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Dean Frasier

"This all wrong. From beginning to end."

0 · 514 views · located in Wonderland Academy

a character in “A Twist in Wonderland”, as played by Augustinsect

Description

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Tango till theyโ€™re Sore- Tom Waits
"Who am I? Who you are is far more interesting, Iโ€™m sure."







Name:
Constantine โ€œDeanโ€ Frasier [Pronounced: fray-sher]

Age:
18

Grade:
12

Gender:
Male

Eye Color:
Changes from green to brown depending on the light in the room. Sometimes contains little hints of purple.

Hair Color/Length:
a rough, uncut mane of brown hair reaches his shoulders. It is most often worn down, but when Deanโ€™s concentrating, he sometimes pulls it back into a ponytail.

Height:
6โ€™ 1โ€

Weight:
165 lbs

Scars:
Track marks all down his arms. Random scarring on the torso and back.

Tattoos:
One of caterpillar that wraps around his torso and peaks out the right side of his neck.

Piercings:
Two gold rings on the cartilage of his right ear

Role:
the Caterpillar

Club:
Neutral

Mental Disorder:
Sociopathy, self-destructive behavior, drug addiction, mild narcissistic disorder, ADHD

Oddity:
People often find the way Dean walks rather creepy. He slinks around quietly and silently, his pace never moving faster than a light stroll. And yet, he always appears to simply be there, where there may be. Also, Dean tends to think and spend a portion of his free time upside down. People will often find him, knees hooked over a pipe or a tree, smoking a cigarette or a joint. His fascination in figuring out what makes people tick gets to others, as well as his dark, confusing and disturbing art.

Sexuality: Bi-curious, mainly sways for women

Romantic Interest: Anyone that intrigues him enough. Still, he finds the concept of love rather confusing and irrational, and will have a hard time falling into it.

Nationality: Greek

Job: Tattoo artist. His eye for detail makes him exceptionally good.

Ethnicity: White






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"Let me fall out the window with confetti in my hair."





Danger Level: Dean is one to avoid violence on the whole, usually ducking away at the sign of conflict. However, if someone manages to genuinely piss Dean off (an impressive accomplishment), theyโ€™d better watch their back. Dean is a very creative boy.

Dominant Emotion: Itโ€™s a fifty-fifty split between passive amusement and annoyed cynicism. Dean is often seen staring vacantly at others, a buttery smile on his lips. Heโ€™s quietly and mysteriously cheerful. However, in a conversation with someone irrational, illogical, or just plain stupid, people will see him glaring with annoyance. In this state, Dean gets a small twitch in his lip.

Personality: Dean is a mysterious figure at Wonderland Academy. Reclusive at best, Dean seems to never be there when expected, and suddenly appear when everyoneโ€™s almost forgotten about him. Nobody knows where he came from, nor has anybody ever gained any intel from him. Rumors say that Dean himself doesnโ€™t know where he comes from, though theyโ€™ve never been confirmed.

Although he is rather social, Dean speaks in brief, often rude sentences, annoying just about anyone who is forced to interact with him. Heโ€™s sarcastic, cynical, condescending, and, above all, confusing. His mind makes connections far faster than most people, and what seems to him to be a perfectly normal reply leaves otherโ€™s struggling to understand and piece together even the simplest comments.

Dean observes everything. Students find that secrets they believed to be buried are common knowledge to Dean. He takes great amusement from mocking or at least lightly teasing anyone that crosses his path, contradicting everything they say, and making them begin to question themselves. As much as he is a manipulator however, Dean doesnโ€™t mean any intentional harm. Itโ€™s just, there are very few things in this world that he finds interesting, and he tries everything he can to escape the boredom.

Special Skills/Abilities/Powers:
  • Photographic memory
  • Encyclopedia like knowledge of art and literature,
  • Excellent problem solving skills,
  • Can convince and manipulate,
  • An expert visual artist.

Likes:
  • Drugs of any kindโ€”though he prefers hallucinogens,
  • Books of the most random sort,
  • Outside shade,
  • Meeting new people,
  • Caterpillars- he admires their ability to completely reinvent themselves
  • Word games of any kind. Dean loves Shakespeare in particular because of the way he contorts the meaning of his words.

Talents:
  • Manipulation,
  • Visual Art,
  • Problem Solvingโ€”and in turn giving advice to those select few that he is fond of,
  • Poetry,
  • Writing and drawing paradoxes and illusionsโ€”sketches much like M.C. Escher

Dislikes:
  • Deadlines
  • Being told what to do
  • Excessively violent people
  • Stupid or illogical people and situations
    /list]

    Flaws:
    • Heโ€™s very confusingโ€”people have trouble holding conversations with him
    • Lazy/unmotivated
    • Arrogant
    • Can be excessively annoying with his โ€œstupid little mindgamesโ€

    Weaknesses:
    • Heavy addiction to drugs and nicotine
    • "making friends"
    • Laziness
    • Pride

    Hobbies:
    • Arguing with the teachers and staff. Well when I say arguing, I mean confusing, misleading and contradicting. Heโ€™s smarter than all of them anyways.
    • Walking around outside, lying in the grass.
    • Doing drugs, preferably on with buddies.
    • Listening to some international musicโ€”Dean has a thing for French cafรฉ, African cultured, and English Classic and Psychedelic rock.






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"Deal out jacks or better on a blanket by the stair..."






Typical Attire:
Simple colored v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Wears a vest and a sweater when itโ€™s cold out.

Keepsakes:
  • A chain that he never takes off. On it is a single silver bullet. When asked what it was for, Dean answers, โ€œSomeday, sometime, either this place goes, or I do.โ€
  • A small bracelet with a small mushroom capsuled in solified amber.

History:
Nobody has a clue, and Dean isnโ€™t yet ready to divulge his story.

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"I'll tell you all my secrets, but I lie 'bout my past. So send me off to bed forever more..."

So begins...

Dean Frasier's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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"Now, make sure that you continue your studies. No slacking off, and if you get into any trouble, I'm having you shipped back here immediately."

A soft frown flitted across the young girl's face, and for a moment, she stared down at the box in her hands. When she turned her face upwards to look at her grandmother, she nodded slightly.

"I understand, grandmother," she said quietly, her fingers tightening slightly around the box, which held bubble-wrapped mementos from her childhood. The old woman held her chin high, attempting to look down her nose at the taller, younger girl and failing, yet succeeding in sending small chills down her spine.

"I sincerely hope you do, child. You know the consequences of not meeting my standards. Ensure that you keep up, or it's off to military school," she said stiffly, her knobby hands folded over one another.

Valerie looked at her, the woman that had taken care of her since she was eight, and on a sudden urge, placed the box on top of the limousine, her arms throwing around the frail woman.

"I'll miss you, grandmother. I'm ..." There were no amount of words that could express the emotions that she was feeling in that moment. Sorrow, joy, anxiety, nervousness, anticipation; they were all a jumbled mess together in the pit of her stomach, causing a butterfly-feeling of sorts deeply within. When she finally released her and turned away from the mansion that had become her home-away-from-home, she felt an odd sense of freedom, as if she were escaping some sort of a prison.

She had never felt more free then she did in that moment.





The drive across Europe was long and exhausting, and the ferry that she was to board and take across the Pacific Ocean was large and impressive; nothing less then what she expected her grandmother to do. The valet that had driven her assisted her in handing over her bags, most of which had already been sent to the Academy, the ones that she carried merely a couple of boxes that she had packed last minute, and her travel-on bag.

By the time she arrived in America, a day after she had left her grandmother's, she was more then ready to get settled in at the school and have a full-night's rest.

It was another two hours before Valerie reached the Academy's gates, and when she did, the window slid down and she leaned out, eager to breathe in the fresh air of the forest that surrounded it. By the time that they reached the front of the school, it was the middle of the school day, so around eleven o'clock in the morning, and a total of a day and a half after she had left.

The Head Dean of the school was there to greet her, having had received word of her arrival, and hastened to greet the young woman whose grandmother had donated a hefty amount of money, especially to get her in after the school year had begun. The forty-something-year-old woman gave her a brief tour of the campus using the map that had been emailed to Valerie. She explained how certain things worked around the campus, and then basically left the girl to find her merry way on her own. The driver who had brought her from the ferry and to the school bid her good-luck and then left, almost in a hurry it seemed, but with a slight shrug, she turned back to the school. Two teachers that had been standing with the Dean had already taken her things with them to her room, and she had been told that she was free to do whatever she wanted for the rest of the day - so long as it didn't break any rules, involve her leaving the campus, and that she didn't travel into the forest surrounding the campus.

With a slight shrug, she set off in search of food, figuring that perhaps there was some sort of lunch period going on at eleven-thirty in the afternoon.

