Jaydon Janvier's Story

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Alanna liked the idea of snow; she liked to watch snowflakes falling quietly to earth, but only from the safety of a warm room. The library was one such room. It was in fact its own separate building and several stories high. Books lined its walls from floor to ceiling and there were many alcoves and partially hidden rooms in its depths. It was the kind of library where one could spend all day and never see another person. During the winter months the fire was constantly stoked and you were always guaranteed warmth. Alanna had been here for some time, reading in one of the many window seats. Snow always made her more irritable and she had woken earlier that morning to see the school sheeted in the stuff. Not being able to return to sleep she had showered, dressed and made her way to the library.

Now, with half an hour until class started she decided that it was time for a warm breakfast. Alanna replaced her book in the shelf and made her way through the large library doors. As she stepped outside the cold immediately hit her and the girl drew her clothes tighter around her. Alanna made her way along covered paths, aiming for the old dining hall. She thrust her hands into her pockets to keep them warm.

She reached the end of the covered walkways. Across a courtyard of undisturbed snow stood the dining hall. Smoke could be seen coming out of the large chimney and the windows were misted, further indicating the warmth that awaited inside. But first Alanna would have to make her way across the courtyard. Pursing her lips she took the first step, her foot sinking ankle deep into the snow. By the time she had made it to the dining hall door her toes were going numb and her irritation had reached new levels, still she hesitated before entering the hall. She had caught sight of the notice pinned to the door.
The only good thing she could say about winter was the annual Winter Feast. The food was always excellent, the decorations were fantastic and the atmosphere was something to look forward to. Not to mention the student after-party. It was just as much a tradition as the Feast, even if not entirely within the Academy's rules. While drinking for over 18s was legal in England, drinking on campus wasn't something that the teachers allowed without supervision. Still, every year the after-party went ahead and every year the majority of the student body attended.

Having finished reading the notice Alanna pushed through the doors and into the warmth of the dining hall. She grabbed a plate, served herself breakfast and then chose a table close to the fire. She sat down with the fire to her back, happy to let the fire warm her.

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Buzz! Buzz! BUZZ! BUZZ!

The insistent ringing of Lockie's alarm was what woke the young man. His eyes fluttered open as the noise pierced through his dreams. His hand reached out to snooze the alarm only to find the device not on his bedside table. He let his eyes close for a moment. A cool breeze was playing around his room, streaming in through his open window.

In one swift movement the boy collected the breeze to him, using it to fling the blankets off him. His hands gave another twirl and the winds returned, this time he set them on the pile of clothes that littered his floor. It was from this pile that the incessant ringing was coming. With a blast of his collected air Lockie sent the clothes flying around his room, landing across his desk, bed and other portions of his floor. And there sat his alarm cloak. Lockie stood, tapped the alarm with his hand and gave a satisfied smile as the noise finally stopped.

Lockie grabbed his towel and left his room, wondering down the Air elemental's portion of the dormitories. He entered the male bathrooms a moment later, flicking on the lights and a shower as he entered. The water was blissfully warm. He stepped out a good deal later once the water had began to run cold. Lockie was prone to day-dreaming and his mind had wondered, only being brought back to reality by the shock of the cold water.

Back in his room he quickly got dressed in the only clothes that didn't seem to decorate his floor. His stomach rumbled a moment later, indicating that it was time for breakfast. So he left his room and began to make his way down to the dining hall.

Most times the quick trip to the dining hall would take longer than anticipated as Lockie's attention was usually drawn to whatever caught his fancy. Today was no different. Now he stopped short of the hall, watching as a tree branch slowly caved under the pressure of the snow. The day had a moderate amount of wind, enough for him to collect a small ball and send it flying towards the tree. The snow was blown up in a flurry of wind before crunching down onto the tree branch and then onto the ground.

