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The Arcana Academy

The Arcana Academy

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{Literate Roleplayers only please} What happens when the bad students from Noctrem Academy for those with Supernatural Powers are forced to go to the good Arcana Academy? (OPEN FOR NEW APPLICANTS)

14,370 readers have visited The Arcana Academy since Imagine That! created it.

Toggle Rules

ImageArcana & Noctrem Academy

Arcana Academy and Noctrem Academy are polar opposites – Arcana encourages and inspires students to be the very best that they can be, and to use their supernatural abilities to help those in need, to save those who need saving, and to just be amazing citizens. Noctrem on the other hand drives their students to be the worst they can be – terrorizing the citizens, scaring those around them, and causing trouble wherever possible. The two Academies have always been rivals, and only interact with each other during sporting events, or the annual tournament, to determine which school is the best. Every year, the winner from each school changes, so no real answer has been determined since the tournaments began three hundred years ago.
Last month, Noctrem was set alight by someone in a black, hooded jacket, hiding their face. No-one was able to determine who this criminal was, but the fire burnt down the entire school, and resulted in three deaths – two teachers and a student. With the students who decided to carry on with their studies after the destruction of their school, it has been decided that they will go to Arcana, and study with those β€œgoodie-two-shoes” they hate so much. They will bunk there, eat there, and study there – but how will those from Arcana accept these enemies?


Characters:


Good Students from Arcana Academy:


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Clairsentience|The ability to learn the history of someone or something by touch|Face Claim: Leighton Meester|OPEN|


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Water Manipulation|The ability to change the shape and volume of water|Face Claim: Nina Dobrev|Taken ~ AmbrosiaVAC|



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Earth Manipulation|The ability to reshape, move and manipulate the minerals that come from the earth|Face Claim: Jennifer Lawrence|OPEN|


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Mind-Reading|The ability to hear the thoughts in someone’s mind|Loren Craft|Taken ~ confidence|


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Pain Inducement|The ability to inflict pain via the mind|Face Claim: Blake Lively|OPEN|


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Touch of Life and Death|The ability to give or take life with just one touch|Face Claim: Jessica Sula|OPEN|


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Psychic Constructs|The ability to create almost anything out of psychic energy which cannot hurt physically, but can mentally|Face Claim: Kristen Stewart|OPEN|


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Literary Animation|The ability to animate any character from a book|Face Claim: Taylor Swift|OPEN|


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Super Strength|The ability to lift things 1000 times one's weight|Kitty Lee|Taken - LuckyNumber24|


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Telepathy|The ability to speak to someone through their mind|Face Claim: Ashley Benson|OPEN|


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Light Manipulation|The ability to change the direction and power of light beams|Face Claim: Ariana Grande|OPEN|


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Weather Manipulation|The ability to manipulate the weather|Face Claim: Anna Poppelwell|OPEN|


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Molecular Regeneration|The ability to grow back any lost appendages without dying|Face Claim: Cara Delevingne|OPEN|


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Dexterity|Enhanced skills at targeting, precision and reaction time|Face Claim: Alexis Bledell|OPEN|


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Pain Muting|The ability to not feel any pain and to give the ability to another|Face Claim: Hayley Williams|OPEN|


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Animal Control|The ability to control and speak to animals|Face Claim: Dylan O’Brien|OPEN|


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Cloning|The ability to make exact replicas of ones self|Face Claim: Sebastian Stan|OPEN|


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Time-Control|The ability to stop, fast-forward or rewind time|Face Claim: Alex Pettyfer|OPEN|


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Force-Field|The ability to produce an invisible impenetrable shield|Face Claim: Penn Badgely|OPEN|


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Intangibility|The ability to pass through solid matter|Face Claim: Lucas Till|OPEN|


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Precognition|The ability to see the future|Face Claim: Michael Trevino|OPEN|


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Super-Speed|The ability to move faster than average|Face Claim: Damien McGinty|OPEN|



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Memory Manipulation|The ability to change, add, or erase memories|Zac Barnes|Taken ~ iCat|


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X-Ray Vision & Enhanced Hearing|The ability to see through solid matter and hear more than average|Face Claim: Luke Pasqualino|OPEN|


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Ability Replication|The ability to temporarily copy the powers of another|Face Claim: Alexander Ludwig|OPEN|


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Emotion Amplification|The ability to make any emotion greater|Jackson Murphy|Taken ~ Imagine That!|


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Animation|The ability to bring inanimate things to life|Eden Havan|Taken - LuckyNumber24


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Sound Manipulation|The ability to change the pitch and volume of sounds|Face Claim: Thomas Dekker|OPEN|


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Elasticity|The ability to manipulate and contort ones body|Face Claim: Tyler Blackburn |OPEN|



Evil Students from Noctrem Academy:



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Appearance Alteration|The ability to change one's appearance to resemble another human|Amber Romano|Taken - LuckyNumber24|


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Posession|The ability to inhabit and take control of a person's body|Face Claim: Jane Levy|OPEN|


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Illusion|The ability to change someone's perception|Face Claim: Casey Anderson|Taken ~ iCat|


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Shape-Shifting|The ability to change form into that of a variety of animals|Face Claim: Perrie Edwards|OPEN|


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Fire-Breathing|The ability to produce fire from one's mouth|Kate Shea|Taken - AmbrosiaVAC|


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Astral Projection|The ability to produce a ghost-like clone of ones self|Face Claim: Mila Kunis|OPEN|


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Air Manipulation|The ability to change the power and direction of air|Corentine Quellen|Taken ~ Mela|


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Pain Inducement|The ability to inflict pain via the mind|Face Claim: Blake Lively|OPEN|


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Invisibility|The ability to make one’s self unseen by others|Face Claim: Elle Fanning|OPEN|


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Telekinesis|The ability to move things with the mind|Face Claim: Phoebe Tonkin|OPEN|


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Persuasion|The ability to convince someone to do what you say with ease|Face claim: Candice Swanepoel|OPEN|


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Laser Vision|The ability to emit lasers from one’s eyes|Face Claim: Carly Rae Jepsen|OPEN|


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Feral Rage|The ability to tap into a state of primal rage which is practically unstoppable|Erin Hawthorne|Taken ~ Imagine That!|


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Luck Manipulation|The ability to give those around them bad or good luck, and to alter the probability of things happening|Lulu Allen|Taken ~ Korrye|


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Sonic Scream|The ability to use ones voice to create a sound so painful it can burst ear-drums|Face Claim: Darren Criss|OPEN|


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Fire Manipulation|The ability to change the volume and heat of fire|Skylar Byrnes|Taken - LuckyNumber24|


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True Alchemy|The ability to create and mix substances infused with magic|Face Claim: Ash Stymest|OPEN|


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Teleportation|The ability to teleport ones self and a small additional mass to another point instantly|Face Claim: Kellan Lutz|OPEN|


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Dream Manipulation|The ability to change, and place ones self in another's dreams|Face Claim: Taylor Lautner|OPEN|


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Infatuation|The ability to make anyone fall completely in love by a touch|Face Claim: Chase Crawford|OPEN|


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Electric Manipulation|The ability to enhance, subdue or change the direction of electricity|Face Claim: Freddie Stroma|OPEN|


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Oxygen Independence|The ability to survive without oxygen|Face Claim: Keegan Allen|OPEN|


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Shadow Manipulation|The ability to change the shape of shadows|Drakethean Quellen|Taken ~ Mela|


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Necromancy|The ability to reanimate the dead|Face Claim: Nicholas Hoult|OPEN|


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Technopathy|The ability to mentally control technology|Jake Sanders|Taken - iCat|


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Ice Manipulation|The ability to change water into ice and control it|Face Claim: Hunter Parrish|OPEN|


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Super Intelligence|The ability to know and remember things others should not|Eric Lee|Taken ~ confidence|


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Wall-crawling||The ability to scale horizontal and vertical surfaces without falling|Face Claim: Aaron Johnson|OPEN|



Good Teachers From Arcana Academy:



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Immortality|The ability to live forever|Head Master & Battle Teacher|Leonardo Marinos|Taken ~ Imagine That!|


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Healing Touch|The ability to heal wounds with a touch|School Nurse & Philosophy Teacher|Amalthea Roerig|Taken ~ Mela|


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Empathy|The ability to recognize and feel the feelings and hopes of another|Councillor & English Teacher|Max Henderson|Taken ~ Imagine That!|


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Chlorkinesis|The ability to control plants|Garden & Animal Carer & Herbology Teacher|Face Claim: Amanda Seyfried|OPEN|


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Puppet Master|The ability to control a person's movements fully|Orchestra Teacher & Dance Teacher|Katia Hunt|Taken ~ Korrye|


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Muscle Memory|The ability to reproduce any physical movement after seeing it|Extra Curricular Master & Male P.E Teacher|Christopher Russel|Taken ~ iCat|


Bad Teachers From Noctrem Academy:



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Power Transference |The ability to take away someone's power to themselves|Detention Master & Power Teacher|Face Claim: Henry Cavill|OPEN|


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Lie Detection|The ability to sense when one is being lied to|Attendance Officer & History Teacher|Rebecca Fields|Taken ~ Mela|


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Flight|The ability to move through the air without wings|Finance Officer & Biology Teacher|Face Claim: Joseph Morgan|OPEN|


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Invulnerability |The ability to ensure that skin cannot be pierced by any weapon|Librarian & Psychology Teacher|Face Claim: Anne Hathaway|OPEN|


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Mediumship|The ability to communicate with and command spirits|Homework Tutor and Music Teacher|Face Claim: Beyonce Knowles|OPEN|


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Vocal Manipulation|The ability to sound like anyone, and to know be able to speak all known languages|Careers Guide and Math Teacher|Face Claim: David Tennant|OPEN|




Character Skeleton:

Complete them in first person, please!

Code: Select all
[right][img]a gif of your character here please[/img]
[img]and another gif[/img]
[img]and a third[/img][/right]
[b]Full Name:[/b] Your characters full name, with middle please.
[b]Nicknames:[/b] If any.
[b]Age:[/b] Between 16-19 please
[b]Birthdate:[/b]
[b]Home Town:[/b] Where your character was born and raised, and country please. (This is set in California)
[b]Sexuality:[/b]

[b]School:[/b] Arcana or Noctrem? With colour please? If you're a teacher, add you class and extra job here as well.
[b]Power:[/b] Expand on your power - how far can you take it? What are you limitations?
[b]Likes:[/b] Five minimum please
[b]Dislikes:[/b] Five minimum please
[b]Fears:[/b] Everyone is frightened of something.

[b]Personality:[/b] A paragraph or so on your characters personality please - bad points as well as good.
[b]History:[/b] I don't want too much detail, but we need information on your childhood, how you first found out about your power, how you decided whether to be good or bad, and then how you came to the school. So, three good sized paragraphs, I think?
[b]Anything else?[/b] Just anything else that doesn't fit into the categories.






Rules:

1. Acknowledge all RPG rules, please.
2. You may need to do some research on your character's power, or class if they're a teacher.
3. I may ask you to play another character if the ratio's start to out-weigh each other, so be warned. Only join if you'd be willing to do this, please.
4. To make sure you've read these, please say "Hi Dee!" when you ask to reserve a character. If you don't, I'll assume you haven't read the rules. Also, post on the OOC if you want to reserve, not via PM, please. It confuses everyone.
5. If you're not going to be online to post, please say. I'd be really irritated if you didn't.
6. You can change your face claim/power if there's a severe issue, but PM me about it first.
7. When we have the characters, I shall be creating a relationship thread to help us get an insight into how our characters feel about each other.
8. I am asking for literate roleplayers, meaning that to join, I'd like you to be able to post at least 500 words for a post, on average. If not, I don't think you'd work well here, so sorry.
9. There will be swearing, probable violence and everything else in this, so be warned.
10. Actually enjoy it please. And don't let it die? A lot of work has gone into this :)

The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 31 authors

15 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen Character Portrait: Skylar Fiammetta Byrnes Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields Character Portrait: Christopher Russell Character Portrait: Max Henderson

...and 3 others.

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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#, as written by Mela
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Amy was so out of it. She couldn’t believe she’d just said those words. And in front of her unborn baby too! What if her little bump could hear her? But she was just so frustrated and upset, and she didn’t know what to do with these intense emotions right now, except letting them out, and that didn’t even work for her. She looked over at Leo when he spoke her name, and she dropped her other hand to join the first one on her small bump. It was stupid, but she sort of felt like she could protect it that way.

Tears had begun pushing at her, but she was stubbornly holding them in. She didn’t even know what she was crying about, for Christ’s sake! She was angry, not sad. But then, she was frustrated beyond compare. Frustrated with her situation and pregnancy, frustrated with Leo, and frustrated with Katia, a woman who she didn’t actually know. It was all such a mess she could hardly describe it to herself, much less anyone else. She needed to talk to a woman. She loved Leo, and he meant the world to her, but there were certain things he just… didn’t get.

She sighed when Leo walked up to her, putting an arm around her, his other hand moving to rest on her small bump. Amy closed her eyes briefly, calming herself. All this arguing and panic wasn’t good for the baby, after all. She shook her head though, nearly giving up on her, when he chose to focus on the episode with Chris. She had only drawn in Chris to help Leo see how all of this with Katia made her feel. Obviously he couldn’t grasp that. Ugh, why was he being so… pigheaded about this whole deal? Couldn’t he just understand her and take her side and… kick the brunette out? Oh, that was so cruel. Why was she thinking like that?! What was wrong with her?

Perhaps it was a motherly thing; after all, Amy wanted to protect her family. If she lost Leo to Katia, she wouldn’t know what to do with herself…or her baby. She opened one eye to glare at him half-heartedly when he spoke of Katia merely being injured. β€œHow long is a β€œlittle while”, Leo?” she asked him, her voice telling him she expected a short, while also honest, answer. She didn’t want to see Katia putting her greedy claws on her man. Ugh, again with the bitchiness! She shook her head, looking down at their hands on her stomach when he kissed her forehead. She silently told herself not to react to it.

He was trying to calm her down, and it really only served to piss her off all the more, but she tried to keep it in. However, it was just beneath the surface, boiling. At his next words though, Amy scrambled back, away from him, out of range, gaping at him. He had been the one who had wanted it? She had run out on him? He had wanted to date her? What if Katia hadn’t run? Would they have been together now? Her heart skipped a beat in fright, and she was hurt all over again. Finally, tears burst from her, trailing aimlessly down her cheeks, as she looked up at him, her eyes filled with anger and sadness.

They had unfinished business. If he had been the one to want it before, what would stop him from coming to want it again? And this time… she had come to him. She hugged her baby bump, taking another step away from him, which only caused her to bump against the wall as she silently sobbed, her breathing pattern uneven as she did. She couldn’t take this. It hurt, and so, as her legs began shaking, Amy sank to the ground, pulling up her legs, arms wrapping around them. It protected the bump better. She put her forehead against her knees, the sobs raking her body.

Her emotions were incredibly heightened, and so to some, Amy might be overreacting, but it seemed this pregnancy was going to rule her life for a while.

As Amy cried, she began speaking to him, her voice weak, but she was on the verge of screaming at him. Flat out screaming. She didn’t yet though.
β€œLeo, I can’t do this,” she choked out between sobs, β€œI can’t… can’t look at her every day, knowing you have unfinished business… knowing you wanted to be with her back then… knowing she was the only reason you weren’t. I… I can’t.” She hugged her knees tighter, not looking up at him as she weakly whispered, β€œI can’t lose you. P-please don’t make me be around her, Leo. Please.”






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When the girls left, Lulu only managing a stuttered apology, which had caused a slight sigh to escape him, and Jess, well, her comments weren’t unlike her, so he’d merely smirked at her, replying with a simple ”good guys always finish last, baby.” Then he’d shut the door behind her and looked to Jackon, not entirely sure what he wanted to do, except keep the guy around for him to explain himself, not that he was yet entirely sure what he wanted to say. Surprisingly he felt really bad about this whole situation. Mainly because he knew it hurt Jackson, which in turn pissed him off. In some ways, Drake thought Jackson’s expression a little comical.

He was on the bed, still as stone, glaring at the wall ahead of him, completely naked. Drake was about to get the guy’s duvet, but stilled when Jackson spoke, his voice uncharacteristically harsh. Drake raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. β€œNo.” He then simply replied, picking up the duvet and throwing it onto Jackson, a part of him getting that jackson’s situation was plenty embarrassing without the nudity too. But he wasn’t unlocking him just yet. Why? Well, it was simple: Drake knew Jackson would run out on him, and he needed to talk to him, which itself was a little odd. Drake didn’t usually give enough fucks to explain himself and his actions, but Jackson’s anger irked him a little.

Really, the guy was acting like Drake was hitting on his girlfriend. He was acting as though Drake had known of Jackson’s emotions when he’d begun having his own for Lulu, when in fact… Drake hadn’t even known Jackson when he started having feelings for Lulu, and now he was supposed to do what? Be unselfish and let her go? He would have, if that was what Lulu wanted, but it wasn’t. Drake didn’t quite see how Jackson’s claim on the girl was any bigger than his own. By chance, Drake and Jackson had become friends, good friend incidentally, but it seemed Jackson was going to blame Drake for actually having some semblance of feelings for once.

That surprisingly got to him, so when Jackson spoke again, his head falling back onto the pillow, Drake frowned, throwing the duvet on top of the guy. His tone was cold as he said β€œI know. I just don’t give a fuck,” in reply, finally looking wholly at the man he’d begun considering a friend. He sat down on his own bed then, still looking at Jackson as he continued. β€œYou’re pissed about what exactly? That I brought Lulu here? That I happen to spend time with her?” He raised an eyebrow, placing the keys on the nightstand. Jackson wasn’t going anywhere until they’d resolved this. Drake wasn’t going to live with someone who potentially wanted to kill him.

β€œIf it’s the first, I didn’t have much of a choice. My sister blew up her door; the room, her bed, her things – everything, is filled with splinters, and she was drunk off her ass last night. Leaving her to her own devices in there would’ve probably ended badly. It’s not as if we did anything in here. We slept next to each other. That’s it.” He continued, not giving Jackson the chance to cut in. β€œas for the latter, you need to get through your thick skull that I’m not using her. Nor am I spending time with her simply to get to you. I knew Lulu long before I ever met you and found out you have feelings for her. I actually care about the girl, which, frankly, is almost as rare as a polar bear in Arizona. And she was upset yesterday, which you know.”

He shook his head, sighing. β€œYou’re acting as though I’m stealing your girlfriend, which I’m not. So get your head out of your ass.” Drake was being surprisingly blunt and straight with Jackson at present, which was another rare sight, but he figured he needed to talk some sense into the head of his friend. And hell, this was all the effort Drake was going to make. If it didn’t work – if Jackson was too self absorbed to understand Drake’s dilemma in this, then… well, then he’d simply have a friend less. It’d suck, but he’d live. He wasn’t really a fan of partaking in drama. He’d much rather start it, and then watch from the sidelines.