After around twenty minutes of searching - and five times where she found herself lost - she managed to arrive at the cafeteria, a bit frazzled but none-the-worse-for-wear. Sadly, it was empty, and after further investigation - basically her asking when lunch was - she discovered that Lunch A had just concluded, and Lunch B would begin in ten minutes - at precisely noon. So there she settled in to wait, the Academy's cooks taking pity on her and allowing her to buy her lunch early. After eyeing the surprisingly-delicious looking Fettuccine Alfredo pasta, she nibbled on bits of chicken that had been tossed into the mixture, her intense blue eyes traversing the room, yet her head never moving.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Sam Bryant Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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โ€œThis time, please try to obey the laws of physics, Mr. Frasier,โ€ the teacher growled as Dean gently pried the assignment from her wrinkly hands.

โ€œ โ€˜Rules are meant to be brokenโ€™, madam! And laws as well, occasionally.โ€

โ€œFrasier! Just you waitโ€”โ€œ

But, Dean was already gone, slipping into the wave of juniors and seniors students making their way towards the cafeteria. Without looking at the paper in his hands, Dean shoved it into his bag. The sound of the paper crumbling was satisfying to Deanโ€™s ears. If it had not been for the subject itself, Dean would have dropped this class immediately. Teachers, especially ones as dictatorial as the one who had handed him the paper, tended to rub him off the wrong way, and in return, Dean felt obliged to make their lives miserable.

Walking through the dense masses of students to the lunch room, Dean looked up quickly, gazing around above the heads of students. Satisfied that there were no teachers around, he lit a thin cigarette. Dean was grateful for the warm day as he walked down the window side of the hall, breathing out into the open air let in by open windows by teachers would be either too lazy or too hot to care about what he was doing. Reaching the end of the hallway, he snuffed it out before entering the large cafeteria, leaving a long trail of ash on the wall that he couldnโ€™t care less about.

He wasnโ€™t particularly hungry, and so stopped by the fruit bar, pushing through a few disgruntled students in line and grabbing an apple. He left hearing the exasperated sighs of students, who knew better than to push back when he pushed them around unless they wanted to embarrass themselves in front of their peers. As he walked to his usual seat, Dean noticed several students standing without food, talking animatedly. It looked like the leading siblings of the chess club, Sam and Audrey Bryant. Peering curiously past the two as he walked, Dean saw that they were speaking to an unfamiliar face. He frowned, moving slightly to the left to get a better luck. Must be a transfer, he reasoned to himself. Dean chose an empty table that was a bit closer to the girl, instead of the one he normally chose. He and Chess would normally meet up in the caf and sneak out to the trees just outside the forest. The sheer quantities of stupid in the room made them both twitchy and annoyed. This time, however, Dean hoped to find out more about this girl. Perhaps Chess would know something. He couldnโ€™t imagine a reason as to how she could, but Chess had ways of surprising him. Sheโ€™d done it before...

Dean hopped onto the table, planting his feet firmly on the seat of the chair in front of him. Taking a bite of the apple, he tapped his fingers softly on his knee, thinking about this mysterious new arrival.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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It was only five minutes after Valerie had settled in to eat when the bell rang. Needless to say, it scared the shit out of her. She nearly flung a carrot across the room in fright. She managed to calm her fast-racing heart, but it jumped into her throat as the swarm of students came. Her normal bravery disappeared, and she found herself ducking her head, attempting to use her blonde hair as some sort of a shield. It seemed to work - at first. And then she came.

Out of nowhere, she felt arms wrap around her body, nearly strangling her in their tight grip. A soft gasp escaped Val's lips, and her head was yanked to the girl's shoulder, where her chin came to rest.

"Jesus Christ," she wheezed, more stunned at the girl's strength then by the sudden hug that came out of nowhere.


"Hello! You look very new to me. Are you a transfer?" It seemed only then that the girl realized that she was invading her personal space, and finally released her. Valerie leaned back and drew in a breath, before letting it out slowly. "Oh my, I'm sorry if you didn't want to be hugged! I do it without thinking!"

"No, it's quite alright," Valerie said quietly, leaning back to catch her breath. She brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Her eyes moved to the boy that had accompanied the girl, and making a fleeting note that he was extremely handsome, she turned her attention back to the girl. But it was only to return her gaze to the boy, who had begun introductions.

"Audrey ... My sister. I'm Sam. Welcome to Wonderland Academy." His smile was calming, and she felt herself relax. "Excuse me a minute, I'll be right back. I'll grab yours too Audrey." His hand touched his sister's shoulder before he took of at a surprisingly fast walk towards the foot lines, and she leaned forward a bit to stare after him.

Nice ass though ...

A soft blush rose to her cheeks as she only then realized that the girl, Audrey, was still sitting there. And she was his sister of all things. To have had such thoughts about the girl's brother right in front of her was terrible. She dropped back onto her seat again and looked at the other girl.

"My name is Valerie. Valerie Callinder. It's a pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Audrey. And of your brother's, but I will tell him that when he returns," she said with a smile, not bothering to conceal her accent, for when she attempted to, it only ended up growing thicker.

It was at that moment that a slightly-disturbing boy with extremely curly dark hair dropped down onto a table nearby - quite loudly, might she add - and propped his feet on a chair. That's a bit disrespectful ... It wasn't her business, however, and with a slight shrug, she turned back to the conversation at hand, which was with Audrey, and attempted to ignore the stare that she was receiving from the boy.

Once again, however, her attention was taken from Audrey and redirected to the next person to approach the table. Her neck was beginning to ache from turning her head so often, and she was growing annoyed with it. When she saw who had slammed their tray onto the table across from her, though, her annoyed state was dashed from her, and instead replaced with a joyous one that could not be swiped away by anything.

"Tarrant!?" she blinked, her eyes fluttering quickly in surprise. After the surprise had faded, a slow grin began to stretch across her face, and before she realized what she was doing, she had propped one foot on top of the seat she was currently using, and threw herself across the table. She had successfully ended up tackling Tarrant from his seat, but oddly enough, she didn't care. She was far too busy squealing with excitement.

"Tarrant, Tarrant, Tarrant!" she cried, her arms latched around his neck. "I've missed you, Mister Hatter!" she laughed, burying her face in his shoulder. She clung to him like that for several moments, before she leaned back and dropped onto the heels of her feet, finally releasing him. Her smile trembled a bit, however, as she helped him up and he introduced her to Audrey, whom she had already met and would undoubtedly be confused by the different names. Therefore, she spun on her heel to face the girl, a sheepish grin on her face.

"My sincerest apologies for the confusion, Audrey," she said, her accent causing a slight lilt to be heard when she spoke the name for the first time. "My name is Alice Valerie Callinder, but I prefer to go by Valerie. It's quite a long story, but I would great appreciate your kindness in calling me by my preferred name," she said quietly, her eyes glancing down.

She hadn't told Tarrant about Amanda yet, and hadn't planned to until ... Well ... Never, actually. But now that she was faced with seeing him day-in and day-out?

She had no choice but to tell him.

Her grin faded as a deep sorrow rose up in her and threatened to burst in what would be a tsunami of tears if she allowed it to release and free itself. But with what she considered a great deal of strength, she shoved it back and instead lifted her hand to reach for her ever-present necklaces. She drew them out from under her dress, holding both lockets in the palm of her hand.

"Amanda ... She's ..." A pause, for she was almost certain that she wouldn't be able to continue. After a trembling, deep breath, she wrapped her fingers around the lockets and rings, closed her eyes, and spit out the words in a quick breath.

"She's dead, Tarrant. Skilled killed herself two months ago. That's why ... That's why I'm here."

She turned away, her eyes tightly closed and her face oddly pale. Her lips were dry. She couldn't help it.

"I'm ... I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me," she said, her voice a raspy whisper. She turned and ducked around Tarrant, her boots making soft taps on the floor as she fled the room, her hand tight around the lockets. She rushed past Sam and a girl that was speaking to him, ducking her head so as to hide the faint tears that clung on her lashes, and practically threw herself through the doors. She didn't stop running until she felt a small twinge in her side, which was the side-affect of running so soon after she had ate. She leaned against a set of lockers, her hands on her knees as she bent over at the waist, and her eyes closed.

A sly, female voice tore her out of her attempt to catch her breath.

"And who might you be?"

Valerie jumped and stumbled back a few steps, her head darted from side to side. She turned in a complete circle, before finally looking up and spotting a girl who was currently lounging on top of the lockers.

"You should get down from there, doll, else you hurt yourself," she said, her brows drawn together.

"Oh, please ... And refer to me as Chess or Cheshire."

"I seem to fancy calling you Cheshire Puss more then Chess or Cheshire, for how could you have managed to climb those lockers unless you were as lithe as a cat? Also, would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," the girl replied.

"I don't much care where--' Valerie began.

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go," the girl cut in.

"--so long as I get SOMEWHERE," Valerie concluded, so as to explain further.

"Oh, you're sure to do that, if you only walk long enough," the girl instructed lazily.

This was getting her nowhere, and Val could feel her frustrations rising. In an effort to calm herself, she held her breath, counted to ten, and let it out slowly before trying again. "What sort of people live about here?"

