Where was Eva? Delaney ran her hand through her hair. “Eric’s gonna kill me..” She was more worried about where Eva was then where she was now. She sighed and tugged on the sleeves of her sweater nervously. Now what?

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Nathan rolled his eyes at his girlfriend and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then Talia spoke up and he chuckled. ”Luckily, we don’t have that problem.” He turned his attention back to Ophelia. “I’m glad you’re not about to dump me over candy.” His eyes landed on Talia as she squealed about Greyson to Cami. Greyson Latier? Cami had a thing for him? Well, that was news. Nathan cocked an eyebrow and watched as Cami, at least her cheeks, turned slowly into a lobster. He had never seen her so embarrassed over a guy. In fact, Nathan didn’t think he had ever seen Cami flustered over a guy.

”Greyson latier, huh?” He looked at Cami amused. “I didn’t see that one coming.” He smiled as he said it, but he could feel his stomach twist slightly. He was glad Cami liked someone, but he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

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Willow rolled over on her side and sighed. Half conscience, she ran her hand over the cool ground and inhaled. Lemon filled her nose and she came up short. She inhaled again. The scent was off, unfamiliar. She peeked her eyes open and stared at the pastel yellow walls opposite of her. She jerked up into the sitting position and looked around the room. She wasn’t home, so where the hell was she? She jumped up off the floor and looked at her watch; it read midnight. What was this place? Where was she? If she didn’t know where she was, then where was..

Oh my God. The panic started to bubble inside of her and she ran around the close to vacant room. She couldn’t find him anywhere and she could feel her chest tighten. “Lucas?” She would have screamed if her voice hadn’t given out on her. He had to be here somewhere. It’s not like she could have left and gone back home. She didn’t even know where she was! She bit her lip and blinked a few times; he wasn’t in this room.

Willow sighed and then heard a door creak. She turned her head to find Lucas peeking his head around the door frame he was in. “Lucas!” She exclaimed and ran over to him, swiftly picking him up in her arms and cradling him against her chest. “Where were you? I was so worried!” Lucas pulled on her hair and smiled up at her, pointing to the room he had been stolen from. “In there.” Willow looked into the room and then closed the door after seeing it to be nicer looking than the one she had been in. She hadn’t even seen that door she first time she looked at the walls. Had it just appeared? Nothing was making sense to her.

She hugged Lucas closer to her and he shifted in her arms. ”Mommy,” he whispered. ”Who’s that?” She looked at him and then slowly turned around to look where her son was looking. She paused when she came across a man with dark hair and tan skin. She bit her bottom lip softly. He was cute. Very cute. She pushed the thoughts away and took a cautious step forward to get a better look at the man across from them. “I’m not sure, honey.” She paused and raised an eyebrow at him. “Uh, who are you?” The question came out sharper than she had hoped, but maybe not sharp enough. After all, there was a random man in a mysterious room she had never been in before. Where did he come from? Had he been in there when she was looking for Lucas? She could have completely overlooked him; that was possible.

Damian finished cleaning about 10 minutes after he started. With the floor all clean and the scent of bleach and other cleaning products almost intoxicating, Damian left the warehouse and stepped into the crisp summer night. He inhaled and the air was like a brand new sensation. It was foreign to him, sweeter than usual. He exhaled and shut the door of the warehouse behind him. He turned back around and his surroundings were different; very different. He knew the warehouse inside and out, and where he was now was nowhere in that building.

He looked around the room he was being held in and walked around the perimeter of it, running his hand against the wall as he did so. The walls were cold; painted white concrete walls and white tiled floors. It looked like a room a mental patient got admitted to. Maybe this was some kind of joke, but he knew better. No one had approached him and kidnapped him. Like they could, he thought. No one ever went near him. He had turned around and appeared in this room. That was all he knew. He smiled to himself and leaned against the walls, right where they intersected. Maybe something else, or someone else, would come too.

Ophelia was glad that one of the people she hangs out with appreciates the taste of snickers. There was a reason she kept Talia around. Besides for how awesome she is in general. Candy is a big deal. Then of course Talia through in how she felt about Nathan not liking the marvelous chocolate. "Talia is exaggerating. Chocolate is not worth losing all this." Ophelia gestured to all of Nathan when she said that. Of course the girls don't really get to see all of that, but if they did they would understand. The brunette put another snickers in her mouth. And then Talia started to tease Camilla about Greyson. Who was another really cute guy. "He has been single for a while now. Maybe I could put a good word in for you." Ophelia winked at Cami and ate another snickers. Her best friend resembled a tomato and it was fantastic. Of course Ophelia would never actually do anything that would cause a panic attack. Calling it a quits with a snickers she folded up the bag and leaned across of the bed away from Nathan to put them on the night stand. But when she went to look at her friends they weren't there.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. The room was dimly lit and cold. She didn't recognize this place at all and it was quite frustrating. No one kidnapped her. She wasn't dreaming. And now of her friends abilities cause illusions. But something was clearly going on.

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Greyson was needy every day. It was just how their friendship worked. He asked for things and sometimes Remi would provide. IT was a rather stable relationship. They could be dating if they didn't have an unspoken rule about strictly best friends. They were attracted to each other and flirted quite often. Remi more than Greyson did though. But neither of them have tried to make a move. They had kept it likes it. But Remi leaned down and it seemed that the first move was being made. But then after a while of waiting, Greyson realized that Remi was gone. He sat up and looked around. "Remi?" Not only was Remi missing he was no longer in his own home. He was somewhere completely brand new. Then he got worried. "Kelsey!" He called. "Here, Daddy." He saw her in the corner, completely exhausted and confused. He went over to her and hugged her tight.

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Eric was a bit nervous to make moves on Delaney. It was a delicate process. At least that is what he thought. How was he supposed to walk up to the beautiful blonde and just ask her out. He shook his head and laughed a little. When he turned around though, Ezra was no longer there. Eric raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you too old to play hide and seek Ezra?" He was waiting for a response, but nothing. He turned around again, but he was even more confused. He was no longer in his house. He was in some strange room. "What the..." And then he started to worry about his friend and then his sister. And it didn't help that when he turned around that he saw Delaney. So they were in the same situation. But Eva was with her. Eric did not want to get mad at Delaney. He liked her too much, but she was here and Eva wasn't with her. "Do you know what's going on?"