Jaydon awoke to the sound of a student yelling 'Sweet!' from outside his window. Though Jaydon was on the second floor, he often got awoken by kids going to the dining hall, seeing as how his window was right above the walkway. It never annoyed him, but rather it made it so he didn't have to buy an alarm clock. But today, on this morning, nothing could annoy Jaydon. He could feel the snow outside, could almost hear the icy cold just outside his window. He smiled where he lay and then pushed himself up to a sitting position. In front of him lay the spotless dormitory room that he called home. They had tried to give him teacher's quarters, but he had refused and demanded the much smaller rooms. He enjoyed the tight spaces, made him feel more at home for some reason. His room was spotless, with not a crumb out of place. He moved over to the closet and selected his suit of the day. After this he went through his normal morning routine, shower, brush teeth, brush hair, get dressed, check for intruders in the night, and check for anyone watching the school. After everything proved to be clear, Jaydon took advantage of the best part of his room, the window in the ceiling. He had requested it specifically, even though it couldn't open when he had first moved in. He had quickly remedied that, and was now able to use it as an exit and an entrance. Jaydon thought about steps forming from the water molecules in the air, and so they did. He then walked up the steps, through the window, and on to the roof of the dormitory. He turned, making sure to break down the ice into water molecules again, and then proceeded to walk off the roof, using the snow to allow him to drift down slowly.

Once Jaydon was on the ground, he quickly moved to the dining hall door. He didn't like this walk, it made him feel much too exposed, and always tried to rush through it. Finally he came to the doors of the hall and strode through them, only glancing at the notice. Once again I'll have to sit through a feast. he thought I despise pretending like I enjoy other people. He moved up to the Professors seats, at the front of the room, and got a cup of coffee and a piece of toast on his way. He looked at the students already assembled for the meal Well this is an odd mashup now isn't it? he thought rather jovially. Jaydon enjoyed watching the social setup of the school, it was always quite fun.

When Rachel's name was said by the girl of water she didn't want of reply, and if this had been any other season she would have. "Hi." Her reply was monotone as she kept from trying to sound to harsh. Rachel hasn't known Kara to much, but she was prejudice again certain powers for her own special reasons. If this wasn't winter she most likely wouldn't have replied, maybe causing a bicker or a fight, something she could easily handle then, but with if being winter and her still cold from the unintended snow fall touching her she felt washed up. The only times when she could stand water was when if was being eaten or bathed in. Rachel could feel cold chills going throughout her body of anger, not at Kara exactly, but at herself for not moving. Rachel was cold, but not really rude and she knew that Alanna had more friends besides just her and if she wanted to talk to her she had to get use to her friends.

Sitting up start she had finished her plate of food, quickly but in a mannerly way. She was a small girl, but eating was something she was good at and the food was always so yummy. "How you two enjoying the snow day?" She questioned them trying to give off her best fake smile. She didn't want to seem mean, but this was uncomfortable for her and talking wasn't her strongest point about her. She was use to being seen and not heard, but sometimes she made exceptions to be more social if she felt needed be.

Pulling her hand up to her mouth she released a small yawn, "Excuse me." She said to be polite. Slightly looking around the room the dining hall was slowly filling of people, but not to much. Mr. Janvier. "I'll be right back." Her voice was dry as she picked up her tray and threw it away to the trash can closet to the Professors seats and then walked over to them. "Morning." Rachel wasn't to friendly, but this teacher she did have a soft spot for. "How are you enjoying the snow?" When questioning him she let her voice light up a tad then she had when she was speaking to others. "I honestly find it dreadful. like I tell you every year." Giving him an actually smile she let out a small laugh, something she only did around people she felt really comfortable around. The laugh had come from the fact he was ice, meaning he might have a strong liking for snow, then again maybe not. "Well, see you in class later." With that she gave a small wave of bye and returned to her seat in front of Alanna without saying a word and returning back to her unfriendly mood.