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Max’s hands in her hair were so relaxing, she almost dozed off. She’d closed her eyes and was humming slightly in sign of relaxation, her muscles incredibly comfortable. This was quite enjoyable, and she rather needed it. Maybe she should treat herself to a day at the spa or something? This night and morning with Max had done a lot for her alone. She didn’t know why, although maybe it was because Max cared. She didn’t have, nor did she want, a lot of people to care about her, but knowing that Max liked her for who she was, well… it was a little satisfying.

Soon, however, his hands began exploring her skin and that was when thoughts of Jay hit her, causing her to tense up, all of her relaxed state of mind completely forgotten. Sweet memories of the two together in the shower almost caused tears to run down her peach-coloured cheeks, but she refrained, instead merely remaining rigid, her hands clenched at her sides in a stubborn attempt not to cry. She’d cried enough. He didn’t deserve her tears if he could do that to her… if he could actually fuck someone else. These thoughts had been the only things able to bring her to do what she had with Max.

Sex was therapy, and Max was a god in bed. Ergo: one very damned good psychologist, which was funny considering his job. It didn’t take her long to decide that she needed some sort of distraction, and so, her voice reflecting her current mood, she spoke, simply saying that they should repeat this: the two of them fucking, the sleeping together. It had been nice, and rather therapeutic. Most likely because it had given her something other than Jay to think about.

When Max replied to her, her name on his tongue filled with worried inquiry, she almost wanted to slap herself. Why hadn’t she just kept her mouth shut? She’d just had to say something, alluding him to her feelings and thoughts at present. It bugged the fuck out of her. Why did she have to be such a bloody idiot? She sighed when his hands began massaging her tense shoulders. She didn’t even want to reply, and so, she kept quiet. Right up until his hand moved to cup her face, turning it slightly towards him. She opened her eyes, her thick lashes fluttering.

She snorted at his words. He sounded so worried, and so diplomatic; careful, most likely wary of her reaction. He was talking to her as one would talk to a hungry lion about to attack. She had no actual expression on her face. In fact, she had no actual expression on the inside even. It was like she had suddenly slid into numbness. She sighed openly when he asked her whether she was aware that she could talk to him, and she turned around to face him, stepping fully into the water. She put her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as she leaned her head back, letting the water wash out most of the soap in her hair.

After a little while in silence, she straightened, eyes opening to look at him once more before he finally spoke, her eyes not quite readable. Most likely because Cor’s emotions were in turmoil – a turmoil she could not even access through the numbness. β€œMax,” she finally began, keeping her voice calm, but she couldn’t quite keep the pain out of the way she spoke. β€œI just lost the only guy I’ve ever loved. He left the party with a bitch, who I know sleeps around.”

β€œHe was angry with me, and looking to get back at me for something I never did. He also happens to have been the sender of both note and condom. He wants to keep playing games, to keep hurting me, and I’m sick of it. So it’s going to be a while β€˜till I’m feeling β€˜okay’ again, alright? Asking me is redundant, because no… I’m not okay. I feel like tearing my heart out of my chest would be less painful than this, and I’m constantly fighting the urge to tear everything around me apart.”

She took a deep breath. Cor was being blunt, the only way she knew how to deal with things, even though she wanted to die, standing here being vulnerable. At the same time, though, Cor felt like Max had seen plenty already, so really, explaining all of this to him couldn’t possibly make things any worse. He’d seen her crying, for christ’s sake. Cor could count the amount of times anyone had ever seen her crying on one hand, and the majority of those had been when she was a kid.

She looked at Max’s chest for a little while, clearly wanting to say something more, but not quite sure how. Then, finally she looked back up at him, her hands moved to rest on his chest now. β€œNever had sex with anyone but him in the shower. Never showered with anyone but him.” Her voice was rather quiet, and though she didn’t want to be telling this to Max, she sort of knew she needed to. Not because of him, but because part of her recognized that if she was going to use Max the way she wanted to, he needed to at least know what he was dealing with,

And okay, maybe she did care about him... a little.






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Chase nodded thoughtfully, chewing on a bite of apple as he listened to Amber speaking of her book. He’d hoped for something a little more academic, but looking at her, he could see the intelligence glimmering in her eyes, and so it stopped mattering to him. He wasn’t himself a huge bookworm, but he remained a smart guy, and so he didn’t expect girls to be either. It had merely been an indicator. And now, well, now he was a little interested as to her thought processes. If someone wrote down their thoughts, there was usually a particular reason for it, and that piqued his interest further.

He sunk another bite of the apple, and smiled at her when she asked him about his arrival, noting that she hadn’t seen him before. He hadn’t missed the fact that her lips had seemed to become redder all by themselves and he made a note to himself about asking her how that worked. He assumed it was part of her powers. Again, so weird seeing that stuff displayed so openly. He was having a bit of difficulty figuring out what her power might be, but he was rather fascinated. Not that he dwelled on it for long, instead preferring to answer her question like was proper and polite. He couldn’t just let her hanging simply because her lips had caught his attention… in more than one way. He was a young man, after all, and she was rather beautiful.

He only just started with a β€œwell, I…” when her phone buzzed and she moved to check it. He immediately paused, his eyebrows raised just enough to be noticeable. She was checking her texts? Well, he told him as he regained his friendly smile, maybe she was just checking in case it was important. See, as Chase had been raised by two elderly people, the concept of cellphones had always been a little odd to them, and since he and his sister had never actually gone to a normal school while being old enough to have them, the rules had always seemed normal to him. And so, Chase considered it rather rude to be texting while in conversation with someone else. It showed a lack of interest, and it usually resulted in a decrease in the amount of attention given.

However, he recognized that maybe Amber simply had another take on this, and he didn’t really expect everyone to be the same way as him. He was just… having troubles shaking off the strict upbringing. He was determined to try, however. Chase had decided to try to school-thing, after… well, after being forced to, but well, he never did anyways half ways. He was going to try this and see it through. And he was going to learn in the process.

However, when she started typing, his toes curled. It was an involuntary reaction, and he wanted more than anything to be completely chill about this, because honestly he was starting to feel like a snob, which he wasn’t. There were just… certain things he couldn’t quite take and it was almost enough to quit the conversation then and there. Obviously she didn’t really have much of an interest, and he wasn’t about to push an unwilling girl in any direction. Hmm, maybe she was a pushover after all. He tilted his head to the side a little, regarding her curiously. All the while, he merely kept eating his apple.

Then, finally, she put her phone away and looked at him once more. Well, at least she apologized. And he didn’t really know what it had been about. Maybe she had a sick mother or something. He inwardly nodded to himself, deciding to forgive and forget, and so he smiled at Amber, putting his apple core into the nearby trashcan. He couldn’t help a little chuckle when she mentioned Sky though. β€œSky, you say? Unless we have more than one Sky on campus, I believe he’s my roommate.”

He smiled at her before continuing, β€œregarding your previous question… yes, I’m rather new. I arrived during the party yesterday, but my sister and I decided to unpack and unwind after the long drive instead of joining everyone.” He chuckled, remembering Sky and his companion. β€œAlthough it seems we were missing out?” He couldn’t help it; he was actually rather curious. Maybe his roommate was merely the type who had fun no matter where he was. He seemed the type.






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Rebecca thought over Katia’s explanation for her lacking classes on Mondays, and tilting her head slightly, she considered it. She supposed it was a possibility, but it didn’t really sound like the headmaster she knew. Leo had always been very thorough with these things as far as she knew, and she couldn’t quite imagine him changing the schedules again in a couple of days due to a new teacher putting Dance on the schedules. It would mess things up as they were changing schedules today. And so, concluding on that in her thoughts, she shrugged and sent a small smile in Katia’s direction. β€œSuppose so, but maybe you should double check. Just to be sure. We all just got new schedules today.” Then she continued by telling Katia about Leo’s usual whereabouts.

Rebecca paused when Katia thanked her, and she looked over at the brunette female, thinking without a remotely readable mien. She smiled in a surprisingly friendly manner when Katia attempted to elaborate, and feeling the woman’s discomfort with it, Rebecca brushed her off with a gesture. β€œDon’t worry about it.” She began, shrugging with her smile still present. β€œReally, it’s okay to need a bit of help once in a while. And you’re welcome.” She took the bottle of pills from Katia and put it back where she found it, closing and locking the cabinet. She wasn’t about to leave it around for students to get their hands on.

She looked around her, scanning the room. She’d removed the glass, locked up the cabinets. That left the pills out and about. She didn’t even know which went where and, well… Amy would notice different jars for them in any case. Her eyes soon went back to Katia, however, and she sighed when she was thanked for her discretion. However, she remained quiet as Katia began moving forwards, her legs a little too unsteady, but at least moving and she could stand upright on her own, so that was definitely improvement. She could see the relieve on Katia’s face and so, she decided to inform the woman of her own thoughts on this.

β€œI have to tell Amy something. You know that, right?” she looked Katia straight in the eyes, taking a stance in this for once. She had let the other run the show a little, because… well, Rebecca would’ve probably felt bad if she hadn’t helped her some in this situation. β€œShe’ll notice the broken glass jars, the pills on the counter, the bottles rearranged in the cabinets and so forth. That wouldn’t really result in anything good for anyone.” She smiled apologetically. β€œSo as much as I want to respect your wish of secrecy, it’s simply not entire possible. Well, either that, or you say something yourself. That way only what you want her to know, will be revealed.”

She was really trying to compromise with this woman, wanting to make sure no one got the sucky end of this. Which was a little weird. Rebecca usually wasn’t the type to pay that much attention to others. She would’ve most likely just gone to Amy herself without much consideration towards the stranger who had broken into the medical room. Maybe it was Katia’s blunt honesty that had earned her the blonde’s grudging respect, and on some level she knew Katia had told her more than she had told most others, and Rebecca didn’t wish to break that trust. Well, not particularly.

With Katia’s following words, Rebecca smiled, eyes landing on the stray pills on the counter once more. β€œI hope so. Although mostly for your own sake. This whole deal doesn’t exactly look comfortable.” The blonde checked the clock on her wrist, making sure she wasn’t in a hurry… which she still wasn’t. She had time before class. Her students would simply have to wait outside the classroom until she arrived. She wouldn’t be late in any case. She just wouldn’t be half an hour early either. She then looked back at Katia, adding a β€œyou okay to walk properly now?”

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields
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She wanted to leave and yet the conversation wasn’t done. Katia listened to every word Rebecca said, watching as she shrugged off the gratitude the brunette expressed. The lack of any real reaction on Rebecca’s part reminded Katia of why she didn’t say such things that often. Really – who appreciated a thank you these days? Only those looking to be thanked it seemed. The selfish ones. It made her purse her lips momentarily.

β€œDon’t worry about it,” Rebecca shrugged with a small smile. The move was almost haughty. As Katia stepped closer, she noticed how the woman stepped back. She’s scared of me, she realized and that fact only served to make her feel pained.

β€œReally, it’s okay to need a bit of help once in a while. And you’re welcome,” Rebecca smiled. She took the bottle of valium where Katia had left it, looking back at the cupboards for its place. To have it locked away again was disheartening. A discomfort rose in her, and Katia felt like a panic was spreading over her shoulders, her hands tingling as she watched her remedy be locked again. Can I go without it? I just said I would but…

β€œI have to tell Amy something. You know that, right?” Rebecca announced suddenly. That comment was enough to make her visibly pale. β€œIβ€”β€œ Katia started, finding herself without anything to say. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes more in her own frustration than in an effort to force the woman to keep it a secret. β€œShe’ll notice the broken glass jars, the pills on the counter, the bottles rearranged in the cabinets and so forth. That wouldn’t really result in anything good for anyone,” Rebecca added. That much was evident. She had made a mess in her haste that was hard to deny. The soppy smile Rebecca tried to send her way only made Katia turned rigid. β€œSo as much as I want to respect your wish of secrecy, it’s simply not entirely possible. Well, either that, or you say something yourself. That way only what you want her to know, will be revealed,” Rebecca concluded.

Katia felt her eyes water and she wasn’t entirely sure why. She settled her left hand on her hip and her right behind her back to support her lower lumbar column. Clenching her teeth, she looked at the floor and nodded, her body language little different than a child being told to suck up a punishment. β€œI will say something. I have to. I intend to,” she conceded, not that she had intended to hide it in the first place. β€œPlease let me be the first person to say something or else I will be in a very bad situation. Worse really than this but still.”

β€œI’m going to try and stop this,” Katia reassured Rebecca. β€œYou won’t find me in here like this again.”

β€œI hope so. Although mostly for your own sake. This whole deal doesn’t exactly look comfortable,” Rebecca replied, checking her watch before looking up and giving Katia a once over. She followed the blonde’s eyes, trying to stand up straighter. β€œYou okay to walk properly now?” Rebecca asked. Katia rolled her eyes, jutting her hip out as if to give the woman sass only to wince. β€œI’m getting there. If you have somewhere to be you should go. I need to go anyways. Takes me freaking forever to navigate this school,” Katia sighed, twirling her hand in the air beside her before she ran her fingers through her hair and slowly made her way back into the hallway.

β€œHave fun with the kids,” she tossed over her shoulder, looking back at the woman and stopping to establish eye contact with her once more before turning forwards and moving in the direction she thought was best, leading back towards the front entrance of the school where she hoped she could navigate herself back to the office – and Leo’s by extension.

By the time she go to the main area of student services it was close to breakfast time she estimated. More students were certainly moving through the halls. The Valium had her legs relatively numb but she forced herself to walk as normally as she could, attempting to be fluid and natural but still coming off as relatively stiff.

As she stepped into the main office she was face to face once again with the bitter secretary. β€œHello,” Katia smiled with a slight smirk. The woman frowned, staring at her sourly. In her movement to glare her glasses even slid down her nose. β€œWell that’s a pleasant greeting,” Katia scoffed, moving past the desk. β€œWhere are you going?” the woman shot at her. Katia looked over her shoulder. β€œDo you need to know everything? It’s not like you ever leave your desk anyways,” she replied sharply. Her remark proved offensive. The secretary gasped and looked wounded. Katia only shook her head, moving towards Leo’s office. She stood outside it, seeing that there was no light on inside. She knocked politely before she opened the door, surprised to find no one inside. β€œWell,” she sighed to herself. β€œAt least his couch looks comfortable.”

The brunette closed the office door behind her and settled herself in a chair opposite of his desk only to stand up the moment she was forced to slouch – too tall for it. Hissing in pain she moved over to a couch on the far wall, laying down on it with her head facing the door in waiting.


4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes Character Portrait: Alli Jackson
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Zac was flicking through his iPod, looking for a song to play along to, when his vision suddenly went black. He stiffened and was considering attacking when Loren's voice reached his ears. "Boo!" He laughed with relief and pulled her hands from over his eyes. He enjoyed the brief moment of holding her hand, but he didn't make the moment awkward by holding onto it for too long. He dropped it and grinned, sliding out from his seat. "Let's get straight to the point. Why does your roommate think you're a stalker cat?" He asked, crossing the room to his closet. He opened it and pulled out his electric guitar and amp. "I wasn't sure if my roommate would approve," He explained, setting up. He checked his guitar was in tune and switched on the amp.

"So, what do you think of Dearly Departed by Young Guns? It's got a good drum beat and guitar rhythms. Which would you like to take?" He held out both the neck of the electric guitar and drumsticks. "Actually, I'll put it on, you can see which you prefer. He dropped the guitar and sticks onto the bed, sitting his iPod onto the small dock he had brought from home. He turned it on and the song started playing.

He turned and grinned at Loren. "Come on, then!" He started doing air guitar in time to the song, grinning the whole time. He looked up at her. "Come on, don't make me look like a fool!" He laughed, starting his headbanging again.

Loren was someone he could really be a fool with. Ashy was great fun, but she wasn't the type to join him in air guitar. He loved her to bits, but he sometimes felt like he couldn't fully let loose with her. Loren, however, was a completely different matter. He sometimes had trouble being serious when he was with her. Her presence was intoxicating, like alcohol or other drugs, and he sometimes worried that his love meant he was making a fool of himself.

The song finished and he flopped onto the bed, laughing to himself. "Head rush!" He said, grinning broadly. Suddenly Puppy Love by This Wild Love started playing. Zac couldn't help but think how appropriate it was for Loren and him. Especially the line, I'm a fuck up, but you swear I'm enough. He grinned at her for a moment, before picking up the drumsticks. "I'll take the drums. You can handle my electric guitar, right?" He teased, sliding back into his seat at the drum kit. He twirled his sticks and readied himself, flicking back to Dearly Departed. He raised an eyebrow, his eyes sparkling. "You ready?"

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β€œNow. I know this sounds stupid and I know we just met. But I can’t remember much about last night, like I said before. But I may have…involuntarily left clothing somewhere. And I’m not so sure where these lounges are…feel like helping me out? If you don't want to, I totally get it. I don't even know when my first class is." Alli grinned and clambered to her feet. "Sure, I'd love to help. And you're..." Alli thought back to the previous day's assembly. "Causton, right?" She checked the sheet that had all of the timetables on. "You've got English first thing, according to this. We'd better get looking. If you did leave any clothing there, you'd probably want to retrieve it before anyone sees it. Might raise a few eyebrows."

Alli opened the door and gestured for Lulu to go first. Her boots lent her a little height, but she was still a little shorter than the other girl. "I think the game room's nearest here. We'll try there first, then check the four common rooms." She did like helping other people. It was one of the qualities that made her a typical Arcana student. Although Alli always got the impression that, except for the fact that she irritated the hell out of most Noctrem students, she would have fitted right in at the other school. She always had that little burning desire for power. She wanted to be the best at everything she done, and while she wasn't necessarily bad, she would be willing to stop at nothing to gain that power.

(Sorry, Alli's post is a little short, but I done my best with what I had to work with. :3)

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Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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    The sound of his laughter was familiar and calming... as was expected for a friendship that had lasted as long as theirs. Loren smiled and joined in her own melodic chimes to his, her fingers brightening, sparks flying; every time she was around him, the air became charged with freedom. She didn't care about anything but the two of them and their friendship, whenever Zac was around. When he was around, everything clicked into place... the way friendship was meant to be. Sometimes, you meet friends, close friends, even best friends... but rarely do you meet a soulmate. Someone who brought the world into line again, and things like hunger didn't matter, because hope was real, and you found it in someone else's smile. It was so simple. And that was why Loren often avoided the question of "What if that's not the whole story?", because if she had to be honest, she would have to admit the truth: that this 'friendship' with Zac was threatening to take a very bold turn, for both of them. As cliche as it was, a friendship like theirs couldn't be sacrificed. If she could settle for teasing and the pretense of mere friendship, then Loren figured Zac could, too.