"In that direction," she motioned towards the cafeteria, "lives a Hatter." She couldn't possibly be talking about Tarrant ... Could she? "And in that direction, she motioned the way that Valerie had been heading, "Lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad."

They're both mad? Either she meant they were angry, or insane, bu there wasn't any way they could be either, and there was no way that she could know if both were angry in that moment. "But I don't want to go among mad people," she frowned, her brows drawing together.

"Oh, you can't help that," she chuckled, moving slightly to stretch. "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."

This was ridiculous. "How do you know I'm mad?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"You must be, or you wouldn't have come here." But it was a school, for crymony's sakes! Of course she would come here. It was a prestigious school for teenagers with her intellect. What did insanity have to do with any of it? What the girl had said did not prove the theory of madness in the least.

"And how do you know that you're mad?"

"To begin with, a dog's not mad. You grant that?"

"I ... I suppose so," Valerie answered cautiously.

"Well, then ... You see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad."

"I call it purring, not growling," she pointed out, priding herself on being quite the smart ass, for it was true; the girl resembled a cat so entirely that it was almost frightening.

"Call it what you like."

The girl practically slinked away, a mysterious grin on her face.

"What the fuck ... Was that?" Her sorrow momentarily gone, she stared after the girl with an expression that was one of disbelief mixed with confusion and awe.

"What ... The fuck?"

With a shake of her head, she puffed out a breath and headed back in the direction of the cafeteria. When she returned, she was obviously embarrassed, but her tears had dried and she was calm once more. She did, however, approach the table that she had been sitting at before with a weariness that was obvious enough to cut with a knife.

"I'm ... I'm sorry about before," she said sheepishly, shifting her weight a bit. "I just can't help but grow upset when I think of my sister. It won't happen again," she said, sliding back into her seat. She plucked up her apple and held it out towards Tarrant with a grin. "Yours fell on the floor, you big oaf. You should be more careful with your food. After all these years, and I'm still picking up after and feeding you," she laughed, leaning across the table and press the apple between his teeth so that it stayed. She then leaned back and looked up at Sam and the girl from before as they approached the table, for she hadn't been gone long, but long enough for them to finish getting food for themselves and Audrey.

"Hello, my name is Valerie. It's a pleasure," she said, holding her hand out to the girl. She cast a wink at Sam after shaking the girl's hand, and then lowered herself back into her seat. "I am from Germany, but I lived her when I was younger. Is there any advice that you lot can give me about the school?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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'And then there was pie....'

Sam reached for a piece as he set one on his and Audrey's trays, the crisp and flaky crust and gooey golden center looking more and more delicious the closer it came until finally setting it on the plastic trays. The two trays were a direct contrast from each other as well; Sam's piled with a random assortment of any and all things he considered eating at the moment, and Audrey's delicately put together with her usual. 'So different in appearance, yet how well the two went together...'

His eyes left the two trays as he caught sight of Malia for a moment as she glided easily past him. Her plain dress and not-at-all extravagant clothing seemed to focus more attention on her beautiful features and Sam had a hard time not following her with his eyes as she nodded to him before passing by on her way. 'I definitely joined the wrong club.'

"Here, let me get Audrey's. You go and talk to the new girl."

A familiar voice behind him piped up and Sam wiped the stupid grin off his face, only to have it replaced at the sight of his fellow club member, and Audrey's best friend, Helena. Being a tad distracted, he hadn't noticed her walk up and begin loading her own tray. 'Wait, new girl?' He had no idea who she was talking about, Malia was by no means a new girl. Trying to puzzle it out for a moment, Sam turned back to look at her sister, now sitting with Tarrant, a rather comical man, and a blonde-haired girl... 'Oh crap, the new girl!' Mentally slapping himself, he couldn't believe he had nearly forgotten all about the new arrival.

"Helena, you are the best, you know that?" Sam began to turn so fast back toward the table, he nearly slung his tray with all of his precious food atop it. But he paused for a moment, realizing how much of an idiot he was seeming at the moment. He picked up Audrey's tray with his off hand, and gestured back toward the table for Helena to follow. There was no reason for the smaller girl to carry two trays while he selfishly only carried his own. "It's fine," he laughed, "I'll wait for you, it's not like she's going anywhere..." And when he turned back, his face blanched as the girl made a quick exit from the cafeteria. 'Damn...'

He was a second too late, but he still would have done the same. Helena was too good of a friend to just abandon for a pretty face he didn't even know...yet. So he waited patiently as Helena finished with her tray and walked with her back to the table. And to his delighted surprise, the girl arrived back just before they did. Placing Audrey's tray before her, he walked around the other side of the table so Helena could sit next to his sister, nodding to Dean in the process. Taking up the seat next to Tarrant, he greeted the colorful giant before returning his attention to the blue-eyed goddess before him.

"Hello, my name is Valerie. It's a pleasure," Sam let out a small smile as her beautiful blue eyes turned to him and one closed in a wink. "I am from Germany, but I lived her when I was younger. Is there any advice that you lot can give me about the school?"

"I need to move to Germany," Sam said under his breath, only loud enough for Tarrant to hear. But before he could prepare his most flirtatious and flattering comment, he caught sight of the small entourage making their way toward the table. And that group made no detours as they bee-lined their way to the new girl.

Bouncing slightly, the perfect, shoulder-length curls of spun gold framed a very delicate and more than pretty face that housed rose-petaled lips and deep, gorgeous brown eyes. The tall girl always had urgency in her stride, adding to the appeal and allure of her womanly charms. Meg Tharamel was incredibly attractive, as most women were in Sam's eyes, but at the same time, she was one of the most hideous creatures he had ever laid eyes on. Dwarfed only by a few of her lackeys that clung to her. Her amazing eyes always seemed to hold a vicious light to them and her smile only seemed to rear its beautiful head at the worst of times. 'Such a shame...'

Sam cleared his throat and drew attention to those approaching. "I believe you are about to get a crash course on exactly what you should avoid at this school Valerie..."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Sam Bryant Character Portrait: Helena White
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Audrey had closed her eyes a long time ago.
It had started out easily enough. Her brother had introduced them,and then went to go get them some food, for which she was appreciative.The girl had familiarized herself as Valerie, and Audrey had smiled broadly,sure that another friend could be made. She regarded her charming accent, knowing that it was German because her online tutor spoke to her in the same way, their pronunciation compatible. This reminded her that tomorrow was another session,and she would be glad to see her teacher again after her unexpected leave to another country to visit her mother, who had fallen ill. Audrey knew she would never be able to complete all the language classes in school, so she preferred to do some independent learning in her free time, twice a week.
And then Tarrant had come. As usual, he was loud in dress and presence, and Audrey's eyes were immediately glued to him as he shouted a greeting to her, and he had looked at her too, which made her tuck her ear behind her hair and grin. His attention strayed from her though, as she knew it would, to Valerie, and she was startled when they made their pleasantries, which was a completely flexible term, since she had thrown herself on him in a rather dramatic way, but Audrey was excited to know that they knew each other,even though she was a bit confused on why Valerie's name was now Alice,and wondered if Tarrant had confused Valerie for her twin,Alice. Was she excited,though? She was, partially,but half of her was not. You could not say she felt a pang,but rather a constriction in her chest, and Audrey was uncomfortable as she did not recognize the emotion that was spreading through her.
This is so strange. Why does my chest hurt? She started to breathe a little faster and her eyebrows furrowed,and she was scared, and she had to run for help,and this had never happened to her before,and was she having a heart attack, she was having a heart attack!
She blinked several times and forced herself to calm down, and just as she was getting over this emotion, listening to Alice/Valerie as she explained her preferred choice in names, saying, "Oh, of course I won't pry, and of course I'll call you Valerie", Valerie had started to cry.
Oh, no! She's crying! Oh my God, what happened?!
And as Valerie quietly explained that her sister had passed away, Audrey felt another constriction, but this time a familiar one, one of empathise and sadness. Tears pricked to Audrey's own eyes, and she imagined Sammy,her own brother, and she wondered what she would do if he passed away, and then tears starting running down her cheeks.
Oh, I simply could not bear it if that happened to me! If Sammy died, I would die!
Valerie had excused herself and left at this point, and Audrey cried out to Tarrant, "Tarrant that is simply awful! I wouldn't want to be anywhere if my sibling died!" And she just sat there, quietly breathing to herself, but it didn't work, because if Sammy died she wouldn't know what to do with herself, and now her imagination was running away with her, and it showed her Sam in a casket, and a sob escaped her lips.
But then Valerie was back, and she was grinning and teasing, and Audrey was so confused that she thought Valerie had to be bipolar.Then her brother was back, and so was Helena, and the girl tried to wipe the tears off her face. Then, a frightening presence was in her vicinity, and when the teenager turned and saw Meg, she groaned internally.
Everything was happening so fast!!!
MAKE IT STOP!
"Hello, my name is Valerie. It's a pleasure. I am from Germany, but I lived here when I was younger. Is there any advice that you lot can give me about the school?" Her manner of speaking was very formal.
Audrey was a girl that liked to soak in the details around her, and the world to her was always in high-definition. Every event that happened, she tried to gather as much information as possible. The arrival of the new girl and her relation to Tarrant was one event. She had absorbed their smiling grinning faces, their animated responses to each other, the way their faces lit up with the promise of a revival of an old,deep friendship, making conclusions such as how they probably did know each other since they were little,that Valerie had to be a sweet,kind girl, and that Tarrant's outfit did not match at all but she didn't care. Her brother and Helena were another event entirely, and they were now mixing with her previous event. Sam's eagerness for food, how he preferred lunch over a new beautiful face, how in the corner of her eye she had seen him interacting with Helena, and also him preparing their trays, and she knew he would fix hers exactly to her liking. Then they had walked over here, and the flirty exchanges between Valerie and Sammy had not escaped her, and she had rolled her eyes internally to another girl vying for Sam's attention.She also saw Helena's small smile, her hesitant way of making friends evident, and this was endearing to her. Meg and her entourage were the last main event, and a strong one at that, potent in the foreshadowing of doom. They stalked over here because Audrey knew Meg was insistent on knowing all business, and she probably wanted to take Alice under her wing as another loyal follower.
At the same time, the girl had been observing other small details of the lunchroom as a whole. Dean examining them from a distance. Malia's small nod, but at the same time her wariness to get any closer. Meg's poor brother hauling her things across the lunch room. How the tables were in a controversial conversation over religion that was beginning to become deafening. How hungry she was.
Her brain was on overload, her emotions overwhelmed with them being used so quickly, so fleetingly, and her head was dizzy from processing so many things.
So now her eyes were closed, and her cheeks were drying. She sniffled.
I will calm down now. It's okay now. You're going to not think of one thing at a time,anymore Audrey, but instead take in the picture as a whole, like if you were in a movie. And this made her feel better, and she opened her eyes and apologized.
"I would also like to apologize. Sometimes peoples' emotions become my own." She heard the doctor tell her this once, that sometimes, with her mind, things happening too fast were not good for her,although it didn't happen all the time. She didn't remember the disorder she had, though.
"I believe you are about to get a crash course on exactly what you should avoid at this school Valerie..." her brother said ominously.
She turned her head to look at Meg now, who was at the table.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Helena White Character Portrait: Meg Tharamel Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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Dean looked around impatiently. Where was that riddling companion of his? Could it be that she had gone already left to the woods without him? Turning back to where the students were surrounding the newcomer, Dean sighed in annoyance. The girl, though upon first impression was rather intriguing, now seemed very dully insane, and therefore not worth his time. As he turned, his now cored apple fell to the ground and rolled right at the feet of the demonic Queen herself. Dean had been so preoccupied with the girl, he hadn't noticed Meg and her posse entering the scene. She was approaching the guest at the table. Must be mad that she wasn't informed... Sneering, Dean stood up onto the chair. He was sure Chess could wait for him a little while longer. This was an opportunity he simply couldn't miss.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Dean exclaimed loudly, parodying the shouts commonly made by Helena. He jumped off his chair gracefully, and swiftly moved in the opposite direction of the Gardening Club. He stopped only to stand behind the new girl and Tarrant.