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Hearing Harmony's voice made him feel a warmth of happiness burn inside of him. "Good morning!" He respond to her as he whipped dripping water from his eyes. Being around her always put him into a better mood, maybe because she was heart. "You look beautiful this lovely morning." He told her sweetly then took a bite from some oat meal. "Actually," he said once all the food was clear from his mouth, "you look more beautiful every time I see you." Moving a little in his seat he could hear small squish sounds from the water in the seat. "Sorry for the mess, I was playing in the snow." Chuckling he continuing eating.

Every morning it felt like he talked to her, something he loved to door. Mark had lots if friends at school, but some he felt closer to than others, she was one of them. There was something about Harmony that was different then most girls at school, making him kind of fall for her. Her just sitting around him made him feel strange with joy. "Maybe you and I could have a snow ball fight later." He teased with her.

Looking down at his plate he realized he had eaten all his food, but he didn't care because he wasn't all the hungry. Pushing his plate aside he rested his arms on the table. Looking into Harmony's eyes he smiled, but soon lost attention in her when he noticed a snow little stream flowing from his shirt. "Wow." He said looking at it in a little amazement, he was really wet. Taking off his shirt he began wringing it out in the floor. "Sorry," he told Harmony as he tightened his gripping on the shirt as water flowed to the floor, "I hope you don't mind." When he had squeezed all the water out if it the he could he had placed it in a empty chair next to him to allow it to dry more quickly.

The ominous smell of a less than desirable perfume drifted down the corridor, the odor's travels brought it'self into Michael's room and danced disdainfully around him. 'What is that exactly...?' The man mumbled to himself, waving his hands frantically in an attempt to vanquish the unwavering gas. He rolled over in his bed, taking his hand to his forehead, displaying grief through body language no one was around to interpret. In the peace of his room, he was able to hear the chaos in the others; there were voices outside of people he didn't know, foot steps erupting in the main offices, and the sound of water greeting the less-than-clean-bodies of his co-workers. With his index finger and thumb, Michael messaged his temples. He sat up and stretched his legs out, flexing the muscles in his abdomen and thighs, and there it was... his eye brows raised, he removed his hands from his forehead and placed it on his legs. He studied his right leg closely.

'I almost forgot that this was here...' Michael whispered to himself, rubbing the scar he'd obtained from that tragedy so long ago. It seemed to move and change shape all on it's own over the years. He shook his head viciously as if his hair was coated in water, and threw himself out of the bed. If everyone else's day was starting, there was no reason for his to be delayed any longer. Michael's bare feet met the chilled floor of his room, he twiddled his toes for a while in an attempt to adjust to the undesirable feel of the floor. The sun didn't seem to be warming him as it did before, without checking the window Michael collected that snow had fallen that night. He stepped with little haste to his closet and dragged out a white dress shirt, he pulled some slacks out off of the hanger, and pulled some black silk socks out of a drawer. It was wooden, oak, a good grade of wood, he thought. He slipped on his shoes and opened the door, before he could get his foot a full step past the frame -

"Oh hello there, a late riser I see, I am too! It's great to meet you Mr. Shaw, I've heard so much about you! I'm an English teacher here at the school. It's my first year here and it's so great to meet you, honestly. I'm Marry Mellows, but you can just call me Marry if you like." She surprised Michael at first, and it wasn't just her ill-timed appearance, but her very forward introduction and eccentric personality. "Hello, I'm glad you're doing great this morning Ms. Mellows, and I really do hope that you enjoy your time at here at Eastern Gradon." Michael stated calmly, as he placed a smile on his face, returning her good intentions with a few of his own. "They will be starting breakfast soon, we should get you down there to greet your students, seeing how this is your first day... right?" What happened to other English professor? ... Michael kept that thought to himself, as he locked the door behind him.

He and his new ally slothfully made their way down the halls where they greeted a few others. The stairs were old, reflecting the age of the rest of the building "I absolutely love the decor of this building - is there no elevator? Who CARES this is splendid!" Michael smiled keeping his pace slightly quicker than his companion's. It seemed as though it took an entire semester they finally made it to the door of the dining hall, a sign posted on the door was there to inform everyone of current events and what not. "Winter Feast. I hope they don't need chaperons tonight, Marry," Michael said with a grin as he opened the door.