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Evangeline couldn't be more grateful to Delaney. She waited their patiently for her friend to return with the bike, but she didn't. In fact she wasn't there at all. This was bad. They were two young girls outside alone. Something awful could have happened to her. Eric would not be happy. Eva turned around to head back inside, but she was no longer outside in her front yard. She was in a room. It looked like a mental patient belonged here. She was so confused. Eva touched the wall and then slowly backed herself into another person. When she turned around to see who the person was she almost screamed. Eva slapped her hands over her mouth and backed herself into a corner. She was in an empty room with Damian. Of all the people to be trapped with. Evangeline could have cried right there, but she didn't. She just stared at him. Terrified.

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Matthew got the text message and felt bad. He didn't mean to make Remi feel like second when he wasn't. He was just trying to explain his situation. He was about to respond, but his sister started crying in the next room. He got up and jogged over to her. Matt laid in bed with her and sung a lullaby to get her to go back to sleep. It wasn't long before she drifted off again. The blonde started to head back to his room, but then it got weird. He wasn't in his room. Nor his hallway. Nor his house. This was someplace new and unfamiliar. He briefly glanced around, but it seemed that he was alone. At least for a moment. He turned and saw a confused Remi. Despite their situation he smiled. "I was going to text you back."

Delaney was thinking of how to get out of here and just where she was when she heard Eric’s voice. Oh crap! Not only had she been left with Eva, who disappeared, but now Delaney was stuck in a room with Eric, the boy she liked. Could anything else happen? Delaney sighed and shook her head at the boy. Now, how was she going to explain this to Eric and hope he didn’t get angry? “I, uh, I don’t know. I don’t know where we are or what happened. I went to get my bike and then I came back and Eva was gone and then next thing I know I’m here.” She almost whispered her explanation. She paused before continuing. “I’m really sorry.”

She took a step towards Eric and glanced around the room again. “This looks like one of those ‘escape the room’ missions..so, where do we start?” She didn’t mind being stuck in a room with Eric, not at all. If anything, she wish it happened more often. However, in a different room maybe: one with doors and didn’t give her the chills looking at. She scanned the bottom of the walls and the top, seeing if there was any crack or crevice they could pick their way through, but it seemed pretty held together from her view.

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Nathan chuckled slightly as Ophelia reassured him, and then winked at her when she made the comment about the others missing out. His mind drifted to nights at Ophelia’s when it was just the two of them. The nights when they would be in her room teasing each other, and then teasing turned into doing, the way things would pick up between them but cool down before anything got out of hand. He grinned to himself and turned his attention back to his friend’s embarrassment.

It seemed as though everyone wanted it to happen, and Nathan tilted his head slightly, watching Cami. He liked seeing her get so flustered over a guy, and liked hearing how everyone was willing to pitch in. He could even put in a good word or two. After all, he and Greyson got along just fine. What he would say, he wasn’t entirely sure. It could be hard being wingman for a girl he still had a hint of feelings for, but he had Ophelia now. He had to move on and focus everything in the relationship he was in. Not that he already was, but he knew if he moved on from Cami things with Ophelia could be where they already should be. On the bright side, he could tease Cami about finding someone.

He smiled and looked down at Marbles, or where Marbles should have been. Maybe the kitten had moved without Nathan knowing. Nathan lifted his head again and when he did, he saw a blank wall ahead of him. He got to his feet quickly and looked around. His eyes landed on none other than his girlfriend. At least they were together. He sighed and walked over to her, putting an arm over her shoulders and pulling her close. “Any idea where we are?” He had a feeling she wouldn’t know. How could she? This wasn’t a room in her house, at least none that he had seen. The depressing atmosphere of it wasn’t like the rest of Ophelia’s house. Wherever they were, Nathan had a strange feeling they weren’t alone.

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The man introduced himself as Ezra Vargas and Willow raised an eyebrow. So this was the Ezra that Eva had talked all about. The one that was like a brother to her and she saw only when he came to visit his cousin, Cami. Willow nodded her head slowly. He turned his attention to Lucas, who gladly accepted it. He enthusiastically nodded his head with a cheeky smile. "Yup! Mommy says I'm the most handsomest boy ever." His mother smiled and whispered in his ear. "That's cause you are, silly." Lucas turned himself more towards Ezra and Willow repositioned her arms around him, only to let him down seconds later. Lucas grabbed her hand and then reached another out towards Ezra. The gesture didn't surprise her, as her son was very open to everyone, but given the situation, she was surprised how comfortable he was.

Willow turned her head to look Ezra straight in the eye. "Willow. Willow Harmony Phoenix." She grinned a little as she continued to hold eye contact. To enter his mind, or to not invade his privacy? He had given her no reason to, but she didn't know what his intentions were. Being stuck in a room with a girl and her kid, if something were to happen..

Willow contemplated for a few seconds. She always got a thrill out of it, but she had better not. She turned her head and looked at where Lucas had entered. The door was missing and Willow sighed slightly. She looked back at her son and then at the handsome man next to her. "You can't blow out a wall by any chance, can you?"

Damian watched her. He watched the way she backed into him unknowingly, the way she covered her mouth, and more importantly the way she backed away from him. Terror. Absolute, sheer terror. The reaction brought an uncontrollable sly grin to his face. He took a slow, taunting step forward out of the shadows of the corner. “Hello, Evangeline. It’s a pleasure to see you here.” He kept walking until he was a foot or two from her. He was ready to corner her, but he knew not to just yet. She was delicate. A delicate little flower bud he had to pick from the weeds. He would provide for her and allow her to mature and blossom, just to watch her wilt and wither.

He smiled politely at her, and quickly assessed the situation. He needed to make sure no rash decisions were made. He could handle them if they were, but it would be an nuisance if so. Damian outstretched his hand slightly and gestured towards her. "You see, I was looking for you. I'm glad you found me. However.." he paused and withdrew his hand, folding his hands in front of him and returning to his normal, emotionless expression. "It seems as though we're trapped. Just us two. Isn't it lovely?" his voice was as smooth as velvet and he looked around the room, as if telling her to as well. He wanted her reaction. How would she react with him around and to what depth did her fear run? How much would it take for her to crack, just being in a room with him? How delicate was she really?