    Soulmate, or no soulmate, he was talking to her, and Loren shoved the quick analysis of the flying elation that occurred whenever Zac was around, redirecting her focus to him. "Let's get straight to the point. Why does your roommate think you're a stalker cat?" he teased as he began to walk towards the other end of the room, most likely to his closet, for whatever reason. For a second, Loren's heartbeat raced ahead of her mind. Is he going to change or something? Oh my God, is he going to take his shirt off? Can I turn around? Would that be weird? But of course, he wasn't; he opened the closet to reveal his electric guitar and its amp. In her quick and thick relief, Loren forgot to listen to his explanation, but it didn't matter. It was something about his roommate; perhaps he was having as much weirdness with him as she was having with Addison.

    Loren shrugged her shoulders and daintily fell into the seat Zac had been sitting on. She yawned and began to stretch, even letting a quick "Meow," come from her lips to mock the whole cat situation even further. "I don't know," she answered as Zac began to set his electric guitar up, "It may be my mind reading. She made a rather uncalled for comment about how I reminded her of her cat... and how she hated the thing for always snooping on her." She snorted and continued, while ignoring her embarrassment at snorting unintentionally in front of Zac, "You know I try to refrain from reading people's minds; I'm not that sort of girl. Besides," she shuddered shortly, "people think scary thoughts. I'd rather not get dive into that willingly."

    During her mild rant, Zac had been setting up efficiently, as he was used to doing. At the very end of her little speech, he turned on the amp and said, "So, what do you think of Dearly Departed by Young Guns? It's got a good drum beat and guitar rhythms. Which would you like to take?"

    "Young Guns? Is that a song your parents would want you listening to, because it sounds awfully-"

    "Actually," he continued, "I'll put it on, you can see which you prefer."

    She was about to open her mouth and continue with a lecture of her own, when he looked at her over his shoulder and gave her the grin that always left her silent. He had a knack for giving her that beaming smile when she was about to scold him; he must know how it affected her. Otherwise, he would never do it at such convenient times so consistently. But then again, Zac had a boyish, lucky charm about him that ended up doing things that got him exactly what he wanted... without even knowing it. She shook her head at him and pursed her lips in mock disapproval and he began playing his air guitar with such sudden childish abandon, Loren burst out in laughter. "Come on, then!" he beckoned, becoming more and more dramatic and intense with his air guitar as the seconds passed, the song blaring from his iPod dock, "Come on, don't make me look like a fool!"

    His laugh and enthusiasm and that terrible headbanging of his was infectious. With a little squeal of her own, Loren got to her feet beside him and grabbed the closest item, which happened to be a drumstick. She began lip-syncing into it, mouthing the words as accurately as she could. When she figured out the chorus, she burst into actual song, tilting her head back and belting out without giving a single thought to how her voice actually sounded. "I wanna be the last thing that you see," she sang to Zac, swaying her hips and turning to him, beckoning for him to come over with her hand, "Be my dearly departed." The two were making an absolute fool of themselves, but at the moment, Loren didn't really care. She never did, when Zac was around. With him, it was always about the fun. It was always about being happy. It was always about the two of them, being happy together.

    He flopped onto the bed once the song ended, laughing. Loren joined him on the bed and in laughter, the last burst coming out in a contented sigh. "Head rush!" he exclaimed as the next song began playing. Now this song was familiar. Her brother Adam had played this a couple of times before, in another life from long ago. She hummed along and watched Zac pick up the drumsticks, one of them still warm from her own sweaty palm gripping onto it. Oops, Loren thought, a little embarrassed at how tired she was after their little concert. She always had too much fun around him; her forehead was already slightly damp from her jumping and dancing, and she had just showered. But it was worth it, to see him smile and allow her to play his electric guitar. She worshiped the thing. She wanted to name it, actually, but had never asked Zac specifically. It was his, after all.

    She nodded gravely and took the electric guitar and began fumbling around with the chords until she found the right ones. "I'm readier than you are," she teased, exaggerating as she tossed her hair over her shoulder.

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Character Portrait: Kitty Lee Character Portrait: Eric Lee
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    She's pretty when she laughs, Eric thought fleetingly. Well, a nice chuckle did not mean a girl was peachy keen. He inwardly grimaced, knowing he needed food quickly when he started using words like 'chuckle' and 'peachy keen' in the same sentence. His parents worked very hard, too hard, and after a few years of leaving him with the neighbor, and after the neighbor turned out to be a crack addict, they hired an elderly white grandmother to babysit him. She was kind and sweet, the kind of woman he would always refer to as his own grandmother. The two were actually still very close, and he looked to her as a role model for what all woman should be. As a result of this sort of doting affection for Granny Beth and her tendency to give him food every time he wasn't sleeping, he associated every old fashioned and outdated saying with food, and began using said phrases when he was hungry.

    Eric smiled at her and weaved his fingers together behind his head as she spoke calmly, as if he had chosen to be on the ground, with a girl on top of him. It was a position most guys would want, he assumed, especially with an attractive girl like Kitty. But Eric had had enough of this timid sort of intimacy a long time ago, and he found physical touch uncomfortable; even now, he was squirming slightly inside to get out. He did hide it, underneath a calm smile, but it was by no means gone. Having grown up in an old-fashioned Asian household, he was unused to physical affection. Granny Beth had been very touchy, but after he turned five and went to school, she wasn't with him every hour. He went to an afterschool, and Granny Beth would come over the weekends for awhile. Regardless, the amount of time he spent with his new school friends and his own parents were filled with mere words, and no hugs, kisses, or chocolate. A few years ago, Granny Beth had passed away, and the smell of chocolate still overcame him with dear grief.

    "Well, us Amazons like to have control all of the time," Kitty shot at him, interrupting his thoughts. Well, perhaps not interrupting... The perks of being super intelligent was being able to have about five different trains of thought with ease. Her wink caught him off guard, though, and made him a little more uncomfortable; he was unused to such a bold girl, a girl who came on so strong with her emotions and her relationships. But it was so different from who he was, and Eric decided, once again, he liked her, and he would keep her around. Regardless of how strange she made him feel, it was worth feeling strange to understand a girl like her. Eric laughed and shook his head at her, refraining from replying. He wasn't much of a talker, he knew. He was prone to staying in his own comfort zone, being distantly attached to people, as if he was holding them at arm's length to keep them from getting too close. It wasn't that he had anything to hide... and it wasn't that he had any walls. In fact, he was more open and more honest with people than he was with himself. It was simply the fact that he didn't think people would understand him, or like him, even. In his experience, people did not like people who were smarter than him. And it wasn't that Eric flaunted his intelligence; people assumed he was a smart aleck, a condescending know-it-all for his power.

    He didn't necessarily mind; it weeded out the people who were worth being friends with, from the people who weren't. But it did make dating a little difficult, and flirting even harder. It was nice to have a girl be so playful and open with him. "I was fast enough to catch you off-guard, wasn't I?" she said in playful anger.

    He reached up to tweak her nose. "I guess so, kitty cat," he admitted.

    "I guess I'll get off you now. Unless you like a woman who takes control." She lifted him up like he was a baby, embarrassing him a little, as he automatically and subtly looked around for other people. Nope, no one around. Oh, well. What was the harm of being lifted by a girl? She was, after all, super strong... But his rationalizing didn't calm the sheepishness he felt. He rolled his eyes at her teasingly and shook his head, a little too aware of her hands on his hips. Without thinking, he placed his over hers, squeezed them gently, and lifted them. Unsure of what to do at this point, he held her hands awkwardly in the air for a split second, before letting go slowly. Can you get any more awkward, Eric Lee? he cursed himself silently.

    Recovering quickly from his embarrassment, Eric slung his arm over her shoulders and began to walk towards the direction of good food. "I'm not sure I like a woman who takes control," he said honestly, moving from the playful, teasing road the two had been walking on in their conversation and onto a deeper, more intimate path. "But I guess I could," he said after a reflective pause, realizing how quickly he had changed the tone of their conversation, "for today, at least." He smiled widely at her. "Now, I'm hungry. Are you? I'll even buy you breakfast," he teased.

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Christopher Russell Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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Zac raised an eyebrow at Loren's reply, still grinning. "Oh yeah? We'll see how long that lasts," He replied, twirling his drumstick in one hand as he pressed play with the other. The drums broke in straight away, and so did he. He couldn't help but start singing along, projecting his voice over his drumming. We watched Loren play along, her fingers sliding up and down the frets as easily as his own.

Drumming came to him so easily now, he didn't have to think about it anymore. He just lost himself in the music for those few minutes. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. He didn't think about what had happened to him, or what would happen to him. He simply focused on the music playing and the drum patterns he created. It was his one escape, his greatest passion. Guitar was the only thing that came close, and even that didn't offer the escapism that drumming did. It was the one time that he could forget the dark shadows that whispered in the back of his mind. It was worth the pain that sometimes came when he overdone it. It was worth his parents' reminders that he could very well screw up his back. Hell, the school had a healer. She could surely fix him up if anything went wrong.

He fueled all of his energy into the drumming, not being afraid to overdo it. As the music finished, he added one final improvised drum pattern, before throwing his hands, still gripping the drumsticks, into the air in triumph. He burst into laughter for no particular reason. Drumming just gave him an endorphin rush like no other. Chocolate, sugar, exhaustion, laughter- nothing could compare. He glanced up at Loren and the laughter just got worse.

The uncontrollable laughter reminded him of the time the doctor had prescribed him sleeping pills a few weeks after arriving at his current foster home. The nightmares had been strong, often happening several times a night. As a result, he had been left exhausted during the day. The doctor thought that sleeping pills and anti-depression medication would help. Neither had worked. When he took the sleeping pill at night, he had found himself trapped in the realm of nightmares, unable to escape them. The anti-depression meds hadn't exactly worked either. He had suffered exhaustion and paranoia, exactly as he had before taking them. However, a few hours later, he had suffered an endorphin rush and had been laughing without stop for fifteen minutes, before being hyperactive for hours after. The doctor had suggested keeping up the course of meds, hoping that the effect would start to kick in when his body was used to the drugs. The sleeping pills continued to lock him in the nightmaares, and while the laughing fit had been a once off, the hyperactivity had continued until the doctor had taken him off of the drugs. He still had a container of sleeping pills in his bedside locker for extreme insomnia.

Once he had recovered, he grinned at Loren. "Readier than me, eh? Not possible when it comes to drumming." He winked at her, still grinning, a little out of breath. "I don't need drugs or alcohol. Give me two drumsticks and I'm happy," He remarked, tapping out a few patterns on the drum set in front of him.

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Chris glared at his alarm clock. His hand reached out to slap it a few times. He still wasn't a morning person. His hand fished around on his bedside table, looking for a timetable. He eventually found it and held it over his face, seeing when his classes were. He only had one class today, and that wasn't until 12:15. Chris scanned his timetable, delighted to find that he had no classes on Friday.

He climbed out of bed, crossing the room to his bathroom. He showered, before heading back to his wardrobe. He stared at it for a moment or two, before deciding on an outfit. He wanted to get outside, and check out the sports facilities, see if they had improved or changed anything since his time, even if it was only five years ago. As he was lacing up his Converse, he stared at his hands. They bore no trace of the cuts from the day before, even though there should have been scarring. He needed to talk to Amy, badly. He needed to thank her. He needed to find out what was wrong with her.

He shook off the dark thoughts beginning to impose on his good mood and headed downstairs. He was hungry, and stopped briefly in the canteen to grab something to eat. There was a blonde head on the table a little distance away, but Chris decided not to interfere. While he ate, he observed the students- but carefully. He thought he would look a fool if he had his sunglasses on inside, but he was still careful not to be recognized. That would make things awkward. Once he was finished, he dropped the bowl back up to the servers and headed outside.

It was still early, but boy, it got bright quickly. Chris pulled on his aviators as he passed the pool, not wanting to be blinded by the reflection of the sun on the water. There wasn't many people outside at this time. Despite his reluctance to get up, Chris liked being outside early. The air was still clean and pure, not yet tainted by cigarette smoke. In Cali, it got bright early, without getting too hot. It was the perfect time just for a walk. Chris grinned as he strolled, enjoying himself.

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Alli Jackson
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It wasn’t everyday someone was paired with a roommate willing to help look for stray underwear left behind during some drunken adventure the night before. When Alli replied that she would love to help, Lulu scoffed in mild surprise. The girl just seemed like such a…goody toe shoes? Wanting to get into the Olympics, dexterity, up on time for class, probably one of a handful of students not hungover. The blond felt obligated to clean up her shabby act around her roommate but she still desperately wanted to understand what the hell had happened last night. Had I been of clear mind I would never have let him take me back to his room. I’m not vindictive. I respect Jackson. So what happened?

β€œAnd you're...Causton, right?" Alli asked. Lulu brought a hand to rub at the crown of her hair. β€œI….um sure?” she replied. While she had gone to the assembly she had been preoccupied with the fact that two boys in front of her had thought it funny to shoot spitballs into the back of a freshman’s head. That and her power hangover had had her leaning on Jackson for support and practically nodding off halfway through. "You've got English first thing, according to this. We'd better get looking. If you did leave any clothing there, you'd probably want to retrieve it before anyone sees it. Might raise a few eyebrows,” Alli concluded. The brunette was fast to get to her feet, pushing aside the makeshift curtain that was their door for now. Lulu slipped off the bed and dug through her backpack for her pair of beat up black converse. As she shoved her feet into them she watched Alli put on a pair of much nicer looking boots. When Lulu stood next to her, she realized the Brunette was relatively petite, even though Lulu herself was far from model height. She smiled and stepped through the curtain into the much better lit hallway. She felt the unsteadiness of her hangover catch up to her and she leaned into the hallway opposite of their room for a moment before stepping back, acknowledging that it was still Drake and Jackson’s room across the hall. Why do I keep forgetting that fact?

Lulu was immediately caught up in the loud hum of male voices behind the door. The wood and walls were too thick for anything to be discernible but she could tell the discussion was heated. At least they’re talking. But about what?...Me? She didn’t have time to think on it anymore than that.

"I think the game room's nearest here. We'll try there first, then check the four common rooms,” Alli said. Lulu had to hand it to her, she was a natural born leader. β€œCool,” Lulu replied. β€œLead the way.”

As they made their way through the halls Lulu tried her best to be as quick as she could. Normally she was a speed walker, cutting through crowds like she was Jason Bourne trying to get away from some government killer out to get him. She didn’t have much to offer by way of small talk, with her focus being on her prayers that no one had found her bra and underwear where Drake had left him. Oh God, what did I do? she wondered. How could he have left her in the dark on this? She was fighting with her memory again when they stepped into the game room. Immediately she knew it wasn’t right. β€œThe couches I saw in my memory were black and navy,” she noted. β€œThese are red and whatever else colors.”

She checked her watch again. Well, in all honesty she would rather be late for class than possibly permit someone else, or worse a staff member to come across her castaways. Lulu’s stomach twisted into a violent knot. β€œLook, I don’t want you to be late. So where’s the nearest common room for us, from our room?” she asked. It made sense in her head. In Noctrem, Drake had spent so much time with her in their nearest common room. Their late nights up had been eaten away there because both of their rooms had always been off limits for some odd reason. They had always looked in but never stepped over the threshold while the other was in the room. After all, Lulu had stolen some of his better liquor while he showered on occasion. But it had always felt like she was somewhere she shouldn’t be. That lesson held even this morning, she thought lowly. But she would be kidding herself if she didn’t admit how much she liked waking up to him, feeling his chest against her back, his head on top of her shoulder, his arm wrapped over her hip. That idea had her curling her toes in her shoes.

Lulu followed Alli to their next location, still just as pre-occupied, still just as troubled with her hangover. The more she walked, the more her head pounded but that didn’t stop her. The moment they entered the common room she knew it was the place. She moved to the couch closest to a mock fire place and started tossing away the pillows and cushions, finding nothing initially. β€œOhhhh my God Drake, where the hell did you put them?” she said aloud in frustration, not even caring that Alli was present to hear her comment. She got down on her hands and knees and looked underneath it,, swiping her hand through the space to find something, her hand grasping at loose fabric and pulling.

Only to recoil at the sight of a red thong that was most certainly not hers. β€œOh gross! Oh my God I just touched that. Shit!” she squealed, throwing them across the room and rubbing her hand like mad against her pants. She leaned up against the couch and looked at Alli before smiling, feeling her laughter coming on. β€œI can’t believe I just did that…” she snorted. "I didn't even know that I had that register in my voice."

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Morgan Janssen Character Portrait: Alli Jackson
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Morgan lifted her head suddenly. She had- Nope. Gone again. On the upside, her headache had just about cleared and her stomach had settled. She felt almost back to her regular self. She stretched and yawned, getting to her feet. Her phone vibrated gently in her pocket as she got to her feet. She pulled it out and headed outside for a breath of fresh air. she read the text as she walked, her mind on the phone and not her surroundings.

You're so naive, Morgan. I'm not going to go away. I'm going to be here forever.

Just like your power.

-Jake


It felt like someone had hit her in the chest with a brick. She sank to the ground. It looked like she was at the clearing used for battle training. Things were much worse than she thought. She... She never thought he would know. She had been so careful, so cautious, and it had all been futile.

Why was he only bringing it up now? She had been at Arcana for almost three years now. She hadn't had as much control over her power in her early teens as she did now. It looked like that was when her caution had slipped and her power had revealed itself...

She could remember the night of their first date like it was only yesterday.

"You look beautiful tonight, by the way." Jake had told her, the light reflecting off of his blonde hair. She blushed and looked at her shoes. "Thanks." She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. He held out his hand and she took it. Together they stepped out onto the ice. At first, they had tried to impress each other, but when they had both realized that neither of them could skate, they gave up and simply focused on remaining upright. They hadn't done very well and ended up on their behinds several times. They had then went and got dinner. "So, do you know what you want to do when you leave school?" She had asked over their pizza. He laughed, and the wonderful sound of it made her smile. "Morgan, I barely know what I'm going to have for dessert. What about you?" She had smiled a little. "I'm going to teach. I'm going to teach people like me." He raised an eyebrow. "What, pretty girls who aren't smart, can't ice skate to save their lives-" She had laughed and swatted him on the arm. "-but who still manage to be amazing?" She had looked at her plate, a blush lighting her cheeks.

He had walked her home, taking her hand. "I'd love to do this again." He had told her on her doorstep. She had laughed. "I don't think my body could take that," She had replied. He laughed. "No, I mean me and you... together. Would...would you like that?" She had nodded, unable to speak. He had given her a small kiss on the cheek, before walking away.


Morgan felt a fiery determination inside of her. She hit reply.

Oh yeah? Well, if you know what I can do, then you should know that there are a hell of a lot more people out there, just like me, but three, four times as powerful. You want to come get me and make me pay? Come find me.


She got to her feet and stormed back to the school, engrossed in her own thoughts.