He spotted a students sitting about, they were pretty spread out. Michael slightly raised his hand in an attempt to wave at a few of the students, but - "OOOOOOOH it is ABSOLUTELY STUNNING in here, is THIS where we'll be eating?!" Marry grabbed Michael's hand and escorted him through the dining hall to what seemed like his seat. Professor Janvier was already there, this would be an interesting year.

"Hello, professor" Michael gestured, putting his hand out in a notion for a hand shake.

Jaydon sat watching the students, sipping on his coffee. It wasn't very long at all until a student he was particularly fond of came over to him to speak. She rambled on, something about the snow, but Jaydon's mind was elsewhere. He noticed some extreme behavior taking place, and he was wondering how to stop it. 'Well, see you in class later.' the girl said. "And I you Rachel. Enjoy your first period." he said as she walked away. The second she was a safe distance Jaydon stood up and lowered the temperature of the room "This is not a gymnasium Mr. Tom and Miss March!" He quite suddenly boomed."If you would please return to your seats and behave like the civilized human beings you are, you may be able to survive second period today!" Then, as he was about to sit back down, he added "And Mr. Tom, for whatever reason you have your shirt off, please put it back on. This is not your home, nor a strip club. This is a school. You will treat it as such." He then returned to his seat and his coffee.

It was at this point that Professor Shaw dropped in. Jaydon stood to accept the handshake, mentally allowing the room's temperature to rise again, "Professor Shaw! Good morning to you sir! he said. Then Jaydon saw that Shaw had a companion, who he was holding hands with. Jaydon had seen her face before..... But he couldn't quite place it. And who is your lovely...... associate.... Professor? he asked.

Michael dropped his hands to his side, and his smile faded at the mention of his new friend, Janvier's tone seemed to replicate the confusion Michael felt every time he spoke with her. "I'm sure she's overwhelmed to meet you, Janvier." Michael sighed, hoping the negative connotation in his voice passed undetected. "She greeted me at my door today on my way here, we've been together ever since..." he then looked up at the still standing women, dressed in a very bright purple. Her hair was blonde, long, and extremely wavy. She wore bright lipstick and smelled ... damnable. 'What is that awful perfume she's wearing?'

he thought to himself, but he then answered his own question; it was the perfume that woke him up hours ago. "It's been so enjoyable being with you Mr. Shaw, please believe me, its been an honor accompanying you all this way!" She smiled and laughed hysterically at her own words, she then took a seat on the other side of professor Janvier. The poor man didn't know what he had coming, she placed a hand on the man's shoulder, she seemed to do it delicately, "You're a well respected man in your field, some might even say the best, that little trick you just did must haven taken years to master, I'm still shivering." She spoke softer to him now. Michael wasn't surprised when he noticed her hands lowering down the professor's arm as she spoke to him. She was an odd one, 'I don't expect for this one too last long'

Yes, Michael knew how powerful professor Janvier was, but when was Marry's behavior ever appropriate. He looked up and notice how beautiful the chandeliers were and how the spectacularly crafted ceiling housed them. He then witnessed the flames in the fire places return to their previous state, full of life and dancing with a new found rejuvenation. 'He almost put the fires out?.' Lowering the temperature of the room was a very cool ability, but if used recklessly, people's lives could have been put in danger.

It wasn't long before Alanna was joined at her warm table. The first to sit with her was Rachel who slid silently into the seat opposite Alanna. Alanna, her mouth full of jam toast, gave her a smile and a nod. Next to join them a moment later was Kara.
"Hey Alanna, Rachel." Kara greeted both girls, although Alanna could easily detect the tension that seemed to run between the two. Rachel was a fire elemental while Kara was water. Like lightning and ice the two didn't mix and Alanna could understand their hesitation around each other. Her mouth now empty of food, Alanna gave Kara a wide smile,
"Morning Kara."