Ophelia was completely freaking out. Nathan was covering her and maneuvering them around so that the ball would never have the chance to hit Miss Landers. The ball should have taken out the floor or even the walls. But nothing. Not a single movement. Finalyl the ball dropped and the fire went out. Nathan's part of the ball broke down with flames shooting out of it. Her boyfriend didn't release her until he felt like it was safe to do so. The couple made eye contact. Ophelia's pupils were completely dilated. She was was trying to calm down, but she was having a hard time. Nathan asked if she was okay and she nodded her head. That had almost died just about then. Even if the ball hit Nathan, the flames could have reached Ophelia. "Let's agree to never do that again when we are in a closed space." The brunette was feeling a little bit better, but then something even more unexpected happened. The ground disappeared.

She clutched onto her boyfriend as they fell. Now Ophelia thought she was going to die. The brunette opened her eyes and there seemed to be light at the end of this and before she knew it, they had landed in a very open space. It looked like a ballroom. Ophelia would know. Her parents have dragged to more than enough. She gave a once over of Nathan just to make sure she didn't dig her nails into him. But out of the corner of her eyes she saw a body on the ground. Turning to look at it, she screamed. "Talia!" Ophelia left her boyfriend's side and ran over to her. Tears rolled down her tears immediately as she looked at her best friends wounds. "N-no Talia.." Ophelia's hands were shaking.

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Greyson watched Camila. She had an idea and she was ready to get right on it. Kelsey stepped a bit closer to Camila to see exactly what she was doing. "Daddy her ear is to the wall." The father just shook his head and shushed his daughter. "Kelsey. Let her concentrate." He motioned for his daughter to give Camila some space. After a second of waiting nothing happened. Greyson was about to tell Cami that it was okay she didn't have to keep trying. But a silver outline shoved Cami away from the wall and she hit the floor. The outline disappeared and the wall returned to normal. Greyson went to Cami's side and looked over her worriedly. "Please tell me you are alright?" Greyson kept his hands to himself not so that she wouldn't freak out about being touched. Kelsey came over and leaned on her father watching the girl on the floor.

Then there wasn't a floor anymore. Greyson grabbed Kelsey and held Camila as they fell. He was going to make sure that they weren't going to get hurt wherever they landed. The ground was soon beneath again. But they were in a different room. It was larger and had lots of room. Kelsey seemed fine and he checked to make sure Cami was fine. Then he looked over to see Ophelia crying over something. And he instantly recognized the person in her arms. It was Talia. Remi wasn't in sight yet, but he could only imagine what he was going to say when he finds out.

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Eric couldn't believe that there was earth that he couldn't move. That would be a story to tell when he finds Eva. He saw how sad Delaney looked. He moved to sit next to her. "It's going to be alright. There has to be a different way out." They had to have missed something. Eric really didn't mind being trapped in here with the blonde. He has been trying to find time to tell her how he feels and what not. And since they were going to be here for a little while why not tell her now. Eric cleared his throat. "Since it seems we will be here for a while, I wanted to um tell you something." He felt like a nervous child. When he went to open his mouth again, the floor disappeared.

Eric grabbed Delaney and held her tight. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her when they landed. The ground came back to them. The room they were in was much bigger and brighter than the one from before. Eric was confused again by the room they were in, but it was the least of his worries. They were out of the dark rook. But he heard someone crying. He turned to see two people he remembered from when he went to high school. Ophelia was the one who was crying. And the person who she was crying over was Remi's little sister. Remi was no where in sight. This made Eric worry about his own little sister.

---

---

Evangeline should have moved when Damian approached, but he didn't. She was too tired. Too drained. She used most of her energy to move the air and then the rest of her energy was taken when there wasn't enough air in the room. Too make things worse, her blow attacked her back. No amount of fear could get Eva to move away from her stalker. And she just let him talk to her. Talk about her powers. Talk about her potential. Talk about being her mentor. All Eva could was listen. Eva could tell when he left her again. There wasn't a shadow lingering over her anymore. But she thought about it even when she shouldn't have. Controlling the air was a rather useless power and Damian, who was powerful beyond belief, was offering a chance of a lifetime. Damian was taking advantage of Evangeline right now. He knew he was going to get her to think. He had her used her powers to drain herself out so that she would listen. And she fell for it. Evangeline looked over to say something to Damian, but then the floor disappeared.

She fell through screaming a tad. Eva had wanted to scream since she had first appeared in the room with Damian. What better time to let it out than when she was falling. Then the ground returned. But it was the floor to another room. A much bigger and brighter room. Quickly she spotted Eric and ran over to him. Never had she been so happy to see him. The siblings held each other, but Eric showed Eva what was going on. It was Talia in the arms of Ophelia. This was tragic. Eva stayed near her brother and watched. Still thinking about what Damian had said.

---

---

Matthew couldn't tell when Remi was joking or being serious anymore. He seemed so serious before, but when Matty looked at him he seemed genuine in the fact that he didn't mean what he had said. Matthew just nodded to let Remi know that he forgave him. Remi pulled the blonde up claiming to have an idea of some kind. "What is the great idea?" He asked slightly amused to what Remi was going to come up with. But they were interrupted. Remi sensed something and when he screamed Talia, Matty figured something bad happened. He didn't know what to do. They needed to get out of here and find Talia. His best friend needed him. Then the floor disappeared.

Matthew dropped and reached for Remi. He didn't want to lose him in the fall. The last thing he needs to to lose him and Talia. That was all he had right now. It wasn't long before they were in a different room. A much bigger room. With people Matt recognized. But unfortunately the only person he cared about right now was barely moving in Ophelia's arm. Matty ran over there completely silent. He was in partial denial about what he was seeing. Talia was fine earlier today. How could something have happened to her? Tears rolled down his eyes, but he wasn't crying. No sound was escaping him.

Eric sat next to Delaney and she leaned herself against him. She rested her head against his shoulder. The act immediately calmed her. As much as Eric made her nervous, being around him also put her at ease. She was glad she was stuck with him, and not anyone else. She wouldn’t know what she would have done if she was with someone else. Maybe it would be alright. ”Since it seems we will be in here for a while, I wanted to um tell you something.” Delaney continued to look straight ahead. ”What is it?” As soon as she finished asking, the ground beneath them game out, and Delaney was crushed against Eric’s chest. She immediately wrapped her arms around him and braced herself.