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Alli stared at the lacy red thong on the ground. She felt a strange mix of revulsion and a desire to burst into laughter. The result was a smothered laugh. Lulu's reaction, however, sent her into howls of laughter. She had trouble getting her breath back- and every time she did, another wave of laughter hit her. She leaned against a couch as she tried to recover. A glance at the thong send her into laughter again. She sank to her feet, her sides aching.

"I...I take it that's not yours then?" She finally managed to recover enough to speak. She stood up and glanced along the couch. The waves of laughter tried to get out as she noticed something on the couch. She held them up, laughter breaking out again.

"Oh, Miss Allen, I think you're going to kill me with laughter." She said, wiping her eyes. "Aw, dammit, you made me ruin my eye make-up!" She laughed in mock anger. "Listen, I need to head back to my room. I need the, ah, little girls room. I'm not running out on you if... they aren't yours, I promise." She said, rubbing her hands together.

She headed back upstairs, her sides still hurting. She wasn't quite as observant as she should have been. She headed into the bathroom, grabbing her eyeliner on the way and locking the door.

10 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields Character Portrait: Max Henderson Character Portrait: Jessica Coleman
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With his girlfriend tightly wrapped in his masculine arms, without holding her too tight in fear of hurting their unborn child, Leo kissed the top of her forehead, probably for the thousandth time that morning, hoping to console her in what little way he could. He felt useless, and horrible - it was his fault that his Amy was so upset, and there wasn't a thing that he could do about it, without hurting someone else, someone that he had once been very close to. Words flowed out of his mouth as he tried to make everything better, holding her into his chest - but apparently something he said was wrong; very, very wrong.

"A little while is a little while, Amy. You know I could just kick someone out who needed a place to stay; I did exactly the same as I'm doing for Katia with the Noctrem students. I don't even have to socialize with her all that much, darling."

Leo never had to think about what he was saying, all that much, until he got into a relationship - especially one with a friend as close to him as Amy was. And now, as he tried to think over the words that he had just said, there was nothing that he could pinpoint to be wrong. All he had done was tell her the truth about his past with Katia, and that there was nothing else there between them any more, was that wrong of him? An expression of confusion came over the male as he watched his girlfriend scamper away from him, as if she was terrified of him. His arms stretched out slightly towards her, mentally trying to will her back into his grasp, but to no prevail. Something had frightened her, so much so that even his embrace wasn't comforting any more, and that worried him.

Suddenly, when tears burst from her eyes, flowing in steady streams down her cheeks, Leonardo started to panic once again. "Amy?" His voice was almost frantic as he watched her sliding down the wall, collapsing onto the floor in a mess. He rushed to her side, and used his thumb to ever so softly try and wipe away some of her tears. Of course, they were just replaced by more, but it was the thought that counted, and he continued to do so, as she just sat there and cried.

At her words, Leo froze, pulling back a little, so that he was able to look her in the eye. "Amy... really? We have no unfinished business, I can promise you. And you know how sound my promises are. I love you, Amalthea Roerig, and I will until the world ends and I cease to exist. You are the only person that has ever gotten themselves so deeply penetrated into my heart, and you will forever be the only one there. You're never going to loose me, Amy. I swear to you." His hand reached out slowly again to brush away a stray tear that was about to drop from the end of her chin, a caring smile on his face.

"I love you, Amy."






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Whilst the blanket over his most private of parts caused some relief for the Irish man, it still didn't relieve any part of the anger, confusion, or guilt that had grown inside him over the last few days. He was angry at Drake, for bringing Lulu back here, especially as he was sure that the man who was supposed to be one of his best friends had been told everything by the girl of his dreams. He felt guilty for using Jessica the previous night to get over his own stupid feelings for his friend, and he was also confused as to what had actually gone on the night before - as well as being slightly stunned at the feelings he was beginning to realize had developed for the beautiful brunette that had spent the night in his bed.

At least she actually like him back, in some way, which was a bonus.

He had wanted to be let go, purely for the reason that his wrists were in pain, chafing from the metal around his wrists, cutting into his skin. Jackson wasn't going to run out on Drake, and leave the conversation unsaid; he wasn't the sort of person to do that. In fact, he thought it would be good, for him to get out everything in his system, to tell Drake how pissed he was at him. He just lay there with his body arched slightly to accommodate the awkward position of his arms, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling above him as Drake started talking to him, asking why he was so annoyed with the situation.

Jackson kept inside everything he actually wanted to say to the man - about how he knew that even though Drake believed that he was feeling something for Lulu, that he was going to get bored of her. It was the same story with Drake, and he didn't want to see Lu get hurt. A small laugh escaped the male's lips however as he was told to get his head out of his ass, and he shook his head, a movement he instantly regretted when the whiskey induced migraine started to penetrate his temples. "Seriously? I need to get my head out of my ass, Drake? How fun." Jack's accent was thick with his Irish drawl as his irritated voice filled the room.

"I'm pissed, because I wasn't enough of a man to tell her I loved her. Because I have no-one else to blame but myself, and my stupid chivalrous ways, whereby I thought I was going to hurt her, so I tried to move on. And I lost her. But I don't want to blame myself, even though I am the only one to blame. So please, just let me go, so I can go apologize to numerous amounts of people, and have a couple of aspirin before I die."






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It was strange, having Corentine in his arms without any incentive to bend her over and take her as his own, but it was also rather nice. It was different, but something he could definitely get used to, that was for sure. Relationships were extremely unusual and foreign for Max Henderson, and also something he didn't want in the near future, but he wanted something like this. With someone like Cor. Nothing expected, or labelled, but.... a companionship. Yes, that was a nice word - Max wanted Corentine to be his companion. A companion he could have sex with whenever he pleased, but still.

The silence after his words was soon broken when Corentine turned around in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, pressing her wet, lathery body against his, but letting her head drop back. She looked incredibly hot in such a position, and he had to hold himself back from bending her over and letting his hands roam her perfect body. Instead, he decided to listen to her, his own hands moving to wrap around her waist, holding her against him. It should have made Max feel uncomfortable, having a girl bear her feelings to him, as it was something he just wasn't accustomed to, but it didn't - again adding to the strangeness that the male was feeling. He liked it.

A small shudder ran through the males spine as he thought about this, shrugging it off to the young woman in front of him that he was cold, not thinking about deeper things. "No more asking if you're okay, got it." He smiled gently, removing one of his hands from her body to run through her hair, brushing out the last remaining bits of shampoo that were trapped between her blonde locks. He could see she was beginning to feel as uncomfortable as he was at the moment, and he wanted to move the conversation on-wards, to anything other than Jaysin, or Rebecca, or even their strange little agreement. But, if he did that, he was sure that he would be seen as insensitive, dick-like, or something along those lines, and seeing as Corentine was being so open with him - he didn't want to loose that connection between them.

"I can always get out, if you like." Max shrugged his large shoulders, looking at the woman in his arms. "Once in a life time offer, pet. I'm not usually this nice, you know." His trade-mark smirk appeared on his lips, dancing on his face as he spoke, turning the conversation in a lighter direction, as much as he possibly could.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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    A long time ago, Loren had played the harp. Her mother had insisted on her being an expert at something, and thought being a skilled musician was ladylike, admirable, and proper. She had asked to learn the guitar; instead, she got a harp teacher, piano lessons, and a vocal teacher. It had been miserable. Though the instruments were beautiful and her voice became trained and superb, she found no freedom in it. She began to associate pianos, harps, and even singing as performances, because of the many times her mother asked her to play when and only when guests were over. "Loren, darling," she'd say during a party, "please, do sit and play piano for us." Or, "Loren, Mrs. Cove said she'd love to hear your singing voice." The harp was brought out on the most special occasions, to show off the Craft daughter's incredible skill at an instrument not only difficult, but also rarely played. She associated the instruments with a stiff formality that she had grown up with, and had grown to hate.

    But the electric guitar... now there was an instrument. Guitar solos and amazing sound, no one watching for a mistake, no one watching for the tiniest slip up to judge her family by. Loren could let herself go with the instrument she had wanted to play from the very beginning. She began to hum as she experimented, playing with new rhythms. She knew Zac didn't care; he let her be her own person, let her explore the boundaries and decide on what she wanted herself. It was one of the reasons she considered him her very best friend. She glanced at Zac, found him watching her, and smiled at him impishly. She found him most attractive when he was drumming, which wasn't surprising; who didn't love a man when he is most passionate? But Zac looked like a different person when he had two sticks in his hand. She could physically see him loosening up, and the two were so close that she could sense when he was about to improvise, when he was about to experiment, when he was about to calm down or play with the dynamics. She had learned his patterns, and wondered if he knew her own.

    The song ended as quickly as it began. Or at least, that was how Loren felt. She always felt that way after playing, always wanted more time with the music. This jam session with Zac was one of her most treasured times; they bonded the most here, connected in a way that most people wouldn't understand. They could enter heaven with a single note, and the two of them had a deep understanding of each other in this area. Zac began to laugh wildly, his sounds of mirth increasing in volume when the two made eye contact. Loren shook her head at him, grinning in spite of herself. He was so crazy, especially after he got to bash on his drums. It was almost childlike, and it made her feel a little motherly towards him. Seeing him so carefree made her want to protect him and keep him that way.

    But the thing was, he didn't let her in. It upset her sometimes, thinking about the things she didn't know completely about him. She knew him well enough to know that there was something murky in his past, but he had never brought it up, and she cared about him too much to ask. Why didn't he let her in? But these thoughts would only bring her down, and when she was with Zac, she didn't want to be down. He would find out immediately, pester her until she told him why, and that would bring on a spew of problems... especially since it was him that was making her upset. So she started laughing too, setting aside the contemplation for a later time, when she was alone. His drumming at the end had been impressive, and it was enough to make her swell in pride. Her best friend was talented, a genius; how could she not be happy?

    "Readier than me, eh?" Zac said. She loved it when he was like this, all teasing and playful. It made her feel comfortable.

    "Of course," Loren replied, mocking arrogance and flipping her hair back.

    "Not possible when it comes to drumming." He winked then, and Loren giggled. It had always amused her, how winking came so naturally to him. She had grown up in a strict household, and hardly anyone she knew ever winked. Adam had tried, once, but told her that it felt weird and foreign. They were grown up prim and proper, always restricted and refined. So winking was too casual, too silly, too normal for the Craft family and the society they were deeply embedded in. Every time she saw someone wink, she felt a little weird and awkward. It had taken a few years before she got used to winking, recognized that it was only her upbringing that made it seem strange, that it was normal and fun and playful. But it didn't change anything about the way it made her feel.

    "Well, in drumming, yes," Loren admitted, her body beginning to move with the beat he began to play, "but in everything else?" She leveled her gaze, raising an eyebrow at him while smiling fondly at him. He was right; he was always happiest with his two drumsticks. She wondered just how social he would be if it was possible to drum every second of the day. In the beginning of their friendship, when she first realized just how passionate he was about drumming, Loren had thought it cute. Imagine the girl he would love with a depth that surpassed his love of drumming; it was adorable to think about. Sometimes, she looked at Zac and saw a whole love story played out with a sweet girl, cute and simple and adorable, charming enough to draw him away from drums for a whole week and win his heart over.

    She never wanted to see him give up drumming, but sometimes, when she watched him acting like this, Loren thought of how lucky the person who could keep him away from the kit was. It would be the easiest way to see how much Zac cared for you, if you could keep Zac away from the drums. But she supposed anyone who loved Zac just as deeply wouldn't dare stop his drumming. The rhythm was a part of Zac, and it couldn't be changed. Ever.

    "Well then, we're going to have to ditch the next party and camp out in here, drumming away!" Loren announced, beginning to play a little tune with the electric guitar to match Zac's beat. She was content right here, playing an instrument, a few feet away from Zac but still in the same room with him, connecting in a way that touch couldn't dream to supply. That was the beauty of music: bonding.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig
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With his hand on Amy's face, Leo waited for a reply. It felt like hours had passed in silence, no reply from the woman that he loved. He was beginning to get worried, and was about to speak to her, something stopped him. A tremble in the ground, one that caused him to freeze. It wasn't right. Something terrible was about to happen, something he hadn't experienced in years. The trembling under the ground grew more and more violent, and soon, the entire room that the two of them were sitting in was shaking. The roar of the earthquake ripped through the school, and Leo pulled away from his girlfriend, the woman he had been holding tightly, screaming at her over the noise to stay there.

He had to go and push the panic button. Leo stumbled over the broken shards of his apartment, falling around as the room still shook; trying to make his way over to the other side of the room to the panic button by the phone. After stumbling over everything that had fallen into his path, Leo fell into the wall, his hand smacking into the wall against the button.

The wailing of a siren filled the air, almost being heard over the thunderous earthquake, warning everyone to get under cover as soon as possible.

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Christopher Russell Character Portrait: Morgan Janssen Character Portrait: Zac Barnes Character Portrait: Alli Jackson
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Morgan shoved her phone into her pocket, smiling a little. She had just made it out of the forest when the earth began to shake, knocking her feet from underneath her. She was a New Yorker, born and raised, and it took her a moment to place that it was an earthquake. Panic moved her feet, not sense. She desperately tried to remember the various earthquake drills Arcana had run. She remembered something about getting to an open space; and so she ran, heading for the front lawn. She kept glancing at the sky, making sure she wasn't running under power lines. She stopped, glancing around her, when she reached the front lawn. She took a breather, her eyes unable to leave the school.

The building was old, and she wasn't altogether sure of how stable it was. Her worst fears were confirmed as she saw parts of it start to collapse. Her common sense was the only thing that stopped her from running into the building to help people. She knew it would be foolish- if she wanted to help, it made more sense to do so out here, where she wasn't endangering herself.

She remembered that as being one of the first pieces of advice her father had given her before coming to Arcana. They had flown from New York to San Francisco together, him having some business in the city.

They had been watching the safety demonstration. Her father had said, "You know why they tell you to put on your own mask before helping others?" She had just looked at him. "'Cause if you didn't, you'd pass out in around thirty seconds. That's always something to remember, Mo. As selfish as it may seem, never endanger yourself to help others."

She found her feet planted in the ground, unable to move. She searched the faces anxiously, hoping to see the familiar faces of her friends. She found herself holding her breath as time passed, and made herself remember to keep breathing.

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Zac grinned at Loren as she began to pick out rhythms to his idle drumming. Her rhythm matched his perfectly. However, it couldn't last forever. The earth began to shake, knocking him from his stool. Zac had lived in San Francisco in his entire life. He knew exactly what it was. He looked up at Loren, fear in his eyes. "GET DOWN!" He yelled. Before he knew what he was doing, he had grabbed his acoustic and thrown himself across the room, tackling Loren and wrapping his arms around her, trying to keep her safe. His breath left his lungs in a rush as he hit the ground. He glanced around the room. Everything began to topple from the shelves.

So much was happening, Zac couldn't pinpoint just one event. He just held Loren and his guitars close and waited it out. He cried out as a sickening pain exploded in his left leg. Shortly after that, the shaking appeared to stop. He pushed himself up and gasped as a fresh wave of pain ran through his leg. There was no way in hell he could get himself out. His legs were pinned under what looked like his collapsed desk and while there was only minor pain in one, the other was excruciating to move. He shook Loren gently, hoping she was conscious. "Loren." He tried to shift himself slightly. "Loren." The pain was bringing tears to his eyes. Thankfully, she seemed to be conscious. "Loren, my legs are trapped." He told her, keeping his voice steady and calm. He was freaking out inside, but he had to keep calm. He had to keep calm for her. He looked her in the eyes. "You've got to pull me out."

"I think my leg is broken. You've got to promise me that no matter what, you're going to get me free. If I cry out, hell, if I scream, you keep pulling. Then I'm gonna get us out, I promise." He wrapped his hands around hers and stared her straight in the eyes. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't find the words. At night, they came so easily, flowing onto the paper. Before his roommate had arrived, he would often stay awake at night, writing songs. Not all about Loren... but there were a few sheets of paper tucked into the drawer in his desk with her name written at the top. He had left them there, just in case anything happened to him. Nothing he could say right now could sum it up. There was silence for a few seconds, then he dropped her hands. He lifted himself up, gasping, and freed his guitar from underneath him. He slid it towards her. "I'm not going to be able to carry that out."

Zac was almost amused by the fact that his acoustic guitar had emerged without even a broken string, while his legs were pinned and one was probably broken. He couldn't see his electric, but he was willing to bet it had emerged unscathed as well. There was something almost ironic about the situation.

He pulled himself out as far as he could. It was a painful procedure, punctuated by gasps of pain. His hips were free, but something below his thighs was caught and unwilling to release him. He reached out and took Loren's hands. "Remember, keep pulling." He said, looking straight into her eyes. "On three. One, two...

Three."


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Chris almost fell into the swimming pool when the first tremor rolled through the ground. He had lived in San Francisco long enough to recognize an earthquake. He stared at the school in horror. He started to run, his body instinctively imitating the form of an Olympic sprinter. He pulled off his sunglasses as he ran, shoving them into his pocket. His lengthened pace meant he got to the school quicker. A few students appeared to be already gathered outside, but he ignored them, flying up the steps like his life depended on it. Which was ironic, in a way.

He stopped as he entered the lobby, taking the opportunity to catch his breath. Students were staring to filter out. Chris could sense the panic. He glanced up the stairs. Four years at Arcana, five at Stanford, and there had only ever been minor earthquakes. This was a big one. He remembered the nights following the earthquake drills, when he and Amy had joked about being the only survivors-

Amy. Chris bolted up the stairs like a sprinter from the starting blocks, taking them three at a time. He swung towards the teacher's wing, sprinting for Amy's room. He hadn't a clue in hell where it was, but he was going to find it.

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Alli dried her hands on a towel and turned around to face the mirror. She picked up her eyeliner and leaned in towards the mirror. As she lifted the kohl pencil to her eye, the earth began to quake violently. She clutched the counter, remembering every single earthquake drill she'd ever had. She knew she should try and get to her desk, but she wasn't moving while the tremors continued. Things began to crash to the floor around her. It took all of her self-restraint not to duck to the ground and cover her head. She had experienced smaller quakes in her time, having lived in San Francisco all her life. But this... This was worse than anything she had ever felt. Even she was in danger of losing her balance. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the counter. She glanced around the bathroom. The mirror didn't look too stable. Nothing seemed to be entirely safe. Dread filled the pit of her stomach as she remembered that she had locked the door. If anything happened, she was trapped. Suddenly, there was a crash and the sound of shattering glass. Alli barely had time to register that the mirror had shattered before shards of glass flew towards her. Pain exploded in her stomach. She stared in horror at the long, jagged shards of glass protruding from her stomach. The quaking stopped. Alli pried her fingers from the counter- and crashed to the ground.

