{ Present || Fletcher Mansion || 11:40 am }
Wearing a red leather jacket, an old Flash Gordon t-shirt and wine-colored Chuck Taylors was a young man sitting on the rooftop of the Fletcher mansion. He swung his feet back and forth while they dangled off of the edge. A small, lime-green radio sat beside him, playing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
"Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry...'Cause baby there AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIIIIIGH ENOUGH," Frank foolishly sang in a high octave, "AIN'T NO VALLEY LOOOOOW ENOUGH. AIN'T NO RIVA' WIIIIDE ENOUGH TO KEEP ME FROM GETTIN' TO YOU BABE..."
Now that he had a radio for a charm, singing on top of the Fletcher Mansion became an everyday occurrence. There was a piece of pink 'Hello Kitty' notebook paper in his hands, which he scribbled on using a maroon-colored crayon. He was making a list. It wasn't any ordinary list - it was an important list that would be shown to all of the Changers. Ultimately, it was a list that would determine their organization's fate.
Suddenly, a beep from the watch on his wrist made him drop the crayon, and come to a stop. A wild smile appeared on his face. "WELL IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME." he said as if speaking to someone, "Hopefully this works..."
His put one index finger in both of his earlobes, and stared at a tree over to the right side of the house. "Three...two...one...FIRE IN THE HOOOOOLE!!!" In that instant, a storm of grass and dirt flew up into the air, and Frank's giddy laughter could barely be heard over the sound of the explosion.
Jude Fletcher wasn't the only one who had to keep charm dust. When Franklin Dragonelli broke his charm in order for one part of Fletcher's plan to be completed, the psychopathic twenty something-year-old made sure to keep a few tiny specks of dust for himself. He had planted the dust inside makeshift bombs, and had just tested one out on the unsuspecting groundhog that had eaten the plants in Jude's garden for a week. Now that he knew that they worked, it was time to start his mission.
He crumpled up the list and put it inside of one of his leather jacket's pockets. He then grabbed his radio, leaving the box of crayons behind as he climbed down the house. He stopped by one of the windows, seeing Ondine nearby. He swung his legs forward, shattering the glass, and flying through the gap he had just created. "Hello Ondie." he said in a suave tone that mocked elegance. "Woops." he quickly turned his head around, surveying the wreckage he had just created. Even though he stared at it for a few seconds, the damage didn't seem to phase him.
"Okay," he began, unfolding the list from his pocket. "Read this, and get the items on it. It's for the Changer King." He then handed her the pink Hello Kitty paper, and ran off before she got the chance to ask him any questions. That was Frank's nature - always allowing himself to be vague whenever the opportunity arose.
"Hey Jack-ass," he said to his friend Asmodeus when he passed him by. A mix of 'Jack the Ripper' and his own name, Asmodeus's genocidal-maniac status allowed Frank to call him by the vulgar nickname. "I'm going out. Make sure to read the list I gave Ondie. It's muy importante..."
With a utility belt on his waist and a knapsack over his left shoulder, Frank headed outside to the front of the house. Suddenly, he saw a figure slinking in the shadows over to his left. "DAMN IT." he cursed, seeing that the groundhog he had just attempted to kill was miraculously still alive. He sighed, pressed one of the buttons on his portable radio, and closed his eyes.
{ July 30th, 1478 || Florence, Italy || 8 pm }
Attire
When he opened them, Frank come across a grand masquerade being held right in the center of the square. There were lanterns shining over his head, and dozens of costumed lords and ladies dancing to the charming melodies of the music. Irritatingly, Frank ripped off the black mask that covered his eyes. He found masquerades pointless. What was putting a mask over your face going to do to conceal your identity? It certainly wasn't going to help the man Frank was pursuing.
He knew his target was here, he just wasn't sure where to find him. Suddenly, he stopped, pulling out a piece of parchment from his knapsack. He held up the piece of paper to the small man he was inspecting, and smiled once he realized it was the guy he was looking for.
"Hello there" he said to his victim, who he had managed to trap in a dark alleyway, a dagger against his throat. "Let's skip the formalities minor Harry Potter character...I want to make this quick."
The man raised his brow. "What?"
"Listen, you've made something that I need. It's granted you eternal life, and it's one of the greatest creations mankind has ever known."
"Why thank you."
"Now, I need to know where it is," Frank rested the dagger on the man's belly, "or I'll slit you up one side and down the other so that you can watch your own stomach drop to the ground below."
The two locked eyes at each other for a while, making Frank impatient. "Well, if you're not going to tell me...
He rammed the man into the wall, raising his dagger and aiming for his chest. "Wait, wait! At least let me say something..." the gray-haired man stuttered in fear, "All I'm going to tell you is this: I gave it to a group of individuals who are known for their collection of things. Some call them thieves, I call them vigilantes."