"My lady, take heed," he said close to Alice's ear, "A burbling Jabberwock appears!"

The only thing standing between Dean and Meg was the table, and for that he was thoroughly grateful.

"You must beware. Her jaws bite, her claws snatch. You can see it in her flaming, frumious little eyes!"

Smirking once more at the megalomaniac, he turned to address the rest of the table. "Alas, I must be gone. A grinning cat and a tum tum tree await me."

A mirthless grin made it's way to Dean's face, and with that, he was gone. Part of him was worried that Meg might follow him, but he knew that she wouldn't, especially with something shiny and new in front of her. Pushing through the back doors of the school, he strolled to the tree. Noticing Chess in the branches, he quietly climbed up to her level. A silent hello was given with the nod of a head, and, after taking his bag off and hanging it, Dean slung downwards into his upside down position, hair falling forward. Reaching into his bag, he took out a lighter and a joint from a baggy. Lighting it up, he sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, relishing the shade of the tree and the soft humming of his companion.

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Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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Chess was heedless to her companion's arrival at first, too enraptured by the musical composition coming to life on the page. Her train of thought was only derailed after the harsh smell of marijuana scorched her nostrils. Her face scrunched up before she lifted her gaze, seeing her self-destrucctive friend hanging upside down on the branch in front of her. She sighed, putting away her book of sheet music and perching her duffle bag up against the trunk of the tree. Chess crawhled over to him, resting her rear on his shins as her lithe legs dangled on either side of him. Call her paranoid but she always felt antsy whenever he just hung upside down like that. She was always worried he might fall and break his neck.

A comfortable silence settled between them as Dean took several drags of his joint. Chess gazed up at the sky; supple white stretched across a gentle blue. In the shade of the tree is where she felt most content. Her curiosity fluttered towards his bag, wondering to herself if he'd brought her back any food. She rifled through it, closing her hand around an apple. A small smile adorned her face as she pulled it out and rubbed it on the front of her shirt before taking a bite. She chewed, mulling over the sweet taste, humming slightly in thanks that he'd remembered to pick her up one in the first placeโ€”and her favorite at that, the succulent Golden Delicious. Slowly her contented humming took on a steady rhythm, and she swallowed her bite her harmonious musings began to take shape into lyrics. Chess started to sing what she knew to be Dean's favorite lullaby.

"`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did gyre and gimble in the wabe: all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe. Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the frumious Bandersnatch! He took his vorpal sword in hand: long time the manxome foe he soughtโ€”so rested he by the Tumtum tree, and stood awhile in thought." She paused, letting her song wash over him as the drugs were undoubtedly beginning to take affect. She lowered the volume of her voice, singing with exuberance, "And, as in uffish thought he stood, the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, and burbled as it came. One, two. One, two. And through and through. The vorpal blade went snicker-snack. He left it dead, and with its head, he went galumphing back. And, has thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! He chortled in his joy." Chess smiled as she gazed down at her friend, singing the last stanza gently, "'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe; all mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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Thank you Helena.

Sam thought to himself silently as he saw the small gesture his friend did for his sister. The all too familiar empathetic side of Audrey seemed to start creeping out at various times, and Sam knew the worth of even the simplest of things that his beloved sister could latch onto. Unfortunately, the kind gesture didn't last nearly long enough as the bubble of merriment and solace around them was shattered by the Gardening Club.

To Sam's surprise though, Dean unlatched himself from his seat a table over and led the taunts against the school's number one tyrants. As expected of mostly anyone in the school, Dean was as random as anyone could ask for and made a quick exit shortly after, causing Sam to nearly choke as he tried not to spit his food in laughter. He knew Dean half as much as he should, but everything he had ever seen of the guy was a complete riot. One Sam thoroughly enjoyed witnessing...

But the joyous moment was short-lived as Meg began berating Valerie with the uncommonly hostile tone she always seemed to use when addressing anyone outside her pack of goons. Trying to ignore it all and counting the seconds until they all decided to just give up and leave the group in peace already, Sam found himself bothered with the whole situation. So much so, he stopped eating....

His hands stopped picking at the food still on his plate and folded atop each other in front of him, a very evident sign of annoyance to anyone who really knew Sam. Only then did he notice Helena, shaking at the presence of Meg and her entourage. His heart went out to his friend, but the reaction was a common one when dealing with most bullies. Even common as it was, Sam never understood it. But even as these thoughts slid through his mind, he caught the eye of his sister, just before Meg flashed him a coy smile. To him, it was completely misunderstood. It seemed more like a mocking smile than anything else. As if Meg was saying: "Look what I can do. Who is going to do something about it?" And she was right, in a sense. The tables around them were talking, but in quiet whispers now, enjoying watching the engagement. It was sickening...

"Speak up, will you?!"

"Why don't you just shut that gigantic mouth of yours and leave her alone?!"

Silence... At Sam's quick snap at Meg, a switch seemed to have been hit suddenly and completely muted the area around their table. the hushed whispers immediately cutting off and all eyes snapped toward the scene. NO ONE spoke to Meg, or any of her members for that matter, in the way Sam just had. Even teachers were wary around her. But Sam couldn't help it, the slight tear streaks staining his sister's rosy cheeks after her small breakdown, Helena's terrified expression at the situation, and now they were going to try and bully a girl who had just arrived? 'For Christ's sake, as if school isn't a pain in the ass already.'

Rising from his seat, his steps seemed to echo as he walked around the table to place himself between Helena and the small group before him, allowing the trembling girl a bit of cover to hide behind. His hand fell lightly on his sister's shoulder to let her know he was fine, and noticed Malia at their table, overshadowed by Tarrant's form. 'Great,' he thought, 'now I get to look like a great ass in front of her too...' Oh well....