She had never felt so much pain. And blood... There was so much blood. It looked like the shards of glass had moved when she hit the ground, worsening the injury. She glanced up at the door. She stretched out and pulled herself towards it, crying out in pain. She reached for the key, desperately trying to twist it. As she reached, she started to remember little things. Remember and regret. She could see the application form for the Olympic trials. She saw the face of the guy who had genuinely liked her and who had asked her out- and she had turned him down because she thought he had been taking the piss.

She looked at her stomach. The blood pool was growing at an alarming rate. She could feel her consciousness slipping. She reached a little more for the key, silently cursing her short arms. She could feel herself fading fast. As she stretched, more pleasant memories came to mind. She remembered the pride on the faces of her parents when she won her first national medal. The look of amazement on the faces of the six and seven year old kids when she had done a demonstration at her local grade school. The memory of her first kiss...

The starry sky above their heads. The warmth of his jacket around her shoulders. Eyes that were the colour of clouds before a storm. Long, dark, eyelashes. The smell of his aftershave. The faint taste of salted popcorn on his lips. The way it felt...

Her fingers gripped the key. She twisted it. But she knew inside that she was gone beyond help. The blood pool was too big. She closed her eyes.

As she faded, she could taste salted popcorn.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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    They say that a shattering earthquake smashes its fist into California every ten years. Well, at least, her PE teacher in eighth grade had told her that. Since then, Loren had kept a mental note of every year, counting down to the tenth year, counting how many years the earthquake was overdue. She had never been particularly afraid of the earthquake, merely curious as to whether the theory was, in fact, true. If it was, then it meant the earthquake that would finally happen would be completely overwhelming. A disaster. Terrifying, unexpected, and a force to be reckoned with.

    So when the earthquake first began, Loren knew exactly what it was. She had been almost waiting for it, in a twisted sense that made her sick to her stomach. What if her counting the years had brought the earthquake, beckoned it to come closer and faster? It was irrational and crazy, but she had been so curious, and now... now it was here. She should have been the first person to go through the earthquake drills she had by now memorized from public school - get under a desk, grab its leg, and cover your head. She had never really believed it would help, but it was what she had done in elementary school. But she was frozen solid, staring helplessly with wide, aghast eyes at the ground. This couldn't be happening. No. What about her parents? God, what about Adam? What if he was still alive? She hadn't tried hard enough to find him! And her parents! She had never apologized, never even thought to, but now she just wanted to die with amends peacefully made, reconciled perfectly and happily.

    At the most critical moment, she had failed.

    "GET DOWN!" Zac screamed at her, right when she realized she had to do something. Surprise unto surprise, Loren froze once more, unable to comprehend what was going on. The chaos of it. The sheer suddenness of it. Destruction always caught you off guard, didn't it? Disaster struck when you thought you were happy, without mercy and without feeling. Completely heartless, and completely breathtaking in the worst way. It tightened her muscles. But Zac, darling Zac at least he was with her that made things better, tackled her and brought her down with him. His arms were around her. This was nice. If things had been different, it would have been nice. She tried to make herself smaller, shrink into his arms, leaning into him, curling up beside him and holding on tightly. I'm not going to let go I'm not going to let go I'm not going to let go, she repeated, her own private mantra. If only the moment would pause for the rest of her life, or what little was left of it.

    The moment, however, didn't freeze, interrupted by a cry that broke Loren's heart, moved her heart out of its shocked state. Zac was hurt. Oh God, Zac was hurt. Loren stared at him fiercely, his pain acting as the ice that brought her out of numb slumber. "Zac, be okay," she said fiercely, intensely, begging with her eyes and commanding with her voice. "Be completely okay. Be perfectly fine. And do not leave me, ever," she continued, refusing to let her voice crack. She would be the strong one, right now. Zac was hurt, and she wasn't, because he had his arms around her; she was always safe with him. And what had it brought him?

    The guilt made her want to weep. She began to tremble, but it wasn't time to be embarrassed, to feel ashamed of her weaknesses; it was a time to make sure Zac okay. The shaking ceased almost as abruptly as it had started - or at least, that was how it seemed. Loren tried to hold onto Zac before he tried to get up, the foolish male creature, but he persisted anyway. Goddammit, didn't he understand he was injured? What was it about men and their stupid pride? What if it got worse? What if he fell? Why couldn't he just let her get up and examine him first, make sure he was okay, gently touch him all over and whisper comforts in his ear, softly coo and reassure him of all that is good in the world? She just wanted to be the one to give him something, too. It was always him making her feel safe, always him tackling her and using his own body to keep her safe, always him having to sacrifice something for her.

    It was her turn to repay him.

    She didn't stop the tears that welled to her eyes when he gasped. It hurt, to see the ones you cared about hurt. It hurt to be afraid. It hurt to not know. Loren got up quickly and knelt down beside him, staring in horror. He was trapped. His desk was on top of him, and he was stuck. Oh dear fucking Lord how the hell did this happen? "Loren," he said, calling her out of her panic. Even now, his voice had the ability to calm the raging sea that was her mind, her feelings. "Loren," he repeated. The flames cooled, lowered, bringing clarity back to her thoughts and in her expression. Her facial expression gentled, and she brought out her hand to put a palm to his forehead, as if Zac was sick.

    She didn't dare say a word. She didn't want any of this to be real, and speaking would break the dreamlike quality on this entire nightmare.

    "Loren, my legs are trapped," Zac said calmly. How the hell could he be fucking calm when he had just fucking admitted that he was fucking trapped?! She was ready to yell at him, but he was hurt, and he was hurt because of her, and she wouldn't do anything to upset him, ever. Especially not now. He met her eyes and she looked down immediately, unable to handle the emotion she saw.

    "You've got to pull me out."

    Loren raised her head sharply, her jaw falling open, her eyebrows catapulting high above her forehead. "Me?!" she said, despite her resolve to remain silent. "Zac, what if I... what if I hurt you more?" she continued, her voice beginning to crack. "This is all my fault, this is all my fucking fault..." she was rambling now, her words falling out like stones from a harlot's mouth, the whore who had gotten stoned for all of her sins. They were spilling, no thought whatsoever, as she spoke, spoke, spoke.

    "I think my leg is broken," Zac continued. Always the strong one. She hated that; if he showed any panic as well, it would make her feel so much better. Now, she just felt crazy, insecure, like she was overreacting to a perfectly normal situation. But it wasn't normal, it was insane, and it wasn't real. She shook her head, but he didn't seem to care. "You've got to promise me that no matter what, you're going to get me free. If I cry out, hell, if I scream, you keep pulling. Then I'm gonna get us out, I promise." Loren said nothing, still stubbornly resisting, but he took his hands and locked eye contact. She tried to hold onto her resolve, but it was fading, dissolving into the warmth she found in Zac's eyes.

    God, she never could say no to him.

    He broke the long moment by pulling out the guitar, sliding it towards her. "I'm not going to be able to carry that out," he said.

    "Why the hell are you thinking about your fucking guitar right now?!" Loren screamed, suddenly losing her cool. "You're fucking trapped and I'm fucking okay and I... I..." She swallowed hard, forcing the tears stinging behind her eyes to retreat. She took a deep breath and spoke softly. "I'm going to pull you out."

    She held on tightly to his hands, staring down at them, avoiding his eyes. She didn't want to see his pain. She wanted to kiss his fingers, his hands, all over, the callouses from making the most beautiful music she had ever heard. If he actually made it out alive, she would tell him everything. She would kiss his hands, if he wanted. She just didn't want to lose him.

    "Remember, keep pulling." Remember? How could she forget? This was her responsibility, her burden to maneuver, her cross to carry. This was all of her fault, and what if Zac lost his legs? She wouldn't leave him alone for a second, then. She would stay at his side every fucking second. She wouldn't forget this, wouldn't forget this debt.

    "On three. One..." One time, she had looked at Zac while he was half asleep, and thought, I should tell him. And she almost had; she'd opened her mouth to say something, when he started talking for her, about something completely random and unimportant. Loren had taken it as a sign... but perhaps that had been her fault, too. Maybe it was a test, to see how much she cared. To see if she was brave enough. But she'd neglected the moment, let the opportunity slide by, and now they were here, trapped - Zac by the desk, Loren by the future. She didn't want to imagine the future from now on. Their friendship would be changed forever; how could she let go of this instant? The fact that it was all her fault, putting Zac in this situation by freezing up? She was an idiot.

    "Two..." For a long time, she'd relied on Zac to help her forget about her family. His sense of humor, his larger than life personality, everything about him was so different than what she had grown up with. No more rules, no more structure, just the freedom of music, and the freedom of friendship. No more perfect little Loren Craft, the Craft daughter, the beauty who would certainly go places, maybe even become a princess. But nobody had understood that she didn't want to be a princess; she wanted to feel like she wasn't missing out on some secret everyone else knew, like she understood the punch line of a joke that the rest of the world was laughing at. It was her running away, again. But no more. She was going to go through with this. She hadn't promised Zac with her words, but she had promised him in every other way that she would take care of him. Even if he might end up getting more injured in the process.

    "Three."

    There was only one thing left to do: pull.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Alli Jackson
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Lulu looked over at her roommate, buckling over as she held her stomach, laughing so hard that her diaphragm began to spasm. Her cheeks hurt from smiling, still sore from the night before.

"I...I take it that's not yours then?" Alli asked, breathing the words between giggles. β€œGod no, thongs are like giving yourself a 24 hour wedgie. Not okay,” Lulu snorted, allowing her own laugh to pitter out before Alli looked back over at the red thong they had discovered. Lulu looked at her again and she couldn’t help but laugh a second time.

"Oh, Miss Allen, I think you're going to kill me with laughter," Alli announced, wiping away involuntary tears from her eyes. Lulu wrapped her arms around her chest and stood upright, scanning the common room again when she suddenly spied a series of abandoned books on a shelf along the far wall, one of which was out of place. Her memory quickly put two and two together. He had thought it funny to bring out my favorite book.

"Aw, dammit, you made me ruin my eye make-up!" Alli giggled. Lulu grinned at her friend’s false anger. "Listen, I need to head back to my room. I need the, ah, little girls room. I'm not running out on you if... they aren't yours, I promise."

β€œI promise they aren’t! And go, don’t be late for class. One of us has the better reputation to uphold. I’ll catch up with you later,” Lulu replied, watching as her roommate began to exit the spacious common room. β€œAnd hey! Thanks! Really. Most people aren’t as receptive to me, you know?” she added, smiling warmly and watching as the highly dexterous Alli bounded up the stairs without missing a step, never jeopardizing her balance or even giving herself the chance to fall. If Lulu had tried to mimic her, she knew she would land a face plant halfway up. She smiled, content that her roommate hadn’t taken badly to her. Lulu had destroyed their room and shown up virtually naked the morning after without explanation and Alli had still been friendly. I wish everyone was like that.

With no one close, Lulu proceeded to the bookshelf, pulling down a copy of Choderlos de Laclos’ Dangerous Liaisons. Sure enough, behind it and tucked into a passage he had decided to read to her – mocking her love for the book all the while – was the black silk underwear she had worn for him, and tucking behind the stack of books her bra. It was fitting and she laughed as she held them in her hands, rubbing her thumb over the soft fabric, feeling relatively better all things considered. No one was going to be finding something they shouldn’t. Laughing as hard as she just had had made her forget about the pounding hangover in her temples.

Lulu leaned up against the fireplace, keeping the copy of Dangerous Liaisons in her hands, flicking through the pages, amused by the notes someone had made in pencil in the margins. The copy was incredibly old and not one of hers. It wasn’t the most popular book by far amongst her generation. Considered classic literature, most people never read it unless they had to and even then, high school level courses never wanted to teach a book about two aristocrats who used sex as a weapon against rivals.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes after Alli left that the ground began to vibrate suddenly. Lulu shifted, squatting away from the wall and shielding herself as the remaining books on the shelf fell to the floor in a tumbling cascade. Earthquake? she thought to herself. The world seemed to answer as the vibrations grew more violent. Lulu gasped as an entire oak shelf fell off the wall and shattered. The furniture was shifting and above her a chandelier began to shift in a circle so violently that it crashed into the ceiling, which promptly cracked. Panic began to set in. Oh my God. Oh my God!

Having grown up in an earthquake zone, she knew that her safest place to be was outside. She looked outside the common room windows. She was on the second floor but the roof was flat, the rooms were grated but they didn’t open. Shielding her head, she grabbed an encyclopedia from the floor and hurled it at the glass, hearing it shatter as she shielded herself from the glass that sprayed out. She ripped her shirt off, feeling her heart race in her chest. More things began falling and the groaning of the building made her begin to hyperventilate. She feared for her life in those moments as she wrapped the fabric of her shirt around her arm and punched out the remaining glass, clambering through hurriedly. As she gripped the top of the window frame she felt her unwrapped arm catch a fragment. The pain was so sudden and gripping. Her heart stopped and she suddenly felt so out of control in that moment, wanting nothing but to be safe, to come out alive. She heard the screams and suddenly she was falling backward off the roof. Her heart lept into her throat and her breath seized in her chest. When she closed her eyes it was like Grey was at her throat again. She was completely out of control of her fate. And everyone else’s. Fear. It gripped her. She was going to die. Lulu knew it.

Something happened that she couldn’t quite describe. As she felt back through the air it was like her body sent out a radiating pulse, the air rippling and electric. It surged out of her finger types and expanded beyond her. She didn’t know how far it went but suddenly everything was different. She was suddenly falling but not into the nearby bike racks or dangerous fence posts. Instead she fell into a garden, her fall broken by a series of globe cedars. As she stared up into the sky, Lulu felt herself breathing rapidly, her entire body feeling like it was being pricked by pins and needles. Her head spun as she sat up but cleared and suddenly she felt incredibly energized. She had only felt like this once before. When she had cursed Grey.

As she looked beyond her vantage point she saw dozens of students pouring out onto the fields behind her. As she stood up, she checked her arm. She was faced with a cut that needed stitches. Lulu shifted, brushing the dirt and cedar bits off of her torso, thankful she had picked a tank top to wear underneath. She wrapped her shirt around her bleeding arm, turning as one of the other students brought a limping friend through the doorway, one arm slung over theirs. Lulu looked back at where she had fallen and the objects that surrounded her, all things that would have undoubtedly impaled her had she not fallen just as she had. It was…remarkably lucky.

Then it dawned on her. She hadn’t cursed anyone, or even blessed herself. She had sent out a radiating wave of fortune to everyone in the school. But how…? She stumbled back, with one of the other girls asking her if she was okay. β€œYeah,” she murmured, gaping as she looked back at the school, feeling the ground still shaking beneath her feet, praying that her powers were doing the good she thought they were and for the first time.

9 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Max Henderson Character Portrait: Jaysin O. Dennis Character Portrait: Chase Westley
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Leo’s touch proved exceptionally bothering to her, even though he was merely wiping away her tears, looking at her with that half-panicked, worried look in his beautiful eyes. She just… couldn’t have him touching her right now. It was… too much. Regardless, the brunette remained in place, crying. She’d put herself in a corner, so there was no way of getting away from him anyways. Gods, she could hardly look at him. Every time her violet depths grazed him, they fell back onto the floor almost automatically, and her heart was aching in her chest. It hurt, and she didn’t even know why. He had done nothing. How could she blame him for being with someone else when they had not been together? She didn’t even know.

All she knew was that she had loved him and missed him secretly, while he had been off with some… some woman. And she couldn’t see them together. She couldn’t. Not knowing that they had been together. It was too much. When she spoke, sobs raking her entire body and cutting off her sentences in the oddest of places, causing her to stutter through it, she could feel Leo freezing up, pulling back a little. The movement caused her to raise her eyes, to try to read his eyes even though looking at him hurt so much. She just… needed to know what he was thinking. What he was feeling.

As he spoke, Amy felt her tears drying up and her lips curving into a vague smile of their own accord. She sniffled, looking up at him with part hurt, part love in her eyes. This man in front of her was the love of her life. Amy had known that for years, and she could feel her heart letting itself be swallowed by that love. As she looked into the most caring, loving eyes she had ever seen, everything else seemed to fade away. He loved her. She had nothing to worry about. It would be fine. Their bump would be fine… their family would be fine.

β€œI-” she began, not even able to properly speak a sentence, or to move enough to let her boyfriend know they were okay, when the earth began trembling beneath them. She froze, her eyes widening in shock. It couldn’t be. No. No, they couldn’t have an earth quake now! Not now. Please, not now! She had too much already and… oh gods, the kids. All of those kids! β€œLeo…” she said on a gasp, but he was already on the move, screaming at her to keep still and to remain exactly where she was. But she couldn’t do that! She needed to get outside and then she needed to help anyone she could. She needed to heal up anything who might have gotten and she… she couldn’t stay there.

As Leo stumbled his way to the panic button, Amy dared moving onto all fours, trying to achieve some kind of balance in the shaking building. Oh gods, she couldn’t die now. Leo would be alone again. She couldn’t die now. She shook her head, taking a deep breath before moving to get onto her feet, except she’d only begun bending her knees, pushing up her body with her hands, when a loud crack had her turning her head right in time to see one of Leo’d giant bookcases falling. She screamed, trying to scramble away, but the fall was too fast and as books began hitting her, Amy tried to curve herself into a ball, protecting both her head and her baby, but the movement had no time to reach completion before the big wooden furniture hit her hard, smacking against her bump, effectively capturing the lower part of her body.

She cried out in pain, tears falling as she tried to push off the bookcase. Oh… no. No! That flutter of life… that beautiful little beat in her… that extra flow of energy within her… it was gone. As realization hit, the word β€œno” echoed through the apartment, a pained scream. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling, and she didn’t care. The screaming didn’t stop either as she hysterically tried to push the heavy bookcase off of her, fruitlessly trying to save her little bump. It couldn’t be. They’d just given it life and now it was just… gone. β€œNo, no, no, no, no no!” She kept screaming the words as she thrashed violently, but the bookcase wouldn’t budge. Her baby was… gone. Pain tore through her already vulnerable heart, breaking it into thousands of little pieces. Never had she experienced pain like this. Physical pain was nothing in comparison… it didn’t even register. Her baby. It was just… gone…





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When Max without further discussion, merely told her he wouldn’t ask whether she was okay or not anymore, she sighed, feeling relieved. She couldn’t entirely pinpoint why, but she knew it had something to do with the fact that a conversation always ended up depressing and awkward. Just look at the mood between herself and Max at current. It was tense and odd and just sort of off in comparison to the usual ease with which they socialized. She and Max had always sort of gotten along effortlessly, like being around him was so… easy. It had never been forced or awkward, perhaps because they were so much on the same page without any words being uttered.

They just knew that they fit. Not like a couple (Gods no, they were both train wrecks), but as something different. Something she didn’t know what was. Especially not after yesterday. Maybe that was why she felt somewhat okay with talking to him. She’d cried in front of him, and had that been most other people in his situation, Cor would’ve never gotten past it. The embarrassment was too much, but part of her sort of had to admit that she didn’t entirely mind him seeing the more sensitive side of her. Contrary to what she wanted people to believe, it did exist. It just rarely surfaced at all.