The short distance had surprised Delaney, and she didn’t hurt at all. Maybe Eric had taken the damage. She looked him over quickly. He seemed fine, too. She sighed in relief and turned her head to see others. They were crowded around something, rather, someone. She craned her head until she saw who it was. Her hands tightened on Eric’s arm and she slowly got to her feet, shaking her head in disbelief. Talia lay there almost lifeless. Delaney needed to do something. but with Talia’s state, she didn’t look like she could swallow anything she could give her. Delaney frowned and stayed by Eric’s side, releasing when Eva joined them. She felt utterly helpless. Especially with people surrounding her, she wouldn’t be able to tend to Talia properly.

---

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth when she said she was alright. ”Let’s agree to never do again when we are in a closed space.” Nathan laughed and agreed. She was more than okay. She was doing well, given their current situation. It didn’t surprise her though, she was a fighter. She was a free spirit. Nathan was still smiling when the ground gave out beneath them. He quickly kept his hold on Ophelia as they fell, one hand on the back of her head and the other around her back.

Nathan took the impact of the fall for both of them, but it was very light. The landing felt as though he was coming down from jumping, not from falling through a ceiling with his girlfriend on top of him. She stood up and detached herself from him. Nathan remained on the ground, checking his body for any potential bruises or stiffness It may not have hurt, but it could have left some damage. He seemed to be fine. He stood up and finally took in his surroundings. He couldn’t help but stare in disbelief. He had never been a room so nice. It reminded him of Beauty and the Beast, one of the few movies Delaney had forced him to watch when he was not only a child, but during their weekly movies nights. He was still taking in the room when he heard someone crying. He turned his head to see it was Ophelia. He had never seen her cry before, at least not like this. No. This was something different. He immediately rushed over to her. Why was she crying? He didn’t need to ask. He saw as soon as he approached her. Talia lay in her arms, bloody and broken. He lifted a hand to his face and covered his mouth with it. Dear God... He placed his
free hand on Ophelia’s shoulder. He couldn’t do much else to comfort her, not with Talia in her arms.

Then others started arriving. Remi, Matthew, and Cami all approached Talia. Nathan couldn’t look, especially at Cami. It would break his heart to see her cry. Ophelia crying had already done it’s fair share, but Cami could make it worse. He averted his eyes and stared at the dying girl.

---

Willow watched Ezra allow Lucas to glow. Lucas was completely ecstatic. He could feel the energy surrounding him and squirmed as he struggled to keep his eyes closed. Willow just shook her her slightly and smiled, her thoughts running to what Ezra had said after his embarrassing attempt. A force field. Whatever had brought them together did not want them to leave, or at least break out before something could happen. What, she didn't know. Whatever it be it better not be something bad. She was still groggy and not in the mindset to deal with something bad.

Lucas opened his eyes and smiled with delight. "Oooh, now I'm like you! Mommy, why don't you glow?" Willow places a hand on her son's shoulder and was about to respond when the ground opened up and she was falling. She grabbed for Lucas about the same time Ezra did, reaching him only a second before. However, Ezra was strong and Willow and Lucas both ended up being pulled to him. The three hit the ground and Willow immediately checked Lucas. He happily stood up and walked to the other side of her, wanting her to get up. She shook her head slightly and got up. They had just plummeted from a ceiling and Lucas wasn't the least bit phased about it. Lucas tugged on her hand and he pointed to the small cluster of people in the center of the elaborate ballroom. It took her a few seconds to process what she was seeing, and when it did, she pressed her son's face into her leg and ran her fingers through his hair. She watched Remi cradle Talia in his arms and Willow couldn't help but want to comfort him. She was close with Remi. He was one of her best friends, and she had shared a decent amount of her time with Talia because of it. Why Talia, of all people? Someone so innocent and kind. The thought of someone hurting her made Willow sick. She closed her eyes and tried to suppress her anger. Unforgivable.

He had gotten to Eva, he could tell. She looked up at him after a while, ready to speak. This was it. She would accept and he would be one step closer to getting his final prize. He almost smiled, but it hadn't been confirmed. No need to celebrate just yet. She opened her mouth to speak, and then they were falling. Damian immediately changed the force of gravity. He outstretched his hand nonchalantly and leased the force so he lightly landed on the ground. He watched as Eva hit the ground and he smirked. If she was with him, she would know how to make split second decisions, how to maneuver her powers in such away that her reactions with them came as naturally as the instinct to scream. He place his feet lightly on the floor and then proceeded to walk to the darkest corner of the room, which was rather difficult considering he was now in a brightly lit, extravagant ballroom. He leaned against the wall causally and watched as everyone cried or watched. He recognized the girl as Talia. Yes, he knew her, along with everyone in the room. One of the perks from being an outcast was the way he could observe and intake information. Talia: close friends to Ophelia, Cami, and Matthew. Sister of Remi. Even if he hadn't know, it wasn't hard to guess. They were the most emotional ones out of everyone, and the resemblance between she and her brother was difficult to miss. He watched as Remi held her and Damian tilted his chin up slightly.

Damian remembered observing Talia, much as he now did with Eva. He would watch her, follow her, see what she could do. He knew she could manipulate magma. It was a marvelous gift, really. Pity. Just like Eva. If each knew how to use their powers they wouldn't need to worry about being hurt. Damian put his chin back down and glanced at Eva.

Celeste uncrossed her legs and recrossed them with her right over her left. She was waiting. Waiting for the saviors to stop trying to break out of the rooms they were in. Some of them realized that they were being closed in by a force field. Other people just kept trying to get out. Celeste couldn't hear what they were saying. The field was keeping her from interfering. But their was one child she couldn't see. Talia. And that worried Celeste, but the field had a mind of its own. When they were ready, the field would let them go. Celeste stood up to pace back and forth. Her outfit not complying with the way she was walking. Using both hands, she held it away from her feet so tha she could pace in peace. And finally they all disappeared into the ballroom. It must have been time for Celeste to approach them. To explain why they were all here. It was quite exciting and nerve racking at the same time. It has been centuries since the last time she had to explain to a group of teenagers why they were special. With a wave of her hand she was at the entrance of the ballroom. She was expecting confused children, but they were all sad. Then she remembered Talia. The girl she couldn't see while she was waiting. Her eyes grew wide and she made her way over to where some were gathered.