"How you two enjoying the snow day?" Rachel's question seemed strained. Alanna gave a grimace, thinking of her toes that were slowly thawing.
"It's way too cold to be outside.' Came Alanna's quiet reply, "I almost froze my toes off coming across the courtyard."
A moment later Rachel excused herself from the table and Alanna was left with Kara. With Rachel's absence Alanna had a perfect view of the whole dining room. Her eyes followed Marion March as she entered, a large snowball in her hand. As Alanna watched Marion sneaked behind Mark and let the cold snowball fall down his bare back. A small smirk formed on Alanna's face as Mark jumped up with a yelp. Alanna was not a fan of the ice boy and it amused her to see him pranked, even if by a friend. Her smirk stretched further across her face when Professor Javier told Mark off. Of course the room did take on a much cooler temperature as the teacher stood, but soon enough the fire was flickering back into full life.

"You looking forward to the feast tonight?" Alanna asked Kara, turning her attention back to her friend. Alanna gave her a smile, "And the after party?"
Alanna wasn't one of those people that was always the centre of attention but she liked a good party as much as the next person.

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Being hit by a snowball wasn't usually so shocking. But when the snowball in question seemed to come out of nowhere the shock was laced with confusion too. Lockie, his mind completely occupied by his branch of snow, gave a yelp of surprise as the snowball hit him. He turned towards the direction it had (apparently) been thrown from, only to find nobody near.

Puzzled Lockie spun further around and found Alex standing a few short paces away from him. Lockie opened his mouth, about to ask if Alex had seen the culprit when suddenly the dots connected. A playful smile appeared on Lockie's face and he was just about to retaliate when a stream of snowballs hit Alex from another direction. Lockie could help the laughter that burst from his mouth. Alex's initial confusion disappeared as the other boy spotted Theia. Theia was another air elementalist and another good friend of Lockie's.

Lockie's laughter was cut short as another snowball hit his face, a mouthful cutting off his laughing. This time it took Lockie little time to find the culprit, Niall.

"This means WAR!" Lockie could only grin at Alex's words, they were an echo of Lockie's own thoughts.
"Bring it on!" Lockie shouted, scooping up a handful of snow as he spoke with his left hand. His right hand gave a quick twirl, calling any stray wind nearby to him and into a miniature tornado. The snowball went in and then shot out. Multiple snowballs followed, each aimed for either Niall, Alex or Theia. He received his fair share of snowball hits, but managed to dodge anymore of the face shots.

Halfway through the fight, with all sides more or less soaked and covered in snow (apart from Niall who seemed immune to it), Alex ran into the middle of the action.
"Hold it! Time out! Hang on a second!" His call to stop got to Lockie a second too late and before Lockie could hold it back a lone snowball shot out at the boy. Lockie couldn't help but shrug, not too concerned about it. Or rather considering it fair payback for Alex's first shot at the unsuspecting Lockie.

Lockie listened as Alex suggested an air elemental, with Niall, snow fight. The idea definitely had a certain appeal to it.
"We should invite the other elements too, we could have an elemental snowball fight." Lockie suggested, already picturing a school wide snowball fight. His eyes flicked to Catarina's freshly formed snowball in her hand, he hadn't even noticed the girl appearing. Of course the ice students would have a major advantage but that would just make it more of a challenge. Also Lockie had to agree with Niall's statement that he was the only dry one. Being able to absorb water was also a definite advantage.

"Anyway, I'm going to the dining hall before someone takes all of the bacon. Anyone want to come?"
At the mention of breakfast Lockie's stomach gave a grumble, agreeing with Alex.
"Breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea" Lockie said. He also wouldn't mind drying off a bit. He could see the smoke from the dining room chimney and was already thinking longingly of the warm fire.