Then again, Cor had always been taught that to care was to be weak, and weakness was the last thing she should ever want to be. She supposed she and Drake bonded over their fucked up childhoods, although they differed in one very important way; Drake wasn’t a sadistic type of guy. He didn’t take pleasure in the misery or downfall of others, although he sometimes found the reactions somewhat amusing. No, Drake took no pleasure from it. Corentine did. Then again, he’d been sent away for several years. She, however, had been left alone with a mother who cared mostly about the amount of power her pretty little daughter had, and building that power… was essential. In fact, it came before motherly concerns.

Of course her mother had not been a total failure. In fact, Imogen had spent a lot of time with Cor, and the two had bonded quite well, so Cor rarely thought of why she was the way she was… mostly because she didn’t really care to. She was a bitch, everyone knew that. She was a sadistic young woman with an unforgiving nature, and she accepted that, because she actually did quite like herself, but in situations like this, when her heart had been broken, she sometimes wished she’d learned a way to cope. Instead Cor had found her own medicine; sex. It probably wasn’t the best of cures, but it worked, and if she could keep to Max this time… perhaps things would go over better. A girl could hope.

When Max offered to get out, Cor smiled wryly, having reinstated her wall as she moved her hands down, palms against his chest before she pushed him up against the wall of the shower, feeling the water run down her back as she stepped up to him, her wet body pressing into his as she looked up at him. β€œNow, Max, why would I come to you, seeking β€˜nice’…” She said to him playfully, eyes on his as she moved a hand further down, stopping at his navel before adding, β€œwhen bad is so much more fun?” With that, Cor leaned up, her lips taking his passionately.

If she was to get past Jay, then she needed to do it fully. Which meant she had to force herself into doing things she didn’t feel entirely comfortable with. She needed to kiss him. She just… had to. Part of her wanted to stop, to move away from him immediately, but she forced the contact, her mind focusing on the way his hands felt on her skin, the way his lips felt on hers, the way his body had always driven her wild. She needed to focus on those things… on the physical.

Cor had barely begun the kiss when the everything seemed to begin shaking. She drew back, looking around furiously. β€œWhat the…” she began, but stopped immediately when the glass of the shower began showing cracks. β€œMax… we need to get out of here,” she said then, eyes wide. β€œLike… now.” With that stepped forwards to pry then glass door open, except the second the touched it, the sounds of cracking glass filled the room.





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Chase was still waiting for some kind of reply, watching Amber with a smile on his face, when the ground began trembling beneath his feet, and as he looked around, people seemed just as perplexed as him, shocked into some kind of inactive state. His smile faded away immediately as he stood. β€œWe should probably get outside,” he shouted to amber over the roar of the earth quake. To no prevail, because as Chase moved to grab Amber’s wrist to pull her outside with him, he heard a cracking sound.

As he looked up, all he really registered was a huge crack in the ceiling… and a great lamp falling straight towards him. He had no time to react, no time to think, no time to… do anything, as the huge piece of furniture hit him on the head, killing him instantly. His body crumbled into a heap at Amber’s feet.

7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen Character Portrait: Erin Hawthorne Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Max Henderson Character Portrait: Jaysin O. Dennis
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When Jackson’s first reaction was to laugh in the most patronizing of ways, Drake merely looked at him, face showing not a single emotion. It sounded bitter and angry. Well fine, if he was going to be a dick about it, there wasn’t much more Drake could do, now was there? The guy would come around. Maybe. Likewise, Drake merely observed Jackson as he spoke, the Irish drawl much stronger due to his apparent irritation. β€œThat’s what I’m saying,” he said calmly even as Jackson looked as though he wanted to rip his head off. Well, living with him was certainly going to be fun in the future, wasn’t it? Lovely.

And finally they then got to the bottom of why the guy was really so fucking pissed. It wasn’t that Drake didn’t get why Jackson would be upset, because he was fairly certain he wouldn’t be singing and dancing if the roles had been reversed, but he’d at least be able to grasp the fact that there was no reason to ruin a friendship over a girl. That much was up to Jackson, because Drake wasn’t going to be forced to choose. That simply wasn’t how things should work. Where the two of them went from here was more or less up to Jackson.

Drake didn’t speak a single word for a very long time as he listened, looking at Jackson with that unexpressive mien. He sat himself on the bed once he’d finished, a slight sigh escaping him as he wondered what he should do. Jackson and Drake hadn’t taken long to develop a friendship when the Noctrem students firs joined the Arcana ones. Honestly it had only been a matter of time. After all, Jackson hosted most of the parties here, and Drake was a rather active participant in any party. Plus, he had always been the resident booze-supplier at Noctrem whether he’d wanted to be or not.

It was actually a real friendship on Drake’s side of things as well, which was rare, and so Drake honestly wasn’t too fond of this situation. It was a fucking mess, was what it was. He would hurt either Jackson or Lulu no matter what he did, and he’d come to genuinely care for both of them. The difference was that if he chose to be with Lulu, only Jackson would have to deal with hurting, but if he dumped Lulu, they’d both be miserable. Lulu would want to be with Drake, and Jackson would want to be with Lulu. No one was happy. Not even Drake.

Apparently Jackson needed time to himself right now though, so Drake was going to give it to him, and hopefully things would clear up later. Hell, one could hope right? He stood then, picking up the key from the nightstand to unlock the guy whom he would’ve called his best friend only a day before. Now he didn’t know where they stood. Fucking feelings. Sometimes they were a real bloody bother. β€œYeah well, you can’t blame me forever either,” he finally said as he leaned in over Jackson, about to unlock the first handcuff when the ground started rumbling. He straightened, frowning as he looked around. It only took a second for the trembling to move into full scale earthquake, and as it did, Drake flew into motion.

β€œWe’ve gotta get out of here,” he rushed out as he hastily unlocked the first cuff, but before he was able to move to the next, an especially violent quake had him stumbling a step back and as he did, a piece of ceiling began twisting itself free. Drake looked up, mumbling β€œshit” as it hit Jackson’s still locked hand. He rushed over, carefully unlocking the now broken hand. β€œYou okay?” He asked on a rush, but he didn’t get more out as he was about to straighten before another piece of ceiling fell, landing smack on his back. He yelled out a curse, resting his hands on the bed for a second as he drew in a deep breath, trying to force his body to move. Awesome. Just… perfect. They needed to get out of there. He needed to get out. He needed to make sure Cor was okay. And Lulu.

He closed his eyes briefly before forcefully straightening himself, clenching his teeth in an attempt to ignore the pain. β€œC’mon,” he forced out at Jackson before he ran, his back aching painfully with every step. It didn’t matter. First they needed to get outside.

Once Drake was out, expecting Jackson to be behind him since he had heard no cries of pain behind him, his head whipped around, searching for any of the people he actually gave a damn about. Spotting Lulu, he let out a sigh of relieve as he rushed over. She looked as stunned as he felt, btu he barely had time to register. He needed to find… Cor… and Erin… and fucking hell. Why were they not out here? Drake pressed his lips to Lulu’s briefly, cupping her cheek as he looked into her eyes only to rush out β€œYou have no idea how happy I am to see that you’re okay.”

He didn’t even know what came over him. Adrenaline perhaps. In any case, he ran back towards the school then, towards the rooms. First one he came by was Erin’s, but where was Cor then? Hell, why was he even worrying? They were big girls and… his line of thought froze instantly as he took in the state of Erin’s room. This school was breaking apart and Erin was fucking unconscious. He rushed over to check her breathing. Okay, she was alive and he didn't have time to dwell. He drew in a deep breath as he called on every shadow in his relative proximity. Fortunately there were enough for what he intended.

The shadows shaped into a human-like shape, arms and legs functioning perfectly. It was soft, yet firm, so it’d work. He mentally ordered it to carry Erin out. The shadows couldn’t get hurt, yet it could protect. It was perfect. The man-like shadow moved quickly as Drake briefly nodded, rushing through the school then in search of his younger sister, yet she was nowhere in sight and… wait. She couldn’t still be with Max, could she? Cor never spent the night with guys who weren’t Jay. But then, there was a first time for everything, right? There was only one issue. The fucking door to the teachers’ wing was locked.

He drew in a deep breath as he reached it, looking around him for any shadows he could possibly use. It took barely a second for him to decide that they were no good, and so, narrowing his eyes at the wood, he stepped back and directed a firm kick right at its center. It cracked and he kicked again… and again… and again, until it was torn enough for him to get through. Then he looked around. He most likely lived in the room on whose door it said β€œMax Henderson”, and so Drake knocked on it furiously. β€œMax! Cor!” He shouted, hoping for some kind of reply. Some sign of life.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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On second thoughts, perhaps persuading Loren to pull him out hadn't been such a good idea. Zac was all too aware that if an aftershock ripped through the room, she was in a pretty vulnerable position. It would be all too easy for her to lose her balance and hit her head. And an aftershock would demolish the room, burying them both.

And ignoring all that, the pain was immense. It paralyzed his lower leg and arced up along his thigh. His foot was caught on something, and there wasn't enough room for him to jerk it free himself. He had never felt anything like the pain he was feeling now. It was like being beaten up, but all the pain being concentrated into his left calf.

Something under the pile of rubble that had once been his desk moved slightly and his body surged forward. There was one blissful moment when he thought he was free- until something jerked his painful foot back and he involuntarily cried out. As he cried out, a complete and immense fear overtook him.

He was going to lose her. Something was going to happen, and he was going to be left alone in the hell that was his own mind. The words were on his lips. Go, Loren. Run, get out of here. I'll be fine. He was about to say them, but something moved once again against his leg, jerking the broken bone and causing him to cry out once again.

But if he told her to run, if he died, he'd die all alone. Was his desire to die with her near a selfish one? Was it wrong of him to want to die with her hand in his, able to see her face? Was it because he didn't want to watch her die or force her to watch him die? Was his fear even one of dying? Or was it one of being forgotten, of fading away until he was nothing but dust?

A surge ran through him, one that was like a brief rush of adrenaline. And at that moment, his foot came free and Loren dragged him out from underneath the rubble with one brief surge of pain. For a moment, he just lay on the ground, shaking and gasping for breath. He hadn't realized he had been struggling to breathe until he was free. But now, every breath was sweet. He had survived. And no matter what shit life intended to throw at him, he was going to make it through it.

He managed to pull himself into a sitting position with minimal moving of his leg. His foot was turned at a slight angle and his calf was swollen. He had broken at least one bone in his calf, if not both. But he was alive. Loren was alive. He was as lucky as hell.

He looked up at Loren, a relieved smile on his face. "It's okay. We can make it out. We will make it out." He said, still breathing a little hard. "Just help me stand. We're going to get out. And bring my freaking guitars."

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kitty Lee Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes Character Portrait: Chase Westley Character Portrait: Eric Lee
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    Cafeteria food never failed to please Eric; though many students complain about school lunches, he's always found some strange likability in them. Hey, it was food, and no meal had ever disgusted Eric as of yet. He ate his breakfast peacefully, not being one to talk during mealtime. Some people found his lack of conversation awkward, and attempted to chatter to fill up the silence, but they usually gave up quickly, preferring the silence to his small noises and nods and shrugs. Perhaps he was socially awkward, but Eric didn't like small talk. He didn't like to waste his words, and when he had food in front of him, why would he waste a second not eating?

    His mother thought it was strange, though, but Eric was a super genius; he couldn't be normal, anyways; he might as well take it to the next level by being himself, completely different from anyone else. He ate silently and serenely, appreciating the attractiveness of Kitty a few times through short glances. Perhaps it was because he grew up in an Asian family, but he always did have a thing of Asian girls. Their hair was unbelievably soft, their skin tinted with gold, and they reminded him of his loving mother. Yes, Eric was a momma's boy, and he wasn't ashamed of it in the least. He smiled at her a few times when she caught him in his appraisal of her, showing no embarrassment; was there a crime in checking a girl out? Especially when she was gorgeous, with a lot of strength to boot. She was, at the very least, intriguing.

    He was caught up in these thoughts when the table started shaking. His meal began to fall over itself in the chaos, and it took only a few moments to understand what was happening. Goddammit, I wasn't even done eating, Eric thought fleetingly, before glancing around to see everyone else's reactions. Some of them didn't seem to understand what was going on, others shocked, others panicking. Eric watched them all stoically for a few moments, refusing to avert his eyes even when a boy was crushed and immediately killed. He winced slightly, but he wouldn't let his attention waver. Because he knew what was supposed to happen during an earthquake, he knew what would happen, and from the looks of it, no one was going to take charge. So he would.

    Eric turned to Kitty and put a hand on her shoulder, and began speaking quickly, rushing to get the words out of his mouth. "Get under a table. Not this one, go to another one." He glanced up at the fan above them and nodded at the table a few feet away. "Hurry up, go." He pushed her gently towards that direction and began to climb up to the top of the table, deciding to take the risk. Someone needed to act fast, and the earthquake was only getting worse, and worse, and worse. When he was standing at the top of the table, he could see how every eye was on him. For a moment, he felt sick to his stomach. What the hell was about to happen? How the hell could this happen?

    "Everyone! Listen up." Like they weren't already. Idiot, you just wasteda few precious seconds, Eric scolded himself as he continued. "Get under your table, now. Hold onto something study, preferably the leg of the table, and cover your head. Make sure no parts of your body are sticking out. If you're under a large object," everyone's eyes went to the now-deceased boy, still crushed by the lamp, "then you better move to another table." The crowd was still, for the most part, though a few bodies began to scramble, heeding his orders. Eric sighed in frustration and cupped his hands over his mouth. "I said-"

    He didn't get to finish his words. Because at that moment, the fan toppled on top of him, and he was down. He didn't even get to see if everyone was moving yet, or how Kitty had reacted, or... or anything. Eric merely closed his eyes and ignored the crushing pain, welcoming the dark that encompassed him.






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    To Loren's credit, she really tried to ignore Zac's painful outbursts, she really did. But each time he made so much as a whimper, she could feel the tension in her arms relax as she hesitated with each pull. I'm sorry, she would silently apologize to Zac before beginning again, with more strength than before, trying desperately to get him out before he could cry out again. But she kept on failing, because he kept on yelping. She wanted to yell at him to stop, he was distracting her, but she couldn't do that, could she? If everything was normal, then she would have; she would have scolded him and teased him about their predicament, admonishing him for acting like a baby. But it was her fault, and her debt to him was deep.

    He cried out once more, and it completely infuriated Loren. Why did he have to go and ruin everything? Nothing was the same anymore. He didn't have to save her, she would have knocked out of her shock in time. It was all his fault, that their friendship was all weird. With the same sudden intensity of her anger, Loren pulled abruptly, and she was pulling him across the floor. She let go of his arms once he was a safe distance away from the desk she now detested. Thank God he was safe. She took deep breaths to steady herself as Zac did the same. These past few minutes had been so crucial, so terrifying... so real. It was startling, how much closer she felt to him now. She collected herself quickly, from pure practice of gathering her wits after a catastrophe, and sat beside Zac, exhausted by the mental, emotional, and physical trauma she had just experienced.

    Instinctively, Loren laid a hand on Zac's when he was sitting upright, albeit at an awkward angle. She winced involuntarily when she noticed the angle of his calf, completely disturbing and wrong and unnatural. Afraid of hurting him, she withdrew her hand and ran it through her hair. The moment was a little awkward, now that they were both alive, now that she could confront the future of feeling like she owed Zac something forever, even her life. Now, she really couldn't say no to him. It had been the same way before, but it had been out of her own affection for him. Now? It would be guilt. Guilt and guilt throughout. She avoided Zac's gaze; he would read her emotions in her eyes and ignore the real issue at hand, focus on her instead.

    She could hear his smile when he spoke. "It's okay. We can make it out. We will make it out."

    "Yeah, we did. And we will." Loren nodded. She could hear the relief in her own voice, and it was only then that she realized she was grateful. She was elated to be alive, albeit a little conflicted. She had forgotten the miracle of her life, and even if Zac had helped her make it out, in the end, it had been her. Her and her own strength, to stay calm and get Zac out from under that damned desk. She had saved his life, as he had saved hers. So, in the end...

    ]"Now we're even," she said, grinning wickedly at Zac. She would always feel a little guilty, thankful, indebted to Zac... and maybe later, she would forget this little revelation and start feeling obligated towards Zac. But right now, she was comforted by this sense of normalcy that had returned to their friendship. She took his hand and squeezed it shortly before letting it slip from her grasp. Before he could reply to her statement, she straightened her posture and stood up, looking down at her best friend. She felt rejuvenated, ready to take on any challenge that came her way. "What next, captain?"

    "Just help me stand. We're going to get out. And bring my freaking guitars."

    "Will do, captain." She practically danced across the room, strangely elated even in the disaster of the shattering earthquake, and gathered some of the items she knew he would need most: his instruments. She grabbed a few, laid them beside Zac, and with her now-free hands, reached out to Zac. If they could get through that desk fiasco, then they could do anything.

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Skylar Fiammetta Byrnes Character Portrait: Kitty Lee Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano Character Portrait: Jessica Coleman Character Portrait: Chase Westley Character Portrait: Eric Lee
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Sky giggled slightly with Jessica as he sat on her bed, talking with her. He really did like her. He always knew that he had feelings for her, but he tried not to show them too much. The pyro had a small problem with keeping his emotions in check, especially when it came to feelings like attraction and lust. He always ended leaving little pieces of his heart in the hands of anyone who showed interest in him. Cor, Jessica, Addi, Jade, even little Ashy and...it pained Sky to even speak of him...Colby. Skylar and the speedster didn't really end things on the best terms. The pyro had been way too protective and territorial of him, which Colby didn't appreciate.

Sky blinked back to reality, staring straight at Jessica. He smiled at her, taking on of her hands into his own. 'She's the one.' he thought, the grin on his face slowly growing as he stared into her sea-green eyes. "Listen Jessica. I've been thinking about you alot lately-" 'You didn't think about her last night when you were messing around with that boy.' said a voice inside of him. Sky's smile dropped for a moment, but he pushed the thought aside and decided to focus soley on Jessie. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as he continued to speak. "-and I was just wondering if-" The ground began to shake, the room trembled, and things fell of Jessica's shelves and walls.

In a panic, Sky jumped on top of Jessie, trying to shield her body with his own. Reality became a blurr and his heartbeat quickened to an almost unbelieveable pace. His memories began to flood back to him. He saw Tom's muscular frame standing over him, undoing his belt. He saw his house going up in flames after he told his mom about his step-father's dirty little secret. "No, no, no, no, no." he repeated to himself, his eyes squeezed shut and his body trembling over Jessica's. "Stop it. Stop it. Stop it."