Celeste didn't want to break up the mourning period, but if Talia was hurt without Celeste knowing they didn't have time for mourning. Without a word, she bent down and picked the poor child up in her arms. She treated all these children like they were her babies and her child was hurt. Muttering a few words, Talia disappeared from Celeste's arms. She turned to face the crowd. "I sent her to the infirmary. She should recover to full health." Celeste already had someone in critical condition the elements haven't even started training. Kain is much stronger. He already knows who is gifted. They needed to get started right away. Sooner the better. "I guess I should introduce myself." Celeste turned around to face the teenagers. It would have been better if they all had smiles on their faces.

"My name is Celeste. I am in charge of informing you all about what is going on." Celeste watched them for a moment and didn't give them time to question her. "You were all hand picked by celestial beings to carry on celestial duties on earth. Including stopping Lord Kain." She looked down at the ground and then back up. "Kain...he is the one that hurt your friend. I didn't know that he would figured you all out by now." Celeste cleared her throat. There was no time to get in her feelings. "You all will have to train and master your abilities in order to defeat him." Her explanation was almost over. "Remi. Ezra. Eric. Greyson. You four will lead this group. Any further questions will need to be directed toward your personal muses. I will be around. Please don't let Kain hurt another one of you." Celeste didn't want to see another one of her children get hurt.

She disappeared leaving behind some of the twinkling stars. It was time to get serious.

Ophelia allowed Remi to take Talia from her arms. Cami and Matthew joined her knelt down beside her. She felt as though she couldn't breathe. Who could do this to such a wonderful person? This wasn't fair. Nathan was close by in what felt like an attempt to comfort her, but she wasn't sad anymore. Shew as angry. Furious even. Ophelia's blood was boiling and she could feel her temperature rising. The unfortunate part about being of fire, when she is angry her abilities take over. They usually just make her hotter. It was why when Ophelia was angry something was usually set on fire. But she didn't say anything. The tears that were on her cheeks evaporated. The brunette knew she needed to calm down. She couldn't get someone hurt from how angry she was at this current moment. That was when someone just appeared and collected Talia. Ophelia was on her feet in an instant and before she could say anything Talia vanished. Miss Landers was about to scream, but she explained where she was. She couldn't really get mad over that.

Ophelia stayed near Nathan, but didn't touch him. She was still burning hot and she didn't want to burn him on accident. She tried her best to listen as Celeste spoke about what was going on. Why they were here. What the plan was. But only one name mattered. Kain. The bastard that hurt her friend. A person that needed to die. A tiny fire ball formed in Ophelia's hand. She wasn't creating it, it was just from thinking about the things she was going to do to Kain. He was at the top of her destroy list. When Celeste disappeared, Ophelia turned to Nathan. "We have to find him right now. I have to kill him."

---

---

Greyson didn't know what to do or how to help Remi. His sister was on the verge of death and he couldn't bring him back. The mood of the room was depressing. He wished their was something he could do to make it better. But that would mean going back in time to protect Talia. Only problem with that is that he can't go back in time. Then a random collected Talia from Remi. Greyson didn't really think that was a good plan, but as she explained where she was sending Talia he thought otherwise. Celeste seemed to really care about Talia. As if she raised her. As Celeste continued to speak, Grey made his way towards his best friend. It was just to keep him from doing something stupid to himself or to someone else.

Kelsey was standing very close to her father, afraid to look at her godfather. He was so distraught that it made her sad to look at him. Greyson looked at Celeste when she called his name. He couldn't believe that he was a leader. The only thing he has ever been in charge of was his daughter and sometimes Remi depending on the state hew as in. Right now would be one of those times. Celeste left and his focus was back on his best friend. "Remi?"

---

---

Eric and Evangeline felt bad for the fact they weren't as sad as the others. They felt awful that Remi almost lost a sister, but they weren't that close to her or her family. But Eric could only imagine what it would be like if the same thing happened to Evangeline. So they just kept quiet and watched. Eric saw Delaney just stand still so he left his sisters side to comfort his blonde crush. He knew that she was used to helping people, but this was one person she couldn't help. Eva went over to Willow. She knew that Willow was friends with Talia and she could only imagine was going through her head. Lucas seemed confused and sad for the fact that his mother was affected by the situation. Eva ran her fingers through his hair and stood close to Willow.

There was someone that collected Talia and sent her to the infirmary. Then she explained everything. From their abilities to Lord Kain. Eva thought it was nice that she and her friends weren't the only ones with this burden. Then Eric's name was mentioned to be leader. Eric didn't mind of course, but Eva did. That gave him more reason to control her life. She would love to have complained to Celeste, but she was gone. Eric looked over Delaney. "Are you alright?" He was genuinely concerned for her. Eva didn't say anything to Willow. She was waiting for her best friend to speak first.

---

---

There was a sliver of hope in Matt's eyes when Remi started to speak to Talia. But was quickly replaced with sadness when she didn't respond. Not even a twitch of the finger. The blonde boy just continued to cry silently. His best friend was hurt and he didn't know what to do. It was like he forgot how to function in life. He wasn't one to cry in front of people, but he didn't care. They were unimportant. Talia was just taken from him. Someone came and took Talia. Matty couldn't even move to see who it was. All she said was that Talia was in the infirmary to recover. But Matty didn't think that was enough. He needed his best friend now.

Celeste spoke about their abilities and what was going on. The name Lord Kain was thrown out there and it stuck with Matthew. Kain ruined him. Messed with Talia. And indirectly got to Remi. He was so hurt and angry. Matthew just kept quiet. He brought his knees to chest and hid his face. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to be bothered. Matt wanted Talia back. Celeste disappeared and he continued to sit there. Completely devastated.

​
​

​​​Delaney continued to watch, her eyes on the ground near Talia but not directly on her. It was hard for her to look. She wasn’t bothered by her condition or state she was in, but the way others were crouched around her and the solemn atmosphere of the room. Just then, a woman appeared out of thin air. She walked towards Talia, and soon she was gone. Delaney wildly looked at her. Why would she do that? The woman explained who she was and where Talia had been sent. Delaney just listened quietly. relieved Talia was being sent somewhere to be taken care of. She made a mental note to go and visit her later. She could help heal her, and it would be good practice for her.