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Brent Tanner

Brent's head was pounding, the rhythmic thumping in his skull no doubt punishment for his night of excess. While students may not be allowed out of the Academy grounds during term time the teachers had no such restrictions. Brent's trip into the nearest town and pub had seen him returning in the early morning hours of the day.

"I'm never drinking again." The man grumbled to himself, rolling out of bed and hitting the ground with a thud. He pushed himself to his feet and took a look around the room, his eyes squinting at the light streaming through his open window. He stumbled over to the window and swore quietly under his breath, snow. It wasn't that Brent disliked snow. Actually, he quite liked it. But today he really couldn't be bothered dealing with the problems that snow brought. Cold hands, slippery walkways and a limited access to the outdoors for class experiments. Added to that was the fact that the light glaring off the white snow was doing Brent's head no favours.

Closing the window shut and pulling the curtain Brent slumped back into his bed, only to be shocked a moment later by the blaring of his alarm. He swore and threw his hand out. The little metal alarm clock went flying through the air, breaking into pieces as it hit the wall. However, much to Brent's immense irritation, the buzzing continued.
"Enough already! I'm up!" He said to himself, pushing himself off the bed. He gave a quick wave of his hand and the metal pieces of the alarm clock reformed. He quickly turned it off and made his way to his bathroom.

Showering helped to wake him up some as did brushing his teeth. He dressed in his usual casual jeans and shirt. He slung on a jacket, grabbed a pair of sunglasses to protect his fragile head from the bright outdoors and then headed out the door. He entered the dining hall from the kitchens, waving to the cooks as he passed the hot elements. A moment later he was out amongst the tables, passing the few seated students as they ate their breakfast. Quickly he chose his meal, bacon and toast, and made his way to the teachers table. He nodded a greeting to Jaydon and Michael before digging into his meal.

When the ice boy had gotten in trouble Rachel had put her hand to her mouth the hide her laugh. She couldn't stand the cold, or the ice students, especially someone as naive as him. She found Mark quite annoying how he was always laughing and flirting with different girls all the time, plan stupid. It was nice to hear the Mr. Janvier was the one getting on to him, because of course the one standing right next to him said nothing. She felt a cold chill rush throw the room when he had gotten on to Mark. Sometimes she couldn't believe he was ice, but other times it was obvious. He was irritating like the other ice students, he was fun to talk to, but that was bedside the point.

Turning her body back around to face Alanna and Kara she had a blank expression on her face and listened to the two chatter about the Winter Feast and after party taking place after school. So that's what the announcement said on the door. Rachel was pleasured she heard what the announcement probably said before later on in the day. Rachel had been going to the feast for two years and even the after parties, but she never really enjoyed them, she'd sit with people she kind of liked, but it was better then doing nothing. This year she didn't know who'd she sit with, it was always strange for her to ask, so she never did. She didn't like asking because they could say no to her, which would be a waste of her time. Rachel could remember her first feast at the school, of course it was a winter one as well, and with her being so antisocial she had no one to go with, so she was going to sit in her room alone, but a few teachers had invited her to sit with them because of her situation, so she went. After that feast she had a friend or two so she sat with then, but she had enjoy herself more with the teachers.

Rachel didn't know what the dress wear would be, but she assumed formal like the years before. Every year of course she'd wear a red dress, but this year she found that red was to redundant, she was even wearing it right now. She really loved the color and it suited her, but she was beginning to feel like a Power Ranger who always wore their color every single day. Maybe this year black or teal, maybe sapphire. Her mind raced with colors and dresses types that she could imagine perfectly in her closet, all color coded and then arranged by designer within the three walls and glass door. "What are you going to wear?" She asked both girls with a hint of actually caring, for she did like clothing.