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Eden sighed loudly as he walked outside of the school, still thinking about the events that had taken place the previous night. He shoved his hands in his pockets and forced an annoyed puff of air out of his nostrils. What was he annoyed with? Mainly himself and all of his faults. He should of known that Sky would have tried to sleep with him. The Noctrem student tried to sleep with everyone. Eden shouldn't have taken so many shots. He should have gone to sleep earlier. He should have done this differently and that differently. There really wasn't an end to the things he could have done better.

He shook his head and took his hands from his pockets, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, the ground shook, knocking Eden off his balance and sending him tumbling to the ground. 'Earthquake?' His mind jumped to the conclusion and his eyes jumped around, on the look out for anything dangerous. Luckily, he was outside and there wasn't much that could- "AAAAAHHHHH!" Eden shouted at the top of his lungs as a sharp pain shot up his arm. Something hit his wrist when he wasn't looking. The pain was horrible and the ground was still shaking so he couldn't get up. "Damn it." he grunted.

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Amber's eyes widened as the earthquake began. She gulped and nodded at Chase when he said they needed to get outside. Her mind worked quickly, attempting to analyze the situation. Outside would be safest, she knew that much from drills at her schools when she was a kid. She glanced over at Chase as he moved to grab her wrist and lead her towards the exit, when a loud crackling over head registered in her mind. Her survival instincts kicked in and she jumped away, unsuccessfully trying to pull Chase with her. A huge lamp came crashing onto the boy, crushing him underneath it's weight.

Shards of glass flew at Amber, causing her to fall backwards. She covered her eyes and face with her arms and hands. After she hit the ground, she slowly opened her eyes, staring in disbelief at Chase's corpse in front of her. Blood ran down from above her eye where glass had cut her. Several shards stuck out of Amber's arms. Her bottom lip quivered slightly and she gulped, her eyes wide and fixed on the bloody mess. Her mind couldn't process this quite right. She had only been talking to Chase a few moments ago and now...he was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

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Food has always been something that Kitty took very seriously. She always had to eat alot more than other girls, which made sense. It took alot to keep a one woman wrecking machine going. A small smile rested on her lips as she and Eric quietly ate, the two Lee's enjoying each other silent presence. That probably would be the only time Eric would ever witness Kitty being quiet. She crunched loudly into an apple, catching Eric steal a glance at her again. Something about Eric made the amazon feel giddy inside. He also made her feel a little dumb, but that wasn't his fault. He was a super genius. It was sorta like Eric being present during Kitty's work out. She was simply born stronger than him, just like he was simply born smarter than her.

She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled again at Eric just when the table and ground began to shake. Everyone began to panic, but refused to do anything. She gasped slightly when she witnessed a lamp fall, crushing a boy standing fairly close to Kitty's roommate, Amber. Just before Kitty could stand up and take charge, Eric did. He told the asian girl to go underneath a table. Slightly stunned, Kitty nodded at him and turned, quickly sliding underneath on table. She watched Eric get ontop of a table and telling everyone to take shelter. Most of them listened, but Kitty could clearly see a stunned Amber sitting down, exposed.

Kitty ran from underneath her table, going to Amber's side. The dark haired girl babbled slightly, staring horrified at the crushed corpse near her. "Amber?" Kitty cupped her face, staring into her eyes. She shook her head and side, after she got no response. With one arm, Kitty picked her up and ran to the nearest table, carefully placing her underneath. Kitty thought about getting under the cover as well, but decided that there wasn't enough space for her. She whipped her head around, seeing a free table. She sprinted for it, but after a few strides, she tripped over something like a fallen wire. She felt her ankle snap and she let out a loud scream. "SWEET MOTHERFUCK! FUCKING FUCK OF FUCKING SHIT." Tears streamed down from her eyes as she struggled to drag her body underneath the table, safe from debris.

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft Character Portrait: Zac Barnes
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Zac grinned as Loren deposited a few guitars beside him. She knew him all too well- two electric, both with built in amps and headphone sockets, two acoustics and the bass he was trying to teach himself to play. He slung the straps across his body in such a way that they were supported, but wouldn't be in his way. He took Loren's hands without hesitation, using his surroundings to pull himself to his feet- or rather, foot.

If he put as much as the heel of his damaged foot on the ground, pain shot up his leg. His knee instinctively bent, keeping the foot from touching the ground. He was glad of Loren's hands, steadying him and helping him remain upright. "Houston, we may have a slight problem," He remarked quietly. Tentatively, he touched his foot back to the ground. Pain arced up his calf and didn't ease as he left it there. He dropped Loren's hands and tried to take a step. The pain on touching his foot to the ground, it appeared, was only a warning of what was yet to come. As he attempted to take a step, the pain of putting his weight on the broken bone almost knocked the leg from underneath him. He lurched forward, grabbing Loren to steady himself.

He gritted his teeth and tried again. He was prepared for the pain, but almost lost his balance and stumbled into a pile of rubble. It appeared his bed was underneath it, as he was able to steady himself. He swung the sturdier of his acoustics from his back and tried again, leaning on the neck of the guitar when his balance failed. It wasn't ideal. If he leaned too heavily on the neck of his guitar, it could break and leave him on the ground and a guitar short. In this unsteady manner, he crossed back over to Loren. "Let's go."

He was trying to hold up for her. They had to be strong for each other. If Loren showed any sign of pain, that would distract Zac and he would be willing to put himself in danger to help her. He knew that she would probably do the same for him, and he wasn't going to let that happen. While he knew he couldn't entirely mask the pain, if he carried on, it might just be enough to keep her going.

He noticed something silver on the ground and picked it up. His iPod. It had a crack on the top right corner, but it wasn't even on the screen. His headphones were still attached. The screen was still working. He shoved it into his pocket, avoiding Loren's eyes.

Why? He felt guilty. The photo on his lock screen was one he had taken when they had been messing around. Zac was wearing eyeliner, holding his bass. He had made some joke about him being like Pete Wentz, and they had decided to complete the comparison with eyeliner. Guilt suddenly plagued him for putting her in this situation. She had done so much for him, listened when he had needed to talk, made him laugh when he had felt down, and now she was stuck with him. He couldn't freaking walk by himself. How was he supposed to repay her like this?

His face fell, as all in one second all of the pain from the rest of his body, not just his leg, assaulted him. Nothing as severe, but it was enough. "Loren... I'm sorry. Go, don't let me keep you back. If anything happens, you have to make it out. You have to promise me. I'm not going to let you let me hold you back. Go." He leaned against the wall, shock beginning to set in. He looked up at her. "Go!" A strange ferocity appeared in his voice, verging on anger. He didn't know why, but he had to get through this himself.

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen
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Lulu didn’t know what to do with herself. People were moving frantically around her. More and more students emerged from Arcana, climbing out of windows, taking every fire escape, every door possible. Students poured out onto the lawns, many running and fine while others toted friends with an arm slung over a shoulder, some completely in the arms of others. Staff began to emerge but no one that Lulu was familiar with. Not one of the teachers she knew showed their face. Fact, few students she knew arrived in the growing crowd. Alli was nowhere in sight. Aldous wasn’t there. Neither was Jaysin, Killian, Emmaline, or Eden. The few friends she had were obviously not there. Panic began to seize in her chest as most glaringly Drake and Jackson were also out of sight.

As students began to hobble out, Lulu forced herself to start moving, to stop waiting for them. They would all come out, she knew they would. She felt energized and level headed. Seeing through the panic she felt wasn’t impossible. When a limping girl was carried out by one of her friends, Lulu rushed to meet her, throwing the girl’s free arm over her shoulder, not saying a word as she began to help her over to where any students with injuries were being clustered. Where was Amy? Where was Leo?

As she moved back to help the next people come through she suddenly saw Drake run through one of the doors, am arm shielding his face from debris. Behind him Jackson stumbled. Lulu felt complete elation at the sight of them both, her heart racing as he ran up to her. She saw the relief in his eyes too and that in and of itself meant so much to her. Someone was actually pleased to see her. Someone actually was looking for her in the crowd. She threw her arms around his neck, the frustration she had felt with him that morning melting away. When she pulled back from her hug, Drake kissed her. Lulu’s body reacted with complete joy at the motion. She kissed him back as best she could before he pulled away to draw a hand across her cheek.

β€œYou have no idea how happy I am to see that you’re okay,” he breathed slowly. β€œDitto,” she beamed, leaning her cheek into his hand and allowing herself to draw a thumb along his jaw. She wanted to memorize this moment and savor it but she couldn’t as suddenly the Whiskey induced clouds that had rendered her memory from the night before so fuzzy cleared. It all came back to her. The laughing, the teasing, the toying around and taunting gestures made by him, his proud display of how easy it was for him to remove a girl’s underwear without doing anything more. Nothing else had happened. They hadn’t slept together. She’d fallen asleep in the common room and she’d woken up with him so happily at first. She couldn’t help but feel fortunate to have been in that state with him.

Before she could say anything she felt her hands grow warm where they touched him. Drake moved away from her, his eyes set on the very set of doors he had come through seconds before. β€œOh my God you psycho no!” Lulu shrieked, trying to pull on his arm to keep him from running back into the school. She knew what he was going to do as he launched himself into the doorway without a second though. Drake Quellen wanted to get more people out.

Lulu tilted her head back then, her heart racing with dread as he headed back into the death trap of a school. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, feeling the emotions swirl together, the panic, the concern, the admiration. Everything was maxed out but the power of her fear, of the threat of the school coming down on Drake and everyone else still inside, it hit her hard. And suddenly her hands were lifting from her sides a second time and it happened again, a wave of white energy suddenly radiating out of her and rippling through the entire lawn and building, hitting everyone like a gust of wind. β€œLuck be with you Drake,” she murmured lowly, turning to set her eyes on the building, her irises suddenly an odd white purple in color.




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Katia groaned, her head splitting with pain as she tried to move. Hazily she blinked, shifting her hands to push at a weight compressing her chest. Every time she tried to focus on where she was, on what was hurting her, the ache of her head exploded. Her back seized and her legs were numb beneath her. As he reyes fought to regain clarity, the dance instructor realized that she was still in Leo’s office, laying on the couch he had up against the wall. The room was shaking however, and on top of her, she suddenly realized, was a monstrous Gothic bookcase. As she winced and tried to pull it away from her, she began to panic. It was took heavy for her to handle on her own. Her fingers slapped up against it in futility. She felt herself beginning to cry out as she tried to wiggle herself underneath it, to catch her breath. But it was constricting and her head, she realized was bleeding quite heavily from where it had slammed into her temple. Worse, she had no momentum to pull herself out from underneath it. Her legs were completely trapped. When she tried to move her toes her nerves fired dangerously. It became obvious to her that the shelf was not only pinning her down but compressing her fractured disk dangerously.

She slammed her head back into the couch and tried again to use her arms to lift the thing, clenching her teeth and trying to muster up all the strength that she had. It was no use. So she did the only thing she could think of doing. She screamed.

9 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen Character Portrait: Erin Hawthorne Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Max Henderson Character Portrait: Jessica Coleman
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Leo was in panic mode. He was terrified for the lives of his students, for the people he cared about, for his girlfriend and their unborn child that was growing at a rapid rate. He was suddenly aware of every small thing that could happen, that could take that away from him, and he wasn't going to let that happen. Nothing was going to take away his girlfriend, or his child, or the school, and the students that he loved. On the other side of the room, Leo felt like he was on the other side of the planet to Amy, and as soon as he pressed that button, he was on his way back over to her side. But she wasn't where he had left her. Of course, she had tried to move. Even though it could cause her harm, she had moved.

As Leo moved across to Amy, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Her crawling along the floor on all fours. The crack of the bookcase coming away from the wall. The books falling onto his girlfriend, followed closely by the bookcase itself. A sound resonating like a strained cry filled the room, the sound of his own voice screaming out for his girlfriend. He couldn't do anything to stop it - he was too far away, and no matter how quickly he moved, the bookcase fell straight onto his girlfriends bulging stomach. Leo's heart stopped in his chest and his eyes widened as he saw Amy panic.

He was right by her side in a flash, searching her face for something, anything to explain to him about what she had just experienced. "Amy..." He whispered softly, trying to get through to her, although it seemed futile. She was thrashing around, crying, screaming. No. No. No. Over and over again. Quickly, the Spartan moved over to the bookcase, using all of the strength in his arms, as well as the adrenaline streaming through his body, to shove the heavy wooden piece of furniture off of his girlfriend's legs.

The shaking was continuing on, the damage already done to the school, and the small family that Leo was supposed to be a part of getting worse with every moment. The sheer look of shock, hurt and panic in Amy's eyes worried him to the core, and he didn't want to know what had made her react like that. He couldn't know.

But he already did.

Leo wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and lifted her up, holding her bridal style. He cradled her close to his body as he carried her out of the bedroom, the door having swung open in the chaos. He was going to carry her outside, and everything was going to be okay. Everything would be okay if he just got her outside.

He didn't even realize the lone tear that was sliding down his face as he carried her through the rattling building, ignoring the other frantic running and screaming of everyone going past him. He couldn't be the headmaster in that moment, a leader, or a friend; he was a broken man, carrying his broken girlfriend.





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With eyes still cloudy, Erin started to rouse from consciousness. She felt that she was being moved, heard muffled sounds of screaming and terror. What the hell was going on? She couldn't open her eyes, they were still feeling really heavy, making her tired. Then, she was suddenly aware of a serious pain shooting from her ribs, one that made her cry out softly in her dazed state in pain. The pain didn't stop as she was carried outside, and was placed softly onto the ground.

A cold sensation ran through her bare legs as she felt them touch the grass, and she was oddly aware of a rumbling beneath her. She couldn't place where she was, and knew that she needed the use of her eyes to be able to fully understand what in the hell was happening. Someone, the blonde forced herself to open up her eyes, albeit slowly, and it took her a moment to adjust to the bright surroundings outside. She was still in her short-shorts and tiny strappy top that she had fallen asleep in the night before, although she could see that they were no longer as white as they had been before - they were dusty.. and covered in red... blood?

Erin tried to sit up and instantly regretted it, the pain in her ribs causing her to softly moan as she fell back down onto the ground. Instead, the blonde twisted her head slowly, and looked up at the saviour that had saved her from god knows what. What she saw above her surprised her however; a black shadow, manipulated into the shape of a man. Shadows in the shape of people? That was a Drake move... what?

"What happened?" She whispered softly to herself, still confused about the screaming and chaos that she could hear around her.





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Jackson turned his head away from Drake as the male decided to leave him alone, locked in the vulnerable position. He sighed softly, closing his eyes and dropping his head back, deciding that he was going to try and get a little more rest, before he tried to sort thing out again, with both Drake and Lulu now. Oh, and Jess. However, that was all to come. For now, he just wanted some sleep, and to get rid of the headache that was plaguing him right now.

However, that idea came to an abrupt end when he felt the room starting to shake, his eyes darting around. Panic entered his heart as quickly as the annoyance vanished, and in a second, Drake was back at his side, unlocking the cuffs from the bed, freeing him from his binds. Before he was released fully through, a loud cracking sound filled his ears, and he looked up to see a ceiling tile dislodging itself from his roof. He turned his head sharply, shielding his eyes and face as the tile fell down, shattering into thousands of pieces after crashing onto his wrist. A sickening snap echoed around the room as the shard fell, and Jack quickly felt a searing pain emanating from his wrist.

"Holy fuck." Jack hissed, cradling his now broken wrist to his chest when Drake had finally finished uncuffing him from the headboard. His breath was labored as he shakily stood up, moving through the collapsing room to find his jeans. He somehow pulled them on, using his one good hand to drag them upwards over his legs, ignoring the fact that he didn't have any pants on , or that Drake may have seen something when he moved out of the bed. He didn't pause to ask his friend if he was okay, knowing that if he wasn't, then he wouldn't have been moving at such a quick pace.

Jackson stumbled shirtless out of the building, following the movements of his friend through the debris, his hand still clutched to his chest. When they were outside, out into the safe zone, he quickly looked around, spotting the same person as Drake had. Her blonde hair stood out in the crowds of people, the smile on her face when she saw that both of th--- or Drake, rather, had escaped from the shaking building. She probably didn't even care about him any more, after what he had done to her last night, said to her. He dropped his head back and exhaled as he walked through the crowds of people looking for their loved ones, his eyes looking up at the sky.

His head snapped back down however when he heard Lulu's voice about the chaos, shouting. His eyes quickly pinpointed her again, seeing that she was holding onto Drake's arm, trying to stop him from running back inside. It didn't work though, and soon he was disappearing back into the dangerous building. Jack sighed softly and decided to make his way over to her, one hand mussing it's way through his hair, the other against his bare chest.

Standing next to her, Jackson could already feel the tension building, and he regretted walking over their already. But, he knew that Lulu needed someone right now, and he was supposed to be her friend.

"He'll be okay, you know."





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Being pushed up against the wall of the shower was hot, from any point of view. But when it was Corentine Quellen who was doing the pushing, it made it all that little bit better. Max's smirk adorned his face again as he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her moist, naked body close to his. He was about to reply to her sarcastic remark about "niceties", but was stopped when she pressed her lips against his in a passionate lock. His hand moved up her back, knotting itself in her blonde curls, using it to crush his lips against hers with more pressure. He barely remembered that she didn't like kissing, and had only done it with that dick who had caused her to collapse in a heap on his floor- he was too caught up in the moment.

Their moment was ruined though when the ground below their feet started to shudder, and he pulled his face away from hers, looking around at his bathroom with a confused expression. It registered in his mind what was happening as Corentine's voice hit his ears, and he nodded along to her words as she told him what they were going to do. When Corentine's hand touched the shower handle however, and the sound of glass shattering filled the air. Max quickly maneuvered their position, pulling the blonde behind him and shielded her with his own body as the glass collapsed around them, slicing through his body as if it was meat at a butcher's shop. It stung, but it didn't matter. He had stopped it from happening to Corentine.

"Out. Now." He breathed as he grabbed her hand, linking his fingers with hers, not caring how much she hated the feeling of it, or didn't want him to. He wanted to her out of this death trap of glass right now. Max Henderson wasn't one for caring about anyone, but Corentine Quellen was different. He just didn't want to see her hurt. He pulled her into the bedroom, throwing a t-shirt from his floor over to her to pull over her self before wrapping a towel around his own waist, the only covering he was bothering to have before they left the room.

Max paused for a moment, feeling all of the terrified feelings of all of the students running through his head, their anger, their pain, their hurt, their suffering. The pressure building in his brain almost made him want to cry and he brought his hand up to his head, clutching at his hair, just trying to stop it. Or at least dull it. It wasn't stopping, there was no relief..