"Why not say something to me while you're at it, huh? Any takers?" Pausing for only a brief moment, Sam pressed on before any of them could muster an answer. "No? Nothing? Do us all a favor and slink back into whatever hellhole you morons crawled out of. Because honestly, no one cares what you have to say."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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"I believe you are about to get a crash course on exactly what you should avoid at this school Valerie..."

That was Sam's voice, and with a slight frown, she looked over at him. What could he possibly mean by that comment? Noticing his gaze, she followed it over her shoulder, before turning completely in her seat to look at what he seemed to disturbed by.

An entourage of four people, two males and two females, were making their way towards the table. By their outward appearances, they looked to be perfectly normal, and if seen on the street, would be thought of only as a group of teenage friends. On closer inspection, however, and with her trained eye, she could pinpoint nearly everything that was wrong with this picture.

A few of her new companions were radiating wariness of the approaching group, and the people that they passed seemed to shrink into themselves and cringe away from the group as it wound it's way through the tables. There was also the fact that one of the girls, a tall one with sandy-blonde hair, seemed to be some sort of leader. The three teenagers behind her were obviously her lackeys, and two of them sent off a menacing aura that she could feel. It became more and more prominent with each step that brought them nearer to the table that Valerie was at, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"One of these things is not like the other," she murmured under her breath. Perhaps ... With a slight grin on her lips, Valerie turned back to the table, obviously ignoring the group of people as they approached.

When she saw her companions around the table, she took in their outward appearances. Audrey appeared close to fainting for God-knew-why; a small blonde girl that she dimly remember someone greeting as Helena was trembling and nearly quaking in her shoes; Sam was annoyed, and Tarrant didn't seem to care much.

"Why, hello there, Your Majesty," Tarrant quipped out. Your Majesty? She highly doubted that the girl actually came from any type of royalty, let alone enough to warrant being called formal words such as 'Majesty'.

It was at that exact moment that the boy who had been glaring at her before approached the table with a slinky smile on his face.

"Oh dear, oh dear! He leaned down between Valerie and Tarrant's head, loudly whispering his next words into her ear, his intention obviously to make sure that the wicked bitch before them heard. "My lady, take heed; a burbling Jabberwock appears!"

A burbling Jabberwock? What the Hell was a Jabberwock? Not that it really mattered, for he was already continuing.

"You must beware. Her jaws bite, her claws snatch. You can see it in her flaming, frumious little eyes!" He was obviously succeeding in infuriating the young woman, who's eyes flashed with anger. The small group behind her tensed, as if readying themselves to pounce like a pack of wolves on a hunt, who waited only for a signal from their leader, and for a fleeting moment, she felt worried for the boy who was such and intense instigator.

"Alas, I must be gone. A grinning cat and a tum tum tree await me."

Whatever a tum tum tree was, she didn't really care. Instead, she was entirely focused on the girl that towered before her, who seemed to instill fear into each student by a mere look.

โ€œWho is this" This gained the young woman no response that actually answered her question, so she rounded on Valerie with a dark look on her face. โ€œWhat is your name child?โ€

Valerie stared at the girl, lifting her chocolate milk and taking a calm sip of it. She seemed to pay absolutely no attention to the maniacal bitch that stood there.

โ€œDid you not hear me?โ€

She lowered her milk carton back to her tray and cleared her throat, finally fixing her blue gaze on the girl's.

"Actually, it's quite the contrary, my dear. I've heard every word that has left your beautiful lips and was voiced by quite an annoying sound. It was a bit nasally and unpleasant to the ear, to be honest. Perhaps you should look into having a voice-box transplant in order to fix that problem?" she asked. She tilted her head to the side and clucked her tongue, her chin resting easily on her fingers, with hand joined together as a slight perch for her head. "But if you must insist on being quite the bothersome wicked witch, I suppose that I have no choice but to answer, if only to get you to shut up. My name is Valerie, and that is all that you need to know."

โ€œGood. The girl smiled cockily, as though she actually thought that Valerie was afraid of her and her holier-then-though attitude. "Where do you come from? And when did you get here? Speak up, will you?!โ€

She didn't have time to answer in any way, whether it were to be in answer to the woman's question, or another quip about how much of a bitch the girl was. Instead, Sam burst in, causing her to jump slightly in surprise. In all honesty, she hadn't expected him to explode in that manner. She'd known the guy less then ten minutes and could already tell that he wasn't the type to do so. But the animated look on his face told wonders about how little you could really tell about a person just by speaking to them a couple of times.

"Why don't you just shut that gigantic mouth of yours and leave her alone?!"

It had quite obviously stunned the girl, who was slowly turning red with fury. Her 'henchmen' were already tensing up, as if more then ready to beat the living daylights out of Sam, for daring to speak to the girl in that manner. "Oh, you've done it now, Sammy..."

Dear God, what had he done, exactly? She couldn't deny the small shimmy of fear that she felt for the boy, and Tarrant's words only caused her blood to run cold.

"Why not say something to me while you're at it, huh? Any takers?" He didn't even give them enough time to answer, but instead continued on, almost as if he couldn't contain his anger. "No? Nothing? Do us all a favor and slink back into whatever hellhole you morons crawled out of. Because honestly, no one cares what you have to say."

Her eyes were wide, and many of the other people at the table were revealing their surprise. The entire cafeteria was eerily silent, as if everyone were listening to them and only them. She was painstakingly aware of the fact that this girl was undoubtedly the 'Queen' of this school, and no one had really dared to outwardly attack her before, for fear of the retribution that would be dealt out at them. And here was Sam, who didn't seem like the type to explode out of nowhere, and yet was doing so. And to the exact person that you didn't want to piss off.

It was then that Tarrant rose and moved over to Sam, standing a few inches before in, and nearly centimeters from the psychopath herself. "You'll drive the girl crazy on just her first day here! We really don't need to fight here, do we? Sammy-boy here is just getting protective, that's all. Now, I'm sure if you and your...friends just run along back to your table, we could all avoid conflict just this once for her sake."

Valerie was completely and utterly lost at this point. So all of this was her fault? She was the one who had caused all of this trouble? And what was with all this talk about people being crazy? She sure as hell wasn't as nuts as everyone seemed to claim each other were.

She was, however, furious.

A light pink tinged her cheeks, and she had that familiar fluttering feeling in her stomach and chest. It was tickling her throat, and she felt her breath coming quicker and more shallowly then before.

How dare this girl take out her abnormal need for knowledge on her, on the few people who were nice enough to sit with and approach her.

This was not going to end well, and she already knew it.

It was a slow rise, for it was almost difficult for her to contain her fury. When she finally was standing, however, she was quite calm on the outward appearance - until one were to look into her eyes. They were a bright, fiery blue, narrowed and obviously angry. She wasn't about to let these two boys stand up for her when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. Besides, she didn't want them to be hurt because of her. Instead, she made her way slowly around the table, before stopping beside Tarrant and directly in front of Sam.

"You know, back in Germany, you are what I would call a meckern Sie mit einem klรคglichen und traurigen Aufmerksamkeitdirnenproblem. Here, however, I will merely say this: You are a bitch that really needs an attitude change. Perhaps I shall be the one to begin shedding some light on this situation."

With that, she lifted up her half-filled chocolate milk, thrust her tray forward, and splattered the remainder of her lunch across the front of the girl's top. A slight movement and twitch of her hand, the contents of her milk carton spilled down and over her head, where it proceeded to drip down her hair and into her face. She smiled slightly, her eyes a bit narrowed as she leaned forward towards the girl. "Whoops," she whispered.

Valerie set her tray and empty carton on the table behind her before turning back to face the girl, patting her hands together.

"And that, my dear ladies and gentlemen, is how you take out the trash," she said, amusement in her gaze and one corner of her lips quirking slightly upwards.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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At first it was a giggle, but then, as she saw the comicalness of the situation,the milk spilling down over her beautiful hair, the expression on her face that most likely meant 'You are so going to pay for that' ,she laughed loudly, the sound echoing a bit since people had stopped conversation to stare.
She started to clap in admiration, first slowly and then quicker as her laugh was the only thing to be heard ,and gradually,brave students started to clap along with her. She noted it would take a lot of willpower to clap so openly in Meg's face,except she just couldn't help herself!
"That was amazing!", she said between giggles. This was so funny! It was straight out of a teen television drama show. She wished other people were here, like Jamie or Dean,because they would probably react much worse than she was now.
'The Queen', a title which Audrey used sarcastically, as did most of her friends, was giving Valerie what one would call 'a death stare', and she wondered how 'The Queen' would get her revenge, and if she would still want Valerie to be in her club. Maybe she'd still want her, but Audrey did not frighten herself with the details of what she would do to attain such a follower.
She now had the information that Valerie wasn't some meek, only do-gooder, and she could insult someone deeply if she needed to, if her amusing words in German were any contender. As soon as Audrey stared at Meg again, it was impossible to restrain herself,so she took Sam's hand, which was protectively over her shoulder, and protected her eyes instead. Looking to her right, she picked some french fries from her tray and chewed on them so she wouldn't laugh again.
The girl was no longer overwhelmed. This new entertaining event had stripped her of thinking too heavily on her emotions to doing what she did best- act without thinking.She noticed Helena had tried to comfort her,and she was quite thankful her best friend had regarded her. So, before reaching for more food, she gave Helena's hand a squeeze. Tensions had seemed high before,but they probably had loosened up a bit. She remembered Sam and Tarrant coming to Alice's defense,which was very sweet and knightly of them, but she assumed it was in their nature,especially to a girl they obviously both liked. She had been rather taken aback by Sam's outburst but his putting his hand on her shoulder was a hint that he still had his composure.
Tarrant had had more of a peaceful approach, one that meant he didn't want trouble and they wouldn't get it if they just went away. She remembered the teen movie reference again, how the evil queen bee would approach the new girl, and then the new girl would show her merit by doing something awfully embarrassing to the queen, and all the guys liked her and the queen swore revenge, and then she laughed again on the similarity of the situation.
Whenever Audrey had done some prank or other on Meg, usually with Jaime at her aid, she liked to be discreet and then run.This was a courageous thing to do,especially to Meg, who had scary lackeys.
She gingerly lowered Sam's hand at this point, sure she could contain herself this time, and when she saw Meg covered in Valerie's pasta, all that happened was a twitch of her mouth. She tried to not look directly at her,just in case, and that was when she made eye contact with Meg's little brother Cyrus.