The woman, Celeste, brought up Lord Kain and Delaney looked down at her hands. An evil galactic lord? She meant, they would actually have to fight him? After what he had just done to Talia? No way. Delaney sighed right when Celeste brought up training. Woah, woah, woah. She looked up quickly, trying to register what was going on. An evil galactic lord Kain..train to fight him..possibly end up like Talia. Before the words could set in her mind, Eric was by her side. “Are you alright?” Delaney stared at the ground for a few seconds before turning her head to look at him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’ve been chosen among millions of others, to fight against some evil galactic lord and face death while doing so?” She shook her head. The request was ridiculous. If she helped, she saved millions of lives. If she helped, she faced losing those she loved.

​

---

​

​

Nathan had his hand on Ophelia’s shoulder roughly two seconds before he yanked it away. Bad idea. He could feel the heat radiating off of her body. He took a cautious step back and kept his eyes on her at all times, in case she did anything rash. That was the last thing everyone needed right now. A woman appeared, took Talia away, and explained why everything was the way it was. Nathan listened carefully. Everything started to add up slowly, but some blanks were still left. Maybe they could be filled in over time.

Ophelia turned to him swiftly and declared they had to find Kain, the one who had nearly killed Talia. Not only did they have to find him, but she had to kill him. Nathan looked at the fireball involuntarily forming in her head and he outstretched a hand towards her, enough not to get burned, but close enough where she could feel the heat. ​“Absolutely not. I’m sure everyone here right now would love to get their hands on him, but you can’t go after him and expect to kill him when you’re running off your emotions.” Nathan tried to calm her down, but he knew how she got when she was angry. She’s a wild fire and will take down everything in her path. Whatever it takes. He shook his head slowly and planned out his words before speaking them, his voice low and stern..​ ”We already have someone on the verge of dying. We don’t need another person in that situation.”

​

---

Eva appeared at Willow’s side and Willow shook her head angrily. Her nerves were shot. ​“I can’t believe this.” Willow let her hand drop to Lucas’ shoulder and he wrapped an arm loosely around her leg. She looked at him, trying to remain calm. She needed to stay calm if she wasn’t going to make the situation worse. She wasn’t going to put Lucas in harm’s way; she had to remain calm. Not to mention there was another child in the room, who from the looks of it, belonged to Greyson.

A woman appeared, Talia disappeared, and Remi started screaming. Remi. Willow turned to Eva. ​“Can you please look after him? I need to go..” Her words drifted off, and she was already unwrapping Lucas from her leg. ​“Mommy’s gonna go to Remi for a second. I’ll be right back. Aunt Eva is going to stay with you, okay?” Lucas looked up at his mother and nodded, staying quiet. He could tell something was wrong and kept his mouth shut. He was handed off to Eva, and he lifted his arms up towards her. Willow left the two and made her way to Remi, who looked possessed at this point. She blinked in shock. She had never seen her friend like this in all the time she had known him. Then again, Talia had never been like this before. She continued to cross the floor, and it seemed every step closer she got, the more ballistic Remi became. She needed to calm him down.

She closed her eyes briefly, clearing her mind and concentrating. As soon as she relaxed, she heard everyone. Their thoughts raced through her mind, but they were far off and distant voices, but she singled out her best friends. His was loudest right now. She opened her eyes and held the connection with him. ​“Remi,” she kept her message soft in his head. ​“I need you to calm down.” She knew that would be fruitless, considering the state he was in, but she needed him to hear her. She didn’t want to tamper with his emotions, but if it came down to that, she would. She waited for a few seconds and nothing. She could feel the energy he was accumulating and she huffed. This was not good. If he kept it up, he could injure everyone around him. She opened the link up more, allowing his emotions and mind to completely open up inside her own. His emotions hit her like a brick wall. Her head immediately throbbed and she put and hand to her temple. Negative emotions were everywhere. Sadness, pain, frustration, anger. It was so overwhelming she had to close the link between them. She had never felt anything like that before. She put a hand on her gut. Her lungs burned; she didn’t know she had been holding her breath. It took her a second to recoop.

When she could breathe, she walked over to him swiftly, closing the gap between them in a few seconds. She took a place besides Greyson, and grabbed Remi firmly by his left arm. ​“Remi!” She grasped his arm and glanced to check neither child was looking. She brought her hand swiftly across his face and stepped back. She hoped that would do it.

---

​

A figure appeared between the group and took Talia away. The woman identified herself as Celeste, and it seemed as though she had known them all for a while, including him. Damian watched her. He didn’t like her. The way she just appeared before everyone and immediately took control of the situation. On what authority was she acting? If she was so important, why was this the first time she had shown her face to any of them? He didn’t like her, but he couldn’t help but be impressed. Not everyone could act the way she had under pressure.

He turned his head to get a better look at her. She seemed sad by the sudden turn of events, just like the others. “You were all hand picked by celestial beings to carry on celestial duties on Earth. Including stopping Lord Kain. …. You will all have to train and master your abilities in order to defeat him.”

Lord Kain..interesting.. He, along with the others, had been picked, out of the billions on earth, to defeat him. He stared at the group in front of him. He could almost smell the weakness radiating off of the others. Damian knew he could take on the challenge, with or without the others. He didn’t need them. However, he would enjoy training. He could see what the others were actually capable of. He knew what they could do, but not to what extent. It was the same with Eva, although he had gotten a taste of that earlier. He didn’t want to train with Eva in front of the others. No, because there would be others to intervene, and that would not be acceptable. Being interrupted during his time with Eva would call for pain to those interrupting them. Damian started running through lesson plans when his thoughts were interrupted by Celeste. Eric, Ezra, Remi, and Greyson were to lead. Damian chuckled darkly. Like he would listen to them. They could try to control him. They could try to instruct him. They had authority appointed by a random woman. How legitimate was it? Damian stood up straight, taking his back off the wall. At least he could look forward to training, even though participation was questionable.