A loud voice shouting through the door alerted him to Drake's present outside, and he called back to the teenager. "In here, Quellen," his voice strained with the pain from his head. The cuts on his skin were bleeding, leaving small trails of blood trickling down his skin, added to the water that had already been on his body. He grabbed the blonde by the hand once again and pulled her towards the door once she was dressed, flinging it open, revealing her brother.

"She's safe." He called over the roar of the earthquake. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

Max didn't want to run out into the crowd of students outside, full of pain, but there was nowhere else safe to go.

And Corentine needed to be safe.

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig Character Portrait: Christopher Russell Character Portrait: Jake Sanders
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The airborne dust caught in Chris's lungs as he ran, but he didn't allow himself time to cough. He hadn't run so hard since the sporting competition against Noctrem in his senior year, and never for such a distance. His heart pounded in his ears and his chest, but determination kept him running. Time both seemed to be flying and stopped. He didn't care that he could die. He had to do something.

The teacher's wing had never seen so large. Not until he was sprinting around it and hurdling the destruction. He was desperately trying to pinpoint the source of the screams that were just too familiar to him. They were the screams that no person ever wants to hear- the screams of their best friend. His mind was racing, his power in overdrive. Random things flashed through his mind, from how to cheat at blackjack to how to make the perfect creme brΓ»lΓ©e. His body shouldn't have been able to cope with sprinting this fast for this long- but the adrenaline pumping through his veins kept his muscles from aching and kept his heart pumping fast enough.

Eternity passed in the blink of an eye as he ran. And, suddenly, he skidded to a stop. Someone was ahead of him. He had barrelled past everyone else, but something about this person made him stop. As whoever it was neared, Chris gasped involuntarily. It was Leo, carrying Amy. Relief washed through Chris, replacing the adrenaline and sudden exhaustion overwhelmed him. But something on Leo's face made Chris hesitate. Words were on his lips, questions that appeared on his tongue on looking at Amy, but then a scream pierced the air.

Chris glanced at Leo. "I'll deal with this!" He yelled, returning to his sprint. His mind was both numb and racing. Why was Leo with Amy? What had happened? Was Amy alright? Who was screaming? He shoved his way past anyone who got in his way, his hero complex starting to take over. As he ran, he felt like he was in an action movie. The bomb was going to detonate in three minutes. Chris was the only person in the building who could disarm it. He flew down the stairs, three at a time, shoving his way past students. As he swung down the corridors, a mirror shattered in front of him. He ducked, but a fragment tore the skin above his eyebrow. He straightened up and started running again, forgetting the pain as another scream tore the air. It was coming from Leo's office. He threw himself against the door, thankful that it was open as he burst in.

It didn't take him long to pinpoint the origin of the cry. Katia was pinned to the couch in Leo's office by a monstrous bookcase. As the memories of red wine and dancing assaulted him, he glanced up and down the bookcase. "Katia! I'll get you out!" He promised, dropping to his knees. Bracing one shoulder against the bookshelf, he shoved it up just enough to allow him to get his arm underneath and shove it back into position. Or, at least, that was the plan. As he had it almost straightened up, it slipped, the edge catching his shoulder. He staggered back a step when he caught it, but managed to prop it up. He ran a hand over his shoulder. It wasn't broken, but it was going to be as sore as hell when the adrenaline ran out.

Making sure the bookshelf wasn't going to collapse on top of them, he crouched beside Katia. "Are you okay? Do you need help getting out?" He tried to be gentle, but a little urgency crept into his voice as he spoke. This was the first time he'd allowed his body a break and it seized it, suddenly assaulting him with pain and exhaustion. It almost overwhelmed him, but he tried not to let it show.

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A small, red, Mini Cooper wound it's way towards Arcana. Inside, Thirty Seconds To Mars blasted out of the car's stereo. Jake drummed on the steering wheel as he stopped at a junction. He glanced at his iPod, which lay in the cup holder between the two seats. The songs shuffled of their own accord as Jake pulled away, still tapping on the wheel. He grinned as he heard the song that started playing. "I was born of the womb of a poisonous man," He sang under his breath, leaning forward to try and catch a glimpse of the school that he had heard so much, both good and bad, about. He wanted to make a good impression- well, an impression anyway. His chances of a good impression had probably gone out the window when the headmaster had heard the words, "He was sent to prison for cybercrime." He had dressed relatively well and had his "Hi, do I really look like the type of kid who would hack a bank's central computer?" smile at the ready.

His adoptive parents had been understandably reluctant to let him go to Arcana. Last time he had been away from home, he had been in prison for hacking. Twice. The second time, he had been beaten up nine times in the space of three months. The bruising on his arms and stomach was still glaringly obvious- and sore. But, hell, it had all been worth it. Apparently, they'd nearly had to arrest the drunken asshole Jake had the pleasure of calling his father for assault when he found out what had happened. And most of the money had gone to a good cause.

Then, the earthquake had struck when Jake had been almost at Arcana. He had just been out of range, but his frenzied adoptive parents had still called him, saying that he didn't have to go if he didn't want to, if he thought it wouldn't be safe. His reassurances that he would be fine lasted longer than the actual earthquake. But seriously, it was a school for people with freaking superpowers! If anywhere was safe, it would be Arcana.

As Jake pulled in the drive, he began to wonder how true that statement was. It almost looked like the earthquake had originated at the school. The car stereo lowered it's volume a little as Jake pulled into the car park. He shut off the engine and climbed out of the car, pausing to swipe his bags from the back seat. He headed for the reception of the school.

"Holy shit..." Jake swore as he saw the true damage done to the school and the chaos that was currently ensuing. He looked around, soon regretting it. The sheer amount of blood made his stomach turn and his head feel light. He dropped his bags, staring. Just... Staring at everything in general. Things were much worse than he had thought.

Students and staff were emerging with various types of injuries, covered in dust from the earthquake. Some made his bruised arms and torso look like a graze that a kid would pick up in the playground. He hitched one bag over his shoulder and picked up the rest, heading towards the main lawn, where everyone seemed to be gathering. He glanced around, looking for comfort in a familiar face.

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen Character Portrait: Christopher Russell
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Lulu felt different. Her skin felt electric, like her entire body was suddenly fueling her power. The emotions that coursed through her felt amplified. Fear and panic ebbed as she witnessed Drake courageously running back into the building, the archway over the door cracking. Maybe that was her breaking point. Whatever happened, it felt just like the curse she had laid on Grey so many years ago. But instead of the malicious and sinister feelings of complete hatred that had filled her in that moment, she was filled with something else. Love and hope.

Lulu was so focused on Drake and all of the other people still inside the school that she was startled when someone walked up beside her, someone she wouldn’t have expected to breath a single word to her. Jackson. He stood next to her, barely dressed, one hand in his hair and the other wrapped awkwardly around his bare torso. She swallowed, her white-purple eyes searching him for something. Was he happy to see Drake running inside?

"He'll be okay, you know,” Jackson told her suddenly. Lulu bit on her lower lip, blinking rapidly. β€œI thought you hated me,” she blurted out suddenly. What a pair they made. Lulu was barely covered herself, her tank top only basic and if anything a little too small. The fabric was barely thick enough to hide the pattern of her bra, while her t-shirt remained wrapped on her arm, increasingly growing red from the gnash from the window glass. She surveyed the chaos around them before looking at Jackson. Lulu didn’t hesitate when she suddenly threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

β€œI have always loved you Jackson Murphy,” she whispered, gripping him tightly, like he was the only floating buoy in the middle of an ocean. β€œI’m so glad you’re okay. So. So. So. Happy. You have no idea. I know I screwed up. I let you go when you fell in love with Beth. I never said anything just like you never said anything now. But I need you. You can’t just drop me. I may make mistakes, we all do. I need this chance with Drake, but I need my best friend and hell, if it's meant to be it will be.”





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Katia’s lungs felt raw within a matter of minutes. She shouted whatever words came to her, mainly every curse she knew under the sun, whether Spanish, Italian or English. She could hear people running by the door, words yelling, people screaming. The shaking was slowing down, but it wasn’t stopping completely. Tremors continued to cause the contents of Leo’s office to shake and rattle. Was this a student’s power or was this mother nature hating on them all?

The door to the office opened suddenly and Katia screamed again, barely able to lift her head to look at who had heard her.

"Katia! I'll get you out!"

Dear lord it was Chris. β€œOh my God it’s you,” she breathed. He moved toward her immediately, kneeling to bring a shoulder underneath the gothic bookcase, lifting it just enough so as to get his arms underneath it. He shoved it upward and into place quickly, so much so that he shifted back to fall on him as it swayed. β€œChris!” she shrieked. Her hands shot out to him, her power activating as she tried to get him to move. The shelf slammed into his shoulder regardless and she yelled when she felt it herself. She severed the connection immediately, watching him stagger for a second before pushing it back into place permanently, checking himself before he shifted back to her, kneeling. Katia shifted her head back to the couch, feeling her eyes water. The drugs, everything from that morning were the farthest thing from her mind.

"Are you okay? Do you need help getting out?" he asked, his eyes searching her and the room. β€œI’m in so much pain,” she confessed. β€œI think it compressed my disk and I’m in withdrawal from painkillers.” The admission came out so bluntly. β€œI don’t know if I want to move, but I can’t stay here. You can’t stay here.”

It was so confusing. It would be hours before an ambulance came for her, no? β€œPick me up,” she told him suddenly. β€œKeep moving Chris. I can’t move you for you right now.”


7 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen Character Portrait: Katia Hunt Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy Character Portrait: Kitty Lee Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano Character Portrait: Christopher Russell Character Portrait: Morgan Janssen
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"I'm in so much pain. I think it compressed my disk and I’m in withdrawal from painkillers." Her words sent a ripple of concern running through Chris. It made the blood running down the side of his face and the ache of his shoulder seem like a trivial thing. He didn't know what to say. "I don’t know if I want to move, but I can’t stay here. You can’t stay here." He nodded and tried to think of what to say. But still, he couldn't. He was frozen until her next words. "Pick me up," She blurted out. And that was the catalyst he needed. She seemed to know exactly what his problem was, judging by her next words. "Keep moving Chris. I can’t move you for you right now." As gently as he could manage, he slid one arm around her back and the other under her legs and lifted her. "I've got you." He wasn't sure if he said it to comfort himself or her. He didn't know why his thoughts were so muddled. Perhaps the adrenaline in his system was only of benefit when he was moving.

His theory was confirmed as he lifted her as gently as he could. His shoulder flared as the muscles worked, but he didn't allow himself to falter. He held her as close as he could, hoping it would be of some comfort. The office was an assault course. Lucky for both of them, he had always been good at them. He navigated the treacherous room, keeping Katia as steady as he could as he moved.

Once they were out of the office, he had a clear shot to the door. The temptation was there to run, but that could cause too much pain to Katia. He thought only about his actions, and not about anything else. He was suddenly focused, predicting every move, every step he would need to make. The doors were open, and the breeze of fresh air that ran through the reception was like a gift.

As he made it out of the building, he suddenly realized that the students would possibly find this a talking point. The new PE teacher carrying the new Dance and Drama teacher from the building? As if there wasn't enough gossip.

Chris gently set Katia down on the ground. His lungs then took the opportunity to rid themselves of all the dust that had accumulated in them, and he turned away, coughing. As soon as he caught his breath, he turned to Katia. "You know what I'm like. I'm going back in. I've got to get the students out." Another wave of coughing overtook him. "Don't make yourself any worse. Help is probably on it's way as we speak." And with that, he got to his feet.

As he turned to look back at the school, he swore to himself. Add a hero complex to my list of faults. He thought, but he was already in the building.

Was it just him, or was there screams coming from the cafeteria? He ran towards it, shivers starting to run up his spine. His fears were confirmed as he saw what lay within. He froze, desperately trying to assess what to do first.

"EVERYBODY CALM DOWN!" He bellowed. Well, they know you're a teacher now anyway. "Right! Buddy up!" Seriously? "If there's someone near you that needs help getting out, help them! Do not pull anybody! You risk worsening their injuries! If you want to move someone who's trapped, let me know and I'll see what I can do! Get going!"

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In the midst of the chaos, somewhere, Adele's Set Fire To The Rain was playing. It sounded so out of place- at least, until she realized it was her phone. She pulled it from her pocket, raising her eyebrows as she saw the caller ID. Her dad.

"Morgan?" His voice was uncharacteristically frenzied. Her laid-back attitude had been inherited from him. "Dad? I'm fine, Dad-" He cut her off, something he'd never usually do. "Morgan, we've got to go. I done something stupid, something really stupid. I'm on my way to get you." She frowned, running a hand through her hair. "When's your flight?" When her dad was like this, there was no point in trying to talk him out of anything. "I'm in San Francisco, honey." Something was really wrong. The realization caused her stomach to sink like a stone.

"Dad, the school was hit by an earthquake. Will you even-" He really was frantic. "I know, honey. The roads are just about drive-able on. If Mr Marinos is around, tell him you've got to go and that I'll explain everything. If not, just... I don't know. I'll be there in about five minutes, Morgan. He hung up, causing Morgan to glance around. Mr Marinos wasn't around.

She suddenly felt like crying. There was so many people she wanted to say goodbye to, most of whom weren't even out of the building. She only had five minutes left in her second home, and, judging by her father's behaviour, she wasn't coming back. She didn't know what to do, except for walk towards the drive.

Her father had evidently under-estimated either his speed or the distance from wherever he had made the call to the school. Because as she reached the drive, her father pulled up in a black car that she recognised as a standard issue undercover cop car. She pulled the door open.

"I'll explain everything, Morgan, I promise. Give this letter to Mr Marinos, but hurry. If you can't find him, give it to someone else." She took the letter and climbed out again, striding towards the school.

She didn't have time to try and find Mr Marinos. She realized that as she saw her chance to say one of her goodbyes. Jackson. He was standing with someone else she vaguely recognised, but couldn't be bothered trying to place. She strode towards him, not bothering to try and fake a smile.

"Hey, Jackson. Sorry to interrupt, but could you do me a favour and give this to Mr Marinos whenever you see him? Or get someone else to." She handed him the letter, purposely keeping her eyes to the ground. But even that wasn't working. The tears started to flow nonetheless. "I'm sorry, Jackson. I've got to go. I-I-I'm not coming back. Not for a while, anyway." In a burst of energy, she wrapped her arms around him. She couldn't say it, but her power spoke for her. "Goodbye." She turned away, heading back to her dad.

He saw the tears on her face. "I'm sorry, Mo, sweetie. I wouldn't do this unless you were at risk." She buckled up her seat belt and wiped her eyes. She couldn't say anything as he pulled out the drive. As they drove away, she stared at the school for as long as she could. As the school disappeared from view, she sent out one last telepathic message, to no-one in particular.

Thank you.

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View All » Add Character » 100 Characters to follow in this universe

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos
Character Portrait: Erin Hawthorne
Character Portrait: Corentine Storm Quellen
Character Portrait: Drake Mauri Quellen
Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig
Character Portrait: Lulu Allen
Character Portrait: Skylar Fiammetta Byrnes
Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano
Character Portrait: Jackson Murphy
Character Portrait: Eden Haven
Character Portrait: Katia Hunt
Character Portrait: Max Henderson
Character Portrait: Kitty Lee
Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields
Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft
Character Portrait: Vince Zahren
Character Portrait: Eric Lee
Character Portrait: Katherine Riley Shea

Newest

Character Portrait: Alena Marie Pierce
Alena Marie Pierce

"It's okay. Most people look at me like that."

Character Portrait: Katherine Riley Shea
Katherine Riley Shea

"So help me god, if you make a pun about my 'Fiery Temper', I'll skip the burning and just throttle you instead.""

Character Portrait: Eric Lee
Eric Lee

I'm the smartest in the room right now, and it feels awfully mundane.

Character Portrait: Vince Zahren
Vince Zahren

"Welcome to Noctrem."

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft
Loren Hanna Craft

"I know who I am, but I would much rather know who I may be. Who I might become."

Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields
Rebecca Fields

"I have better things to do than teach people who don't want to be taught."

Character Portrait: Kitty Lee
Kitty Lee

"Who run the world? Girls!"

Character Portrait: Max Henderson
Max Henderson

"Oh, fuck off. I can't be bothered to say it any more eloquently."

Character Portrait: Katia Hunt
Katia Hunt

I'm not afraid to defend myself.

Character Portrait: Eden Haven
Eden Haven

"You just got to trust that God has a plan."

Trending

Character Portrait: Loren Hanna Craft
Loren Hanna Craft

"I know who I am, but I would much rather know who I may be. Who I might become."

Character Portrait: Katia Hunt
Katia Hunt

I'm not afraid to defend myself.

Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig
Amalthea Desolee Roerig

"Take care of your power, dear. There's a very specific reason it was given to you. You just need to find out what it is."

Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields
Rebecca Fields

"I have better things to do than teach people who don't want to be taught."

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen
Lulu Allen

We are all capable of evil thoughts, but only very rarely of evil deeds; we can all do good deeds, but very few of us can think good thoughts.

Character Portrait: Erin Hawthorne
Erin Hawthorne

"Most people say that I have anger issues. My reply is that I'm very in touch with my primal side, and wonder if they'd like to see it."

Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano
Amber Nicole Romano

"I know your little secret. Don't worry, it's safe with me...as long as you pay me the right amount."

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos
Leonardo Marinos

"When you've lived for as long as I have... nope, things still surprise me today."

Character Portrait: Kitty Lee
Kitty Lee

"Who run the world? Girls!"

Character Portrait: Katherine Riley Shea
Katherine Riley Shea

"So help me god, if you make a pun about my 'Fiery Temper', I'll skip the burning and just throttle you instead.""

Most Followed

Character Portrait: Eden Haven
Eden Haven

"You just got to trust that God has a plan."

Character Portrait: Alena Marie Pierce
Alena Marie Pierce

"It's okay. Most people look at me like that."

Character Portrait: Rebecca Fields
Rebecca Fields

"I have better things to do than teach people who don't want to be taught."

Character Portrait: Katia Hunt
Katia Hunt

I'm not afraid to defend myself.

Character Portrait: Katherine Riley Shea
Katherine Riley Shea

"So help me god, if you make a pun about my 'Fiery Temper', I'll skip the burning and just throttle you instead.""

Character Portrait: Lulu Allen
Lulu Allen

We are all capable of evil thoughts, but only very rarely of evil deeds; we can all do good deeds, but very few of us can think good thoughts.

Character Portrait: Vince Zahren
Vince Zahren

"Welcome to Noctrem."

Character Portrait: Leonardo Marinos
Leonardo Marinos

"When you've lived for as long as I have... nope, things still surprise me today."

Character Portrait: Amalthea Desolee Roerig
Amalthea Desolee Roerig

"Take care of your power, dear. There's a very specific reason it was given to you. You just need to find out what it is."

Character Portrait: Amber Nicole Romano
Amber Nicole Romano

"I know your little secret. Don't worry, it's safe with me...as long as you pay me the right amount."


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