Frank smirked and chuckled. "And you know what I call them?" he said, "Assholes."
Frank then scratched Nicholas Flamel's stomach with his blade, making him yell and grunt in pain. A group of men instinctively came over to question his actions, but they were blown into the air once Frank dropped the tiny bombs he had hanging on his belt. Not only did they create tiny explosions, but they also sent out blue smoke. It made people cough like crazy, and it allowed Frank to make his getaway. He hoped he wouldn't feel nostalgia over his next destination.
{ Present || The Temple Bar || 11:45 }
Frank entered the bar casually, not worrying about anything he'd have to face up ahead. Frank remembered this crowded bar from his Stretcher days. Nothing had changed - not even the old bookcase in the storage room that guarded the secret entrance to the apartment upstairs. He crouched down beside it, pulling the red book towards the bottom shelf, and shook his head as he watched the bookcase slide away, revealing the spiral staircase.
Once he got upstairs, Frank frantically searched the apartment for the item he needed - the Stone of Philosophers. "Yoohoo..." he called out, knocking over books, pots pans...anything that got in his way. He was creating a mess, and it wouldn't be too long until he broke something. He entered another room, checking every crevice and corner for the red glittering gem he desired. Of course, he didn't see Lucius Daniel Evans laying on the ground beside him.
{Present || Castle Aetas || 11:45 am }
When Beatrice's leg had caught with hers, Sadie lost her balance, and caught herself on the wall before her knees reached the floor. She laughed. "Trying to kill me, Bee?" Sadie smiled, gently nudging Beatrice in the shoulder to signify that everything was okay. She kept herself close to her friend, and continued to hike down the long castle corridor. "So Beatrice, tell me where you went. I'm curious." She listened to everything her fellow Watcher had to say. Once she was sure Beatrice was done speaking, Sadie began to tell her something that she had been wanting to tell her all day. "So at breakfast this morning, I overheard a couple of people talking about who's going to take over now that Artemis is gone." She kept trudging forward, approaching the castle breezeway. "Apparently, it's going to be a whole voting-thing. Like, we'll have to nominate people, and then we choose one of the people who's nominated...I have no idea when or where the voting is going to take place, but whateverr it is, I hope it doesn't get crazy. I just don't want it to be like parliament, if you know what I mean..."
Sadie came to a stop. Beside her was a dark brown door that seemed to contrast with the other chestnut-colored doors nearby. Behind the door lied Artemis Fletcher's abandoned office. She slowly turned the knob and opened it, revealing a small yet spacious room. It was completely illuminated by the natural light that poured in through the windows towards the back. " I was ordered to clean this place out, and put everything that isn't a shelf or a desk into the storage room." She laughed. "To be honest, I didn't even know we had a storage room." she said, "I thought this was the storage room."
She invited Beatrice inside the office. Perhaps they could find some interesting things lining the walls or hiding underneath the desk. Out of the corner of her eye, Sadie could spot cardboard boxes lining one of the walls. Clearly, someone had already done part of her job for her. She grabbed one, and began placing the dusty, ancient books inside. She chuckled once she came across one with a navy blue cover. The title read "The Art of Dance: Moving And Shaking From the Stone Age To the Modern World". The book was published in 1989. "Here, Bee," she giggled, holding out the book for Beatrice to see, "This one's for you." Sadie then placed it on Artemis's desk, and got back to work cleaning the shelf in front of her.
Sadie sighed. "I still can't believe she's gone..." Brushing her hand against the side of the bookshelf, she stared blankly at the covers. Every one she gazed upon triggered a memory she had with Artemis. "I remember when I first came here...I was sixteen and so confused...she helped me so much. Helped me sort out my problems, inspired me to do something about them...she was irreplaceable. In a way, I thought she'd never die."
For a few moments, Sadie just leaned on the bookshelf, staring out the window, listening for Beatrice to say something. And then suddenly, a peculiar little object on Artemis's desk brought her back to reality. Whatever it was, it was glowing a bright red color, and making some sort of high-pitched alarm sound. Sadie approached it, observing that it was a tiny crystal ball. It almost looked like a snowglobe. "Disruption in the time stream," she said, reading the words that appeared inside the glass object, "July 30th, 1478, Florence, Italy. 8 o'clock pm." She turned towards Beatrice, a confused yet stunned look on her face. "Do you think this is how Artemis knew what orders to give us?" She stared at the object for a few more moments. "Y'know what, we should probably get moving. If we don't do something soon, bad things could happen. I'm gonna go grab some stuff real quickly. If you want to come along, Bee, meet me back in here when you're ready."
With that, Sadie quickly ran out of the office, heading towards the direction of her room.