That poor, poor baby, she lamented, as she gave Cyrus a small sad smile and a wave, as she did almost every time she saw him. She had learned over the years that Cyrus had a drastically low self-esteem, which was probably the Queen's handiwork. Cyrus always tried to avoid Audrey at all times, and she wondered why. Was it because she wasn't threatening to beat him when she saw him? Was it because she didn't push him around,tease him, or yell at him? She swore she would find out. But on those rare occasions when he wandered the hallways or gardens by himself,he really wasn't all that bad. Sure, he would cower in fear, but he didn't try to hit you or threaten you.
Unlike his fellow club member Ace, who really didn't care if he punched you or throttled you to the ground. Sometimes she swore Ace thought he had nine lives or something.She had only probably interacted with Ace one time, when he had bumped into her and left without even saying sorry. He walked around like a program, or a robot, and he was undeniably creepy.
And of course, then there was Petra. Someone that got a kick out of giving others pain, or watching them receive pain, which Audrey thought was the cruelest thing she could imagine. She had a smart, free mouth, and although she could manipulate people, she couldn't do it as well as Meg, so that's why she was her follower. She also took orders easily, as did all the club members.
Audrey's biggest question was not why they did it, because she knew that, but why they all had the same classes, although they were in different grades.She knew Petra was a senior, but she had never taken any of the required classes as long as she knew Meg, and she questioned how the Garden Club had arranged it and gotten away with it.

She wondered what Meg would want with a girl like Valerie. Obviously now she could see that the girl would not be as compliant as her minions. Would that have an appeal to Meg? Maybe it would make this game just a whole lot more fun if Alice was not willing to join her. How unnerving that was to think about.

All of this thinking for Audrey, as it does for most human beings, happened in only a few minutes.




Just as the girl had time to finish her sentence, Petra swung forward taking this girl by the collar. She pulled hard so that her face was right into Valerie's.
"How about I show you how I take out the Trash?" She grinned " Or perhaps you would like Ace here to show you?"

She pushed the girl back with one hand, now standing in front of Meg. ' I suggest you all get lost. And take these piece of garbage with you '.

Oh no,what's happening?! I think for two minutes while the milk was running down Meg's hair, and this happens!
She stood up. This was outrageous and certainly not very nice!
She got up out of her seat, and the situation was no longer funny to her, which was unsurprising. She considered Valerie one of her friends now, and she wasn't going to let any of her friends be pushed around!
"We're not pieces of garbage, Petra, but Meg seems to be a trash can today." She gestured to the lunch splattered on Meg's clothing, "Now go away, because we were here first and you just decided to be extremely nosy like you guys always are and come barge in on our lunch."
She wasn't usually this mean, but these were her friends, and those people were not!



So she turned to see the reaction of the Queen, and also what the rest of her entourage would do. She made predictions in her head and most of them were predictable. Meg would leave in a huff, but her minions would continue to provoke them. Meg would scream and a fight would start. Sam would go ballistic, and all hell would break loose. She didn't really mind any of this happening, and mentally prepared herself for each situation.

Was it weird she thought of inviting the new girl to play chess, and then join her for tea?

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Meg Tharamel Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Ace de Mewler Character Portrait: Cyrus Tharamel
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Dean smiled around the roll in his mouth as he felt the pressure of Chess on his shins. As two light legs fell to either side of his head, he raised his hand to take the joint out of his mouth. He blew 3 rings into the air, all entering each other to make something of a bullseye. Dean was always rather fond of this talent of his, though he blew them as far away from Chess's face as he could. She never liked the smell of the his lovely little herbs, and though he couldn't care less, Dean never tried to intentionally bother her. Though he never said it out loud, he liked Chess's company.

"Twas brillig in the slithy toves..." she began to sing. Dean's grin broadened. Although she claimed to be apathetic, and often was to others, she always seemed to know what he needed to hear, even when Dean didn't know it himself. Humming along with her, though not very well, they finished off the lullaby on a calm and happy note. Dean clapped slowly, interrupting the soft silence that had settled like a blanket in the field.

"Beautifully sung, Chess, as always," he said, "Could you by any chance be a witch or a psychic? I certainly wouldn't be surprised. Just five minutes ago, I used those words to describe our dearest friend Meg. The Jabberwock seems to fit her like a glove, does it not?"




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Ace stepped out of Accounting, lost in his own mind. Uncaring of students or staff, he walked through the mess, eyes searching above the crowd for familiar blonde crown of curls. There! Barging through the crowd towards Meg, Ace realized that his heart was pounding. That moment of panic he felt when he's lost was already easing off, but it was still uncomfortable. Ace rubbed his chest absentmindedly.

All wandering thoughts vanished however when he caught up to the Queen. "Hello, my Queen," he said to her, and rightly didn't expect a response back. Looking to the side, he saw her brother, small, yet very difficult to miss. Not looking into his eyes, Ace said quietly, "Hi, Cyrus." He looked down then, looking at and following the pair of bright and polished white slippers and the pair of worn out and dirty running shoes to the cafeteria.

What happened next was a blur. Only when he was at the table did he notice the new student. He glanced at the curious passion on Meg's face. Why does she want her so badly? he thought with a frown. Still, it wasn't his place to question it, though the feeling of unease stayed with him whenever he looked at the girl's face.

"Or perhaps you would like Ace here to show you?"

When Petra mentioned his name, Ace looked up from his where he had zoned out. Petra's hands were around the girl's collar. Clearly, he was meant to look intimidating. Baring his teeth into a hideous grin, Ace glared at the girl. "I wouldn't mind."
Clenching his fists, he felt the knuckles cracking and popping rather loudly. He wouldn't mind hurting the girl. Just a little bit to show that Meg was his. Turning to glance at his Queen, he only then noticed the sopping milk stained hair that adorned her face.

Without thinking, he rushed forward, and, while her collar was still held by Petra, grabbed her jaw, thrusting it up to look at him. "Do you know what you just did, girl?" He spit in her face, "You've just harmed the Queen, and I can't have that."

How dare she? Who does she think she is? Ace fumed.

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Character Portrait: Harold Duffy Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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Dean's slow clap pulled Chess out of the silence. She dropped her gaze and took in his large grin with a tilt of her head. "Beautifully sung, Chess, as always," he told her. Chess looked away, ducking as she hid her face behind her hair. No one made her blush the way Dean did, despite the fact that he doesn't do it intentionally. The more accustomed she began to his company, the more involuntarily open she became. She didn't know if it should scare her or if it was okay. Regardless, when he spoke again, he captured all of her attention, "Could you by any chance be a witch or a psychic? I certainly wouldn't be surprised. Just five minutes ago, I used those words to describe our dearest friend Meg. The Jabberwock seems to fit her like a glove, does it not?"

Chess's eyes lolled back, as she sighed. โ€œThough accurate your statement, I find it disheartening that I can't leave you alone without your mouth getting you into trouble.โ€ She shot a warning look down at him and though she knew he couldn't see it, she knew he could feel it. โ€œShe'll have her little cronies come after you, Caterpillar. Only the insane equate pain with success-...โ€ She stopped herself and shrugged, looking off in the direction of the school, "Though I suppose no could accurately accuse you of being in your right mind.โ€





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Harry sat on padded ground, downtrodden. There was no sound in the room save for a sniffle here and there. He was pouting in the corner, his lolled off to the side as he counted every loose thread on the cushioned wall. He was bored out of his mind, depressed and lonely. He sighed loudly, obnoxiously, knowing that the nurses were just outside in the nurses' station listening for any disturbances. Another minute ticked by, the sound of his pocket watch muffled by the thick material of the straight jacket. The watch was loud in its own right, and the low chant of time was ebbing away at him. He needed to find something to distract himself, to keep his mind off the incessant noise. He began to whistle, loud enough so that he couldn't hear the ticking. At first it was just random notes, then it was a ballad Chess wrote for him, then it was Camp Town Ladies. Needless to say, the nurses lost their patience after the first ten minutes.