Eva immediately started eating the fruit once Ezra handed them over to her and he was relieved. She seemed to be distracted by something. Something big for that matter. He wanted to ask, but maybe it was something she didn't want to talk about in front of Eric. Evangeline often came to Ezra when she didn't know how to talk to her actual brother about something. Or because she trusted Ezra more, mainly because Eric was ten times more protective and he often only thought about what was safest for Eva, not that it was a bad thing, but it often kept him from listening to her. After deciding to ask her later, Ezra turned to Lucas who had greeted him excitedly. He chuckled softly at the toddler's question and was going to reply when a new voice came into the kitchen. Ezra looked up to see Celeste and he immediately glanced at Cami. Perhaps the woman had some news about Talia. Maybe she had woken up. Unfortunately she didn't even address the matter. She simply stated that those who had school had to go and just like that, a good percent of the people were gone. The only ones left beside himself were Remi, Grayson, Eric, Willow and the kids. That was one way to get everyone to leave. Then just as she had appeared she dissapeared. What were they supposed to do now? Laze around until the others came back. Ezra turned to Lucas, who looked puzzled, and smiled. "Don't worry, my schedule is free. We can play whenever you have time"


Cami happily sheared her small red fruits with her friend, but she ate in a hurry. She needed to get to school and who knows how long that would take. She also didn't know how she'd get there. Her car was still back at Ophelia's house, which she also didn't know how far it was. The entire situation was confusing. As Cami finished her last strawberry and went to wash her hands, the same woman from rhe night before walled into the kitchen and greeted them. Celeste was her name if she remembered correctly. Camila's eyes brightened immediately. If she was here it meant she had news about Talia. Cami quickly went back to her seat and listened attentively to Celeste's every word, staring in disbelief when she had finished. She didn't even bring up the subject. She assumed no news was better than bad news, but she could have at least given them a heads up on what was happening, or at the very least where they could find her. But nothing of the sort happened. Camila wanted to ask, but her train if thought was interrupted when she blinked and was suddenly in some sort of garage. There were vehicles of all types and sizes. She looked around at everyone. It seemed that all of the ones there were the ones that needed to go to school. She looked behind her, quickly locating Ophelia and Nathan and smiled apologetically. "I guess you're going to school after all" she said softly, looming around at the cars. Maybe they could all ride together in one, it would make things much simpler. That and Cami wasn't sure if she could handle driving alone just yet. She was still shaken up, even though it wasn't as obvious as the night before. Concentrating at school was going to be hard.


Mathew seemed surprised that Remi remebered his favorite fruit and this made the older blonde smile. For once, he had been the one to surprise Mathew. It was usually the other way around. The smaller boy somehow always managed to either surprise or disorient Remi in some way, but this time it was Remi's turn. The boy asked if Remi was actually going to make sure he ate and Remi nodded, as if it should have been obvious. "Of course" he said matter of factly. Mathew didn't waste time before reminding Remi that he was supposed to be eating too. He had made a deal with him after all so it seemed like he had no choice. The taller of the two lifted his hands up in defeat and go to his feet to get himself some fruit but was quickly interrupted by a new presence. It was that woman from the night before. The same one who had taken Talia away without so much of an explanation or a clue as to where she could be. The woman began talking and Remi listened closely, hoping she'd say something about Talia, but nothing came. He stared at her in annoyance as she spoke about the others having to go to school. He didn't care about that, he cared about his sister and getting to see her. Maybe Mathew would stay home from school and they could sneak off to find the emfermary. Two heads would be better ran one. Deciding it was a good idea, Remi turned to Mathew. "Hey I have a-" he stopped talking as soon as he realized Mathew was vanashing into thin air. He blinked in confusion after the boy was completely gone and sighed. So much for that plan. As he looked around, there didn't seem to be many people left. He was relieved to see that Grayson was still there, as well as Willow. And though they weren't close, he got along with Eric and Ezra just fine. Celeste had dissapeared again,eaving Remi with more questions than the ones he had before. With a sigh he stood up and walked over to his best friend. Perhaps he would accompany him in his mission to find Talia.

Willow ran off after Lucas and left Delaney alone, not that the blond minded much. She turned her attention from her friend back to her apple and continued eating, completely getting lost in the colors and flavor of the fruit. She had just about finished when the woman from the night before appeared before the group. Celeste, if she remembered her name correctly. Delaney watched the woman as she spoke, she seemed sad or a bit shaken up still from the night before. She was hiding it well though. Soon enough the woman stopped speaking and when Delaney went to take the final bite of her apple, she found herself looking at multiple cars instead of the fruit. She sighed slightly and looked around, observing the room. It seemed most of them had all been transported to the garage, with the except of the leaders and Willow.

Delaney spotted Matthew and watched as he picked up a backpack with his name on it. She walked over to the backpacks, waiting until he finished, and then scanned the names until she found hers and Eva’s. She found it odd that supposedly everyone who could drive have a car and all those going to school had backpacks with their names on it. How long had Celeste and the muses known they would be here? Would they be here for the whole school year? The thought made her slightly uneasy but she would try not to dwell on it much. She picked the two bags up, swinging her onto her back, and carrying Eva’s in her hand. Delaney quickly spotted Eva and walked over to her quickly, offering her the bag. ”Might as well get going since we have no other choice.” The blond offered her friend a smile before scanning the means of transportation. There were bikes and skateboards they could use, since they couldn’t drive. Delaney quickly ruled out using a skateboard, considering the only times she did was when Nathan had his skater phase and made her learn with him. Delaney spotted a white vintage bicycle among the other bikes and smiled excitedly. It was like a dream come true. Eva would understand her excitement if anyone could.

---

Nathan finished cleaning the dishes and dried them off, putting them back in cupboards and drawers. He let Greyson use the sink and then he felt this phone go off. He walked back over to the table and halfway there, he pulled out the phone. He read it and glanced at Ophelia to catch her winking at him. He smirked and winked back, slipping his phone into his pocket unanswered. They would get their alone time. He wouldn’t back out on her. Just then, a woman appeared in the room and Nathan looked at her. She talked mainly about going back to school and such, but didn’t mention anything about Talia. He frowned slightly, knowing Ophelia and Cami would most likely be disappointed.

Then he was in the garage. He raised an eyebrow as he looked around, quickly spotting all the different cars and the overall size of the immense garage. It was impressive, and he would have never thought he would be so happy to see that many cars, even though he had never taken much interest in them. He wondered which car was his, but he spotted a familiar hair color out of the corner of his eye. The cars could wait. He carried himself over to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist. Cami soon joined them and Nathan smiled at her. ”I guess you’re going to school after all.” He nodded his head at her, relieve that she didn’t seem to be in such a bad mood. ”It looks like we don’t really have a choice.” He chose to keep out the fact that he had convinced his girlfriend to go after all. It seemed it wasn’t really necessary, but she still agreed and they would still get their alone time. It was all working out so far. He spotted a key rack on the wall not too far from them and squinted his eyes. They seemed to have the names of each person on them and he raised an eyebrow, finding it pretty cool. He had his own personal car. maybe the mansion wouldn’t be too bad after all.