Kara took a bite of food, hearing Alanna respond with a morning back to her was nice. Sighing softly she heard the girl, Rachel, whom she didn't like too much start to talk. "How you two enjoying the snow day?" She had asked and Kara shrugged. "I mean I'm not too much of a fan of the cold, but I don't mind it too much." She answered once all the food in her mouth was gone. It was also then that Rachel had gotten up and walked off after excusing herself. There was a small roll of Kara's eyes as she quickly turned her attention from Rachel walking away to Alanna who was sitting next to her. Right when Rachel start to talk to Professor Janiver a girl, Marion, hit Mark who for some reason had absolutely no shirt on. He jumped then once Rachel was a distance away from Mr. Janiver Kara shivered when feeling him drop the temputure. She flinched hearing that booming voice of his as he told Mark and Marion off. Sure maybe Mark had deserved it since he was crawling around on the ground, but they were just messing around. Rolling her eyes at the teacher she looked at Alanna as soon as the tempeture rose again.

Sighing softly she shook her head. She just decided not to say anything that she was thinking right about now about the teacher who told poor Mark off. It was quite rude, but she knew she should probably just keep her thoughts to herself. "You looking forward to the feast tonight?" Alanna had finally said which broke Kara from her daze. "Oh yeah, are you?" She questioned with a smile. "And the after party?" Alanna had added afterwards. "The after party is probably going to be the best part." She commented as she messed with her outfit a little. She had always been a fan of the after party just because she was finally able to drink and because she was always a fan of parties. By this time while Kara and Alanna were talking Rachel had reached the table and wa sonce again sitting across from Alanna. "What are you going to wear?" Rachel asked both of the girls which made Kara think about it for a few moments. "Honestly? I have no idea. I was thinking like a dress that was pink or blue, but I'm not really sure." She answered Rachel's question. "What do you think your going to wear?" She asked the girl, trying to be as kind as she possibly could.

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Harmony was in her own world when a teacher had suddenly snapped at Marion and Mark for messing around in the Dining Room. She lifted her head to see Mark coming towards her and it made her smile a little. He still had his shirt off! She bit her lip gently as he sat next to her and put his shirt back on. "Do you think I'd make a good stripper?" He had asked and she laughed softly. "Oh yeah. Definitely," She was half joking, half telling the truth to him. He then just kept talking, and agreed with himself. Man could this kid talk. "She doesn't know this, but later I'm going to kill her in a snow ball fight," he told Harmony with a wink, "and you're going to help me." A small blush made its way onto her face after seeing him wink at her. "Oh is that so? Maybe I'll go against you because you know some times I'm not really a team player." She told him with a small grin on her face.

She had just started to mess with her hair when suddenly Mark had exclaimed, "Oh!" which just out right startled her. "You're sitting with me at the feast, aren't you?" Harmony put a finger on her lips, tapping it lightly as she thought about it for a few moments. Who else was she planning on going with? She had never really thought about going until he mentioned it. "Sure I'll sit by you Mark," She told him gently. It was then when her eyes caught on a certain teacher just now walking in... Mr. Tanner. Rolling her eyes at the teacher she returned her attention to the boy who was now known in her book as a talker. Which she didn't mind because honestly she was used to him talking a lot, she was more of the person who liked to listen and answer him when he wanted her too.

It was also then when he had noticed her empty plate, and took it for her. She would have taken it, but she had been busy trying to communicate with Mark. "Gosh," he had said when sitting back down, "you get more beautiful every time I see you, I swear." She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Every time?" She asked then smiled brightly. "Thanks Mark, you freaking flirt." She joked, gently nudging him with her hand. "You want to go running with me tomorrow morning?" He asked and she nodded. "Yeah of course! I love running in the morning when I can. What time are you going to go running?" She questioned him, resting her elbow on the table then resting her head on her open palm. Her open hand that wasn't supporting her head went to her back pocket where her phone was slowly slipping out after pushing it back into the pocket she sat up straight, giving Mark a bright smile.