"Mister Duffy, please!" One of them hollered desperately, "Find some other way to entertain yourselfโ€”without making noise!" Harold stifled a chuckle at how quickly the nurse added that last bit.


โ€œI'm going to roll on the floor for a bit, 'kay?โ€ He called out, to them. He smirked when her heard to woman groan.

"That's fine, Mister Duffy!"

He needed no further permission. Dropping to his side, he threw himself around, rolling about on the floor with earnest determination. He did this at a slow pace for a good five minutes before even that bored him and he picked up speed. He kept rolling, smacking into different sides of the room, hitting his head on the corners. It took everything he had not to laugh. But when his back hit the steel door with a loud clang, he burst into hysterical giggling. His speed picked up and he kept laughing, looking from a bird's eyes view like a pinball bounding around a pinball machine. His laughing picked up an octave, a long strewn of giggling that filled up the closed off area of the Academy.

"UGHH! This kid's going to drive me crazy!"


โ€œCrazy, crazy coo-coo head, bet you wish that you were dead!" Harry sang out loud, followed by a chorus of giggles that had the nurse banging on his door telling him to shut up.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Meg Tharamel Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Ace de Mewler Character Portrait: Cyrus Tharamel Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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Chess reacted just the way Dean had assumed.

โ€œThough accurate your statement, I find it disheartening that I can't leave you alone without your mouth getting you into trouble.โ€

He felt the the cold, disapproving look she was sending him without having to turn his head.

โ€œShe'll have her little cronies come after you, Caterpillar. Only the insane equate pain with success-- Though I suppose no could accurately accuse you of being in your right mind.โ€

"That's is only half true, I'm afraid. No one really has their heads in this little world of ours, but the Queen won't have mine. Don't you worry, my dear Cheshire Cat, my head is stored safely away where no one, not even myself, can find it," He said with a lazy grin, looking up at his companion.

Her worry was wholly unnecessary, Dean believed. With Meg off playing with the shiny new victim, the unwilling toy in her sadistic little world, her club's attention would be far away from him. The only thing he had was a front row seat to the show, which he absolutely will take. He still knew very little about the girl, which annoyed him very much. Hopefully this little conflict will shed some light on the girl.

Just as he finished, the bell signalling the end of lunch went off, the metallic, angry sounding ruining the calmness of the empty field. Sighing, Dean swung his upper body up, grabbing the sides of the tree branch with his arms. He hoisted his face up to be very close to hers.

"Time to scamper, my feline friend. Our brains need rotting!"






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Gripping the girl's face tightly, Ace took pleasure from the thought of the bruises on her face the next day. That'll teach her to mess with the Queen. If not, he wouldn't mind teaching her another lesson... When he felt the angry pressure of light fingertips on hs shoulders that shoved him aside, he quickly stepped back to let Meg through.

Even though he couldn't grasp the words Meg said, they moved far too quickly, and he was already zoning out, Ace could feel the fiery anger in her tone and knew she was reigning down a tirade upon poor little Valerie. A grin spread on his face as he watched Meg do what she did best. Valerie had become the next target of the gardening club, and Ace was excited to take part in the fun.

When she finished, turned, and stormed away, he turned to follow, but managed to collide first with the stumbling form of Cyrus.

"Sorry," he said instinctively, then frowned. He felt a rush of an unfamiliar feeling, seeing the bruises and scars littering the back of the smaller boy. Ace didn't want those scars to be there. Frowning, he automatically helped him up, gripping his shoulder and pushed him gently forward, not with the usual violent shove. Composing himself, Ace followed the group, eyes trained to Cyrus' feet as they usually were. He waited for the usual thoughtless fog to come, but... it didn't. Ace couldn't understand why that was until finally it did, and he didn't worry anymore.

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Character Portrait: Harold Duffy Character Portrait: Laura Riddle Character Portrait: Dean Frasier
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The bell snapped her out of her reverie, averting her attention from Dean. She was barely aware of her friend moving beneath her until he spoke. Chess turned her head, her breath hitching at the close proximity. Her line of sight drifted down towards his lips unconsciously, a light blush gathering on her cheeks. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she tore her eyes away, focusing more on how she was going to get down. Chess wouldn't look him in the eyes as she grasped his shoulders tightly, bring each leg up so she was perched on the branch on her knees, straddling his lap. She inched away, choosing to crawl out of his lap and reach for her bag once she made it to the trunk. She stood, draping the bag over her shoulder before made her descent down. As she made her way to her French teacher's classroom, Chess allowed her mind to wander.

She tried to think of anything other than her Caterpillar, like her Hare. Oh no...

Chess sprinted through the abandoned hallway towards her Advisory class, slowing down and collecting her breath as she made it to the threshold. She withheld in her sigh of relief as soon as she saw Harry. He was standing in front of Mrs. Kalin talking and looking so normal despite his inanity. She stifled a smile as she sauntered into class, taking Harry's hand as it fell at his side after a moment of intense gesticulation.

โ€œBonjour Madame.โ€ Chess greeted with a slight curtsy as Mrs. Kalin acknowledged her presence. โ€œVoulez-vous nous excuser?โ€ The teacher smiled and nodded with a short "Oui" before returning to her desk. Chess dragged Harry to their seats at the back of the class, turning to meet his quirky grin with an incredulous stare. They were in close proximity thanks to the desk being arranged in pairs, so they could get away with talking at a low volume without anyone being the wiser. โ€œWhat did you do to get yourself into trouble this time, Harry?โ€

He shrugged, โ€œSame thing I always do, I suppose.โ€ Chess blinked at him, waiting for a further explanation. One prolonged batch of eye contact made it evident that she wasn't getting one and she sighed. Harry rolled his eyes, taking her hand in both of his, โ€œYou shouldn't worry so much. I was going to be okay. Besides,โ€ he gave her hand a slight squeeze as his eyes fell to her lap where they lay. โ€œAudi broke me out so I guess it's okay. Hey Chessy?โ€

โ€œYeah?โ€

โ€œCan we skip fourth block and just play chess in the garden or something?โ€ He asked, his voice soft and sad as he gazed at her with iridescent, pain filled eyes. โ€œI just had a weird day. I've been acting a little-..." he broke eye contact and leaned away. Chess frowned, reaching out to him to stroke his cheek.

โ€œAnything you want, Harry.โ€

Harry smiled sadly and turned around in his seat, leaning against Chess to reassure her that her sign of affection didn't go unappreciated. She smiled to, if only slightly, placing a small kiss on the top of his head before she reached into her bag. Once more she pulled out her sheet music and began to compose, but this time she felt someone watching. When it was Harry she didn't mind as much. He'd sat with her in the music room as she played them for him, bringing the notes to life. She'd even composed a lullaby for him before. Chess paused at the thought, her pen coming to a halt on the unfinished composition from this afternoon. Harry looked up at her behind dark lashes and their gaze met for a tender moment. She knew immediately what he was feeling and knew exactly how to fix it. She tore her eyes away, flipping to a new page, writing with her left hand so as not to disturb Harry resting on her right shoulder. She titled the heading: The March Hare's Lament.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Petra Mason Character Portrait: Sam Bryant
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Thwack!

"Damn them all ..."

Slap!

"I hate them ... I hate this school ..."

Smack!

"Why did I have to get dragged into all of this?"

Thud!

Valerie stumbled slightly, her sweaty palm barely managing to keep a grip on the tennis racket. She dropped to one knee, her arm draping over the one that was propped up, and she heaved a few breaths. Sweat tickled the back of her neck, where it made a curvy line down the center. Instead of standing, she dropped to her butt and splayed out across the ground, her arms out in a 'T' and her legs out in a 'V'. She was completely and utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and really hadn't a clue as to what she would do.

Should she stay?

Grandmother would be angry, but I'm sure she would let me leave ...

No. That would be considered cowardice, and cowardice was frowned upon in her family. Her sister had been weak, according to her grandmother, who admitted that she had only ever expected Valerie to survive, seeing as she had always viewed her as the strong twin.

It was a bunch of crap.

Amanda had been far stronger than she had ever been and ever would be. All that she could do was plaster on a smiling, happy facade and explode at people at the most random of times. Amanda had always been cool, calm, collect; quiet and soft-spoken. Valerie, on the other hand, had been the 'rebellious' one. The one that was too intelligent for her own good.

"Whatever ..." Her voice was a grown as she rolled over, her hands placed palm-down on the ground. Bracing herself slightly, she pushed herself up, grabbed her racket in the same motion, and turned to face the tennis-ball machine, which had run out of balls.