---

Celeste appeared Willow took a step closer to Lucas, placing a hand on his head lightly. She glanced at her son, who seemed to be very confused and the appearance at the woman. She had tried to keep her soon as distracted from last night’s events as possible, and she could not have done so without the help of Eva. Celeste talked to them about everything except Talia. She hadn’t not even mentioned her, which concerned Willow. The least the woman could have said was “she’s in stable condition” or where she was. Saying nothing, in her opinion, was way worse than saying the truth. Even if it brought the worst outcome, there was no need to hide something, especially regarding someone’s health.

One minute everyone was in the kitchen, and the next minute there was only a small percentage of them. “And then there were seven,” she mumbled to herself as Celeste left them too. Willow slightly rolled her eyes when the woman disappeared. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her, she just wanted to make sure Talia was okay. She knew Remi must be worried terribly about his sister, and she glanced at him, the emotions she tasted from him the night before coming back for a moment. She crossed her arms to keep from shivering, and scanned the scene. Remi and Greyson were together, Ezra and Lucas were talking more about their play date, and Eric was sadly eating fruit. She didn’t know why he seemed so moody, but maybe it was because his sister had just disappeared into thin air. Willow turned her attention to Greyson. She knew Remi well enough to guess he would try to go find Talia himself since Celeste had been of no help, and he would probably drag the father along with him. He would go to the ends of the earth to find his sister, and Willow loved that about her friend. “I don’t know about you, but I think this would be a decent time for Kelsey and Lucas to play. I can watch over them while you and Remi go look.”

---

Damian had just reached the doorway when he heard a familiar voice. He saw the back of the figure and identified the woman as Celeste. Yes, he remembered her. He liked the amount of power radiating off her. He wanted that amount of power, but his own self built power. If he was going to become powerful, he wouldn’t deprive others of their own power. He loved a challenge after all. Just seeing her made him power hungry. What she was saying didn’t matter to him. What she could do and who she was did. It made him think back to the first time he had seen her and the conversation regarding Lord Kain. If the man was so powerful, then why was the job up to them? Why couldn’t Celeste take care of it herself? He lost his train of thoughts when he noticed his surroundings change from the kitchen to a garage. He stared at the others, his eyes immediately finding Eva. He knew she wouldn’t be driving, but he wasn’t going to offer her a ride. She would most likely not get in the car to begin with, plus that would raise questions. He drug his eyes off her and felt his stomach twist in hunger. No breakfast for him. It seemed as though he wouldn’t be eating until dinner tonight.

He glanced at the bookbags on the floor and found one with his name on it. He stared at it for what seemed to be forever. There was no way he was going to school. He didn’t do things because others think he should. He only did something he didn’t want to if it would benefit him. Just then, a familiar voice rang in his head reminding him of a deal he had made. ...carry on with your normal, daily activities.. Damian mentally scowled at his muse, Going to school is not a part of my daily routine. However, his muse was persistent, and he didn’t care to deal with the nagging. He heard every threat and calmly walked over to the key rack, slipping off the pair of keys that was his. If going to school would make her shut up, then so be it. He hit the unlock button on his car key and watched as a pitch black car in the far back of the garage flashed its lights.

Now that everyone was gone, Ezra didn’t know what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He looked over at his best friend, who seemed bummed about his sister’s sudden disappearance. "Well whenever you are done with your playdate, we need to find something fun to do here.’. Ezra ch and shook his head as he looked back to Lucas. ”You play with Kelsey all you want and then come find me once you’re free, alright?” he said with a slight smile and held a hand up for a high five. As if on cue, Kelsey came over to them with a smile. Ezra gave her a quick wave before turning back to his best friend and leaving the toddlers to their playdate. ”So what did you have in mind?”. Ezra was curious to see what Eric came up with. He was the adventure lover out of the two and would constantly be coming up with things for the two of them to do, but he wanted to see what Eric could come up with on his own. The rest of the group seemed to have their own plans already, including Willow. But if she needed help watching after the kids, he would gladly stay behind as well.


[img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/de6e207ca18dc72c9bf64534bdf45c22/tumblr_mth0vjW7WR1s3u5lno8_r1_250.gif[/right] It seemed like Grayson and Willow were reading Remi’s mind because they knew what he wanted to do before he even mentioned it. He didn’t think he was that predictable, but then again they were his closest friends. If anyone could figure him out it was them. Willow volunteered to look after the kids while Grayson accompanied him to find Talia. It sounded like a good plan to him. The house may be big, enormous even, but it was still a house. If they looked long and hard enough eventually they would find the infirmary. ”thank you darling” he said, offering Willow a smile. It wasn’t his usual flirty smile but it was better than none at all. The tall blonde got to his feet and looked down at his best friend. ”shall we?”. He kept his lopsided grin in place and waited for the other’s response. If they wanted to find Talia today they’d have to start as soon as possible. WHo knows how long it will take to locate her. At the very least, if she was still alive, Remi would be able to sense her energy as they got closer. The first part of his thought creeped into his head again and he almost cringed at the way he was thinking. There was no if. She was still alive, he firmly believed that. His sister was much stronger than she appeared to be.


For the first time in probably ever, Camila didn’t want to go to school. She was still hesitant even when she was telling Ophelia she needed to get to school back when they were still in the kitchen. But now it looked like none of them had a choice. She noticed a couple of the others walk over towards the wall and pick up a bookbag.Cami hurried over herself and began to search for her name. After finding it she grabbed the bag and opened it. She needed to know if the essay that she worked so hard on for so long was still there. If it wasn’t she would be off to a very bad start. She ruffled through books and papers, all of them hers, until she found a familiar looking packet. She pulled the top half out and sighed in relief when she realized it was what she needed. Celeste really had thought of everything. She swung one strap over her shoulder and turned to leave but another name caught her attention. It was Ophelia’s book back just a few feet from hers, and Nathan’s just a few inches over. She picked both of them up and headed back to the two, holding out the bags as she got there. Ophelia had suggested the they carpool before Cami could say anything and she was thankful. She didn’t know if the couple wanted to have her around, so she was hesitant to say it herself. She still wasn’t sure if they did, they most likely wanted to be alone, but Camila didn’t. Not yet. ”Ready” she said quietly.