Rachel continued to sit in the silence of the breakfast table. Looking around it still wasn't as booming as she imagined it would be. With a sigh she picked her purple bag from the ground and placed it on the table shifting through it until she found a green binder marked History. Opening up she flipped through clear plastic slips containing work revolving around different topics from war to different failed Utopias. Her binder was full of a total of seven hundred different slips of plastic sheet holding up to six pieces of paper sometimes. As she flipped she got to the subsection marked Research Requirement. She had to write a substantial amount of primary resources about a topic of choice, hers was the An Lushan Rebellion known to be the second bloodiest war in history. The bloodiest was World War II, but with it being so common it was just a major repeat of things she already knew, and she wanted to challenge herself. For the report she had to write about fifteen-twenty pages of information, but she had written twenty-seven to her dismay. With her having OCD she had to do things in even numbers, meaning she couldn't turn in twenty-seven for her rough draft tomorrow and it'd be cheating herself if she took one page away to make it even. The An Lushan Rebellion was a devastating rebellion against the Tang Dynasty of China. The rebellion openly began on December 16, 755, when general An Lushan declared himself emperor in Northern China, thus establishing a rival Yan Dynasty, and ended when Yan fell on February 17, 763. This event is also known as the An–Shi Rebellion or An–Shi Disturbances.... She quickly read the introduction to her report then fiercely flipped to the last page staring at if blankly. Rachel had spent about two weeks getting all the information for this report and with it all being primary made it harder on her, which she didn't mind. She had contacted family members who's ancestors had fought the the battle and had passed down documents through the generations. Locating the people was the tricky part, but all the had to do was fax her over a copy of the documents and she added the data in.

Now the problem was everything she knew about the war couldn't get her a page worth of information, which did upset her. With a huff she ran her fingers through her hair. Who knows more about history than I do? Searching through her brain she came up with nothing, of course her History Teacher would know, but they weren't helping the students out. Who knows about war? Closing her eyes she thought softly to herself, Why didn't I think of him sooner? Shutting her binder she slid it back into it's place and rose to her feet. "Please excuse me once more." She told Alanna and Kara while slinging her bag around her arm.

Walking towards the front of the dining hall she was once again at the Professors table. Pulling out a chair next to Mr. Janvier she began talking as she set her purse to the ground and pulled her history binder back out. "I was wondering if you could help me." She told him as she flipped through the plastic pages until arriving at the end of her An Lushan Rebellion report. "In History we have to write about some historical event at least fifteen pages long and I choose the An Lushan Rebellion." Taking in a longer breath then needed when she continued talking her mouth and tongue moved faster than before. "I've typed up twenty-seven pages, and as I've told you before I have OCD so I can't turn it in this way and then again I can't just take one page away." Flipping through the pages she showed him main points in the battle and facts she had already collected for the report and explained them to him. "I need one more page for an evenness, but I have no more knowledge to make another page." When finishing she took in a deep breath, for she had talked so fast that she had barely had time to breath throughout her explanation. "Oh," she added, "all the information is primary, that's why I need help and with you being a genius in Battle I was hoping you'd know something about this war. I really need the help and you're the only person I could think of." She finished with a meek smile unsure if he had information to help her.

Rachel didn't take much pleasure in asking for help, but when she needed it she normal did come to this teacher for it, meaning her asking for the information wasn't to odd for him she hoped. She didn't ask to often, but when she did it was when she really needed it and she felt comfortable asking him for it, knowing someone for two years and being as smart as he was had that affect on her. Honestly, she felt like he was really the only person at the school smart than her. Rachel studied hard about everything, causing her to believe her knowledge out did most teachers and students besides this one. "You know I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't really need the help," she continued hoping it would persuade him to help her even more, "so if you know any first hand documents or diaries or pictures taken or something along those lines from this battle it would totally help. The draft is due tomorrow meaning if you don't know anything now maybe you could take some time and help me before then." Darting her eyes from him she looked back at her binder and flipped back to the last page of her report then pointed to the empty sheet cover to the right of it. "Honestly I feel like you're my best friend, and friends are suppose to be there for each other, so please help, friend." And to seal her beg she gave him a huge smile that'd she'd only every give to a friend.