"That's what she said," she snickered, snorting slightly, for it was such a stupid in ridiculous joke, and she was in such an oddly foul mood that she couldn't help the sound. Bending over to pluck up a ball, she rolled it in her fingers, her icy eyes glued to it and seeming almost mesmerized. Out of nowhere, she spun, the ball whipping out of her hand and flinging at the far wall, where it slapped it dropped to the ground, a crack appearing down the center of it.

"Seriously, what's the point? I'm just a foreign, freaking German girl whose entire family is dead. It was unrealistic for me to ever think that I could make friends here, let alone ones that wouldn't judge me for my past ... Well ... Unluckiness, nor for my uncommon mood-swings, yet violent ones nonetheless. I can't believe that I actually thought ... Dammit, I don't know ... This place is so messed up!" She rubbed her hands roughly through her mass of blonde curls, letting out a frustrated growl. Spinning, she lashed out with her legs, kicking a ball and slamming it through the net.

"What the Hell am I supposed to do? Huh, Mama? Papa? What the Hell am I supposed to do at this school? Obviously it isn't just for geniuses ... So what kind of school is this?"

Obviously, there was no answer to her question. Instead, the chirping of crickets, buzzing of bees, and a slight swish of wind was the reply. Nothing that could help her.

As always, she would have to make this decision on her own. Hell, she'd been doing it for nearly half of her life anyway. Why start relying on others now? She was the caregiver, not the caretaker. She dealt out the protection; she didn't not receive. It was merely her way of life, and if that changed, she probably wouldn't know what to do with herself. Hell, she could barely handle not having an answer from the freaking heavens.

Maybe she was crazy too.

"... Nah ... But I'm still confused as Hell and royally pissed at Grandmama," she said with a sigh. Valerie moved over to the fencing that surrounded the tennis fields, curled her fingers in the metal wiring, and dropped her forehead against it. Her eyes peered out through half-closed lids, her lips slightly pursed, and in all honesty, she didn't want to move from that spot. The wind was just strong enough to help cool her sweaty, flushed body, yet light enough so that it barely ruffled the tennis skirt that she wore.

"... I guess that I can stay for a bit longer. I mean, I've only been here for, what, two hours?" She glanced at her watch out of the corners of her eyes and shrugged. "Okay, so an hour and a half. But still! I'm not about to pussy out of this school already!" she exclaimed, pushing back from the fence and slapping repeatedly at her cheeks. "Get it together, Val! Grow up and grow a pair! Jeez, if Grandmama were to see you now, she'd be spitting out curses at you in German! And you know exactly what she'd say. You always were a spoiled, spineless, good-for-nothing brat who only ever took advantage of my generosity," she said, her voice mockingly old. She spun from the fence, a scowl on her face.

"Whatever, as if I need any friends here ... Helena's decent, Tarrant's nuts but my child-hood friend and a great guy, Sam doesn't even remember me, Audrey talks to inanimate objects, a crackie has it out for me, one girl is some sort of half-cat, half-human reborn Dr. Seuss, and one girl carries a knife! Oh, and don't forget the weird kid that decide to smooch on you, and that bitchy, holier-than-though slut Meg and her damned little minion-filled-entourage. God ... Mother ... Shit ... Ugh!" She threw her hands into the air, grabbed her racket, and started for the gate that would allow her to leave the tennis fields. "I guess I'll just play it all by ear," she muttered.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Malia Grace Russet Character Portrait: Alice "Valerie" Callinder Character Portrait: Tarrant "Mad Hatter" Hightopp Character Portrait: Audrey Cassidy Bryant Character Portrait: Sam Bryant Character Portrait: Helena White
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Samuel Bryant



Sam opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut almost immediately as the torrent of words began to rush out of Valerie like a tsunami. He blinked multiple times trying to keep up with her in an almost vain attempt to stay on the same thought track as hers. Sam marveled at the talent women held when it came to stringing words together and launching them at unsuspecting prey.

"I'm sorry, Samuel."

Once again he opened his mouth to respond, but shut it quickly once more. The conversation had seemed to have taken a dramatic turn in the wrong direction. 'What have you done?!' he mentally berated himself. What had he said to bring her down like this? Or rather, what hadn't he said that he should have? He realized at that moment, that he wished Audrey or Helena were there right now, one of them would know exactly what to say or do. Or be able to tell him what to say in Helena's case.

Casting his gaze around, Sam spotted her and nearly jumped out of his shoes at the sight of Helena. 'Yes! She can help me out here! She'll know exactly what to--'

"See you later!"

Standing there like an idiot frozen in place, Sam could only watch helplessly as her tennis racket tapped him lightly on the head and she pivoted, leaving him standing there, dumbfounded as she walked away. "Warten Sie...komm zurรผck..." He said to the blonde girl already too far away to hear him. Realizing he actually used the German words for 'Wait...come back...', he almost chuckled. It was rare for Sam to ever use anything he actually learned in his classes.

"Helena," Sam said, walking up to his tiny blonde friend, "I think I'm completely hopeless..." He went to clap a friendly hand on her shoulder, but just as soon as his arm raised again, a surge of light-headedness caused him to stumble, nearly taking the slight girl out in his misstep. "Oh God, sorry!" Righting himself and making sure Helena didn't fall, Sam shook his head out and pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing his eyes to focus. "Sorry chica, I guess I'm a bit more tired than I thought."




Every step he took caused them to move and disappear, only to poke their heads out further ahead or waving him on to hurry up. His friends, family and others as well. Audrey was there first of course, at the bottom of a steep mountain. He had scrambled down quickly after her, trying to catch his sister before she slipped away again. Then the terrain shifted again.

Ice and snow was all around him, and Sam shivered in the cold, but trudged on as he caught sight of Malia smiling down from a dead and frozen forest, still frigid and unmoving in the chilly air. Dean was there too, and Tarrant as well. But they shimmered away just before he could reach them as well.


The grass crunched under Sam's bare feet as he walked around the academy in his daze. People were scarce at this time in the evening as most were either studying, preparing for sleep, or off in their own shenanigans elsewhere. Sam on the other hand, had finally managed to get some sleep after his run, and was now experiencing one of the rare misadventures that came with his unconscious mind. Dressed only in his track pants, goosebumps prickled at his flesh as he had climbed out his window and down the boys' dorm into the crisp autumn air. And he continued on, chasing figures that weren't really there.

Hopping over a fallen log, he tried to keep sight of the golden ponytail as the girl in the tennis outfit ducked around another tree in the forest, ponytail bobbing in tow. He missed a step as a vine clutched at his ankle, turning the stumble into a graceful roll and catching himself on hands and knees. A slender hand stretched into his sight and he looked up to stare into Helena's smiling face as she offered him a hand up. A grin split his face, but disappeared just as quickly, watching the pretty smile shimmer and fade with the rest of the girl like the others had. Meg was there then. A bit away, but in plain sight. Alone, with those big brown eyes looking straight through him. She seemed on the verge to say something when the three shapes behind her caught her attention. Without a word, she too disappeared.

Sam was on the very edge of the dark woods outside the academy when he stopped and turned the other direction, hopping over one of the benches as he came back onto the academy's grounds. A random plastic bag blew into his path, accelerated by the slight breeze and caught on his foot, taking away any traction his bare feet had on the slick grass. As he continued on though, he was began to slip awake, ever so slightly...

He ran on as he caught sight of Audrey once more. His sister was fast, faster than he had never known her to be before. He had always been the one to come out on top in their footraces, but failed to keep up with her now. The forest was gone now and the expanse of a long-dead city lay before him. Broken buildings and abandoned houses sought to hide his sister as he was in quick pursuit. As fast as his sister seemed in this odd place, he was gaining on her. Every corner he turned brought him closer and closer. The buildings around him shifted from unrecognizable towers to the familiar scenery of the academy. His mind wandered for a split second, but snapped back as he caught sight of his sister running through a door just ahead. He turned a corner, hoping to cut her off, and heard sounds of people talking just ahead!

Rounding the corner quickly, Sam slammed into something suddenly and snapped back to reality. Clutching at whatever it was he hit, he rolled, his body quickly reacting to protect the figure in his arms. His back skid on the ground to a halt and he rolled over, looking down into Malia's eyes. Checking around him, he realized he had done it again. Running around the school shirtless and acting like a maniac.

His face drained of color immediately, still as stone, Sam could have sworn he had swallowed his tongue as his eyes locked on Malia again. Malia, the person he had just bulldozed unintentionally, the girl he was currently smothering, and the girl who was most likely going to shank him in a moment unless he moved... "Oh crap...Sorry Malia I was..." He frantically scrubbed his mind, trying to find the right words then relaxed slightly at an obvious realization. "Let's face it, this isn't the worst thing I've done. And at least I'm wearing pants this time..."

Standing once more and offering his hand to the downed girl, his thoughts wandered again. 'Of all people I could have run into, it had to be Malia...Sam, you are a complete idiot. At least it wasn't...' At that moment, he noticed Valerie, or what he assumed was the blonde-haired girl from earlier. "What the hell is on your head?"